The Vulcan Connection

From FEInfobase

Latest revision as of 04:21, 5 April 2010

"The Vulcan Connection" Star Trek: Deep Space One episode
Tagline: An Old Friend Becomes A New Enemy
Episode no.	DS1-05
Start Date	December 04
Finish Date	March 05
Story	Paul Redford
Director	Paul Redford
Guest star(s)	Daniel Taylor

The crew sets out to find two members of the Project Harmony group on Vulcan. However after arriving their reception from the Vulcans isn’t as it was expected and the situation with their hosts began to unravel in an unexpected turn for the worse.

Summary

Admiral Paris is sat in his office as he briefs Fleet Captain Zack Marshall-Bennet on his mission to Vulcan, which also includes a warning that many Starfleet ships have been asked to depart Vulcan space as quickly as possible. The admiral asks the captain to also investigate some unusual energy spikes detecting in orbit of Vulcan a fortnight ago. Seeing the investigation a small detour on the crew’s primary objectives, the captain agrees and Enterprise is soon on its way to Vulcan in no time.

Arriving at Vulcan the crew is informed that Julok, and Professor Anthony Starling the two people they wish to find are considered "outlaws" on Vulcan. Julok is involved with an underground organisation called the T’Plana-Hath Movement while Starling is locked behind bars for being accused of killing the previous Vulcan leader, T'Mat. The Vulcan High Command states that at the moment they can not help the crew.

The captain contacts Admiral Paris and informs him of the situation, Paris states he will speak with President Spock in getting the Federation Council to place political pressure on the Vulcan government to allow the crew to see Starling at least and attempt to find Julok who was last seen in the T'Kumbra Deserts. Meanwhile T'Val, who was ordered by the captain to plan a search mission for Julok reveals to him she is related to the Vulcan woman and may possible know where she and the movement is on Vulcan.

After pressure from Spock, Loval the leader of the Vulcan High Command agrees to allow Enterprise to send down teams to see the professor and find Julok in the deserts. Commander T'Val, Major Moss, Lieutenant Donrav take a marine away team down to the deserts to search for Julok, while Captain Bennet and Lieutenant Pike head to the Vulcan capital city to see Starling in prison on the captain’s yacht.

Bennet's meeting with Starling is interesting. Starling tells the captain he is innocent, and never killed T'Mat. However there is evidence he is also linked to the T'Plana-Hath Movement which the Vulcan High Command is also holding him for. Bennet agrees to help Starling in return Starling agrees to help Bennet. Bennet returns to the Enterprise to meet with Loval to discuss the current situation.

Loval tells the captain that there are many people (mostly non Vulcans and Starfleet officers who survived and lived on Vulcan after the Battle of Vulcan) who declaring they’re members of the T'Plana-Hath Movement and wish to see the Vulcan people turn to their old ways of emotionless and logical thought. Loval gets angered at Bennet’s request for Starling to be handed over to Starfleet’s custody and orders Bennet to leave Vulcan space as Enterprise's presence is affecting the population in negative way. After Loval leaves the flagship Lieutenant Commanders Galagher and Johnson have determined what the energy spikes were that Admiral Paris wanted them to investigate, the frequencies link to the use of Romulan cloaking devices.

On Vulcan the away team is successful in finding Julok and discovers she is the leader of the movement.

After perform anti-proton, tachyon and metaphasic sensor sweeps, the scans reveal a Spacedock Class Starbase, a number of shipyards and vessels of Vulcan design all cloaked in the Vulcan system. After Loval hails the ship and tells them to leave a massive fully operational orbital defence weapon platform network is decloaked around the ship. The captain tells Loval he isn’t leaving without T’Val, Donrav, Moss and other members of his crew as well as with Julok and Starling. Loval gives Bennet his final warning and sends a full squadron of Redemption class bomber accompanied by three D’kyr Class combat cruisers.

In the Command Centre of the Vulcan High Command Headquarters, with the arrival of the Federation’s flagship in orbit, the once minor chaos that plagued at the heels of the Vulcan High Command was now on the brink of turning in to a major planetary wide escalation. In Loval watches as in his own hometown of ShirKahr local law enforces had been engaged in petty conflicts with a few of the city’s civilian population. He is joined by Sojal and T'Poul, his two highest ranking ministers. Sojal reports that bombs went off and over fifty people were injured in the coastal province of Raal and a hundred more injured in the city of Kraul. T'Poul is appalled that the government has harmed its own people, with which Loval quickly reminds her that the sooner the general population goes against the T'Plana-Hath movement the better it will be for them to lead Vulcan. Evidence was planted to blame the movement as the terrorists attacking the people of Vulcan, as well as to kill of any non-Vulcans. When the High Command is hailed by the Enterprise again, T'Poul urges Loval to seek a peaceful resolution with Bennet, in fears of Federation retaliation.

