It’s established later in the episode that the Omega Directive entirely supercedes the Prime Directive, quite possibly the only official policy/order to do so.
@@casey6556 Most likely yes and Only re applies after the Omega Molecule has been destroyed thus ending the Omega Directive only until the Omega Molecule re appeares again.
they need to rewrite some of these regulations to be more detailed and specific because omega conflicts with general order 7 so which one has more authority
@@legionaireb The Omega Directive is very straightforward, find and neutralize any Omega particles that exist. Time travel has a colossal amount of shit that can go wrong whose effects are extremely difficult to correct. Anyone in the 24th century hates time travel, and for good reason.
Voyager "we have to scavenge and grow food because we dont have power" So some how we have matter/antimatter drive but no power! "Im off to play in the holo deck because the power to run that for 1 second is enuff to supply everything we need on the ship for a year" 🤦♂🤣
@@DavisJ-ln6fw LOL please explain because thats exactly how it works! IT DOES USE ENERGY A MASSIVE AMOUNT! Going to reference your star trek tech book for boys?
Feels weird how the computer is actually ordering Janeway around, "Implement the Omega Directive immediately, all other priorities have been recinded."
The computer is controlled by higher ranking authority by admirals and theorists I suppose, so majorly serious that it'd be regulated to captains beyond their reach.
@@thattechdude apparently in this episode the prime directive wasn't ignored, almost bypassed by 7of9 and could've or possibly destroyed the quadrant but she relinquished because of Janeway. However, 7of9 did get a chance to see what she thought was perfection for a small fraction of a moment (from the pov of her experience of the Borg)which could've been glorious or doom for the quadrant. No one knows even the Admirals don't know exactly what the outcome would be (except for what they knew what could possibly be or what they knew had happened somehow)but they where trying to playing it safe. This is what I could remember from watching the episode which I really liked.
@@Samstone7 The Omega directive overrides even the Prime Directive, Omega is so dangerous to space travel that until the situation is resolved, the Prime Directive is effectively nullified.
David Murphy - IKR. I would say surely only captains and admirals or above would have that level of clearance. But someone posted that Paris had Clearance level 11.
@@jdstep97 it's probably just a need to know basis like in real life. In most militaries you can have top secret clearance and still not know anything.
I suppose that certainly does show the gravity of the situation? It does make one wonder how many different latent directives that there are that only those with the rank of Captain, or higher, are privy to with the proper security clearance, does it not? The Omega Directive can't be the only one. Just think. Just think about this for a moment. That's a Starfleet Captain. She is aware of it. Could you imagine what Section 31's brass are privy to and what their latent directives are?
I can remember one from the books. In case of a war with Romulus, every ship contains the blueprint for a cloaking device, which can be build in case the threaty of Algeron is no longer in effect.
Random thought when I heard the computer confirm that the doors were sealed. "Doors", meaning more than one. Which reminded me that her office does in fact have two exits. I think the 2nd one had only been used once or twice the entire series. Which led me to the interesting thought as to WHY there's two doors. I can only think of one. They deliberately designed the office with two exits just so the captain...on a fairly small vessel by Starfleet standards frankly....could privately come and go from their office without having to walk through the bridge. Pretty nice privilege.
The "doors" dialogue just made me think of the two sliding doors of the one main doorway. But entertaining your question of why there would be two exits, my first thought while reading your comment was that it would be for safety reasons (so the captain can't be deliberately trapped in the room just by blocking the one doorway, or even as a fire-safety type of thing in case one exit becomes blocked by a hazard.)
True. I thought that you might want to add a third one. For a private bathroom. It makes sense doesn't. Master bedrooms usually have their own bathroom so why can't the captain of a ship in the 24th century
That's not her office, that's the Ready Room. Her office only has one door, the Ready Room has two. You can see her walk past the other door as she enters. Yes, I did just look up the schematics online.
If the sensors were still accessible by the bridge crew, they would also detect the omega molecule. Blocking access to the controls prevented anyone from finding out.
@@FortoFight Also "useful" if the ship were in the middle of firefight or an dire emergency. I swear, between things like this and things consoles that explode at the slightest jostle and lack of seat belts, Starfleet is all but suicidal in their choices.
I love the little Easter Egg with the MU-TH-ER computer from the USS Nostromo. When the Omega Directive is stated to Janeway it says "All other priorities rescinded". The USS Nostromo also says something similar but adds an extremely disturbing end line to the statement "All other considerations rescinded, crew expendable". I wonder if the writers hadn't considered adding that as well, but didn't due to censorship constraints at the time?
If the Omega Directive happened with Picard, he'd be negotiating with the Omega molecule and have Data be a conduit to speak for the Omega molecules :-P
Amar7605 At least Picard might have given them some technology so they won't die out, because he just crushed their only hope of survival. The omega directive allows him to do that, right?
+Schwarzer Ritter That's the thing... as she said herself, if they were in the Alpha Quadrant... and entire team or task force would be send in, likely consisting of several ships and the resources to ensure the species is suitably appease...
Totally true. Since the Prime Directive was temporarily overruled, there was *nothing* saying that Janeway could not have traded an alternative energy source to the aliens. Picard would have almost certainly done so. After all, it's not as if having aliens (in this case the Federation) swoop in and steal the energy source upon which these people were basing the survival of their civilization would not have negative consequences (which normally the Prime Directive is intended to avert).
That it would screw them over as the Federation might go full on war crime mode in order to end the battle quickly to deal with the particle, not to mention no Warp capable species would dare start making boy who cried wolf stories about Omega molecules for when the day comes and there real...
With how dangerous the Omega Particle is I don't anyone would willingly try that tactic. And if they did try it all ships including their own would probably be fooled.
Given the manufacture of the Omega molecule is probably a crime in the Federation, Klingon Empire and Star Empire and that the molecule is so complex and powerful, creating false sensor readings would have many reasons for impossibility.
