Overview[]
The United Earth Oceans Organization (commonly known as UEO) is the fictional governing body in the television series "seaQuest DSV". The UEO was first introduced in the pilot episode of the series, "To Be or Not to Be" and remained a recurring element for the duration of the series.
At the beginning of the 21st century, nations began to colonize the ocean for natural resources. As colonization increased, nation-states began to ignore the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea by claiming territories and forming confederations for military defence. Eventually the United Nations was unable to maintain its objectives of peace; this led to the UN being dissolved. With no organization able to maintain maritime law, undersea colonies began to mine the sea for its wealth.
In 2017, the world reached a climax when it was nearly plunged into World War 3, Captain Marilyn Stark of the seaQuest DSV 4600, in what came to be called the "Livingston Trench Incident". After NORPAC (North Pacific Confederation) denied her permission to launch an attack on the Livingston Trench in the North Atlantic Ocean, she ordered the arming of the nuclear arsenal until being relieved of command. Realizing the scale of international distrust, nations and confederations agreed on a new organization for world order in 2018, which lead to the formation of the United Earth Oceans to preside over. As a symbol of peace, NORPAC gave the UEO the seaQuest DSV 4600 as a peace keeping vessel. The UEO retrofited seaQuest to not only be military, but also an underwater exploration vessel. It also became the UEO Navy flagship.
Among the original members of the UEO were the United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, and France among others, as well as many other undersea "confederations", such as the newly formed Montagnard Confederation and the Amazonian Confederation among others.
History[]
The UEO was the subject of much criticism in the early episodes of the series. In "Treasures of the Mind", after the seaQuest discovers the Library of Alexandria, the UEO administered negotiations regarding the ownership of the various artifacts, with seaQuest captain Nathan Bridger representing the UEO. In "Games", Dr. Rubin Zellar attempts to use the seaQuest to destroy UEO Headquarters and the "illusion of peace".
While the UEO was intended to be a peaceful coalition of nations and confederations, not all members agreed with their position within the organization, such as the Montangnard Confederation, who attempted to recover the first manned capsule to reach Mars before seaQuest, as depicted in "Better Than Martians". Not all individuals within the UEO were pleased with the concept either, such as Secretary General Andrea Dre, who was perceived as being a "dinosaur" from the era when money launderers, lobbyists, and bureaucrats made policy. Dre plotted to kidnap the leaders of several confederations and force them to sign an amended UEO constitution. Her plan was thwarted by the crew of seaQuest however, she was impeached, and William Noyce was named temporary Secretary General until an election could be held, seen in "The Last Lap at Luxury". He would be replaced by Secretary General Arthur McGath by 2021. ("The Fear That Follows")
While the original seaQuest was handed over to the UEO upon its formation, following its destruction in "Higher Power", the UEO constructed a new seaQuest to replace it at their own expense in "Brave New World". In "And Everything Nice", an attempt is made to hijack the seaQuest to weaken the UEO's global presence. The attempt ultimately proved unsuccessful.
The high cost of building seaQuest class submarines, however, would prove to be an Achilles' heel as the UEO was unable to obtain the funds as well as the technology necessary to replace the seaQuest 4600-II after it went missing in 2022, as depicted in "Splashdown". With the seaQuest missing in action, the UEO was unable to control the explosion of commerce as well as the fallout of wealth, power, and land grabs following the summit of 2026 in which the UEO lifted the ban on colonial deregulation, as mentioned by Oliver Hudson in "Brave New World".
The Alliance of Macronesia (formerly New Australia) began to expand their territory into the 2030s as well as their technological superiority given that Deon International furnished them with the Lysander class subfighter, proving to be a formidable opponent to the UEO. A trade embargo was placed on Macronesia by 2032, leading to rising conflicts beneath the sea, which nearly led to a war between Macronesia and the UEO as the alliance seized control of the Nexus Colony in the center of the Pacific Ocean. Fortunately, the UEO was able to recover the seaQuest just prior to Macronesia's seizure of Nexus and drive the alliance out of the colony.
Later that year, the UEO charter went up for renewal. The Organization's weak handling of Macronesia and other global incidents had undermined support for both the UEO and Secretary General McGath, half of which believed he ran the UEO like a police state and the other half believing him to be weak. President Alexander Bourne of the alliance plotted to assassinate McGath to paralyze the UEO and continue his quest for world domination, but, his attempt was thwarted, as seen in "Brainlock". As the series drew to its end, a new nation-state, the elusive Asian power known as the Chaodai, began to attack both the UEO and the alliance as seen in "Weapons of War", however, the series was canceled soon afterwards.
