The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was Keep. Betacommand (talkcontribsBot) 06:08, 9 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Starfleet Security[edit]

Starfleet Security (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)

This is an article which has just been rescued from certain death as a copyright violation from Memory Alpha, but cites as it sole source a novel written from the perspective of a security officer (and I don't think it's canon either) and the MA article from which it was originally copied and now rewritten, albeit still primarily from an in-universe perspective. Seems to me this isa subject best left in Memory Alpha. Give it a red shirt and put it in the landing party, I say. Guy (Help!) 21:11, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

  • There's been a lot of talk about why these articles are getting AfDed this often and this quickly. I can't help the way I feel, and I feel there is more going on here than concern for Wiki policy. This edit sums up my concerns. -Husnock 20:36, 6 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Should all of those be deleted as well? (Actually a serious question as some of them probably should at least be merged) -Husnock 21:56, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Quite likely, if they are sourced in the same way. Synthesis from primary sources = original research. Guy (Help!) 23:40, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Ah, but all of these are far more well-established in the show than Starfleet Security (apart from Starfleet Tactical). Nobody is disputing there are security guards in Star Trek: the dispute is whether they constitute a department at headquarters and suchforth, as the other branches do indeed appear to : (our article notes the distinction between random engineers on starships, and the Starfleet Engineering Corps, for example). I have checked the dialogue from "The Drumhead" as you suggested, and it seems inconclusive (why is a judge being sent from Starfleet Security?) Morwen - Talk 22:41, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • I think Starfleet Security is pretty well established, but thats been beat to death. I dont have access to the Drumhead, but its always been one of my favorite episodes. I believe the line is something like "We will be joined by Admiral Heneley (spelling?) from Starfleet Security." And he's not a judge in the episode, hes a security specialist. That should be pretty definite if thats what was said. -Husnock 22:45, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • I realise it must be a bit difficult to try to deal with this type of thing without access to any sources, but we can't use your recollections as a substitute. I don't have access to the episode, either (just blown my budget buying books and dvds to flesh out TOS episode articles), but the Encyclopedia says Thomas Henry was "admiral in charge of security" (lowercase). Do you agree there is, or at least could be, a distinction between "Starfleet security" (the redshirts, who are under line command) and "Starfleet Security" (some group back home that does high-level stuff), just as with the Engineering departments? Morwen - Talk 23:03, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • This really is a constructive discussion, but should be carried out at articles talk page. Can we please speedy close this and work on actual article? :) --Cat out 22:55, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Is it your usual habit to go around accusing everyone who disagrees with you of ulterior motives? Or do you restrict this to admins? Perhaps you and Cool Cat could cite some evidence to back your assertion that this is bad faith? Guy (Help!) 21:45, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • I haven't accused a single person of anything. I simply said that I agree with Coolcat and this appears to be happening. I haven't named anyone or made any formal charges or anything like that, however, nor do I plan to do so. As far as evidence of bad faith, Coolcat has stated that above, I will allow him to defend or expand upon it. -Husnock 21:53, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • You know, the "distress the opposition till he disapears" strategy doesn't work on me. Stay on topic. This is an AFD discussion, not a random discussion about me or Husnock... --Cat out 22:13, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Then stop making remarks that disparage the motives of anyone who votes against you. --ElaragirlTalk|Count 22:55, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • The same people are mass afding many star trek articles. Thats a verifiable fact. I am merely stating that... --Cat out 22:58, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
SF Security and Intelligence seemed to get bandied about interchangeably over the series' runs. Hard to keep 'em straight. --EEMeltonIV 22:16, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
We do have a Starfleet Intelligence article, as well. This is reasonably well established. If we accept User:Cool Cat's contention they represent the same organisation, then they should be merged. I don't accept that, and in any case Military Police style organisation is being envisaged here. Morwen - Talk 22:30, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I am not certain. I simply have no knowledge wethaer or not STarfleet security and intelligence are the same thing. I am merely suggesting a possibility that needs to be further investigated.
Starfleet Security is more like FBI and Starfleet intelligence more like CIA (what their name implies). Does the star trek encyclopedia have anyhing over this?
