Subj:  Answers
Date:  98-01-30 13:55:39 EST
From:  RonDMoore       

<<What other areas of AOL do you visit?>>

I surf about occasionally, but there's nothing I visit with much frequency
beyond this board on AOL.  I'm a frequent reader of the ESPNet NFL website and
I sometimes use the net to look for a specific piece of research, but that's
about it.

<<i think i asked this before but, where do the changlings do all this genetic
enhancement? Are they that advanced that they do it themselves?  And why do
they bother?  The female changling made it clear that she didn't care about
the alpha quadrant, and she cared about Odo more.  Why don't the changlings
just hide somewhere so they can be alone?  >>

I think the Changelings are the ones who design the genetic coding they wish
to be done and then the Vorta carry it out.  While Odo does matter to the
Female Shapeshifter more than the Alpha Quadrant, that's not to say that they
don't care about the AQ at all.  They are driven to bring "order" to the
galaxy and hence their need for domination.

<<And (sorry) how can Odo change his shape without altering his mass? If he
turns into a rat, wouldn't he be an extremly heavy rat? What happens to his
mass? Sorry about all the ?s>>

I have no idea.  Robert Wolfe was a proponent of the theory that the
Changelings use some sort of subspace "pocket" to store additional mass during
a morph, but we've been careful not to address this issue directly since it's
a good question without a really good answer.

<<I'm just curious about the Romulans. Do you think you'll get any in this
season, and if not this season, next?>>

You will definitely see a Romulan or two this year.

<<There seems to be a shortage of Odo episodes this season (of course, last
season spoiled me, there were so many wonderful ones!).  Are there any more
Odo eps in the works for this season?>>

Yes.  At least one and possibly two or three.

<<So I can't figure out why Linda Tripp or the media (and I'm certainly no fan
of the media) are the objects of such scorn, instead of two *known* liars.
Since when do we coddle liars and spew our bile at those who dare to expose
them? >>

Because we also have a healthy distaste for informers and muck-rakers.

<<In the first two seasons of DS9 the planet Bajor and the plight of the
Bajorans were featured strongly as the main theme of the show, since season 7
will (presumably) be the last is there any plans to start featuring more or at
least stronger Bajor Themes. >>

Bajor and the Emissary will be strong elements from now until the end of the
series.

<<As several people have mentioned, haven't the Bajorans already given up
their neutral status by letting Starfleet use DS9 for war operations? So are
we going to see the Bajorans take an active part in the war as allies to the
federation?>>

You're probably right.  We haven't dealt with this head-on, but it makes sense
that the Bajorans have dropped any pretense at this point and thrown in with
the Federation.  At the same time, this must be reconciled with Sisko's
admonition that Bajor has to stay out of the fighting, so that's why I'm not
saying that it's a clear-cut alliance just yet.

<<I know you're interested in military history, so do you think there's an
analogy between the British during the Second World War, and Bajor in the
current situation? >>

Not really.  Britain fought alone against Hitler for two years before the US
came into the war and Bajor has not openly taken up arms against the Dominion
(that we've seen) and certainly did not fight alone.

<<Since you are one of the architects of this space program, what do you think
about the NASA space program? >>

I'd like to see a return to the moon and the establishment of a moon base.
Although Mars beckons, I think the moon would be easier, faster and cheaper to
reach.  From a public relations standpoint, I think there's something to be
said for pursuing a goal that is tangible to the public and there's nothing
quite as "real" as stepping outside, looking up at the moon, and saying "We
are up THERE."

Subj:  Answers
Date:  98-01-30 14:12:55 EST
From:  RonDMoore       

<< I have found that I can't bare watching what is being done to Gul Dukat.I
liked him as he was before the Way Of The Warrior.I do not like the intent on
making him an evil nazi type person.So I am going on strike.....>>

"Paramount Unfair to Gul Dukat!"  "Oppressors of the World Unite!" 

<<Are they going to bring Keevan back?>>

We might clone him at some point, but we have no current plans to do so.

<<No "purportedly" about it. Clinton *did* lie. He looked at that camera in
1992 and said that he did not have an affair with Gennifer Flowers. He said it
repeatedly. Two weeks ago he said that he *did* have an affair with her.>>

Actually, Clinton looked at the camera and said that he had caused "pain in
his marriage."   I doubt there were five people in America who did not think
this meant he had indeed had an affair.   Let's get real here -- we knew he'd
had an affair with Gennifer Flowers and that all he was denying was her
contention that it had lasted 12 years.  We elected him anyway.  Twice.

