Improving the Timeline
Jan. 20th, 2011 12:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
4thofelevenHad a discussion elsewhere about “Encounter at Farpoint” and, in general, how crappy most of early Star Trek: TNG was, and it reminded me of my own personal crackpot theory about TNG season one and two.
Namely, that they were all erased by the events of “Yesterday’s Enterprise”.
See, early TNG established a lot of things that were contradicted later on. It claimed several times the Klingons had joined the Federation, something that clearly isn’t true in later episodes. It claimed the Romulans had retreated into total isolation for decades, something hard to square with later episodes which had the Romulans in constant communication with dissident factions within the Klingon Empire. It had first contact with the Ferengi, while later TNG and DS9 would treat them as a well-established part of galactic civilization.
Plus, when the Cardassians were first introduced in season four, it was claimed they been at war with the Federation a few years prior – there are, of course, no hints that the Federation is, or recently had been, at war in season one.
So, here’s my theory: When the Enterprise-C was sent back in time in “Yesterday’s Enterprise”, the timeline was restored… mostly. Except the second time around, the Romulans captured Tasha Yar – and learned that the Enterprise’s presence would cement closer ties between the Federation and the Klingons.
This time around, instead of retreating into isolation, the Romulan government moves to weaken those ties. Not enough to prevent an alliance, but enough to prevent the Klingon Empire merging entirely with the Federation. The Cardassians, who in the original timeline, knew they had no chance against the combined strength of both powers, here see the Federation alone as vulnerable. The Ferengi become involved in that conflict, perhaps as arms merchants, and so make contact with the Federation years before they would have otherwise.
Most importantly, any episode before “Yesterday’s Enterprise” now never happened, unless referenced in later episodes. So, while “Q-Who”, “Conspiracy”, “The Emissary” and “Who Watches the Watchers” still took place, “Code of Honor”, “Justice”, “Shades of Grey”, and the rest of the drek from early TNG never happened at all.
Namely, that they were all erased by the events of “Yesterday’s Enterprise”.
See, early TNG established a lot of things that were contradicted later on. It claimed several times the Klingons had joined the Federation, something that clearly isn’t true in later episodes. It claimed the Romulans had retreated into total isolation for decades, something hard to square with later episodes which had the Romulans in constant communication with dissident factions within the Klingon Empire. It had first contact with the Ferengi, while later TNG and DS9 would treat them as a well-established part of galactic civilization.
Plus, when the Cardassians were first introduced in season four, it was claimed they been at war with the Federation a few years prior – there are, of course, no hints that the Federation is, or recently had been, at war in season one.
So, here’s my theory: When the Enterprise-C was sent back in time in “Yesterday’s Enterprise”, the timeline was restored… mostly. Except the second time around, the Romulans captured Tasha Yar – and learned that the Enterprise’s presence would cement closer ties between the Federation and the Klingons.
This time around, instead of retreating into isolation, the Romulan government moves to weaken those ties. Not enough to prevent an alliance, but enough to prevent the Klingon Empire merging entirely with the Federation. The Cardassians, who in the original timeline, knew they had no chance against the combined strength of both powers, here see the Federation alone as vulnerable. The Ferengi become involved in that conflict, perhaps as arms merchants, and so make contact with the Federation years before they would have otherwise.
Most importantly, any episode before “Yesterday’s Enterprise” now never happened, unless referenced in later episodes. So, while “Q-Who”, “Conspiracy”, “The Emissary” and “Who Watches the Watchers” still took place, “Code of Honor”, “Justice”, “Shades of Grey”, and the rest of the drek from early TNG never happened at all.