Blue Page
USS Columbia Research Brief | Vol. 1, No. 1 | 052010 Introduction elcome to the first in a series of research briefs written by CRR Heath Row, historian and librarian for the USS Columbia, and published on behalf of the Science Department. These briefs will be published as needed and distributed to all crew. This series of research briefs is called Blue Page because of the characteristic blue paper on which it is printed. No other document series may be published on blue paper. This issue has been reviewed and approved by Chief Science Officer MCPT Steven McKean, SFMC.
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Primary Topic: Cloaking technology Secondary Topic: Detection of cloaked vessels Related Project: Attempting to increase sensors' ability to detect cloaked vessels (ongoing) Star Trek Timeline of Key Events • 1986: Admiral James T. Kirk decloaked a Klingon Bird-of-Prey to frighten whale hunters. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) • April 2151: Agents of the Suliban Cabal used cloaking technology to kidnap Klingon national Klang from the Enterprise. • 2152: Enterprise Chief Engineer Charles Tucker III employed captured Suliban cloaking technology. (Enterprise: “Broken Bow,” “The Communicator”) • March 2152: Temporal agent Daniels helped the Enterprise reveal a cloaked stealth cruiser. (Enterprise: “Shockwave”) • April 2152: The Enterprise used quantum beacons to navigate a cloaked minefield protecting a Romulan-controlled planet but was unable to penetrate cloaked Birds-of-Prey (Enterprise: “Minefield”) • 2266: USS Enterprise encountered a Romulan Bird-of-Prey that had crossed the Romulan Neutral Zone to destroy Earth Outpost Stations because the ship could be detected by tracking sensors. (Original Series: “Balance of Terror”) • 2268: The Romulans developed a cloaking device undetectable by tracking sensors. (Original Series: “The Enterprise Incident”) • 2269: Klingons on the IKS Klothos employed cloaks in the Battle of Caleb IV. (Animated Series: “The Time Trap”)
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2286: The Federation acquired a cloaking device from a captured Klingon Bird-of-Prey, the HMS Bounty. (Star Trek III) 2293: An experimental Bird-of-Prey demonstrated the ability to fire torpedoes while cloaked. (Star Trek VI) 2311: In the Treaty of Algeron, the Federation pledged to not develop cloaking technology. The Bajoran Provisional Government made possession of cloaking devices illegal. (Next Generation: “The Pegasus”) 2358: The USS Pegasus, a ship testing an interphase cloak, was lost. (Next Generation: “The Pegasus”) 2368: Geordi La Forge developed the tachyon detection grid (Next Generation: “Redemption, Part II”) 2370: Quark obtained a small cloaking device and installed it in a Cardassian shuttle piloted by Natima Lang to escape Deep Space 9. (Deep Space 9: “Profit and Loss”) The Romulan Empire allowed use of a cloak on the USS Defiant within the Gamma Quadrant. (Deep Space 9: “The Search, Part I”) The Pegasus was rediscovered in an asteroid field. (Next Generation: “The Pegasus”) 2373: The Klingon High Council provided the Maquis with cloaks to help combat the Cardassians and the Dominion. (Deep Space 9: “Blaze of Glory”) 2382: Starfleet developed Deflective Hull Plating on the USS Ares as an alternative to cloaks. (Voyager: “Endgame”) 29th Century: An unknown entity traveled back in time to give the Suliban Cabal cloaking technology. 31st Century: Daniels traveled back in time to help the Enterprise in 2152.
Technical Aspects arly Suliban cloaking devices used a form of particle radiation to render objects invisible. Cloaks, which consist of a projection matrix and a tetryon compositor, consume a lot of power. Cloaking devices need to be patched into a ship's deflector shield grid. (Original Series: “The Enterprise Incident”) Cloaks and shields can't be employed at the same time. Similarly, weapons can't be engaged while a vessel is cloaked. Neither is always the case. Some cloaked ships are detectable by tracking sensors. Klingon cloaking devices, which are quite
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