What they should have done: Seven ignores the order to desist perfecting the Omega Molecule. It's the epitome of sheer perfection. Janeway makes good on her threat to jettison Seven into space, along with the molecular chamber. But Borgs can live in space. Seven keeps going. Janeway orders Tom Paris to lock phasers on the molecular chamber. He does. Time for niceness is over. Janeway tells him to fire. He does. Massive explosion. But almost instantly, massive reverse explosion. There's Seven in space, glowing like the Sun. Seven completed the Omega Molecule properly and absorbed some of the energy. She zenkai boosted up pretty high. She floats back to the cargo bay, almost like a Q. She announces, "Perfection!" But then it turns out the whole crew was affected too. People are experiencing super strength, telekinesis, and other strange powers. The whole crew ranked up. The planet that was building the Omega Molecule is furious that they stole it. Seven decides they can keep half of the product, since they couldn't have achieved it without her help. They would have killed themselves trying. This is a valuable gift. At first they don't like the idea but then they realize the whole crew is supers and pretty much invincible. So they grudgingly accept half the finished product. It's enough for them to run their civilization for millennia. As their powers increase, someone asks, Wouldn't right now be a perfect time to attack the Borg? Nobody can come up with a good reason why not. Janeway agrees. She orders a full frontal attack on the Borg. The Borg have no chance. Resistance is futile. Voyager walks right through them. One or more of the crew has achieved teleportation and other means of unnatural travel. They tell Janeway they're confident they can get Voyager home in days. They plan they use is to create a spatial link between that point in space and Earth. And then another link back to Neelix's home planet so he can visit his family whenever he wants. 99% of the time he's going to want to be with Voyager but he might visit home every now and then. Everything seems great until they get to Earth and then they notice people are terrified of them. They see the Voyager crew as monsters. Pride has crept in and they are willing to use their powers casually, even abusively. They see themselves as gods. Regular people can't deal with them so they need to come up with a way to no longer be prideful abusive gods torturing everyone. It ends with somewhat of a reset but not fully. They need to retain some of the awesomeness.
Not exactly. The actions of the civilization involved were putting space travel at risk. They also had already caused what amounted to a massacre at the facility that they were creating this Omega particle at.
@@Kazuo1G No, exactly. I didn't say it wasn't necessary, but the alien himself said that their resources were gone and Omega was their last hope. Also, the Omega detonation they caused would have destroyed subspace around the system, cutting it off from effective interstellar travel.
Computer: "All other priorities rescinded." Janeway: "The damn company. What about our lives, you son of a bitch?" Computer: "I repeat: All other priorities rescinded."
If only omega was the cause of The Burn in Discovery and not because a Kelpian man screamed so loud that every dilithium Crystal in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants shattered! 🙄
If only captains and higher know what Omega is...What if Janeway had died in the first episode or another time, and Tuvok or Chakotay was in command, they wouldn't have had a clue what was going on
Yea, I figure in the alpha quadrant one would eventually in quick time dock into a Starbase and receive some direction or replacement crew at that point. But far away from home , no chance. Not sure it would be allowed for discussion on subspace radio either where it could theoretically be intercepted.
Then as the duly recognized commander of the vessel, the ships computer would likely inform said officer of what they had to do. It would tell them what the omega directive is, what it means, and what they have to do about it.
Oh yeah. That's real good design. It's a good thing the ship wasn't in the middle of some sort of disaster when the ship was locked down, and that the Captain was still alive.
Think about this, starfleet designed the ship to stop doing anything else but essentially become a ghost ship. It was willing to sacrifice every person on board for starfleet to find an empty ship with corpses and the Omega flashing, if the captain wasn't able to view the sensor data. Literally license to kill anyone and everyone to prevent omega.
@@lucastaylor2321 I think in this particular situation it was probably warranted. My wtf moment was why would there be a program in starfleet ships literally alerting everyone without omega clearance to the presence of omega lol.
Computer access secure data on Omega 1. Computer - Stand by, Configuring Windows updates. Please do not turn off your computer..... updating 5% . 1 of 7 . This will take a while.
I've always wondered something if the federation ran into a race that has been using Omega Molecules for many many years, would the federation go to war with that race because they are using the omega molecules
+Theri4444 I'd always thought that too. if the federation did try a hostile move though, they most likely be easily defeated. if they have Omega as a stable energy source it can very easily be weaponized.
They are extremely stable once stabilized according to the lore, the problem was that they were extremely unstable otherwise, and when unstable omega detonated it destroyed sub-space making warp drive and interstellar communications impossible, which is why they feared it. Ironically in their attempts to destroy the molecule they stabilized it just before they ejected it.
Probably not. If that race had been using them for that long and the Borg couldn't even keep one going, I'd assume that their technology would be so much advanced they would be able to stop the Federation without really breaking a sweat.
Sounds like a vague "Alien" reference to me (to the line "Bring back life form, priority one, all other propelled rescinded" specifically), especially since both were delivered by artificial creatures about Seriously Dangerous Shizznay.
"Mister Neelix, your special assignment is to provide me fresh coffee on demand. The replicators are locked out because of an urgent top secret classified problem I won't tell you about."
I never understood why Janeway gave her clearance level. No one else ever had to do that and wouldn't that information be worked into the authorization code anyway?
It was the assumption of this episode that was ludicrous- such a directive might have made sense in ordinary circumstances, but not in the case of Voyager.
This whole Omega thing could have been an interesting conundrum if Voyager had ever felt like they were in a situation with limited supplies. Not saying they'd consider using Omega as a power source or something insane, but the question more being like do they have the supplies to pursue this to the end.
It would have been nice if the clip also included the earlier part, where everybody's terminals suddenly locked out. While at the time I thought it was super mysterious and cool, on reflection, I think it rather stupid. What if the lockout occurred during a battle, or a rescue operation, or a delicate journey, say through an asteroid field, requiring precise manual navigation? Getting a ship and all her crew destroyed because of something like this is TERRIBLE programming.
@@mikeyearwood I think it's poor programming to have it happen at all. I can't imagine any situation where all the bridge consoles should be suddenly locked out (or even the whole ship?). A simple alert on the captain's chair or even audio warning like "omega detected, omega detected" seems sufficient. It's not as if even bridge crew would know what that means. No program can ever account for every possibility and eventuality, so having a condition that locks everyone out is just asking for trouble.
Marchant2 - Finally - though you commented some 6 years ago - someone who feels Janeway was the best of the captains. I feel this way, and voyager is my favorite of all the Star Treks.
I always thought about one thing. when did Sisko get briefed on the Omega Directive? was it after he reached captain or when he took command of ds9 or the defiant?. I assume the Defiant had the same computer lockdown as the voyager. and sisko was the highest ranking officer on the defiant but he was only a commander at the time. What would happen if they ran into the omega molecule and no one had the clearance to free the computers again?
I think the Ai would be smart enough to take that into consideration. Wouldnt make any sense otherwise, as it would spell definite doom on the ship. Well but the nonsci-fi answer to that would be that the writers simply didn't take that into account, for storytelling purposes
@@Tensai4ever that would make sense. the Computer would check if someone on board had clearance to free the computers again before initiating the lockdown. i hadn't thought about that. thank you!
The computer would be able to recognize if anyone with the appropriate rank was aboard. If there wasn't it would probably immediately sent a message to Starfleet Headquarters so someone could destroy the molecule(s).