<<   <... commies, fascist and the like believed that the end justified the
means.>  Yes...I thought of *exactly* the same thing when the White House
illegally obtained 900+ FBI files.>>

Did someone get hurt in "Filegate"?  Was anyone ever accused of even trying to
do something nefarious in this overwrought tale of bureaucratic bungling?
Other than the *potential* for misdeeds, was there ever even a suggestion of
what anyone would want with that many files?  Ms. Tripp on the other hand, has
surely injured a great many people without so much as a single positive result
so far.  At this point, not even the ends have justified her means.

Subj:  Answers
Date:  98-01-30 17:59:35 EST
From:  RonDMoore       

<<So who are your favorite NFL teams?  Will LA get another team soon?  Who
will it be and where will they play?  And do you think Seattle will entice
Holmgren to leave Greenbay?>>

I am a long-time Miami Dolphin fan, with second favorites Denver, San
Francisco, and Carolina.  I love to hate the Cowboys.  LA does not look like
it will land a franchise any time soon, and I personally hope we get an
expansion team in a new stadium built near Dodger Stadium.  (The Coliseum is a
crummy place to watch a game.)  I doubt that Holmgren will leave Green Bay.

<<in the "Far Beyond the Stars" spoilers folder, Bop said he was told to hide
the folder back when it was opened, and only now re-opened it "with the
approval of DS9 production". Any special reason for this?>>

I wage a continuing battle to keep as much spoiler information off the boards
(and off the net) as possible.  I've been known to write private e-mail to
posters asking them not to reveal plot details they may be privy to and nine
times out of ten I'll get a very nice e-mail back saying they'd be happy to
keep it to themselves.  With "Far Beyond the Stars" I saw some plot info crop
up that I thought was waaaay too specific and I asked BOP to hold the folder
until the information became more generally known.  It was a favor and I
appreciated it.

<<I have a follow-up question dealing with the philosophy of Trekonomics: Do
you think that there will be anything that will follow or modify capitalism in
the near future?... What alternative do you see to the present system, or do
you think that this system is good enough as it is?>>

I believe in capitalism, but I think it could definitely be a "kinder,
gentler" economic system.  I believe government should provide a safety net,
guarantee health benefits, protect the environment, fight poverty -- you know,
all those vile liberal things that Reagan demonized.

<<Clinton's lawyer, "Uncle Bob" Bennett told Newsweek that Tripp "is not to be
believed."  Having your veracity challenged in a national publication might
drive one to unusual lengths to prove your case.>>

Like set-up my friend and betray her to the entire world in order to protect
*me*?  Yeah, that's noble.

<<"I'm only 16."  Okay, how about this angle:  how would you feel if your best
friend started going with your dad?>>

Talk about blurring the lines.  Setting aside for the moment the seemingly
irrelevant question of whether or not Clinton actually had an affair with this
woman, Monica Lewinsky is NOT 16.  She's 24.  The last time I checked, 21 is
legally an adult in every state in the union.  If you're going to suggest that
people in their twenties shouldn't be involved with people in their fifties, I
suppose that's your right, but let's not pretend that it's that unseemly or
even that uncommon in this country.

<<Does the plot in the upcoming episode "Far Beyond the Stars" directly or
indirectly affect the characters on DS9, or will it not have anything with the
regular DS9 besides DS9's being written in a novel?>>

I'd rather not discuss plot points until after the episode has aired.

<<Will Prometheus-class starships be used in future episodes of DS9 or the ST9
movie?>>

We haven't talked about it on DS9 and I don't know anything about the movie.

<<Charles Colson went to prison for having only ONE FBI file in his
possession.  Having over 900 such files is not bungling, it is a major federal
crime.  Why the whole lot wasn't tossed into prison on this one is still
mystifying.>>

One would hope that a CRIME is actually committed before anyone is thrown into
prison.  As I recall, Colson was actively engaged in seeking out and damaging
Nixon's enemies and was illegally using the Justice Department for that end.
There was *intent* to commit a crime.  So far, no one has even suggested what
purpose could've been served by the transfer of files to the Clinton White
House, much less pointed to any specific violation of the law.  

