Star Trek and Star Wars Questions.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

How many of you on here are somewhat fans of Star Trek and Star Wars, and even if not, are familiar with these?

This is a place to discuss and ask questions about these fictional series, and put comments.

Here are some questions:

1 On Star Trek, if they can dematerialize, transmit, and rematerialize a fully functional human person, why do people still age, when they could easilly edit their DNA and keep their bodies youthful? Perhaps such acts are banned because of bad past experiences with the Eugenics Wars and related incidents, or, could there be a technical problem with it? Or, the more likely answer is, it would interfere with the plots.

2 On Star Wars, they have had the same basic level of technology for thousands of years. According to the "canon" of Lucasfilm, the technology you see spans from thousands of years earlier in the "Old Republic" on to the current latest dates which go out beyond Return of the Jedi. How could such a "technological stasis" exist in real life? Is it imposed on them or is there some lack of innovation in a civilization spanning an entire galaxy?

Their basic technologies are:

Robotic Droids of all shapes and types.
Hyper Drive Faster than Light Travel.
Blaster technology (a form of controlled plasma reaction)
Fusion Drives


There are assorted odds and ends ofcourse; for example the Imperials had a Duplicator machine that functioned much like a Star Trek Replicator of a sort but was not often used.

[Doc Dan]

Star Trek is a visionary (or it was until these last few movies) series that actually inspired people to invent the things seen in the shows and movies. Even the transporter has been achieved somewhat when they actually dematerialized and transported a particle to another location and rematerialized it. One day this will be a reality and we will be able to transport tanks, rockets, building materials, hospital equipment, etc. anywhere. However, the question is whether or not living beings can be transported and still remain living.

Star Wars is simply the old 1950's and 1960's western's revamped for Sci-Fi.

[Doc Dan]

I think a far more likely scenario for transporters is not the dissolution of atoms and then putting them back into order, again, but rather that a field would be generated that would allow the instantaneous transfer of an object, whole, without dissolution. It might be a "worm hole" or more likely a combination of antigravity, tractor beams, and force fields of some sort or other. It would have to stop the arrival before the object smashed into its arrival point, and just as quickly, release it from the field.

(BTW, Star Trek did not invent the transporter, it popularized it. The original movie, The Fly was built around this premise and holds the honor of inventing it, at least for the movies, back in the 1950's. Help me, Louise!).

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Doc these are excellent points, thank you. The son of Gene Roddenberry, Rod Roddenberry, and his company are teaming up with technology people to try and make real life versions of the Holo Deck and Replicator:

https://trekmovie.com/2018/10/23/rodden ... -holodeck/

Regarding the duranium and tritanium metal alloys used in Trek, if you were to make a real world version, what would they be? Very advanced forms of stainless steel and titanium that somehow use force fields to compress the atoms?

[Water Bug]

I like Doc's explanation of the two concepts...

Star Trek was, and still is, quite visionary, resulting in a number of sci-fi spin-offs we consider today to be "common use." Today's "flip open" cell phone (at least for those of us who still use them :) ) screams Star Trek communicator from the original series. To me, Star Trek was, and is, a concept that pioneered the embracement of different cultures, races, and genders working together for a common goal. To me, Star Trek is hope for the future.

And, I find Star Wars interesting from the standpoint that you have modern technology being used in settings that come across as primitive, such as Luke Skywalker's home planet of Tatooine... you have settlements where people live in rather basic earthen or stonework structures, who still farm produce and prepare meals, and who that have scatterings of sci-fi technology here and there that help to enhance quality of life in a harsh environment. To me, Doc's consideration of Star Wars as a "Wild West" adventure that embraces sci-fi tech fits what is portrayed... it's a fun flick to watch and enjoy.

[abbazaba]

1 On Star Trek, if they can dematerialize, transmit, and rematerialize a fully functional human person, why do people still age, when they could easilly edit their DNA and keep their bodies youthful? Perhaps such acts are banned because of bad past experiences with the Eugenics Wars and related incidents, or, could there be a technical problem with it? Or, the more likely answer is, it would interfere with the plots.

The Counter-Clock Incident. They use the transporter for the opposite - to make themselves older.

[ZrowsN1s]

I'd never use a teleporter. I'd fear that I would be destroyed in one machine, and a perfect copy of me would be made in the other machine and walk out saying, everything worked fine... but he'd be a copy and I'd be dead.

Ever seen the Prestige?

[abbazaba]

I'd never use a teleporter. I'd fear that I would be destroyed in one machine, and a perfect copy of me would be made in the other machine and walk out saying, everything worked fine... but he'd be a copy and I'd be dead.

Ever seen the Majestic?

The Prestige?

[ZrowsN1s]

I'd never use a teleporter. I'd fear that I would be destroyed in one machine, and a perfect copy of me would be made in the other machine and walk out saying, everything worked fine... but he'd be a copy and I'd be dead.

Ever seen the Majestic?