I figure Sisko, and those like him, would technically fall under a "Grey area", due to not being Captain by Rank, but having the responsibilities of it. I figure, that as part of the assumption of the Defiant's Command Codes, that includes his "access" to the Omega Directive. As for what I mean by Sisko, and those like him, I mean those who aren't a ranked captain, but still command a Starship. It's probably smaller vessels, though, where that would really hit, like Akira-class, and similar. I realize that they all appear to be commanded by a ranked captain, in Star Trek, but that's not really super realistic, hence my mentioning Sisko and those like him, at a Commander rank, but also a "captain of the ship".
I presume whoever has command of the ship can use their authorization to find out whats going on. By that I dont mean the third shift pilot gets to unlock it because he currently has the bridge, I mean if the captain dies, the first officer is logged as being in command of the vessel. If omega happens his command authorization would probably handle it. because the computer knows he is in charge.
Think of subspace like a vast ocean. The Sona's weapon creates a powerful tidal wave that rips through anything in regular space. The Omega Particle [a single particle of it] causes the metaphorical subspace ocean to just evaporate and be non existent in a huge area. They haven't been able to fix the damage caused by Omega. The Sona weapons are able to be patched and fixed over time.
Also, I didnt watch the movie, but I assume the subspace weapon is a controlled one. Meaning its the difference between a gallon jug of nitroglycerin, and another gallon being stored in a paint shaker. Which one is the real danger? The gallon jug sitting there is potentially explosive, but its not going to go off on its own. The one currently being hammered in a paint shaker? Thats bad, stop it immediately.
The So'na weapon is repairable over time and happens in a localised area compared to 1 omega molecule that can potetially wipe out sub space multiple sectors across.
Direct quote from the Enterprise-E ensign: "I thought those were banned by the Khitomer Accords!" That was the movie telling us that their weapons were in fact incredibly dangerous. So dangerous that they were illegal. The difference as to why Omega's a top secret substance, and subspace weapons were not is that the existence of subspace weapons was public knowledge. The Omega particles were only created in a Starfleet lab, and were a top secret project to begin with, making it easier to keep under wraps.
I find it something of a design flaw that the Omega Directive can just shut a ship down. What happens if they are in combat or on their way to a time sensitive rescue mission? Suddenly everyone's screen flips to omega and everyone dies.
@@maxschulz6185 I would as well if I it were a smart group but this is Starfleet we are talking about. The same group that keeps trying AI ships and has more Badmirals than ships.
This must suck, when you get classified orders and can't tell your friends why they have to do what they have to do and you have to get full authoritarian like "do as I say" or "you have your orders". I would hate that.
If i remember correctly, i read that the Federation experimented with Omega particles, and created a small fraction of a molecule that ended up destroying a large area. They deemed it too dangerous, hence the strict security measures they have for it whenever it is found.
Professionals understand that sometimes getting the job done is more important than making friends. And they share a different friendship, one based on professional ethics. Or they don't. Military ranks are intended to be functional, not decorative.
It always bothered me, the line of “only starship captains and ranking flag officers know of this”. It would have been way better if they were all “WTF” Janeway: Look, I JUST found out about this too.
The real kicker is, is it possible to spoof the omega particle on Fed sensors without actually using an omega particle? Because if so, all you need is one captain defecting to the Romulans and they could disable a whole fleet for the time it'd take for the fleet's commanding officers to unlock their ships' controls.
it's not only the clearance code. it's also an authentication by voice print. kinda a double-check secruity. Janeways code is useless unless you have the exact same voice as her.
You know, in pretty much all versions of anything in the future, computers are all or mostly voice controlled. Am I the only person who can type faster than I can speak lol? And it isn't even just speed, it's keeping up with one's thoughts. I sound like an idiot if I try to speak "off the cuff" whereas I like to think I write (at least somewhat lol) literate...not to mention if you type you can preview what you'd written before entering in to whatever etc.
The ending was harsh. The Omega molecules stabilized, but Janeway ordered them destroyed and the alien species needed the Omega to rebuild their civilization.
+WRO Keep in mind the Borg want Omega above all else, that civilization would have had the Collective on there ass, then imagine what a Cube can do with ....a power level over 9,000
WRO why? They managed to create and stabilize Omega, something even the Borg couldnt do, have spaceships that are a match for Voyager but couldn't invent warp drive? It would be like if we created the large Hadron Collider but never figured out the wheel
They don't live there how are they allowed to take and destroy someone else's technology? What if the Vulcans showed up and decided humans don't know how dangerous warp technology is and decided to force them to abandoned their efforts?
Because the Omega particle is considered so dangerous, that it outways everything. If I recall correctly, Omega particles can destroy subspace over many many lightyears which renders Warp drive useless - the 70 years journey more likely becomes a 70.000 years journey. And the Vulcans actually did delay the development of the Warp drive on Earth, because they decided humans were still to immature to handle it (which was kind of true). ENTERPRISE's premise was about humans becoming independend from Vulcan guidance and growing into a founder race of the Federation.
@@andreasklindt7144 And they destroyed the last of those particles in their space any way which caused the same problem, they have no right to decide for another people what technology is safe, they even had a better technique for stabilizing the particles.
Yes... but then what? I mean, an isolationist society could benefit. Everyone else would end up just as trapped in the area of destroyed subspace as their target/s.
good thing the borg doesnt know about this because they could just create the effect and freeze any starfleet ship in place. good idea for an episode but really bad execution
I think the computer AI in Star Trek is sentient to an extent. The computer told janeway to deal with the Omega instead of contact Star fleet, like it knew Voyager isn't going to be able to do that
Whitman College Walla Walla Omega house two bikers Blue Van pistol-whipped College to same year this came out oh my sg1 out Rest the story seen in deep space 9 Martakh one eye biker
God, I am so jealous. If it were me, I'd be like "DAMMIT! now I have to reset my security code becasue I can't remember it." They never seem to forget that stuff.....
The worst written episode of star trek ever... of all fucking time. For the duration of the mission, the secondary directive has been rescended because it makes sense a directive that can be recalled at any time it inconveniences the Federation. It's not the "Guiding principle" according to Picard, if the Omega has priority at any point. It'c clearly the primary directive. Gives you a second thought of the federation when you realize the prime goal of the Federation is basically "Don't ruin our shit" we like it.
Whilst I can see why'd you say that, at the end of the day, the threat posed by Omega molecules is a significant threat. Yes, you could say it is rescinded just because it's an apparent inconvenience, but when you look at the information about the power of Omega, you can't reasonably follow the Prime Directive, especially in the scenario presented here. Janeway was notorious for bending the Directive, but at the end of the day, the loss of warp travel for tens of thousands of species is a bigger risk than the cultural contamination of a warp-capable species. After all, only a warp-capable species would have the ability realistically to create it.
It's kind of like this whole episode was put together around the core idea "Look guys, I got this great idea. Yes, I know its not mentioned literally anywhere the cannon. Yes, I know how stupid it sounds. But it's gonna cost nothing to make!". I love Janeway's reaction while the Computer is telling her to take care of the Omega molecule. It's basically everyone's reaction what an idiotic script this is. Thanks Rick Berman, Voyager had so much potential but by the end this is the kind of shit that was coming down the pipe on the regular.
