"But it makes you wonder, doesn't it? Are humans really any different than Cardassians or Romulans? If push comes to shove, if something disastrous happens to the Federation, if we are frightened enough, or desperate enough, how would we react? Would we stay true to our ideals?"

-Dr. Bashir, speaking to Sisko in the SF ghetto of 2020s on Earth. Episode: Past Tense, part 1.

Let's say that this episode concluded with another transporter accident that took Bashir to the year of 2409, as seen in Star Trek Online. What would he say? How would he react? Does this universe and the actions of humanity "stay true to our ideals?" Why or why not?

Considering "Weapons Free" is the motto of the current Starfleet, I would say Bashir was right. We are at war on multiple fronts and most of the Federations Ideals have gone to the wayside.

So, in other words, Starfleet's current motto is "We come in peace... Shoot to kill, shoot to kill."

Inter arma enim silent leges -- In times of war the law falls silent .

That .. , and sentences like "... tell them phasers on stun , good luck , Kirk out." don't get spoken anymore during romantic dinners .

The Federation is getting walloped on all available fronts by numerous factions and subfactions. Starfleet can't afford to hang onto "ideals" if they want the interstellar nation they're protecting to survive to 2410.

For the record, those same "ideals" were repeatedly demonstrated to be downright foolhardy in Bashir's heyday as well, he's just too naive to pick up on it.

It's funny you mention this...

Just the other day, I was thinking to myself that STO feels much more "Stargate" or specifically, "Stargate Atlantis" than it does "Star Trek".

Watch this:

Star Trekin Stargate Atlantis

Now consider:

1. Do we shoot first, ask questions later? YES

2. Does it seem the Prime Directive has been tossed out the window? YES

3. Do we stick our nose in other people's business, even if weren't invited? YES

4. Does every alien in the universe hate us? YES

5. Do we seem to carry a ton of military weapons instead of normal phasers? YES

So just to recap Stargate and Stargate Atlantis....

No Prime Directive
Head to an Alien world, involve ourselves in their problems and conflicts, regardless
Lots of automatic guns, fired often
Goa'uld, Ori, Replicators, Wraith

Yeah, with STO, I totally feel I could put on some armor, grab my (mini-gun, full auto assault, sniper rifle, pulsewave canon, etc) and go head out to blast aliens, and it would feel like Stargate Worlds had actually been released.

Except we don't have the totally cool Asgard. I miss Thor.

Kill anything that fires upon us, ask questions decades later.

*holds up finger* Supreme Commander Thor. And I really wish he had sent Kinsey to a distant planet.

I guess part of that is that some of the devs seem to be really big Section 31 fans. Since we had the option to shoot Drake in the face (which really wasn't an option because what the other guy told us didn't make any sense) in the holodeck simulation we have been his personal servant. Now I even have a Section 31 augment aboard. I don't mind her, but I really want a chance to punch Drake for his methods. We don't need him as much as he and Cryptic want to make us believe. The Enterprise stopped the Devidians too without someone without morals ordering them around.

I stand corrected!

And yes, Kinsey should have been shanghai'd in the middle of Goa'uld space.

Boy I hated that guy.

Him and Colonel Maybourne both.