Romulan Ale and the Federation

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2003-08-28 11:35pm

Is it possible that Romulan Ale is the equivalent of marijuana in the Federation?

Macross · Post by **Macross** » 2003-08-28 11:57pm

Cuban Cigars would be a more appropriate analogy.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-08-29 12:10am

Macross wrote:Cuban Cigars would be a more appropriate analogy.

The banned ones. I would wager.

beyond hope · Post by **beyond hope** » 2003-08-29 03:27am

maybe it's banned as protectionism for the synthehol industry?

Kamakazie Sith · Post by **Kamakazie Sith** » 2003-08-29 05:03am

Maybe it's banned because the Romulan Star Empire is a bitter enemy of the UFP, and thus sending cargo ships into Romulan territory or vise versa would be ill advised considering the deceptive nature of the Romulans.

Death from the Sea · Post by **Death from the Sea** » 2003-08-29 10:35am

Macross wrote:Cuban Cigars would be a more appropriate analogy.

I would agree to this analogy.

Plus there is the fact that it is not synthahol and even consuming moderate amounts gives a major hongover as seen in ST:VI TUC.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-08-29 12:18pm

beyond hope wrote:maybe it's banned as protectionism for the synthehol industry?

Only if people have to pay every time they replicate synthehol. Unless they have to pay a rental fee for the pattern for it.

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-08-29 01:51pm

neoolong wrote:
beyond hope wrote:maybe it's banned as protectionism for the synthehol industry?
Only if people have to pay every time they replicate synthehol. Unless they have to pay a rental fee for the pattern for it.

This raises the question: How do they acquire replication patterns in the federation?? I suppose all replicators come with a series of standard patterns, and people can purchase exptra replication patterns.

However, I also suppose that synthahol comes as a standard replication pattern. (although this is speculation)

greenmm · Post by **greenmm** » 2003-08-29 03:08pm

neoolong wrote:
beyond hope wrote:maybe it's banned as protectionism for the synthehol industry?
Only if people have to pay every time they replicate synthehol. Unless they have to pay a rental fee for the pattern for it.

Doubtful, since isn't Romulan ale even proscribed in the TOS era, when they don't mention synthehol at all?

Ah, that's right: Bones gives Kirk some Romulan ale for his birthday in TWoK, and Kirk makes a comment about it being "illegal" to have it. Since they had Saurian brandy in the TOS series, it seems they still use regular alcohol instead of synthehol.

That sounds definitely like we're talking about "cuban cigars" as the appropriate analogy, then.

greenmm · Post by **greenmm** » 2003-08-29 03:10pm

Simon H.Johansen wrote:
neoolong wrote:
beyond hope wrote:maybe it's banned as protectionism for the synthehol industry?
Only if people have to pay every time they replicate synthehol. Unless they have to pay a rental fee for the pattern for it.
This raises the question: How do they acquire replication patterns in the federation?? I suppose all replicators come with a series of standard patterns, and people can purchase exptra replication patterns.

However, I also suppose that synthahol comes as a standard replication pattern. (although this is speculation)

Purchase them with what? They supposedly don't get paid for their jobs anymore, so it'd be kind of hard to buy the patterns.

Probably someone tried to catalog all the different recipes and refreshments for the replicators, and as new recipes become available they just send a subspace signal out with the upgrade code.

Oooh, now there's an idea: hacking Federation systems by spamming their replicators with bogus recipes Trojan Horsing a computer virus...

2000AD · Post by **2000AD** » 2003-08-29 03:20pm

greenmm wrote:Ah, that's right: Bones gives Kirk some Romulan ale for his birthday in TWoK, and Kirk makes a comment about it being "illegal" to have it. Since they had Saurian brandy in the TOS series, it seems they still use regular alcohol instead of synthehol.

Further evidence that ToS uses alcohol and not synthol is that in TNG episode Relics, Scotty asks for a drink with real alcohol in it and not synthol.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-08-29 04:21pm

greenmm wrote:Purchase them with what? They supposedly don't get paid for their jobs anymore, so it'd be kind of hard to buy the patterns.

Probably someone tried to catalog all the different recipes and refreshments for the replicators, and as new recipes become available they just send a subspace signal out with the upgrade code.

Oooh, now there's an idea: hacking Federation systems by spamming their replicators with bogus recipes Trojan Horsing a computer virus...

Of course someone is going to have Soylent Green too much and make everything taste like human.

Isolder74 · Post by **Isolder74** » 2003-08-29 05:05pm

Romulon Ale is illeagal for the same reason that Cuban Cigars are. The Romulon Star Empire is/was an enemy of the Federation and we as not on good relations with them. Doing so would lower the funds available to said power and help the Federation maintain parity with them.

Isolder74 · Post by **Isolder74** » 2003-08-29 05:09pm

Macross wrote:Cuban Cigars would be a more appropriate analogy.