It'd be hard to make more episodes on it when the Federation's protocol is to destroy all traces of Omega on sight, regardless of whether or not the Prime Directive would say otherwise, and to keep it highly classified. An out-of-the-blue maximum threat level event can just as easily happen in real life, this situation isn't too much of a suspension of disbelief especially in an outer space setting.
This demonstrates just how morally-bankrupt Janeway really was. With the constraints of the Prime Directive removed, she goes full-on space pirate! She does not even bother negotiating with the aliens, or offering them some kind of trade, she just goes in and takes the Omega molecules with all the high-handedness that she and other Starfleet captains denounce when more advanced aliens mistreat *them*! Seriously, if Starfleet has a blank check to deal with the potential threat of Omega, then on what basis can humanity argue that the Q are wrong for worrying about the potential threat the human race poses (especially considering how often humans do things like screw with the stability of the timelines)? Such advanced races might have similarly legitimate concerns about the negative impact humans can have on the higher dimensions, just as the Federation fears what somebody with Omega might accidentally (or deliberately) do to subspace!
All major decisions are always made by force. If this race was creating omega weapons which could destroy a quarter of the galaxy then they would need to be stopped. Just because they wanted it for power, they would eventually use it for galactic power and would be unstoppable as it even destroyed the Borg.
***** So this precludes Janeway doing something so civilized as *negotiating* with them? You know, trying to find out *why* they needed the Omega Molecules and perhaps offering some alternative in trade? What if some concerned advanced race had noticed the Federation's own earlier research into Omega and decided that force was the only option to negate the potential threat? Would that still have been seen as reasonable? Or would the humanocentric attitude that prevails on Star Trek have cast such entities as "evil" for not trying to reason with the Federation before coming in and applying aggressive force? Janeway & Co only talked to these aliens long enough to figure out how to plunder their lab! She showed *no* interest in what these people's needs were, or whether or not summarily seizing Omega without offering any kind of compensation might threaten the survival of their civilization! Maybe the next time humans punch a hole in the space-time continuum the Q should just bust them back down 18th Century technology for the "greater good"?
Oh boohoo. The needs of their civilization are irrelevant, compared to the magnitude of the threat of what they were doing posed to the entire quadrant and galaxy as a whole. If they fucked up, they could render warp travel for the entire quadrant impossible and that would have catastrophic consequences on all space faring civilizations. If knowledge of what they were doing fell into the wrong hands, and make no mistake about it, stuff like that invariably will do, the fall out could be just as devastating.
Computer - "All other priorities have been been recinded."
Janeway *thinking* - "I hope that the Prime Directive is still talking to me after this."
It’s established later in the episode that the Omega Directive entirely supercedes the Prime Directive, quite possibly the only official policy/order to do so.
@@casey6556 Most likely yes and Only re applies after the Omega Molecule has been destroyed thus ending the Omega Directive only until the Omega Molecule re appeares again.
they need to rewrite some of these regulations to be more detailed and specific because omega conflicts with general order 7 so which one has more authority
@@kobra6660 It supersedes ALL other directives and priorities. Including, if necessary, General Order 7.
@@casey6556 than they should rewrite order 7 or at least drop the whole regulation since noone has been there in centuries
You can tell she seriously doesn't feel like dealing with this.😁🤣
No captain would be willing to deal with it.
At least it's not Time Travel.
@@legionaireb the Omega Directive is a much more significant problem than time travel
@@DayneTreader Probably, but Janeway doesn't have a deep-seated personal loathing of The Omega Directive.
@@legionaireb The Omega Directive is very straightforward, find and neutralize any Omega particles that exist. Time travel has a colossal amount of shit that can go wrong whose effects are extremely difficult to correct. Anyone in the 24th century hates time travel, and for good reason.
One of my favorite episodes. It has a really secretive feeling to it like you're being included in something.
Voyager "we have to scavenge and grow food because we dont have power" So some how we have matter/antimatter drive but no power! "Im off to play in the holo deck because the power to run that for 1 second is enuff to supply everything we need on the ship for a year" 🤦♂🤣
@@danquaylesitsspeltpotatoe8307 Yeah that's not how any of that works
Indeed it's a neat episode
@@DavisJ-ln6fw LOL please explain because thats exactly how it works!
IT DOES USE ENERGY A MASSIVE AMOUNT!
Going to reference your star trek tech book for boys?
Feels weird how the computer is actually ordering Janeway around, "Implement the Omega Directive immediately, all other priorities have been recinded."
It’s a standing Starfleet order/policy. The computer is really just a reminder.
The computer is controlled by higher ranking authority by admirals and theorists I suppose, so majorly serious that it'd be regulated to captains beyond their reach.
"Prime directive, prepare to be ignored!"
@@thattechdude apparently in this episode the prime directive wasn't ignored, almost bypassed by 7of9 and could've or possibly destroyed the quadrant but she relinquished because of Janeway. However, 7of9 did get a chance to see what she thought was perfection for a small fraction of a moment (from the pov of her experience of the Borg)which could've been glorious or doom for the quadrant. No one knows even the Admirals don't know exactly what the outcome would be (except for what they knew what could possibly be or what they knew had happened somehow)but they where trying to playing it safe. This is what I could remember from watching the episode which I really liked.
@@Samstone7 The Omega directive overrides even the Prime Directive, Omega is so dangerous to space travel that until the situation is resolved, the Prime Directive is effectively nullified.
Clearance level 10.....shit just got real
Clearance level 11...Paris got some of that.
David Murphy - IKR. I would say surely only captains and admirals or above would have that level of clearance. But someone posted that Paris had Clearance level 11.
@@jdstep97 it's probably just a need to know basis like in real life. In most militaries you can have top secret clearance and still not know anything.
@@jdstep97 this clearance level doesn’t exist. Source ?
@@jdstep97 I believe it's stated in a later episode that clearance level 10 means Captain's eyes only.
Janeway's "Shit Shit SHit SHIT SHITSHIT" Look on her face as she locks her door is priceless.
All other considerations secondary.
Crew expendable.
I can't lie to you about your chances. But you have my sympathies. :)
@@DrownedInExile Haha i hate you alien nerds...
Perfect particle, it's structural perfection is matched only by it's destructiveness.
@@DrownedInExile Goddamn Federation... what about our lives, you son of a bitch?
It's Janeway. When aren't they?
I suppose that certainly does show the gravity of the situation? It does make one wonder how many different latent directives that there are that only those with the rank of Captain, or higher, are privy to with the proper security clearance, does it not? The Omega Directive can't be the only one. Just think. Just think about this for a moment. That's a Starfleet Captain. She is aware of it. Could you imagine what Section 31's brass are privy to and what their latent directives are?
