From: KELSEY@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU (KELSEY, Michael H.)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: Re: Cause & Effect (*SPOILERS*) possible explaination
Date: 12 Aug 92 19:19:59 GMT
 <whelan.713575701@sbphy.physics.ucsb.edu> <1992Aug12.132244.7902@rtsg.mot.com>
Organization: Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

In article <1992Aug12.132244.7902@rtsg.mot.com>, bringman@rtsg.mot.com (Bill
Bringman) says:
>
>I'm sure I missed when this question was asked, but
>
>In article <whelan.713575701@sbphy.physics.ucsb.edu>
>whelan@sbphy.physics.ucsb.edu (John T. whelan) writes:
>>
>>       Well, I like to think that the fact that the E blew up near a
>>spacetime anomoly (aka "the spacial effect) had something to do with
>>the loop forming.
>>
>
>The question I have is how did the other ship get in the loop?
>If the loop included the big E crashing with it, and was finally broken by
>avoiding the crash, what kept the other ship waiting in the loop
>for 80 years?  If something else did keep the other ship in the loop,
>where is it during the crash and near crash with the big E?

Wow, this discussion again?  I think we have a situation similar to the
Yesterday's Enterprise scenario:  the space time anomaly is connecting
two points which are spearated in space-time!  Thus:


         A (Bozeman)  >-----------------------+
            2278 AD                           |
                                              |
                                              ^
                                              B (Enterprise)
                                                   2369 AD (I think!)

The Bozeman encounters a space-time anomaly at some location in the
galaxy (presumably explored Federation territory) in 2278 AD.  It is
sucked through the anomaly (like the Enterprise-C), and appears at
a different location in the galaxy (point B) in 2369 AD.  At that location,
the Enterprise has encountered a space-time anomaly, and observes a ship
come out of it and collide with them.

The Bozeman was therefore only at point B for the 36 seconds from the time
it appeared to the time it collided with the Enterprise and was (presumably)
destroyed along with the Enterprise -- although we are _not_ shown that.

The loop for the Enterprise lasted about 3 days, based on Data's comments
on the number 3 during the last cycle.  According the Worf's check of the
Starfleet timebase beacon, their clocks were desynchronized by 17 days.
Therefore, the Enterprise went through 6 iterations of the loop before
getting out.

On the other hand, the Bozeman need not have gone through _any_ iterations
at all, since it was coming from somewhere else in the Galaxy (point A).
From the point of view of the Enterprise's _internal_ clocks, it enters
the temporal anomaly region, travels for about 3 days, sees the Bozeman
appear, then is destroyed.  The Enterprise travel _back_in_time_ according
to its _interal_ clocks (while the Starfleet timebase beacon keeps ticking)
along with the local region of space-time anomaly.  It travels for about
3 days, then sees the Bozeman appear and is destroyed.  And so on, for six
repetitions.  Note that at each explosion, it is at the _same_ location
in external space-time (within the anomalous region), so it is seeing the
_same_ Bozeman each time, which has not had to go through "loops" to get
there.

* * *

This is in some ways a much nastier situation than Yesterday's Enterprise,
because of the causal loop.  It is difficult to describe the flow of
perceptual time versus external time in such a case, but I hope that I
have not make the situation murkier than it was.
                                                    -- Mike Kelsey

[  My opinions are not endorsed by SLAC, Caltech, or the US government  ]
What is your _name_?    "kelsey@slacvm.slac.stanford.edu"
What is your _quest_?   "To get a Ph.D. in high-energy physics"
When will you _finish_? "I don't know.   Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh..."
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current