>From: PRISM::TZBARASC "Tony Zbaraschuk" 12-AUG-1993 22:02:06.53
To: PO1::"[email removed]"
CC: TZBARASC
Subj: Zhodani: Wars and Thought Police
I've been trying to figure out the Frontier Wars myself, and they don't make
a whole lot of sense. What do the Zhodani hope to gain? Telling the
Imperium "back off or else" doesn't really cut it, IMO. Surely they could
work it out in some other way?
They can't hope to defeat the (larger, more advanced) Imperium, not even by
taking the entire Spinward Marches (this "thrust at Rhylanor" bit is a little
wacko) given Imperial reinforcement and industrial capability, and technical
advantages. Hence they must have some limited objectives, which are -- what?
(Primarily I'm talking about the Fifth Frontier War; there's not enough
evidence for me to speculate about the others. The Second (strike while the
Imperium convulses in civil war) makes the most sense to me, but not the
first -- and with the Sword Worlds as allies? A single Imperial battle
squadron will rip their fleets to shreds -- TL11-12 vs TL15!)). What were
the Zhodani trying to do in the Fifth Frontier War???
As for why they don't attack again -- well, my guess is that they're simply
not capable of absorbing the trillion+ Imperials in the Spinward Marches; it
would be far too difficult to assimilate and re-educate all of them.
Getting back to the Thought Police -- hmmm... Think Deanna Troi with a lot of
reinforcement back-up. ("You NEED help. We/I WILL give it to you.")
I'm still trying to figure out how you combine a conformist society with
ambition, but maybe I just can't figure out the Zhodani.
Oh well, enough for now.
Tony Zbaraschuk