The Omega directive is important. Laws governing interstellar society cant be implemented without interstellar society
I can remember one from the books. In case of a war with Romulus, every ship contains the blueprint for a cloaking device, which can be build in case the threaty of Algeron is no longer in effect.
Random thought when I heard the computer confirm that the doors were sealed. "Doors", meaning more than one. Which reminded me that her office does in fact have two exits. I think the 2nd one had only been used once or twice the entire series.
Which led me to the interesting thought as to WHY there's two doors. I can only think of one. They deliberately designed the office with two exits just so the captain...on a fairly small vessel by Starfleet standards frankly....could privately come and go from their office without having to walk through the bridge. Pretty nice privilege.
The "doors" dialogue just made me think of the two sliding doors of the one main doorway. But entertaining your question of why there would be two exits, my first thought while reading your comment was that it would be for safety reasons (so the captain can't be deliberately trapped in the room just by blocking the one doorway, or even as a fire-safety type of thing in case one exit becomes blocked by a hazard.)
We rarely see anything more than Janeway's office. It could be possible that there is an entrance to her living quarters.
True. I thought that you might want to add a third one. For a private bathroom. It makes sense doesn't. Master bedrooms usually have their own bathroom so why can't the captain of a ship in the 24th century
Fire safety hazards.
That's not her office, that's the Ready Room. Her office only has one door, the Ready Room has two. You can see her walk past the other door as she enters.
Yes, I did just look up the schematics online.
Janeway couldn't have just gotten a subtle text message instead of a ship-wide alert?
If the sensors were still accessible by the bridge crew, they would also detect the omega molecule. Blocking access to the controls prevented anyone from finding out.
Yeah it's basically a complete lockdown sequence, like an update that forces your computer to restart
But ship-wide alerts are more dramatic!
@@FortoFight Also "useful" if the ship were in the middle of firefight or an dire emergency. I swear, between things like this and things consoles that explode at the slightest jostle and lack of seat belts, Starfleet is all but suicidal in their choices.
@@scaper8 I suspect it wouldn't go off if the ship was at any condition other than green.
I love the little Easter Egg with the MU-TH-ER computer from the USS Nostromo. When the Omega Directive is stated to Janeway it says "All other priorities rescinded". The USS Nostromo also says something similar but adds an extremely disturbing end line to the statement "All other considerations rescinded, crew expendable".
I wonder if the writers hadn't considered adding that as well, but didn't due to censorship constraints at the time?
If the Omega Directive happened with Picard, he'd be negotiating with the Omega molecule and have Data be a conduit to speak for the Omega molecules :-P
Amar7605 At least Picard might have given them some technology so they won't die out, because he just crushed their only hope of survival. The omega directive allows him to do that, right?
+Schwarzer Ritter As long as the Omega particle is destroyed in the end, he can do anything.
+Schwarzer Ritter That's the thing... as she said herself, if they were in the Alpha Quadrant... and entire team or task force would be send in, likely consisting of several ships and the resources to ensure the species is suitably appease...
LMFAO!!!
Totally true. Since the Prime Directive was temporarily overruled, there was *nothing* saying that Janeway could not have traded an alternative energy source to the aliens. Picard would have almost certainly done so. After all, it's not as if having aliens (in this case the Federation) swoop in and steal the energy source upon which these people were basing the survival of their civilization would not have negative consequences (which normally the Prime Directive is intended to avert).
This was such a great episode.. Had that section 31 feel to it.
Poor Janeway. She's like " 'f' me why here /now"
So, if in a battle an enemy would be capable of fooling the sensors into thinking an Omegaparticle was near, the whole Starfleet would be screwed?
That it would screw them over as the Federation might go full on war crime mode in order to end the battle quickly to deal with the particle, not to mention no Warp capable species would dare start making boy who cried wolf stories about Omega molecules for when the day comes and there real...
My guess is it's not that easy to replicate sensor readings for omega particles...
With how dangerous the Omega Particle is I don't anyone would willingly try that tactic.
And if they did try it all ships including their own would probably be fooled.
Given the manufacture of the Omega molecule is probably a crime in the Federation, Klingon Empire and Star Empire and that the molecule is so complex and powerful, creating false sensor readings would have many reasons for impossibility.
I think Red Alerts may cancel the ship wide lock out part.
Great episode, its when seven has her first "spiritual" moment.
I felt they could have done so much more with this one.
I never really fully understood this episode.
@@richardyoung9024 some magical mcguffin to give a storyline between Janeway and seven
What they should have done:
Seven ignores the order to desist perfecting the Omega Molecule. It's the epitome of sheer perfection.
Janeway makes good on her threat to jettison Seven into space, along with the molecular chamber. But Borgs can live in space. Seven keeps going.
Janeway orders Tom Paris to lock phasers on the molecular chamber. He does.
Time for niceness is over. Janeway tells him to fire. He does.
Massive explosion. But almost instantly, massive reverse explosion. There's Seven in space, glowing like the Sun.
Seven completed the Omega Molecule properly and absorbed some of the energy. She zenkai boosted up pretty high.
She floats back to the cargo bay, almost like a Q. She announces, "Perfection!"
But then it turns out the whole crew was affected too. People are experiencing super strength, telekinesis, and other strange powers. The whole crew ranked up.
The planet that was building the Omega Molecule is furious that they stole it. Seven decides they can keep half of the product, since they couldn't have achieved it without her help. They would have killed themselves trying. This is a valuable gift. At first they don't like the idea but then they realize the whole crew is supers and pretty much invincible. So they grudgingly accept half the finished product. It's enough for them to run their civilization for millennia.
As their powers increase, someone asks, Wouldn't right now be a perfect time to attack the Borg?
Nobody can come up with a good reason why not. Janeway agrees. She orders a full frontal attack on the Borg.
The Borg have no chance. Resistance is futile. Voyager walks right through them.
One or more of the crew has achieved teleportation and other means of unnatural travel. They tell Janeway they're confident they can get Voyager home in days.
They plan they use is to create a spatial link between that point in space and Earth. And then another link back to Neelix's home planet so he can visit his family whenever he wants. 99% of the time he's going to want to be with Voyager but he might visit home every now and then.
Everything seems great until they get to Earth and then they notice people are terrified of them. They see the Voyager crew as monsters.
Pride has crept in and they are willing to use their powers casually, even abusively. They see themselves as gods.
Regular people can't deal with them so they need to come up with a way to no longer be prideful abusive gods torturing everyone.
It ends with somewhat of a reset but not fully. They need to retain some of the awesomeness.