The Prestige?

D'oh! :o Yes the Prestige. Got my Movie titles mixed up. I always called it Batman vs Wolverine anyways (Bale vs Jackman)

[SpyderEdgeForever]

More on Star Trek and the United Federation of Planets:

In the Star Trek genre, they put the idea out that on Earth and on most Federation worlds, the people tend to be content, satisfied, and do not seek after material gain, with some exceptions, for the most part because they live in a material and energy abundance economy, where fusion and other energy and replicators and cheap powerful medical care allows the population to live long and happy lives without fear of lack or poverty.

The writers make it out that these combined with great educations from child hood have cut down on the corruption we see in present society and civilization. What are your views on that, first of all?

Second of all: Do you think there are people in the Federation and in Star Fleet itself, who use replicators to amass huge knife and other collections?

There is an energy cost associated with major projects, such as building Star ships. That is why they do not use replicators to make them. They make components and use humans and robots to piece them together. As one of the Star Trek authors said, "If they could instantly replicate star ships they wouldn't need to."

If you had a replicator as shown on Star Trek, would you replicate yourself an entire super collection of knives?

Also think of the new knife materials they have; tritanium, duranium, plasteel, steelplast, ceramics, ceramic metals and polymers, and countless other things.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

And here is another Star Trek question: Someone asked Star Trek writers "Why don't we see fat people on Star Trek?"

The response was that after a few centuries of advanced technology and education and cheap powerful medical care and even safe and routine molecular level surgery, noone has to worry about or experience having excessive weight.

What would you say?

[Crux]

Eat more.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Crux, what would you think of a "Star Trek knife" that had a blade that was able to lengthen and shorten its mass by somehow absorbing excess mass from the surrounding air and matter, so that you can have something that goes from two or three inch blade up to six or seven inch or even sword-length, and that is self-sharpening and self-maintaining? Would that be an "ultimate knife"?

[Crux]

Crux, what would you think of a "Star Trek knife" that had a blade that was able to lengthen and shorten its mass by somehow absorbing excess mass from the surrounding air and matter, so that you can have something that goes from two or three inch blade up to six or seven inch or even sword-length, and that is self-sharpening and self-maintaining? Would that be an "ultimate knife"?

Geez SPE, if I had your imagination I'd probably be a lot smarter than I am (less by the day). I certainly can't argue that I would love a knife like that. Probably makes the most sense on a Para 3 foundation. I hear a lot about a Caribbean but I think it's just from the beach bums. Don't get me wrong, I always dreamed of being a beach bum but it was not to be so.

[Doc Dan]

A knife that could lengthen and retract to different sizes would require a miniaturized power plant the likes of which we can only dream of at this moment. Also, the power requirements would be on a order that is far more powerful than what we can attain with a large reactor, even now. What we need is a new way of looking at physics and a new way of understanding our universe. Then, perhaps, we will be able to have things like this.

[Crux]

A knife that could lengthen and retract to different sizes would require a miniaturized power plant the likes of which we can only dream of at this moment. Also, the power requirements would be on a order that is far more powerful than what we can attain with a large reactor, even now. What we need is a new way of looking at physics and a new way of understanding our universe. Then, perhaps, we will be able to have things like this.

Don't fall into the trap. SEF just wants logical minded people to scratch their last strands of hair out trying to figure out whether this is possible, effective or any number of crazy thoughts. Believe me I've seen men and women stronger than me laid waste before his mighty quest for knowledge.

[The Mastiff]

Even the transporter has been achieved somewhat when they actually dematerialized and transported a particle to another location and rematerialized it.

Wasn't that really just a fax machine of sorts? The original is still gone. Taken to the next level what good would it do you if you were destroyed on one end and copied exactly on the other. You are still gone. The copy may be there but you surely aren't.

Joe

[Crux]

Even the transporter has been achieved somewhat when they actually dematerialized and transported a particle to another location and rematerialized it.

Wasn't that really just a fax machine of sorts? The original is still gone. Taken to the next level what good would it do you if you were destroyed on one end and copied exactly on the other. You are still gone. The copy may be there but you surely aren't.

Joe

Not really. I have tried to fax myself many times and while a wild ride, it isn't close to being the same.

[The Mastiff]

Don't fall into the trap. SEF just wants logical minded people to scratch their last strands of hair out trying to figure out whether this is possible, effective or any number of crazy thoughts. Believe me I've seen men and women stronger than me laid waste before his mighty quest for knowledge.

:)

I used to think he was conducting experiments on us for some sociology class. He so often asks questions he already knows the answer to. I began thinking he was just trying to drive his post count up but I gave that up.

I ended up by saying to myself that his reasons are his reasons and whatever they are he's a nice guy. :)

Joe

[The Mastiff]

Not really. I have tried to fax myself many times and while a wild ride, it isn't close to being the same.

:D



I'll take your word for that. I'm to old and stiff to fit through one of those. :D

joe