Food replicator produce.
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With respect you don't.
Put it this way, it's fake and it's simple. As simple as possible and still produce the desired effect. Since it doesn't have to be identical down to the sub-atomic level ... it isn't.
If the replicator was called upon to make something hideously complex (assuming it could do it at all), the the machine would take all the time and power it needed to do so. Even if doing so took hours and rendered the ship incapable of going to warp owing to the replicator monopolizing the full output of the warp core.
In Dead Stop: A replicator made a catfish using only its DNA that was on record.
Are ... you suggesting there are important components of vanillin that are sub-atomic in nature? I concede I am not a food chemist; my actual reading extends mostly to picking up a conference proceedings about pasta extrusion technology of the 90s that I borrowed from the university library because, I mean, if you ran across that book in the library how could you resist? But I'm pretty sure it's not anything more subtle than the molecular level that's relevant.
And even if we concede that food replicators only make stuff to a molecular level of resolution, then, we're left with: so they can make (say) 590 of the relevant flavor compounds for a cup of coffee, but it would be impossibly taxing of data storage to have the last ten in?
I'm sorry; I hold with the theory that there isn't any appreciable difference between replicated and ``real'' matter, and people are just fooling themselves with how they naturally have the refined taste buds to know the difference. It requires fewer baffling assumptions to suppose that in the future people will tend to think of themselves as better at something than the average person is.
Yes, you definitely have a point here. If the replicator is capable of creating a catfish based on its DNA it should be able to duplicate the chemical composition of coffee or Wine exactly, down to the molecule.
Not to mention medical supplies, latinum and in fact any object in the universe! If you are building things up molecule by molecule (and/or based on a DNA string) then there should be no limitation one what can be produced. However, there are numerous examples when the character explicitly say this.
It's also possible that the food machine in Dead Stop operated differently from the ones on board 24th century starships.
It's also possible that the food machine in Dead Stop operated differently from the ones on board 24th century starships.
That latinum can't be replicated is simply a rule of plot to make sure there is something of value that cannot be easily duplicated. Or perhaps that manufactured latinum has a molecular or chemical signature that can't be easily faked.
My going assumption is that by and large, virtually anything can be replicated, provided the appropriate resources and raw matter are available. There are exceptions because it's a tv show and there needs to be exceptions.
My going assumption is that by and large, virtually anything can be replicated, provided the appropriate resources and raw matter are available. There are exceptions because it's a tv show and there needs to be exceptions.
It should be noted that just stacking up the molecules may not be sufficient as such: matter is dynamic, and the state in which the molecules are when stacked is at least as relevant as the composition of the molecules. So there's "resolution beyond atomic" involved. Call it sub-atomic if you wish...
The relative effort involved in those two halves of the process would define whether the machines sometimes skip on the latter part and thus settle on a product that is either always the same or, more probably, always slightly different because it was put together "loosely". There is no inherent or explicit reason not to do the full "state" thing, but there could be expenses attached that result in different machines (or their settings) having different resolution.
It's just that the plots never actually refer to a knob that could be turned up further to produce better copies. The copies either are utterly perfect or then slightly faulty, depending on the plot. But the existence of the knob is never ruled out, either.
"Latinum can't be replicated" is a noncanonical concept, something never established on screen. If latinum is just the worthless medium onto which wealth is written (like the paper on which bills are printed), then replicating it would be useless, as the actual wealth is put into the material by other means. Say, each brick could carry a chemical code, but the presence of the code would not be relevant - the content of the code would. Replicate a given brick, and you have now two bricks with identical codes - meaning one of them is worthless because there's only value worth one code in the economic system (just like there's only value worth one 100-dollar bill with the serial number ABC1234567, and any duplicates are identifiable as worthless). And since it's impossible to tell which one of them is worthless, both are...
Only bricks and the like would be subjected to serial number scrutiny, of course. With mere strips, one wouldn't bother: a genuine-tasting strip is good enough, and can be further circulated because nobody else will bother to doubt its value, either.