@@protorhinocerator142 I like this.
lol at 0:33
she's like "fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck"
THIS WAS A GREAT EPISODE. THINGS GOT PRETTY DARK. I ALWAYS LIKED JANEWAY.
Display Sensor data
I like this episode as it shows Janeway actually getting her hands dirty. Their actions essentially doom an entire civilization to decline.
Not exactly. The actions of the civilization involved were putting space travel at risk. They also had already caused what amounted to a massacre at the facility that they were creating this Omega particle at.
@@Kazuo1G No, exactly. I didn't say it wasn't necessary, but the alien himself said that their resources were gone and Omega was their last hope. Also, the Omega detonation they caused would have destroyed subspace around the system, cutting it off from effective interstellar travel.
Well that's one way to tell the audience "Shit's just gotten real here".
And right from the start too
i have always loved this. i dont know why but it makes me feel important for some reason.
Computer: "All other priorities rescinded."
Janeway: "The damn company. What about our lives, you son of a bitch?"
Computer: "I repeat: All other priorities rescinded."
parker, parker shhhhhhh!!!
2nd best Voyager episode. After "eye of the needle". Same great acting and goosebumps!
If only omega was the cause of The Burn in Discovery and not because a Kelpian man screamed so loud that every dilithium Crystal in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants shattered! 🙄
If only captains and higher know what Omega is...What if Janeway had died in the first episode or another time, and Tuvok or Chakotay was in command, they wouldn't have had a clue what was going on
Yea, I figure in the alpha quadrant one would eventually in quick time dock into a Starbase and receive some direction or replacement crew at that point. But far away from home , no chance. Not sure it would be allowed for discussion on subspace radio either where it could theoretically be intercepted.
Then as the duly recognized commander of the vessel, the ships computer would likely inform said officer of what they had to do. It would tell them what the omega directive is, what it means, and what they have to do about it.
Oh yeah. That's real good design. It's a good thing the ship wasn't in the middle of some sort of disaster when the ship was locked down, and that the Captain was still alive.
Yeeeeuggghh-"THE PRIME DIRECTIVE IS RESCINDED." YEEEEUGGGHH.
Think about this, starfleet designed the ship to stop doing anything else but essentially become a ghost ship. It was willing to sacrifice every person on board for starfleet to find an empty ship with corpses and the Omega flashing, if the captain wasn't able to view the sensor data.
Literally license to kill anyone and everyone to prevent omega.
All other priorities have been rescinded…including the Prime Directive.
Omega directive: top secret. Only top officials and starship captains are briefed.
Also omega: broadcast its detection to the entire crew.
And then go ahead and inform the bridge crew.. bin the rules as long as it suits Janeway.
@@lucastaylor2321 I think in this particular situation it was probably warranted. My wtf moment was why would there be a program in starfleet ships literally alerting everyone without omega clearance to the presence of omega lol.
I second the motion!
Computer access secure data on Omega 1. Computer - Stand by, Configuring Windows updates. Please do not turn off your computer..... updating 5% . 1 of 7 . This will take a while.
I've always wondered something if the federation ran into a race that has been using Omega Molecules for many many years, would the federation go to war with that race because they are using the omega molecules
+Theri4444 I'd always thought that too. if the federation did try a hostile move though, they most likely be easily defeated. if they have Omega as a stable energy source it can very easily be weaponized.
Was not the whole issue that you could not use them for years that they highly unstable my memory of this episode is vague at best
They are extremely stable once stabilized according to the lore, the problem was that they were extremely unstable otherwise, and when unstable omega detonated it destroyed sub-space making warp drive and interstellar communications impossible, which is why they feared it.
Ironically in their attempts to destroy the molecule they stabilized it just before they ejected it.
Probably not. If that race had been using them for that long and the Borg couldn't even keep one going, I'd assume that their technology would be so much advanced they would be able to stop the Federation without really breaking a sweat.
George Jackson
They hadn't, they had just started researching it.
Good thing those sensors found it. It was the only Mcrib sandwich in the entire delta quadrant. And they were right, it was divine!
oh janeway, dear, how awesome you look when you're highly irritated at latent directives!!
Sounds like a vague "Alien" reference to me (to the line "Bring back life form, priority one, all other propelled rescinded" specifically), especially since both were delivered by artificial creatures about Seriously Dangerous Shizznay.
Not really. Alien was about harnessing uncontrollable forces, Omega is about suppressing that hubris. They're opposites.
"All other coffee has been rescinded"
"Mister Neelix, your special assignment is to provide me fresh coffee on demand. The replicators are locked out because of an urgent top secret classified problem I won't tell you about."
Janeway: Omega directive? What about my crew's lives??
Computer: Repeat. All other priorities have been rescinded.
I never understood why Janeway gave her clearance level. No one else ever had to do that and wouldn't that information be worked into the authorization code anyway?
This is obviously a countermeasure to the danger of Omega Mart.
this video remindes me of my mom at work. lol
That music at the very start is very eerie. Anyone know what it is? Wish ds9 did an episode on this
It was the assumption of this episode that was ludicrous- such a directive might have made sense in ordinary circumstances, but not in the case of Voyager.
This whole Omega thing could have been an interesting conundrum if Voyager had ever felt like they were in a situation with limited supplies.
Not saying they'd consider using Omega as a power source or something insane, but the question more being like do they have the supplies to pursue this to the end.
It would have been nice if the clip also included the earlier part, where everybody's terminals suddenly locked out.
While at the time I thought it was super mysterious and cool, on reflection, I think it rather stupid. What if the lockout occurred during a battle, or a rescue operation, or a delicate journey, say through an asteroid field, requiring precise manual navigation? Getting a ship and all her crew destroyed because of something like this is TERRIBLE programming.
id think the main computer would have situational awarness about when to institute the lock out.
I think the notification would be delayed if the ship was in warp or at red/yellow alert.
Only a poor programmer would activate such a thing at a bad time.
@@mikeyearwood I think it's poor programming to have it happen at all. I can't imagine any situation where all the bridge consoles should be suddenly locked out (or even the whole ship?).
A simple alert on the captain's chair or even audio warning like "omega detected, omega detected" seems sufficient. It's not as if even bridge crew would know what that means.
No program can ever account for every possibility and eventuality, so having a condition that locks everyone out is just asking for trouble.
I wonder if Discovery picked up Omega particles with the 10C and if it didn't know or if they have solved the problems it causes by than.
Wonderful clip, but I never saw the episode.
I don't care what anyone says. She was the best of the captains.
And I think it's picard, but I did like laneway
Amen!
Lameway
Marchant2 hahahahaha, oh, you were serious?
Marchant2 - Finally - though you commented some 6 years ago - someone who feels Janeway was the best of the captains. I feel this way, and voyager is my favorite of all the Star Treks.
