History of the Maquis

Smiling Bandit · Post by **Smiling Bandit** » 2004-01-13 03:25pm

Since I pretty much tuned out of DS9 after a year and never watched any Voyager, I have no knowledge fo the Maquis. What exactly was their story? I hear a lot about them being cast as villains, but the people on this site root for them.

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2004-01-13 03:54pm

Smiling Bandit wrote:Since I pretty much tuned out of DS9 after a year and never watched any Voyager, I have no knowledge fo the Maquis. What exactly was their story? I hear a lot about them being cast as villains, but the people on this site root for them.

The Federation in its infinite wisdom negotiated a lasting peace (or so it was thought to be a the time) with the Cardassians, this involved a redrawing of the border which left some Federation colonies in Cardassian space and vice versa (there was also set up a demilitarised zone in the middle of the two powers which these colonies were locate within),.

However many Federation citizens refused o up and leave their homes and so it was decided that the colonist could stay but they would have to swap nations (the colonists would now be under Cardassian jurisdiction).

Now this would all be fine except the Cardassians being Cardassians begin to harass the colonists (random beatings, rape, theft etc) and the also begin to supply their colonists with weaponry with which to fight a war.

The Federation colonists arm themselves and fight back, the organisation formed to do this is called the Maquis.

The Maquis progresses over time (and gathers at least a few Starfleet officers to its cause) and begins to win victories, when the Klingons invade Cardassia the Cardassians begin to lose the war in the DMZ, the Maquis almost reaches a state where they are going to declare themselves an independent nation however within weeks of Cardassia joining the dominion the Jem Hadar completely wipe them out.

Ender · Post by **Ender** » 2004-01-13 06:10pm

I never liked that twist. I always thought two competing human nations with bad blood between them offered so much for future plots.

Thirdfain · Post by **Thirdfain** » 2004-01-13 07:40pm

-sigh-

It's like this, Ender. In the future, mankind will become a massive monoculture. In fact, that's the thrust of all civilization- the collapse of the colorful and chaotic into the drab and pastel. Having two nations with the SAME SPECIES and DIFFERENT AGENDAS? Ha! Silly, silly Ender. That won't happen in the future, that's for sure! It only exists today due to the corrupting influences of unnatural and immoral forces like capitalism!

Sarevok · Post by **Sarevok** » 2004-01-14 12:14am

Ender wrote:I never liked that twist. I always thought two competing human nations with bad blood between them offered so much for future plots.

Agreed. A Federation civil war would have been very interesting.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2004-01-14 01:26am

Hey, and while we're at it, let's have Picard murder some civilians in cold blood because they might have supported the opposition. That'll make him more interesting, and grittier too, which is good. What? Completely inconsistent with the character? Fuck that shit, man, idealism is passe, we've got to get this franchise up to speed!

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2004-01-14 02:29am

Uraniun235 wrote:Hey, and while we're at it, let's have Picard murder some civilians in cold blood because they might have supported the opposition. That'll make him more interesting, and grittier too, which is good. What? Completely inconsistent with the character? Fuck that shit, man, idealism is passe, we've got to get this franchise up to speed!

Aren't you forgetting the numerous occasions where Picard took the Enterprise, which has civilians onboard, into battle? He could have dropped them off on the saucer section and transferred command to the battle bridge. Picard endangering civilians to make a point (that starfleet's social experiment was flawed and dangerous) is totally in-character.

Furthermore, aren't you also forgetting the episode "Pre-Emptive Strike" which Picard is more than willing to open fire on people who have no quarrel with him or the Federation (the Maquis were conducting a private war against the Cardassians, and they were no longer considered Federation citizens)?

Burak Gazan · Post by **Burak Gazan** » 2004-01-14 10:25am

Lets not forget Captain Benny "I use WMD and get away with it " Sisko

Charming. Contaminates an entire planet in his bordering-on-the-psychotic pursuit of Micheal Eddington, and in true Fed fashion, faces utterly no consequences. I am the only one who thinks Eddington should have beat him until he begged to die??

Yup, real "gritty character development" by the writers there....

FTeik · Post by **FTeik** » 2004-01-14 10:37am

No, the Marquis are just some deluded colonists.

After all, who would wish to leave the paradise the Federation is supposed to be?

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2004-01-14 12:13pm

One of the things I liked about DS9 was the opinions voiced about the Federation by people who weren't members.