Timo Saloniemi
The relative effort involved in those two halves of the process would define whether the machines sometimes skip on the latter part and thus settle on a product that is either always the same or, more probably, always slightly different because it was put together "loosely". There is no inherent or explicit reason not to do the full "state" thing, but there could be expenses attached that result in different machines (or their settings) having different resolution.
It's just that the plots never actually refer to a knob that could be turned up further to produce better copies. The copies either are utterly perfect or then slightly faulty, depending on the plot. But the existence of the knob is never ruled out, either.
"Latinum can't be replicated" is a noncanonical concept, something never established on screen. If latinum is just the worthless medium onto which wealth is written (like the paper on which bills are printed), then replicating it would be useless, as the actual wealth is put into the material by other means. Say, each brick could carry a chemical code, but the presence of the code would not be relevant - the content of the code would. Replicate a given brick, and you have now two bricks with identical codes - meaning one of them is worthless because there's only value worth one code in the economic system (just like there's only value worth one 100-dollar bill with the serial number ABC1234567, and any duplicates are identifiable as worthless). And since it's impossible to tell which one of them is worthless, both are...
Only bricks and the like would be subjected to serial number scrutiny, of course. With mere strips, one wouldn't bother: a genuine-tasting strip is good enough, and can be further circulated because nobody else will bother to doubt its value, either.
Timo Saloniemi
Starfleet has sensors capable of scanning and even manipulating matter and energy on a subatomic level.
While data can be incomplete, I sincerely doubt that replicated food is any different in taste compared to the 'real thing' given the kind of sensors they have (especially when you take into account their medical capabilities and being able to scan inside a living organism to determine what's happening - its just that their personal knowledge is limited that they don't notice certain patterns or problems that might arise - unless we're talking about an EMH).
Most of the people who complained about replicated food on-screen were a small minority who grew accustomed to a meal being differently prepared in their own homes.
A replicator will have a certain recipe in its database for making say 'fried chicken', but this recipe isn't necessarily to everyone's liking. And we know how people's personal memories of home made cooking can be easily skewed over the years, with their parents adding things to recipes that they never told their children for example.
Its probably a plant based derivative that has the texture, smell and taste of animal meat, and also has a wide range of vitamins and minerals in it. Apart from that, the only thing I can see being different in the food that comes out of a replicator is the recipe its originally recorded as.
People can certainly change the replicator programming to make the food taste exactly the same like what they accustomed to, but they need to spend time to play with the settings and figure it out.
The difference is very likely in people's heads and taste buds.
The replicator may not be 'perfect', but it doesn't have to be. It is more than enough to fool anyone if you know how to program the pattern properly (and most of the SF officers don't necessarily have the time or will to mess about with the replicator all the time).
While data can be incomplete, I sincerely doubt that replicated food is any different in taste compared to the 'real thing' given the kind of sensors they have (especially when you take into account their medical capabilities and being able to scan inside a living organism to determine what's happening - its just that their personal knowledge is limited that they don't notice certain patterns or problems that might arise - unless we're talking about an EMH).
Most of the people who complained about replicated food on-screen were a small minority who grew accustomed to a meal being differently prepared in their own homes.
A replicator will have a certain recipe in its database for making say 'fried chicken', but this recipe isn't necessarily to everyone's liking. And we know how people's personal memories of home made cooking can be easily skewed over the years, with their parents adding things to recipes that they never told their children for example.
Its probably a plant based derivative that has the texture, smell and taste of animal meat, and also has a wide range of vitamins and minerals in it. Apart from that, the only thing I can see being different in the food that comes out of a replicator is the recipe its originally recorded as.
People can certainly change the replicator programming to make the food taste exactly the same like what they accustomed to, but they need to spend time to play with the settings and figure it out.
The difference is very likely in people's heads and taste buds.