I always thought about one thing. when did Sisko get briefed on the Omega Directive? was it after he reached captain or when he took command of ds9 or the defiant?. I assume the Defiant had the same computer lockdown as the voyager. and sisko was the highest ranking officer on the defiant but he was only a commander at the time. What would happen if they ran into the omega molecule and no one had the clearance to free the computers again?
I think the Ai would be smart enough to take that into consideration. Wouldnt make any sense otherwise, as it would spell definite doom on the ship.
Well but the nonsci-fi answer to that would be that the writers simply didn't take that into account, for storytelling purposes
@@Tensai4ever that would make sense. the Computer would check if someone on board had clearance to free the computers again before initiating the lockdown. i hadn't thought about that. thank you!
The computer would be able to recognize if anyone with the appropriate rank was aboard. If there wasn't it would probably immediately sent a message to Starfleet Headquarters so someone could destroy the molecule(s).
I figure Sisko, and those like him, would technically fall under a "Grey area", due to not being Captain by Rank, but having the responsibilities of it. I figure, that as part of the assumption of the Defiant's Command Codes, that includes his "access" to the Omega Directive. As for what I mean by Sisko, and those like him, I mean those who aren't a ranked captain, but still command a Starship. It's probably smaller vessels, though, where that would really hit, like Akira-class, and similar. I realize that they all appear to be commanded by a ranked captain, in Star Trek, but that's not really super realistic, hence my mentioning Sisko and those like him, at a Commander rank, but also a "captain of the ship".
I presume whoever has command of the ship can use their authorization to find out whats going on. By that I dont mean the third shift pilot gets to unlock it because he currently has the bridge, I mean if the captain dies, the first officer is logged as being in command of the vessel. If omega happens his command authorization would probably handle it. because the computer knows he is in charge.
My echo dot responded to Janeway.
Affirmative.
--
ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS SECONDARY.
CREW EXPENDABLE.
a great show
I never understood why this was more severe than the Sona's subspace weapon use in ST Insurrection. Those also destroy subspace as I recall.
Think of subspace like a vast ocean. The Sona's weapon creates a powerful tidal wave that rips through anything in regular space. The Omega Particle [a single particle of it] causes the metaphorical subspace ocean to just evaporate and be non existent in a huge area. They haven't been able to fix the damage caused by Omega. The Sona weapons are able to be patched and fixed over time.
Also, I didnt watch the movie, but I assume the subspace weapon is a controlled one. Meaning its the difference between a gallon jug of nitroglycerin, and another gallon being stored in a paint shaker. Which one is the real danger? The gallon jug sitting there is potentially explosive, but its not going to go off on its own. The one currently being hammered in a paint shaker? Thats bad, stop it immediately.
The So'na weapon is repairable over time and happens in a localised area compared to 1 omega molecule that can potetially wipe out sub space multiple sectors across.
Direct quote from the Enterprise-E ensign: "I thought those were banned by the Khitomer Accords!" That was the movie telling us that their weapons were in fact incredibly dangerous. So dangerous that they were illegal. The difference as to why Omega's a top secret substance, and subspace weapons were not is that the existence of subspace weapons was public knowledge. The Omega particles were only created in a Starfleet lab, and were a top secret project to begin with, making it easier to keep under wraps.
I find it something of a design flaw that the Omega Directive can just shut a ship down. What happens if they are in combat or on their way to a time sensitive rescue mission? Suddenly everyone's screen flips to omega and everyone dies.
I would assume that it wouldnt occure in a combat or lifethreatening situation.
@@maxschulz6185 I would as well if I it were a smart group but this is Starfleet we are talking about. The same group that keeps trying AI ships and has more Badmirals than ships.
This must suck, when you get classified orders and can't tell your friends why they have to do what they have to do and you have to get full authoritarian like "do as I say" or "you have your orders". I would hate that.
If i remember correctly, i read that the Federation experimented with Omega particles, and created a small fraction of a molecule that ended up destroying a large area. They deemed it too dangerous, hence the strict security measures they have for it whenever it is found.
Professionals understand that sometimes getting the job done is more important than making friends. And they share a different friendship, one based on professional ethics.
Or they don't. Military ranks are intended to be functional, not decorative.
It always bothered me, the line of “only starship captains and ranking flag officers know of this”. It would have been way better if they were all “WTF” Janeway: Look, I JUST found out about this too.
The real kicker is, is it possible to spoof the omega particle on Fed sensors without actually using an omega particle? Because if so, all you need is one captain defecting to the Romulans and they could disable a whole fleet for the time it'd take for the fleet's commanding officers to unlock their ships' controls.
could be possible with a micro warp core that has a high enough power output🤣🤣🤣
Why did her computer have Darkseid wallpaper?
If it was Q, he'd eat it. Short episode.
Why are clearance codes stated out loud? Wouldn't it make more sense to type them?
it's not only the clearance code. it's also an authentication by voice print. kinda a double-check secruity. Janeways code is useless unless you have the exact same voice as her.
@@XumRise Yeah it would be like if you typed in a number on a keypad but it also was scanning your finger prints while you did it. :p
Great way to cripple a ship block all systems
Ω !
on second thought, just take a look on the rfelated videos on the rikght of this page :P
Was this ep before or after "Galaxy Quest"?
This was the year before Galaxy Quest was released.
You know, in pretty much all versions of anything in the future, computers are all or mostly voice controlled. Am I the only person who can type faster than I can speak lol? And it isn't even just speed, it's keeping up with one's thoughts. I sound like an idiot if I try to speak "off the cuff" whereas I like to think I write (at least somewhat lol) literate...not to mention if you type you can preview what you'd written before entering in to whatever etc.
In the elementary particle zoo, omega is already taken...I think the whole Greek is taken!
I suspect by the 24th century the elementary particle encyclopedia has been rearranged to accommodate such a threat to space-traveling society.
you mean you are living in the 21 century and you arent being ordered arond by yours?
The ending was harsh. The Omega molecules stabilized, but Janeway ordered them destroyed and the alien species needed the Omega to rebuild their civilization.
+WRO Keep in mind the Borg want Omega above all else, that civilization would have had the Collective on there ass, then imagine what a Cube can do with ....a power level over 9,000
+Anthony Lasalle Fair enough :)
WRO why? They managed to create and stabilize Omega, something even the Borg couldnt do, have spaceships that are a match for Voyager but couldn't invent warp drive? It would be like if we created the large Hadron Collider but never figured out the wheel
Uhm, what if 3 Borg cubes show up?
Omega Directive, clearence level 10. Sounds bad.
It makes me wonder if there are captains in the Federation that are less than level 10
It a cop show with real police reports In them
You just see the look 0:34 - Fuck sake, why me?
"Okay, what we're going to do is Shrink Voyager, and put her in the Tardis. It's bigger on the inside."
