This question is applicable to the other series as well, but watching the original is when I first thougt about it. Just how is it that starships can keep with their scheduled missions? We see time and time again the ship supposed to visit some planet for whatever reason, then scheduled to resupply somewhere, or some other destination by a certain time. With all these one-after-the-other missions on the itinerary, how can they possibly keep to a time-table when Trelaynes and Apollos and energy beings or other weird phenomenon keep popping up without warning? Seems to me it would be a constant game of trying to herd cats. I obviously get that it's just a show, and it's like asking how Dr. Huxtable can ever deliver any babies when he's always home, but still... It seems to me that realistically, anyone waitinng for the Enterprise to arrive on time might as well be waiting for the Great Pumpkin.
Scheduling is managed with a quantum computer. Once a delay pops up, it collapses the wave function, sending a particle back in time to determine whether or not the cat is dead or alive—er—the schedule is kept or not.
Schedules are subject to change without notice, Plus we've only seen a small amount of their missions. 79 hours ( give or take) out of 43800 ( assuming a five year mission). I'm sure most were on time.
hmmm...come to think of it, how WAS Dr. Huxtable able to deliver those babies?... ...and now THAT seems to be a whole 'nother question I am with Neyrs on the Thread question, however. I am also sure most of the missions were on time. Plus, they probably fudged the mission timetables like Scotty fudged how long repairs would take. ha!
Kirk always seemed to depart from a completed mission at warp 1, 2 or 3. The schedule was planned with low-warp travel times between stops. If you happened to get delayed by a spoiled child who's fond of Earth history or a giant green space hand or a dead American president, just crank it up to warp 6 or so, and you make up the difference in no time!
Unless you're delivering much-needed medicines to the New Paris colony...then it's go, go, go..at warp one!
I am the Metrons!!! "...The Metrons then returned Kirk to the Enterprise and transported the ship 1,600 light years away from their space." Memory Alpha, "The Metrons" Late for a Date? No Problem, just call "11001001-Metron" "Faster than Trans-Warp Beaming" Call Today Fleet Discount! Wow! Remember, Keenser says: "Metron is On!"
I don't really think Kirk was late for any schedules. He delivered Zenite and medicines "just in time" Now, the Exeter, Constellation, Intrepid, and Defiant were certainly late. The scheduling department is not happy with them.
If a fleet really had a loss rate like that, among its capital ships during peacetime, I think they'd put some rules in place. Like, the big ship goes nowhere without a support group of smaller ships. Destroyers and such.
Pretty much. It's why you see movies about airplanes being hijacked, damaged or crashed instead of movies where people get on the plane, watch a movie or sleep, then get off the plane after it lands. We're only seeing the stuff that matters, not the missions that go off without a hitch because that doesn't make good drama's.
I don't think the Enterprise is under a tight schedule most of the time anyway. I think most of the time they are free to do their exploring thang.