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From: don@umd5.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Prefix Codes
Message-ID: <649@umd5.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 10-Jul-85 21:20:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: umd5.649
Posted: Wed Jul 10 21:20:46 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 17-Jul-85 00:39:49 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: U of Md, CSC, College Park, Md
Lines: 41

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In article <342@moncol.UUCP> john@moncol.UUCP (John Ruschmeyer) writes:
>>From: kyrimis@tilt.FUN (Kriton Kyrimis)
>>I was thinking about admiral Kirk's trick of lowering the Reliant's shields in
>>STTWOK the other day, and suddenly realised that the federation will soon be
>>in for a nasty surprise: it won't be long before some Klingon/Romulan hacker
>>comes up with the following piece of code for their battle computer:
>
>As the quoted article points out, they are a horrible security flaw. *IF* a
>Romulan or Klingon attack fleet could get the master list of prefix codes,
>all they would need to do would be mount a massive invasion, wait for the
>massive Federation defending fleet, and blow the Feds to dust.
>
>[...]
>The prefix code was an interesting plot device which got Kirk out of a sure
>no-win scenario. Unfortunately, we are now stuck with the existence of
>prefix codes and all that entails.
>

So who's to say that the prefix codes are not a new invention? Although it
is not part of the 'official' ST material, the Sourcebook Update for ST: the
RPG gives a good explanation for the codes. The prefix codes were a new
invention installed in the newer ships (or added in refit) intended to 
allow for the rescue of a ship disabled in some fashion (but not during
battle). If a ship would be used in battle, the commander would change
the prefix codes. (That's probably what Kirk did. But then, Styles was a
showoff!) 

Any additional comments?

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