Echo Papa 607--Competent Trek drone design?

[Mith]

Would the Echo Papa 607 from TNG's Arsenal of Freedom be an effective weapon? We saw that the system had multiple drones to help complete its task.

Spy drone
Had a cloak, holographic projector, and could create stasis fields around targets.

Level 1 Tactical Drone
Was armed with an energy weapon and was designed to anticipate phaser strikes.

Level 2 Tactical Drone
Was armed with an energy weapon, designed to evade, and had a shield capable of resisting two sustained phaser beams from Type II phasers. It took three sustained phaser beams to destroy it.

Level 3 Tactical Drone
Presumably had all the former abilities, with perhaps upgraded shielding, we're not sure.

These drones had a range that could cover a planet and apparently their only flaw seemed to be their lack of proper aiming (although maybe that was just character shields). That aside, I'd think they'd make effective soldiers. It's a pity Starfleet didn't pay Minos a visit during the Dominion War.

[Mike DiCenso]

All well and good, but the Echo Papa had another seriously fatal flaw: It had a bad habit of destroying even it's own creators. We don't know that Picard's tricking the system into thinking a sale had been made worked indefinitely.
-Mike

[Praeothmin]

Maybe they could have programmed a new target for the demonstration:
Dominion ships and territories... :)

[Mike DiCenso]

Could they have? The Minosians couldn't do it, why do you think a Starfleet crew that barely could get the thing stopped long enough for them to get out of there would be able to?
-Mike

[Who is like God arbour]

Why do you think, that a system, that deactivated itself after it was deceived into believing that it will be bought so that further demonstrations of its capabilities were not necessary, reactivates itself?

The last thing I have seen is the deactivation of the system.

But you seem to assume that it is reactivated.

Do you have any reason for that assumption and maybe a shred of evidence to support your assumption?

[Mike DiCenso]

Is it the last thing? No. The last bit is that Geordi and the rest of the crew on the Enterprise have to deal with the anti-ship drone. All that Picard managed to do was get the thing to stop sending the smaller anti-infantry drones after the away team.
-Mike

[Who is like God arbour]

Yes, they had to deal with the last autonomous drone.

While the system, that produced and enhanced the drones, was deactivated, the already produced drone was not (an oversight of the programmer (?) it wouldn't be the first).

But after that drone was destroyed by the Enterprise, there was no danger any more because, with the facilities, which produced these drones, deactivated, new and better drones couldn't be produced any more.

I at least had not the impression, that, after the last drone was destroyed, further drones could have been sent after the Enterprise and that her crew were in a hurry to leave the planet because they feared the next drone.

[Mike DiCenso]

That's a pretty huge "oversight", wouldn't you say? They did not stay for very long after the away team was beamed back to the E-D. Geordi orders the ship to a standard orbit, but it would have been only minutes for Picard and Riker to get to the bridge, and shortly thereafter Geordi orders a course laid in for the saucer section, and saying "engage". So while they weren't in a super big hurry, they didn't stay long.
-Mike

[Kor_Dahar_Master]

They were a bit like a smaller version of the Borg idea where it adapts to the way it was defeated so if you deal with a few of the flaws it had like shitty targeting it could be a ok weapon.

It boils down to the power systems and availability of construction materials i would think or we are into no limit fallacy areas again.

[Mith]

Is it the last thing? No. The last bit is that Geordi and the rest of the crew on the Enterprise have to deal with the anti-ship drone. All that Picard managed to do was get the thing to stop sending the smaller anti-infantry drones after the away team.
-Mike

Well, they could reprogram the AI obviously. We also don't know for sure what happened to cause the Echo Papas to go rogue to begin with. For all we know someone was trying to take out a rival employee or company and when military/police tried to stop them, they decided to kill them all since everyone had become an enemy.

As for the one with the Enterprise, that was strange and I think it to be a plot-hole. Then again, it's possible that the drone was descending to return to base and they didn't realize it before they vaporized it with the ship's phasers.

To be more accurate, aside from its obvious aiming problems and AI--all of which could be fixed by Starfleet, I think they're a great example of what Trek could offer in terms of weaponry; a small, mobile drone with shielding and possible cloaking abilities (though later ones didn't cloak, so maybe the energy weapon was a considerable drain on systems).