Flag and Emblem[]
UEO Logo[1]
The emblem of the United Earth Oceans is based on the original emblem of the United Nations. It depicts the ocean in the background of a gold circle with the trident of Poseidon in the center. This is symbolising power and control over the seas. Olive branches partially surround the circle similarly to the UN as a symbol of peace. The initials UEO are featured in the lower center.
In the original TV series, the flag is shown as the emblem of the United Earth Oceans on a white background, and a gold trim around the edges of the flag with 2 gold tassels.
Divisions[]
[]
The UEO's largest division, for which the seaQuest serves as flagship. The UEO Navy was composed of various submersibles, many of which were heavily armed, such as the Navis-18 class submarine seen in "Daggers"; as well as a prototype Marauder class vessel that was operated by an artificial intelligence ("The Sincerest Form of Flattery"). The UEO also had a large number of cargo submarines seen in "Smoke on the Water".
Each member of the UEO wore the Organization's crest on their left shoulder as part of their uniform. Removal of the patch is analogous to a soldier removing his uniform. ("SpinDrift")
UEO Marines[]
The UEO's next largest division, the marines serve as the UEO's main combat force. They are routinely posted as security on undersea bases and high security areas such as the G.E.L.F. Colony Prison "Daggers" and Verdome, the UEO Maximum security prison for dangerous and criminally insane prisoners. ("Daggers Redux") The seaQuest II may have also carried a contingent of marines onboard, as evidenced by such episodes as "By Any Other Name" and "Splashdown".
UEO Army, Air Force, Space Force[]
Being primarily an undersea organization the UEOs focus was primarily the naval and marine branch, but since the UEO more or less also replaced the United Nations in terms of peace keeping it also has an Army, Air Force, and Space Force. From 2020 to late 2021 the highest-ranking officer of the UEO was General Francis "Frank" Gideon Thomas, the previous was Secretary General/Admiral William Noyce. The UEO's highest ranking officer going from a 2-star Admiral in 2017 to a 4 star General in 2020 shows the progress the UEO made in recruiting high-ranking officers from their own nations militaries into serving on attachment with the UEO.
Sector/Section 7[]
The UEO's highest level of security, originally known as "Sector 7", but renamed to "Section 7" by late 2022, ("Alone"); many within the organization were not overly thrilled about the idea of a secret police in what was supposed to be a utopia like society. In "Good Soldiers", Captain Hudson compares them to the Gestapo and is sickened to find that Captain Bridger has apparently joined their ranks. Section 7 personnel were brought in from all divisions of the UEO, but Army personnel were the most common followed by the Navy. ("The Fear That Follows", "Alone") There were also several Officers seen wearing US military Rank pins suggesting it may have evolved from or worked closely with United States military intelligence.
Sector 7 was in charge of the G.E.L.F. Colony Prison on "Dagger Island" where the UEO held all of the genetically engineered life forms created during the "Dark Period of Genetics". ("Daggers")
As a matter of UEO policy, Sector 7 prisoners are not permitted to board the seaQuest.
NORPAC[]
Although NORPAC is mentioned as being seaQuest's original fleet, numerous references to it crop up in future episodes, such as "NORPAC First Strike"; a communications link mentioned in "Higher Power". It could be inferred that NORPAC was absorbed into the UEO.
Criticism[]
While the UEO was supposed to be a peaceful alliance, it was not without its share of blemishes. Captain Bridger, in particular, was not overly fond of the UEO's nervous stance on the unfamiliar, such as their choice to have an armed contingent standing by after the seaQuest had discovered an alien starship entombed in an undersea rockface. As a result, Bridger and his crew elected not to inform the UEO of the message they intended to send to the aliens homeworld, inviting them back to Earth, despite the fact that the message would be sent in the interests of mutual understanding and cooperation. ("Such Great Patience")
Bridger was also skeptical of notifying the UEO when the seaQuest encountered an unknown force having a potentially deadly impact on the ship and the nearby Miranda Colony, claiming that the UEO would send in the nuclear fleet as their initial reaction. ("Sympathy For the Deep")
The UEO maintained records of crimes against humanity that took place on a UEO base that was eventually annexed by Macronesia, in which G.E.L.F.s were subjected to various forms of torture to determine their stamina, endurance, and regenerative abilities. The base was destroyed after it was revealed that Bridger, Ford, and the UEO secretary-general knew of the experiments and had participated in the cover-up. ("Good Soldiers")
In "Games", Nathan Bridger learns that the court records of the trial of Dr. Rubin Zellar were deleted or classified as top secret as several of Zellar's clients were members of the UEO.