Subj:  Answers
Date:  98-01-30 18:42:08 EST
From:  RonDMoore       

<<I have a question about the Dominion justice (if there is such a thing)
system: What's the point of executing someone who didn't follow traditions or
rules (like Keevan) if they're going to clone him again? I assume they somehow
retain the memories of the previous incarnations?>>

I think that the Dominion would've "corrected" the flaws as they saw them in
Keevan's genetic profile before cloning him.  

<<As an astute political observer, do you think the public's insatiable demand
for news has lowered journalistic standards over the last five years?  It is
no longer uncommon for the line between journalism and rumor-mongering to be
smudged among many outlets, it seems to me.>>

While I tend to agree, I hesitate to say that today's media is really that
different than their now revered predecessors.  The journalists of the day
certainly published vile and outrageous claims about Thomas Jefferson and
Andrew Jackson during their campaigns and that pattern seems to have held true
throughout the 19th century.  I'm not sure if today's journalistic standards
are really worse than those during the heyday of "Yellow Journalism" when the
Hearst papers were in full cry and led the nation into war with Spain.  I
think the big difference today is the *speed* at which scandal and rumor can
be conveyed to the public.  Journalists have always yearned to be the first to
break a big story.   That used to mean beating your competitor by a day with
the news, but now media outlets are driven to be first by *minutes*.  Networks
and local affiliates pride themselves as being the "first to reveal shocking
revelations" when they've only been two or three minutes faster than their
competitors.  I think that's what drives the current rumor-mongering -- the
need to just get it on the air or on-line *now* regardless of the source.

<<...I'm also thinking "out loud" and arriving at some fairly nasty
conclusions, given the fact that you have now skipped over my questions about
Gul Dukat--the ones where I quoted your words in the interview--three times.
I figure that means you can no longer say that Dukat fans are going to like
this season.>>

I think I did answer your question about what I said in the interview and how
I squared it with "Waltz".  It's somewhere in the last folder, but in essence
I said that my comments about how the Dukat fans would react when I did your
interview took place before "Waltz" and they they reflected my thinking *at
that time*.  At this point, I don't think we can keep playing the game of "is
he a good guy or isn't he?"  like we did before.  "Waltz" showed us something
dark and ugly in Dukat's soul.  That's not to say he's 100% evil -- no one is.
I've said over and over again that we see him as a Villain, but that he's a
complex character with many different facets to his personality.  I continue
to see him that way.  He's capable of good, but something deep down keeps him
from ever truly turning the corner.  

<<Is this a guy thing?  Do you and the rest of the all-male writing staff
still not understand, after a solid year of correspondence, that a lot of
women find this man very attractive?  Do you somehow feel it's your duty to
"save" us (your mother, sister, aunt, niece, other female relative) from the
clutches of the glamorous, but nasty, biker?>>

I don't think this is a guy thing.  Dukat was and is a bad guy.  We made him a
charming, multi-layered bad guy, but he's still a bad guy.

Subj:  Answers
Date:  98-01-30 18:50:46 EST
From:  RonDMoore       

<<Someone asked if you actually watch the show, and I think that's a valid
question.  You are a very intelligent man, obviously, but perhaps the forest
is in the way of the trees here.  What you put on the page and what goes out
over the air are two very different things. >>

Well, obviously I watch the show.  But there's very little I can do to watch
it as a truly disinterested, objective viewer.  I'm always going to see it
through a different prism than the audience.  But to be fair, your view on
Dukat is not a universal one and many people have written on these very boards
that they've never seen him as anything but an evil man.

<<This business of Dukat hating the Bajorans and finally admitting it doesn't
square with anything that's gone before>>

That's where we disagree.  Dukat has never made any pretense of liking the
Bajorans or feeling guilty about the Occupation.  Remember that when he first
learned that Ziyal might still be alive, he was willing to kill her because of
her Bajoran blood.  He's always said that one day the Cardassians would
reclaim Bajor as their own and always had a bitter anger against people like
Kira who fought to free their world.  He's made many, many statements about
the superiority of the Cardassians to the Bajorans and never once questioned
his right to dominate them or kill them if they got in his way.

<<With what you said "You will definitely see a Romulan or two this year." Is
there a chance we can also see a particular vulcan? (Didn't want to start that
Rumor again, but I had to ask)>>

Spocko will not be making a DS9 appearance.  Neither will Sela.