BBC Focus Magazine

[rymate1234]

Going into space without silly spacesuits!

[Shadowwolf]

The holodeck also seems to be infinite in size once the programs are running, not sure how they acheive that!

A mix of false perspective and some manner of moving floor created the illusion of being in a space far larger than the actual holodeck was.

Going into space without silly spacesuits!

They had spacesuits in Star Trek, or am I missing something?

[new_mercury]

After spending what seemed like hours at a bus stop today in the pouring rain I can honestly say that I can't wait for the transporter to come along and I can beam myself to work and back. I think something similar may become a reality but not for a long while yet.

[M Paul Lloyd]

Ah now these public transport Bus things... nasty, horrid, slow, smelly things.... they will never catch on you know, the futures in personal transport if you ask me.

Door to door warm and dry, no contest.

[Colm]

The holodeck also seems to be infinite in size once the programs are running, not sure how they acheive that!

I think they explained that by the holodeck having a moving floor and images scrolling on the walls... But that doesn't explain how they can have different characters in different places in the same holodeck, or how you can fall into a hole - though I suppose if they have false gravity on the ship they probably have a way of simulating falling.

The main thing I don't understand about it is why it isn't constantly booked out? They only have a few holodecks and over 1000 crew members... And yet they seem to be able to go to a holodeck on a whim

[Shadowwolf]

Perhaps they just go at their assigned times and to us the viewer it just appears random; plus if it were required for mission specific recreations and design assistance, then such would override crew entertainment privileges. Besides it is the sanctimonious 24th century where every human works to better themselves and society, most of em probably don't use the holodeck and listen to jazz whilst rehearsing lines from "Something for Breakfast" instead.

I also reckon that the holodeck plot device has routinely exceeded its parameters for the sake of story creation and progression; that is where the oddities arise from.

[Nike2020]

I think warp drive/ speed of light is the most difficult to crack although I remember an article in a tabloid several years ago saying that some scientists were working on it. Technology just hasn't advanced that far yet and maybe thats a good thing. In the latest Star Trek movie I found several scientific flaws at the time. E.g. What would happen if a ship travelling at Warp Speed crashed into Earth?

[nemisis39]

What would happen if a ship travelling at Warp Speed crashed into Earth?

the warp bubble would burst

i actually googled that What would happen if a ship travelling at Warp Speed crashed into Earth?to see what came up this was at the top of the page

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=25&hilit=&p=1439

you've been googled nike

[Shadowwolf]

What would happen if a ship travelling at Warp Speed crashed into Earth?

Kablooie!

In the latest Star Trek movie I found several scientific flaws at the time.

Oh I believe that movie abandoned the previous incarnations closer adherence to real world science, instead it plumbed for idiocies like red matter and black holes that were nothing like they should be.

[M Paul Lloyd]

That's because the latest Star Trek movie was not set in our reality/timeline at all.

[Liam Sheppard]

when I was a youngen.. well younger. I used to get a monthly science thingy called 'QUEST' with a big ring binder, twas wicked..

every month there was a little 'in the future' section..

Thinking back many are now fact!

they said we will have watches that act as telephones. true! whilst going round on hover boards. not true.

and live in house that are Genetically programmed tree's that grow into hollow trees with stairs rooms and windows! Unfortunately not true, i want to live in a hobbitesque house or a tree house.. that would be wicked

[M Paul Lloyd]

i want to live in a hobbitesque house or a tree house.. that would be wicked

Me too, ah-la 'Sleepy Hollow'.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0162661/

[Nike2020]

The holodeck also seems to be infinite in size once the programs are running, not sure how they acheive that!

I think they explained that by the holodeck having a moving floor and images scrolling on the walls... But that doesn't explain how they can have different characters in different places in the same holodeck, or how you can fall into a hole - though I suppose if they have false gravity on the ship they probably have a way of simulating falling.

The main thing I don't understand about it is why it isn't constantly booked out? They only have a few holodecks and over 1000 crew members... And yet they seem to be able to go to a holodeck on a whim

I think they have made holographic arcade games before, but you can imagine the graphics.

[Nike2020]

Forcefields, I've just been working on in the last couple of months.

In Enterprise they used to 'polarise the hull' whatever that meant... artificial gravity always a sci-fi problem but there could be simple answers such as grav boots... also the old replicator in a much simpler form would be a coffee machine, give the machine the ingredients and it can make a coffee... its a gross over simplification but they are a fictional few hundred years more technically advanced.

[M Paul Lloyd]

Being a bit of a Treky, as I understand it, the Star Trek Enterprise force fields utilized the principles of replication and transporter technology to project a shell composed of transparent aluminium beyond the ships hull...

Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott was my uncle you see.


No, not really.

[Shadowwolf]

In Enterprise they used to 'polarise the hull' whatever that meant...

No idea either, probably just made to sound sciency

...as I understand it, the Star Trek Enterprise force fields utilized the principles of replication and transporter technology to project a shell composed of transparent aluminium beyond the ships hull...

That may have sounded good at the time but one wonders why anyone would think aluminum would be much use against directed energy weapons, short burn and its through. Anyhoo that is no longer the manner of Starship defensive shields; vessels such as a Galaxy class starship are protected by a localised zone of highly focused spatial distortion within which an energetic graviton field is maintained.

[M Paul Lloyd]

Well aluminium may seem a bit of a poor choice but if you can keep replacing it as fast as it is being destroyed it might work, but then you would need a load of spare aluminium lying about somewhere.

I always took the 'localised zone of highly focused spatial distortion within which an energetic graviton field' to be generated by the forward deflector array and which allowed the starship to travel faster than the speed of light without hitting anything?

However I am basing all of this on the original pre movie Kirk and gang period you understand.

[Shadowwolf]

I always took the 'localised zone of highly focused spatial distortion within which an energetic graviton field' to be generated by the forward deflector array and which allowed the starship to travel faster than the speed of light without hitting anything?

Actually they are related systems, and the navigational deflector system does create a series of low power shields out to two kilometres ahead of the vessel to shift stray atoms and any submicron particles that were not swept aside by the navigational deflector beam. Other generators spread throughout the primary and secondary hull create the much stronger close in shield system on the same principles, that is ramped up in output for combat maneuvers.

[M Paul Lloyd]

I see, so perhaps the 'transparent aluminium' idea was just a ploy to fool any Romulan spies??

[worldmaker]

Going into space without silly spacesuits!

"Hmmm, tricky, I'll have to think about it...." Deep Thought