After Max Scully began sinking ships that were conducting illegal fishing operations, Bridger was forced to confront the reality that the UEO had granted illegal exceptions to UEO environmental regulations to maintain trade agreements.
In "Chains of Command" the commander of a mobile UEO underwater base goes rogue and the UEO is forced to order a covert mission to stop the renegade.
Many industrialists, such as the one seen in ""To Be or Not to Be" and Russ Ketchum in "Dagger Redux", the scientist who broke the Genetically Engineered Life Form Mariah, out of prison, resented the UEO's control of the seas and oceans. They viewed the UEO's policies as limiting industrialization without providing alternative options for investment or compensation for lost revenue. The UEO's policies on underwater colonization were viewed as too strong and limiting economic investment.
When the colonial deregulation ban was revoked in 2026, the geometric increase in undersea colonies overwhelmed the UEO's military and encouraged the creation of nation-states such as the Alliance of Macronesia. The UEO was forced to rely on trade embargos, economic sanctions, and border incursions to defend their allies.
In "In the Company of Ice and Profit" and "Brainlock", Larry Deon, the CEO of Deon International, proved that his corporate power was equal to that of a government, as his mercenary Mason Freeman was able to evade the legal system due to Deon's political leverage. In "Reunion", Hudson is forced to indirectly threaten a UEO diplomat so that evidence of slave labor can be exposed.
To quote Oliver Hudson: "They say obsession is the cancer of mental illness, but if you ask me, anyone who can ignore his gut was never sane in the first place. Ten years ago, Captain Nathan Bridger and the crew of seaQuest disappeared off the face of the Earth, and for ten years I've been trying to find her. Following the economic summit of 2026, the UEO lifted the ban on colonial deregulation, putting more than a hundred thousand square miles of undeveloped basins back on the market. Overnight, hundreds of new colonies sprang from the sea, but without seaQuest, the UEO was unable to control the explosion of commerce, or the fallout of wealth, power, and greed. They found themselves outgunned and outmanned. I could have retired, but they offered me triple the pay and any boat I wanted. The problem was, the only one I wanted was missing. (Secretary General) McGath hit the roof when I took command of his UEO supply hauler, but I had my reasons; if seaQuest was out there, a slow-moving, long-distance hauler was my best chance of finding her. Besides, the way things were going, I knew they'd get their money's worth out me. The Alliance of Macronesia (formerly New Australia); they engineered this ridge and a dozen more like it. They got rich fast and it went to their heads. The UEO calls this a trade embargo against a non-aligned nation. I call it war." ("Brave New World")
The Secretary General's of the UEO showed the failings of the organization. The Secretary General's authority was not counterbalanced by a system of "checks and balances". The first Secretary General, Andrea Dre, was arrested on corruption and treason charges. The reason she had been elected was her connections to the pre-UEO power structures. The second Secretary General, Vice Admiral William Noyce, was able to keep the UEO stable and provided Nathan Bridger with a degree of political flexibility. The third Secretary General, Thomas McGath, was unwilling to take military action against the Alliance of Macronesia and ceded victory in "Spindrift" as he was unwilling to risk war. In "Brainlock", Alexander Bourne states that the UEO will implode due to "its own political weight" without McGath. The vote to renew the UEO charter faced strong opposition and numerous "no" votes.
Background[]
The UEO was written into the script of the seaQuest DSV pilot by series creator Rockne S. O'Bannon. [2] By the second season of the series, Roy Scheider (Captain Bridger) had felt that the series had strayed too far away from what it once was; that the UEO had become too inclined towards the military side of things than the original intention of science. Scheider explained that "I became more of a combat commander than a scientific commander and I hadn't signed up for that." [3] Comparisons were also drawn between the UEO and "Star Trek"'s United Federation of Planets.[4]
Sources[]
- ↑ http://stexpanded.wikia.com/wiki/United_Earth_Oceans_Organization
- ↑ "seaQuest DSV: The Official Publication of the Series"
- ↑ "Roy Scheider: A Film Biography", page 162
- ↑ Starlog Magazine, Issue #204