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I think cloaking technology is one of the coolest things in science fiction; it has the potential to make space combat significantly more interesting and potentially multi-dimensional. That being said, I think the fact that it is an almost entirely offensive device would preclude its use by Starfleet (though apparently, judging by the poll results, I am not in the majority). I'm Canadian and so I think about Starfleet using cloaking devices as Canada views having a Nuclear Arsenal. The idea is that one of Canada's strongest assets in international diplomacy is the idea that Canada is a non-aggressive, peacekeeping nation and maintaining a Nuclear Arsenal would undermine that basic principle and thus damage Canada's strongest negotiating tool. As regards Starfleet, I think that, whatever interstellar governments think of the Federation, the Federation certainly sees itself in a similar light. I think that the Federation equipping its ships, even a small number of them, with a device that is purely offensive would fundamentally undermine one of the Federations greatest strengths in negotiation. Especially since the Federation prefers to handle as many situations as possible using diplomacy rather than force.

This one's a tough call for me. The elegance and class of the Ent-D bridge or the high-tech workhorse bridge for the Intrepid-class. I went with the latter today, but ask me again in a week and there's a good chance I'd go the other way.

Tis true.

I agree with Tu'Peq. The Federation is all about peaceful exploration and diplomacy. Transparency is the best way to signal that their intentions are peaceful and that they have nothing to hide. Cloaking technology would undermine the way that they want to be perceived. The Federation should study cloaking technologies in order to better detect and defend against potential aggressors, but cloaking devices shouldn't be standard equipment.

Ron Moore, the man who was a longstanding Star Trek writer before he rebooted Battlestar Galactica, once explained the frustration of creating stories in the Star Trek universe: I have read more than once about how a writer will ignore canon in favor of a good story and I can understand the frustration. On the other hand, I can also appreciate how canon describes the world in which we choose to write. We want that world to make sense, for the parts to work together, and when it doesn't, it can be very frustrating. For me I think I come down in the middle. I want to learn, to observe canon, but at the same time, I don't want canon to be the most important thing. Creativity has its place too and as catscatscats said, the spirit of collaboration is sometimes more important than getting every detail right.

Canon is the backbone of our universe and there are so many stories which can be told within that tapestry that there is no need to recreate the wheel. We have so much material to work with there should be no need to make new canon.

Meanwhile on Outpost 3...

I'm one of those who have a hard time when writers contradict cannon. It's like trying to rewrite history. I have no problem adding to it and creating fresh new things for a great story but it can be done without rewriting history sooooo leave cannon alone.

I do like canon and see it as a great reference for building good stories but the more canon there is, the more limits there are. So I'm all for bending canon to craft a great story.

"Violence is always abhorrent; occasionally it is necessary." ~ Saveron at some point. Saveron is trained in Western Suus Mahna, which largely follows the same kind of principles as Aikido; disarm and disable. However it maintains some of the older parts of the discipline that the Eastern form does not; he is capable of taking the offensive though he prefers not to. His Nel Gathic culture does not hold with discarding information simply because one finds it disagreeable. They also believe in being prepared for all eventualities. "We do not seek war. But he that would bring war to us, let him beware." ~ A Nel Gathic Comander in Surak's time, now a proverb. He is acceptably competent with a phaser, but vastly prefers not to use one. If at all possible he will talk his way out of a situation.

T'Reshik is still waiting for the higher-ups to grant her request to add a small phaser turret to her wheelchair. She probably wouldn't hesitate to run over someone's face if it came to it, and has surprisingly good upper-body and hand strength. Partly because of her disability, she wouldn't go on the offensive unless she absolutely had to, but if she had to, she'd absolutely fight dirty.

Whittaker: =^= Sal... I'll be right back, I'm about to become a murder suspect. =^=

Cretak is my waifu.