Kira ocassionally had some good ones but the best ones came from Quark, Garak and members of the Maquis. Edington was one of the best at poking holes in the Federation mystique. Too bad no one seemed to be listening to him.

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2004-01-14 12:21pm

Tsyroc wrote:One of the things I liked about DS9 was the opinions voiced about the Federation by people who weren't members.

Kira ocassionally had some good ones but the best ones came from Quark, Garak and members of the Maquis. Edington was one of the best at poking holes in the Federation mystique. Too bad no one seemed to be listening to him.

Eddington's comparisons of the Federation to the Borg was very astute and biting.

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2004-01-14 12:31pm

Stravo wrote: Eddington's comparisons of the Federation to the Borg was very astute and biting.

The Federation want people to join it and think they are better than the other nation states aound it, wow I wish I had insights like that.

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2004-01-14 12:37pm

TheDarkling wrote:
Stravo wrote: Eddington's comparisons of the Federation to the Borg was very astute and biting.
The Federation want people to join it and think they are better than the other nation states aound it, wow I wish I had insights like that.

You're just saying that because you want to join the USA.

You know you want to.

Join now. Join now. Join Now. Join now.

Join now. Join now. Join Now. Join now. Join now. Join now. Join Now. Join now. Join now. Join now. Join Now. Join now. Join now. Join now. Join Now. Join now...........You know you want to.

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2004-01-14 12:41pm

TheDarkling wrote:
Stravo wrote: Eddington's comparisons of the Federation to the Borg was very astute and biting.
The Federation want people to join it and think they are better than the other nation states aound it, wow I wish I had insights like that.

When was the last time you had a Starfleet officer make a comment like that in the entire run TOS and onward? In universe the Federation citizens, particulalry its Starfleet officers have a very idealized view of the Federation and its motives.

Enola Straight · Post by **Enola Straight** » 2004-01-14 01:30pm

If the UFP finds success in trading territory for peace, how will the Federation grow? Where will it put all its citizens?

Murazor · Post by **Murazor** » 2004-01-14 02:15pm

The events in Star Trek: Insurrection suggests that the Federation has not even visited every inhabited planet in its own territory. They may just colonize abalaible planets at hand instead of pissing the Dominion and other powers by sending lots of colonists to the other side of the galaxy.

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2004-01-14 02:44pm

Tsyroc wrote:
You're just saying that because you want to join the USA.

Like I have always said Better Dead than red............ white and blue.

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2004-01-14 02:46pm

Enola Straight wrote:If the UFP finds success in trading territory for peace, how will the Federation grow? Where will it put all its citizens?

They haven't always been that stupid and I think events have caused them to grow a brain since.

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2004-01-14 02:54pm

TheDarkling wrote:
Enola Straight wrote:If the UFP finds success in trading territory for peace, how will the Federation grow? Where will it put all its citizens?
They haven't always been that stupid and I think events have caused them to grow a brain since.

There's definetly precedent for what Darkling is saying. The early TNG era Federation was in a period of political and cultural stagnation that was shuffled off at the mid point of teh TNG era with the arrival of the Borg on the scene and a militarization of the Federation to the point where they would not accept anything but unconditional surrender in the Dominion War, a far cry from what we saw in the Cardasian conflict in early TNG era.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2004-01-14 03:14pm

Given how many "entering uncharted territory" episodes they've had, I somehow suspect the Federation figured that a little redrawing of the lines (which, by the way, also put some Cardassian territory on the Federation side of the line) would make little difference in the big picture when there are still huge areas of space that are as yet uncolonized.

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2004-01-15 01:01pm

TheDarkling wrote:
Tsyroc wrote: You're just saying that because you want to join the USA.
Like I have always said Better Dead than red............ white and blue.

Holding out for blue white red are you?

Smiling Bandit · Post by **Smiling Bandit** » 2004-01-15 02:06pm

Aren't you forgetting the numerous occasions where Picard took the Enterprise, which has civilians onboard, into battle? He could have dropped them off on the saucer section and transferred command to the battle bridge. Picard endangering civilians to make a point (that starfleet's social experiment was flawed and dangerous) is totally in-character.

Hey, its not like they were particularly in any more danger than facing the "ship-destroying event which will take place just asfter the commercial break minutes and be resolved 5 minutes before the episode ends" of the week. You just gotta live with it - these things happen in Star Trek.

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History of the Maquis

History of the Maquis

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