Yes it is a better analogy because these were only banned after Castro came to power. Before that Cuban Cigars were plenty legal and they did little to harm or damage to the American Tobacco Industry

Chris OFarrell · Post by **Chris OFarrell** » 2003-08-29 07:15pm

Of course when the relations between the UFP and RSE improved in the Dominion war, the ban on it was lifted. So its preaty clearly a thing about it being a political ban, like Cuban cicgars. And its also apparently a ban most Starfleet personal who get to serve on the frontier also ignore. Bashier and co all but smirking at Ross when he had his first taste of the drink in 'Inter Ema Silent Legis".

Of course Nemesis had a wonderful upholding of Continunity with Romulan Ale suddenly being illegal again in the movie for no apparent reason...

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-08-29 07:25pm

It was probably much easier to get it on the frontier with the assorted species to trade with too.

You could probably get it from a guy who got it from a guy who got it from a guy who got it from the Romulan Empire.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2003-08-29 08:14pm

This thread was inspired by McCoy's sly little "I only use it for medicinal purposes line, but I'm well convinced now it's closer to Cuban cigars.

Oh, and didn't B&B largely ignore DS9 to begin with? I thought DS9 was primarily run by other people.

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2003-08-29 08:36pm

Uraniun235 wrote:This thread was inspired by McCoy's sly little "I only use it for medicinal purposes line, but I'm well convinced now it's closer to Cuban cigars.

Oh, and didn't B&B largely ignore DS9 to begin with? I thought DS9 was primarily run by other people.

Ronald D. Moore was primarily in charge of Deep Space Nine. That was his baby. Because Moore wasn't choosen by Roodenberry to continue things his little creation was marginalized by Berman who couldn't stand how things were going. Berman had direct influence on the series ending because he wanted it dead.

FYI, Moore was one of the writers in Generations. That is why that movie actualy had more story then the next three movied combined.

IMO Moore should have been allowed to run Deep Space Nine for at least nine seasons. Cut Voyager off at five. Give DS9 a three season long war with the final season dealing with the aftermath and rising tensions with the Romulans (a prelude to an altered Nemesis movie)

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 2003-08-31 07:11pm

I know that the UFP territory "space-locks" a few independent species/nations. Would they be forbiden from travelling into the Romulan Star Empire as well?

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-09-01 08:19am

greenmm wrote:
Simon H.Johansen wrote:
neoolong wrote: Only if people have to pay every time they replicate synthehol. Unless they have to pay a rental fee for the pattern for it.
This raises the question: How do they acquire replication patterns in the federation?? I suppose all replicators come with a series of standard patterns, and people can purchase exptra replication patterns.

However, I also suppose that synthahol comes as a standard replication pattern. (although this is speculation)
Purchase them with what? They supposedly don't get paid for their jobs anymore, so it'd be kind of hard to buy the patterns.

Of course, there are those who make money on blackmarket trade with aliens....

Post by **NecronLord** » 2003-09-02 08:33am

Chris OFarrell wrote:Of course when the relations between the UFP and RSE improved in the Dominion war, the ban on it was lifted. So its preaty clearly a thing about it being a political ban, like Cuban cicgars. And its also apparently a ban most Starfleet personal who get to serve on the frontier also ignore. Bashier and co all but smirking at Ross when he had his first taste of the drink in 'Inter Ema Silent Legis".

Of course Nemesis had a wonderful upholding of Continunity with Romulan Ale suddenly being illegal again in the movie for no apparent reason...

Maybe they only started drinking it when the Belaphron (God, now that's the king of spelling mistakes) was over the Romulan Border?

As for Nemesis, that's nothing. I was watching Insurrection & Nemesis lately (I'm watching the films in reverse order of quality...

) and low and behold, the Ba'ku have experience fixing - positronic devices yet by Nem, only Soong Type Androids have positronic signitures.

greenmm · Post by **greenmm** » 2003-09-02 12:47pm

NecronLord wrote:
Chris OFarrell wrote:Of course when the relations between the UFP and RSE improved in the Dominion war, the ban on it was lifted. So its preaty clearly a thing about it being a political ban, like Cuban cicgars. And its also apparently a ban most Starfleet personal who get to serve on the frontier also ignore. Bashier and co all but smirking at Ross when he had his first taste of the drink in 'Inter Ema Silent Legis".

Of course Nemesis had a wonderful upholding of Continunity with Romulan Ale suddenly being illegal again in the movie for no apparent reason...
Maybe they only started drinking it when the Belaphron (God, now that's the king of spelling mistakes) was over the Romulan Border?

As for Nemesis, that's nothing. I was watching Insurrection & Nemesis lately (I'm watching the films in reverse order of quality... ) and low and behold, the Ba'ku have experience fixing - positronic devices yet by Nem, only Soong Type Androids have positronic signitures.

Which just shows the larger problem: if you don't use technology in your everyday life, and find it philosophically abhorrent to use it, let alone rely on it on a daily basis... how in the hell do you get the training to use it, and in particular a technology supposedly only useful for creating androids (almost certainly a poster child of the enemy for anti-technologists)?