Bennet attempts to reason with Loval by telling him that he is in violation of Vulcan’s membership status with the Federation and insists that the hostile actions against the flagship must cease. Loval replies with telling him that Vulcan now revokes its Federation membership and orders Bennet to leave Vulcan space at once. Loval tells Bennet that the away team as well as the movement have been captured and seen as "prisoners of war". Enterprise is able to rescue Donrav as well as two marine soldiers but is forced to break orbit as they’re attacked by the Vulcan fleet. The Enterprise puts up a brave fight with the Vulcans however they knock out the flagship’s shields with a high yield tricobalt torpedo and capture it in tractor beams. Enterprise is quickly boarded and captured. The captain was able to lock out the command functions of the Enterprise before it was boarded but now its captors torture him and other members of the crew for the codes to release computer control to them.

Back on Earth, Starfleet attempts to contact the flagship but their attempts are failures. Fleet Admiral Jean-Luc Picard and Admiral Paris are left with the duty of informing Admiral Judith Marshall-Bennet, the situation with Enterprise as well as the possibility that her son could be dead.

On Vulcan the situation gets worse, as information is leaked out to the general population that it was the High Command who planted evidence that the movement was responsible for the bombings of several Vulcan cities, as well as their capture of the Federation flagship. A civilian uprise begins, while Loval is faced with T'Poul disappearing and possible being the source who leaked the information out to the public. He orders the Vulcan fleet to tow Enterprise out of their space and dump it somewhere.

The Enterprise crew are released and begin repairs to the ship. The moment the ship is in better shape it head backs under cloak to Vulcan to find their missing crew and settle the situation as they best possible could. The ship goes through a skirmish with several smaller Vulcan craft but are able to past them and approach Vulcan. During the fight the Vulcan fleet stands down and the Enterprise is hailed from the surface by T’Poul who tells them that Chief Administrator Loval and several other high ranking officials of the Vulcan High Command and government have been put under arrest under the charges of treason, man-slaughter and direct violation of Vulcan customs. She also says that after what has happened it has caused many Vulcans to doubt the genuineness of the new Federation and it will take time for the people to regain the trust and amicable relationship they once shared. She also advise that all Starfleet ships to avoid Vulcan space in the future.

The Enterprise leaves orbits, with its entire crew and heads to Andoria for repairs.

Special Played Guest Characters

• Daniel Taylor (brief cameo)

Non Played Guest Characters

• Andrel
• Judith Marshall-Bennet
• Kelly Ryan
• Andrew Johnson
• Michael Johnson
• Julok
• Kiritalas sh'Khane
• Loval
• Richard Sade (mentioned)
• Anthony Starling
• Sojal
• T'Mat (mentioned)
• T'Poul

Special Non Played Guest Characters

• Reginald Barclay (mentioned)
• Tom Paris
• Jean-Luc Picard
• Spock (mentioned)
• Tal Celes (mentioned)

Noted Ship Appearances

• USS Archimedes (mentioned)
• USS Miranda (mentioned)
• USS Triton (mentioned)
• USS Ronald Reagan-A (mentioned)
• USS Sulu (mentioned)

Memorable Quotes

“Are you even old enough to shave yet boy? Or are you still being nursed by your mother? ‿
“Mr. Jefferson, I have read all current guides on the conduct of both officers and enlisted crew in Starfleet and I do not know what passage you may have read that makes you believe that such an introduction is in any way acceptable. ‿
“Welcome on board the Enterprise chief. ‿ Moves his hands down to his front clasped together. He bites his bottom lip briefly before saying in a quiet voice, “For your information my mother is Admiral Judith Marshall-Bennet, I’m sure she could tell you if I’m ready to start shaving yet!‿

- Jeffery Jefferson, T’Val, Fleet Captain Zack Marshall-Bennet

“…if anyone else gives you grief about your baby face send them to me, and I'll explain how much older than their great-great-great-grandfather I am.‿

- Kentra Donrav to Fleet Captain Zack Marshall-Bennet

“Emotions or not there have never been a more bureaucratic race than the Vulcans. I have a feeling they invented red tape.‿

- Kentra Donrav

“Your mother brought you up not to back chat against your elders.‿

- Andrel to Fleet Captain Zack Marshall-Bennet

“Ah, it’s always fun to tease the men that come though here. Just wait until I get the Captain in here for his physical, I may just report that he is ‘A perfectly healthy hunk of masculinity’ It would be a hoot to see the look on his face after I said that.‿

- Lauren Novak M.D

“The almighty guardians of the stars are no longer mighty.‿

- Professor Anthony Starling on Starfleet’s current status quo

“We do not want to give the Vulcan government the exact location of the resistance. We are attempting to remain neutral,‿
“You're talking as though we're dealing with the Cardassians and the Maquis. This is the Vulcan government we're talking about, aside from the humans there isn't a more staunch Federation member,‿

- T’Val, Kentra Donrav

Background Out Of Character Information

• This mission carries on the storyline established in 2001 (2400) where the Vulcans encountered had become "emotional".
• During this mission the NPC character of Lieutenant Commander Michael Johnson was finally dropped as chief strategic operations officer. This character had been with ST:ENT-F since it started and was owned by Paul Redford.
• A quarter of the way through the mission the sim received its latest new character of Joseph Pike.
• This was the first mission where the Sabre Corps was assembled in the DS1 sim.

Other Related Topics

Maquis, Sabre Corps, T'Kumbra Deserts, Redemption Class, Fourth Fleet, D'kyr Class, MIDAS Array, Starfleet Communications, Starfleet Re-Development Operations