--Cat out 22:46, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • In other words, a synthesis from primary sources. That is pretty much the canonical definition of original research. Guy (Help!) 23:38, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • No...its a direct account of material put forth by the producers in the show. Starfleet Security is established in nearly every live action prodcution and half of the novels by Pocket Books. Word twisting will not change that. -Husnock 23:40, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • I love this logic, I really do. So Star Trek Encyclopedia is original research, the show itself is original research... I do not understand you JzG, how the heck are we supposed to write any kind of article if we are not going to be using the sources? I am in fact recommended to use primary sources... --Cat out 23:53, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • No those are fine, it's the drawing of conclusions from those that are problematic. I'll give you an example: In the 23rd century, Starfleet Security had become an established corps of the Starfleet, apparetly an entirely separate career path from regular (or "Line") personnel of the Starfleet. This is the whole premise on which the article is based, yet there is no source for this. In addition (and I almost forgot), an article on fiction should focus on the real life implications of the subject of the article, rather than merely outlining the plot: what do we have in this article that shouldn't be a minor mention in the Redshirt article? JChap2007 00:56, 6 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
See, here's the thing. I agree with you, fundamentally, that if you can put together enough third-party sources that either discuss a fictional work's impact on the real world, or critically analyze the technical merits of the fiction (writing, cinematography, etc.). The problem here is that none of those things exist for Starfleet Security. No one has written a book about how the use of non-lethal methods by Starfleet Security altered popular opinion on alternative methods of law enforcement. And, even if they did, that article would probably be about Star Trek, not Starfleet Security. There is a profound difference between the two, and attempting to extrapolate the importance of Starfleet Security from our hypothetical article is a violation of WP:NPOV and WP:OR. You're inventing new facts based around your interpretation of the article. Consequentially 02:48, 6 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Not to back up the misguided aegis of the keep voters...but crufty is hardly worthy basis without backing it up. It can't be transwikied (incompatible license) and IF it's really OR it can't be moved anywhere else. --ElaragirlTalk|Count 03:49, 6 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Being mentioned in the series isn't notability. Being mentioned in third-party critical analysis by reliable sources is notability. Consequentially 04:59, 7 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Perhaps you should look at the examples in WP:FICTION, and see if the actual guideline agrees with you. Quack 688 07:25, 7 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
What is this "third-party critical analysis by reliable source"? Cite an example so I have an idea. --Cat out 07:29, 7 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
This for one. Or this. Maybe here. Even this. And this too. Consequentially 18:34, 7 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Not at all. Please see Star Trek, or United Federation of Planets for properly sourced articles with no OR. --ElaragirlTalk|Count 14:55, 7 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You don't find an article that fails WP:OR to be a good deletion argument? Good luck with that. --ElaragirlTalk|Count 14:55, 7 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
No, it's just that I find the OR argument to be an obfuscation in this case; really, I think your reasoning is you don't think it's notable, or it's fancruft. But the OR argument being used here seems to be saying, no one with expertise in a field can add anything to an article on it, even if their arguments are sourced. Strictly speaking, anybody who adds anything to Wikipedia, if it's not copied word for word from a source, is using some "OR". The OR requirement is meant to say, "don't quote your own research" - not "don't write an article which you know something about". Patstuarttalk|edits 15:03, 7 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I find two things wrong with your statement. One, I admonish people above that cruft is not and never will be a deletion criteria, for if it was, Pokemon would be my very FIRST target. But more importantly, can you explain how this unsourced section here is anything but OR, by which I mean "It introduces an argument, without citing a reputable source for that argument, that purports to refute or support another idea, theory, argument, or position;":

Starfleet Security has also been influenced by Section 31 over its years of existence. At least one member of the former Earth Starfleet was a member of Section 31 and Section 31 has been suspected of being involved with the Khitomer conspiracy as well as the illegal cloaking device development onboard the USS Pegasus.

--ElaragirlTalk|Count 15:08, 7 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • The problem is more that no sources appear to exist, other than watching the original media. Guy (Help!) 18:43, 7 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.