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History of the Maquis
Posted: 2004-01-13 03:25pm
by Smiling Bandit
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.
Re: History of the Maquis
Posted: 2004-01-13 03:54pm
by TheDarkling
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.
Posted: 2004-01-13 06:10pm
by Ender
I never liked that twist. I always thought two competing human nations with bad blood between them offered so much for future plots.
Posted: 2004-01-13 07:40pm
by Thirdfain
-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!
Posted: 2004-01-14 12:14am
by Sarevok
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.
Posted: 2004-01-14 01:26am
by Uraniun235
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!
Posted: 2004-01-14 02:29am
by Stofsk
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)?
Posted: 2004-01-14 10:25am
by Burak Gazan
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....

Posted: 2004-01-14 10:37am
by FTeik
No, the Marquis are just some deluded colonists.
After all, who would wish to leave the paradise the Federation is supposed to be?

Posted: 2004-01-14 12:13pm
by Tsyroc
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.
Posted: 2004-01-14 12:21pm
by Stravo
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.
Posted: 2004-01-14 12:31pm
by TheDarkling
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.
Posted: 2004-01-14 12:37pm
by Tsyroc
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.
Posted: 2004-01-14 12:41pm
by Stravo
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.
Posted: 2004-01-14 01:30pm
by Enola Straight
If the UFP finds success in trading territory for peace, how will the Federation grow? Where will it put all its citizens?
Posted: 2004-01-14 02:15pm
by Murazor
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.
Posted: 2004-01-14 02:44pm
by TheDarkling
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.

Posted: 2004-01-14 02:46pm
by TheDarkling
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.
Posted: 2004-01-14 02:54pm
by Stravo
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.
Posted: 2004-01-14 03:14pm
by Uraniun235
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.
Posted: 2004-01-15 01:01pm
by Tsyroc
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?
Posted: 2004-01-15 02:06pm
by Smiling Bandit
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.
Yvan eht nioj... Yvan eht nioj... Yvan eht nioj