Everyone has their own opinion of JJTrek. I’ve watched the movies, and I am far from impressed. However, in their own way, these new iterations of the franchise we know and love bring up topics for discussion. After watching Star Trek Into Darkness, and a certain parody YouTube video, I began to consider the merits of the revolutionary technology introduced in the movie; transwarp beaming. These devices can be used to hurl individuals and objects hundreds, even thousands of times farther than a regular transporter would be capable of. Essentially, the transwarp transporter allowed instantaneous travel between destinations lightyears away from the start point. With such an incredible advantage, however, presents a rather unpleasant logistical dilemma. Put simply, it is this; would we need starships any longer? They have been the means by which the Federation has explored the galaxy, sought peace, and defended against the innumerable alien threats lurking in deep space. With transwarp beaming, journeys that would take days at warp could be achieved in the blink of an eye, without the complications that a starship brings to the equation. Indeed, we have seen defense platforms and drones used by various species and organizations in Star Trek- it stands to reason that the Federation could use these technologies as well. With a hypothetical transwarp beaming device, the question is, how much of our standard operation should we keep? This week’s poll asks you to tell us what your feelings are on this. Do you embrace transwarp beaming as the new, better way to traverse the galaxy? Or do you prefer the standard method of starships and starbases? Perhaps a combination of the two? Or neither? Let us know in the comments section below!

Like Evan said above, I think that Starships are more than just personal conveyance. They're mobile platforms to deal with all sorts of situations. If you're planning on exploring an area that's not particularly hospitable, then you really need your starship to support your crew. We also don't know just how transwarp beaming would work for actually retrieving someone or something from a location. How easy would it to be to scan for and find the signal of a person tens of lightyears away? There's also the potential for exponential increases in energy costs for utilizing this technology. It could be that it's really only practical and safe to send or retrieve someone from two very defined locations, sort of like the quantum entanglement communications between two set locations in the Mass Effect games. It was, after all, a big risk to send JJKirk and JJScott to the Enterprise in the 2009 Star Trek. Starships allow for a degree of flexibility and immediate response to a situation that transwarp beaming never would.

It's gotta be Ten Forward. You get a beautiful view that changes based on where the ship is, free food and drinks, and a cozy atmosphere for more intimate gatherings. Plus, you get access to a wise and mysterious bartender giving out free advice.

Given that these holodeck characters have already demonstrated that they are aware of their nature as holograms and that they do not possess control of their environment, they clearly possess some degree of self-awareness that can't be ignored. Depending on how many holodecks are available I would either give them the holodeck they currently inhabit or create another holographic environment using holoemitters in another room, a cargo bay for example. I would however tell my engineers to isolate the computer systems of whichever holodeck they inhabit from the rest of the ship for the time being. I wouldn't want them to have access to the ship's systems until learning more about where they came from and what their nature is. Furthermore, it seems that given their demands for control these newly sentient holograms might appreciate their holodeck being given a degree of autonomy and independence from the main computer. Until establishing their origin and working on a more permanent living arrangement, this would be my holding pattern to prevent a conflict.

Given the recent attacks, I would hope that I would be present in a ship with reasonable defensive (and offensive) capabilities. One wouldn't send a Nova Class into dangerous territory. I would first signal my intentions back to Starfleet Command. Then I would go in with shield up and weapons ready.

Always loved the Galaxy class bridge, but it is one of it's variants that I call my favorite. Though it was only seen in on the big screen in Star Trek Generations the refitted Enterprise-D bridge with it's added stations along the side walls, that I like the most. That brought a extra level functionality I felt was missing from the bridge as it was on the series.

Obviously ritualised murder and canabalism aren't acceptable in the Federation, but this is not a Federation world. I would ask time to have the groom undergo a psychiatric assessment whilst away from his fiancé to confirm that a) he is mentally sound and competent to make the decision and he's not being coerced by her into doing it. If he proves mentally competent and free from coercion and he's still sure this is what he wants, then he has the right to make that choice. It's the old succubus conundrum. One night of pleasure, but it's your last night alive.

I mean, if the guy's agreed to it with full knowledge and acceptance of what's going to happen....I dunno. It's his life. If he's gonna choose to end it that way that's sort of his choice, ultimately. Given the situation outlined though, I think I'd opt to have him step away from the situation for long enough that he has time to think it over - separately from his fiance. If he still wants to do it after that, well, godspeed.

It was a toss-up for me between the EMH and the Neelix's holographic lungs. In the end, lungs won.

It completely depends on the Character. My first PNPC was one rank below my character when I started simming them (they still are Ensign, just I am not lol). Others were enlisted or Civilian, again others had the same rank when I started playing them. I just usually go with what fits best to them, where I wanna go with them or their whole background story, age and so on.

It depends on the role they are filling at the time where I start the rank system. My first secondary (Cadfael Peters) I started at Ensign because I just made Lieutenant with Chythar. My first PNPC who later became my secondary (Carter Greyson) is an ensign, but some of my other NPCs like Merlin Emrys are crewmen rank. Devlin's easy: he's a dog -- civilian by default.