The replicator may not be 'perfect', but it doesn't have to be. It is more than enough to fool anyone if you know how to program the pattern properly (and most of the SF officers don't necessarily have the time or will to mess about with the replicator all the time).
Data storage is already way cheaper than was in the early days of PCs. Imagine how it will be in three centuries. The replicators will probably be able to have hundreds of variations on each dish. Though there would probably be a default selection if you just ask for the dish without geting into specifics.
Kor
Kor
One would imagine there would be a crowd of volunteer chefs available in the UFP social network, providing at least a million versions of each dish as a simple hobby project. Although the computer could simply be told to emulate a million volunteer chefs to the same end result.
Whether Starfleet would see the need to restrict the selection is debatable. Perhaps they want their crews to suffer morale-boosting, unity-building austerity. Perhaps they don't trust outside sources. Perhaps it's easier on the resources to offer just one type of tikka masala and cabernet shiraz. What we don't have is actual references to somebody claiming all replicated meals taste the same, on or off Starfleet starships...
Timo Saloniemi
Whether Starfleet would see the need to restrict the selection is debatable. Perhaps they want their crews to suffer morale-boosting, unity-building austerity. Perhaps they don't trust outside sources. Perhaps it's easier on the resources to offer just one type of tikka masala and cabernet shiraz. What we don't have is actual references to somebody claiming all replicated meals taste the same, on or off Starfleet starships...
Timo Saloniemi
Maybe there's some quantum something about latinum that means it can't be replicated in the same way that living tissue or positronic neural nets can't be replicated.
Any replicated latinum instantly degrades into some other material which is worthless, like, say, platinum instead.
Any replicated latinum instantly degrades into some other material which is worthless, like, say, platinum instead.
I think it's called quantum monetary fluctuation...
Replicated latinum tends to lose interest.
If Latinum isn't actually valuable in its own right, what was all that kerfuffle about in Who Mourns For Morn?
Perhaps the replicators on starships and starbases are designed to provide the equivalent of MRE's - standard, regulation meals/snacks/rations of limited variety. Of course there are options for making custom meals but unless one is willing to spend the time programming new meals (from a catalog? from "Cooking with Stafleet"?) your personal replicator will provide a menu of balanced, nourishing meals that are almost enjoyable to eat, tailored to cultural, religious and racial preferences (i believe that replicated gagh doesn't move and is therefore frowned upon by most klingons).
Plothole?
A Starfleet replicator?
Latinum (the regular/non replicated kind) has intrinsic value to some cultures OUTSIDE the Federation (like the Ferengi and possibly Bajorans who were in a transitional stage from the occupation and recuperating with Federation aid) who used money.
The very same Federation provided industrial replicators and various supplies without any kind of monetary charge to the Bajorans because their primary concern was helping them - the added thing was that Starlfeet needed to establish its presence on Terrok Nor in order to avoid the Cardassians from coming back and enslaving the Bajorans again - and indeed, in the early days of DS9, the Bajoran system wasn't seen as intrinsically important - it was the discovery of the wormhole that did the trick and raised overall awareness of the Bajoran system).
The Bajoran rebellion expelling the Cardassians temporarily gave the Federation the political leeway to come in and establish their presence.
The problem with the two replicators (supposedly) being without any kind of monetary charge is apparently it was big deal for the Federation to provide them. So while the federation didn't charge the Bajorans, the Federation likely was out a financial shitload.
Foreign aid, the Bajorans were right next to the Cardassians and had territorial hold over the wormhole. The Federation might have generally wanted Bajor in the Federation to start, but after discovering the wormhole the Federation really wanted to be in Bajor's good graces.
So why not give Bajor dozens of replicators? Because they're not really all that "free." Each industrial replicator cost probably the equivalent of billions (if not tens of billions) of dollars.
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This was two hundred years before TNG, more than enough time for the federation to catch up.
I always figured the difference between replicated food and actually cooking would be like a boxed cake vs a made from scratch cake.
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