1.2 light years, that means they'll have to take a year out of their way to go deal with this, that really sucks.
No, it would take approx 3 days.
That's only if they were going at warp of 1.2
Yeah who would have know that the order to ignore the prime directive would have come from the computer.
It comes from the highest ranks of Starfleet and the Federation. The Computer was only relaying the message.
A computer that was reading her general order to her. The computer didn't make it up.
They don't live there how are they allowed to take and destroy someone else's technology? What if the Vulcans showed up and decided humans don't know how dangerous warp technology is and decided to force them to abandoned their efforts?
Because the Omega particle is considered so dangerous, that it outways everything. If I recall correctly, Omega particles can destroy subspace over many many lightyears which renders Warp drive useless - the 70 years journey more likely becomes a 70.000 years journey.
And the Vulcans actually did delay the development of the Warp drive on Earth, because they decided humans were still to immature to handle it (which was kind of true). ENTERPRISE's premise was about humans becoming independend from Vulcan guidance and growing into a founder race of the Federation.
@@andreasklindt7144 And they destroyed the last of those particles in their space any way which caused the same problem, they have no right to decide for another people what technology is safe, they even had a better technique for stabilizing the particles.
Couldn’t someone make a powerful weapon from this
Yes... but then what? I mean, an isolationist society could benefit. Everyone else would end up just as trapped in the area of destroyed subspace as their target/s.
good thing the borg doesnt know about this because they could just create the effect and freeze any starfleet ship in place. good idea for an episode but really bad execution
"Seal the door" ?? Isn't that just a little bit too excessive?
No, because she is about to spend significant time reviewing absurdly classified data and cant let anyone walk in and see it.
0:15 What a perfect time for "Identify For Retina Scan". Oh well...
Code= “Red” lol her name on Orange is the new Black 😎 haha
This episode is really about communism.
Only me who can spell 'rescinded', then? Ok.
I think the computer AI in Star Trek is sentient to an extent. The computer told janeway to deal with the Omega instead of contact Star fleet, like it knew Voyager isn't going to be able to do that
Directive from SF Command, hardwired into the computer.
Whitman College Walla Walla Omega house two bikers Blue Van pistol-whipped College to same year this came out oh my sg1 out
Rest the story seen in deep space 9
Martakh one eye biker
God, I am so jealous. If it were me, I'd be like "DAMMIT! now I have to reset my security code becasue I can't remember it." They never seem to forget that stuff.....
Certain commands have fixed authorization codes, such as the self destruct.
It's as important for them to memorize their codes as it is for someone in the military memorizing their social security number if they were caught
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lol acb.
Fc
i can't stand sped-up videos where people sound like chipmunks
The omega symbol looks like a toilet seat lol
The worst written episode of star trek ever... of all fucking time. For the duration of the mission, the secondary directive has been rescended because it makes sense a directive that can be recalled at any time it inconveniences the Federation. It's not the "Guiding principle" according to Picard, if the Omega has priority at any point. It'c clearly the primary directive. Gives you a second thought of the federation when you realize the prime goal of the Federation is basically "Don't ruin our shit" we like it.
Whilst I can see why'd you say that, at the end of the day, the threat posed by Omega molecules is a significant threat. Yes, you could say it is rescinded just because it's an apparent inconvenience, but when you look at the information about the power of Omega, you can't reasonably follow the Prime Directive, especially in the scenario presented here. Janeway was notorious for bending the Directive, but at the end of the day, the loss of warp travel for tens of thousands of species is a bigger risk than the cultural contamination of a warp-capable species. After all, only a warp-capable species would have the ability realistically to create it.
It's kind of like this whole episode was put together around the core idea "Look guys, I got this great idea. Yes, I know its not mentioned literally anywhere the cannon. Yes, I know how stupid it sounds. But it's gonna cost nothing to make!".
I love Janeway's reaction while the Computer is telling her to take care of the Omega molecule. It's basically everyone's reaction what an idiotic script this is. Thanks Rick Berman, Voyager had so much potential but by the end this is the kind of shit that was coming down the pipe on the regular.
It'd be hard to make more episodes on it when the Federation's protocol is to destroy all traces of Omega on sight, regardless of whether or not the Prime Directive would say otherwise, and to keep it highly classified. An out-of-the-blue maximum threat level event can just as easily happen in real life, this situation isn't too much of a suspension of disbelief especially in an outer space setting.
This demonstrates just how morally-bankrupt Janeway really was. With the constraints of the Prime Directive removed, she goes full-on space pirate! She does not even bother negotiating with the aliens, or offering them some kind of trade, she just goes in and takes the Omega molecules with all the high-handedness that she and other Starfleet captains denounce when more advanced aliens mistreat *them*! Seriously, if Starfleet has a blank check to deal with the potential threat of Omega, then on what basis can humanity argue that the Q are wrong for worrying about the potential threat the human race poses (especially considering how often humans do things like screw with the stability of the timelines)? Such advanced races might have similarly legitimate concerns about the negative impact humans can have on the higher dimensions, just as the Federation fears what somebody with Omega might accidentally (or deliberately) do to subspace!
All major decisions are always made by force. If this race was creating omega weapons which could destroy a quarter of the galaxy then they would need to be stopped. Just because they wanted it for power, they would eventually use it for galactic power and would be unstoppable as it even destroyed the Borg.
*****
So this precludes Janeway doing something so civilized as *negotiating* with them? You know, trying to find out *why* they needed the Omega Molecules and perhaps offering some alternative in trade? What if some concerned advanced race had noticed the Federation's own earlier research into Omega and decided that force was the only option to negate the potential threat? Would that still have been seen as reasonable? Or would the humanocentric attitude that prevails on Star Trek have cast such entities as "evil" for not trying to reason with the Federation before coming in and applying aggressive force?
Janeway & Co only talked to these aliens long enough to figure out how to plunder their lab! She showed *no* interest in what these people's needs were, or whether or not summarily seizing Omega without offering any kind of compensation might threaten the survival of their civilization!
Maybe the next time humans punch a hole in the space-time continuum the Q should just bust them back down 18th Century technology for the "greater good"?
Daniel S, shut up. Star Trek is human-centric for a reason, we're meant to be the prevailing beings. DEAL WITH IT.
Shayne T. Pendrick
You sound like some kind of space Nazi.
Oh boohoo. The needs of their civilization are irrelevant, compared to the magnitude of the threat of what they were doing posed to the entire quadrant and galaxy as a whole. If they fucked up, they could render warp travel for the entire quadrant impossible and that would have catastrophic consequences on all space faring civilizations. If knowledge of what they were doing fell into the wrong hands, and make no mistake about it, stuff like that invariably will do, the fall out could be just as devastating.
This was such a bad episode, lul
What do you mean?
...inconclusive clips ()like this one) is a thumbs down...