Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 1x07 - "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad"

[Mr Awe]

You’ve missed his point completely. It wasn’t about science fiction technology vs magic at all. And it wasn’t about magic dilithium crystals vs magic time crystals either.

The point was that there’s this incredible new technology that only Mudd has, the time crystals, technology that allows you to repeat a specific period of time in a specific spot in the universe an infinite number of times, technology as groundbreaking as the spore drive, technology more groundbreaking than the invisibility cloak, technology that’s invaluable to the war effort for both sides, and nobody cares? WTF? Screw the mushroom drive, Mudd should have sold this to the Klingons!

No, I didn't miss the point at all.

If the time crystals were going to be a regular thing, tI'd agree that they are too powerful and ruin the story. So, the complaint would be that they're story elements that ruin the drama and NOT that they're "magic crystals." That's why the magic crystal thing just doesn't hold water.

Fortunately, it appears they were just introduced as a means to tell this particular story, which is fine. So, these were just super rare crystals won't appear again. That's fine.

 

[Mr Awe]

So is all of Starfleet and every Klingon in DSC so far.



Bingo! THAT’S the point!

Ok, but I was addressing the complaints about the crystals being magic. What you're talking about is a different point.

Just because I was talking about one thing rather than another one doesn't mean I missed the point. There are multiple points.

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

The Time Crystals are the most powerful and important technology we’ve seen so far! And nobody GIVES A CRAP about them even when they could WIN THE WAR!!! Just like nobody cared for the drifting ships fitted with the new Cloaking Device technology for SIX MONTHS!

 

[Mr Awe]

The Time Crystals are the most powerful and important technology we’ve seen so far! And nobody GIVES A CRAP about them even when they could WIN THE WAR!!! Just like nobody cared for the drifting ships fitted with the new Cloaking Device technology for SIX MONTHS!

The time crystals are presented as a rare thing that were unknown during Discovery's time period and we know aren't a major thing in later time periods. They're simply a device that makes telling the story possible. Mudd found one device and now it's gone. I think it vanished at the end, right? I might be misremembering. But, we know time crystals are not a common thing in ST.

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

The time crystals presented as a rare thing that were unknown during Discovery's time period and we know aren't a major thing in later time periods. They're simply a device that makes telling the story possible. Mudd found one device and now it's gone. I think it vanished at the end, right? I might be misremembering. But, we know time crystals are not a common thing in ST.

Exactly like the spore drive then. Only not.

 

[Amaris]

The time crystals presented as a rare thing that were unknown during Discovery's time period and we know aren't a major thing in later time periods. They're simply a device that makes telling the story possible. Mudd found one device and now it's gone. I think it vanished at the end, right? I might be misremembering. But, we know time crystals are not a common thing in ST.

It did, and that's the key. These are super rare, likely absurdly expensive, and only work on a half hour loop before disintegrating. I mean, if people want to get nitpicky, transporters offer eternal life, yet we see humans die in Trek all of the time.

 

[Mr Awe]

Exactly like the spore drive then. Only not.

They each have their limitations. The time crystals were clearly designed to be a one episode only thing because they're super rare and now gone. They won't be changing the balance in the galaxy.

The spore drive will clearly be gone as well based on other problems. However, it may be around long enough to help the Federation win the war. That's happening now, but I'm guessing the ultimate truce will be based on something else--perhaps a Voq/Burnham relationship that opens the doors to negotiations? Who knows.

I don't disagree with you at all about how the time crystals would be too powerful and ruin the drama. They allowed for one fun story and now they're gone. And, that's just fine in my book. The time crystals are kind of like the Guardian of Forever in TOS, but less egregious.

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

Time crystals are so rare and expensive that down-on-his-luck conman Mudd has used them twice to rob a bank in Betazed and trap a highly advanced Federation starship. And no one even thinks about asking a single question about that super rare and powerful technology because they’re in a hurry to marry him with his fiancé.

 

[Amaris]

Time crystals are so rare and expensive that down-on-his-luck conman Mudd has used them twice to rob a bank in Betazed and trap a highly advanced Federation starship. And no one even thinks about asking a single question about that super rare and powerful technology because they’re in a hurry to marry him with his fiancé.

Transporters.

Seriously, Star Trek has a shitload of magic technology no one even questions. Why get hung up on this one when the story adequately shows some of the technology's limitations?

 

[XCV330]

Maybe its understood, by a criminal mind, if you f around with time too much the Temporal Agents will show up and stop you.So it can only be used as small stakes stuff.

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

Transporters.

What do transporters have to do with this? EVERYONE in Star Trek has transporters. NOBODY but Mudd has time loop crystals.

 

[Amaris]

What do transporters have to do with this? EVERYONE in Star Trek has transporters. NOBODY but Mudd has time loop crystals.

Nobody? Are you sure? Plus, who better than a thief to find dangerous technology and exploit it?

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

Plus, who better than a thief to find dangerous technology and exploit it?

Who better indeed! I don’t know, how about an interstellar federal republic, composed of hundreds of planetary governments, fighting a war against another interstellar empire? One that’s already experimenting with potentially dangerous technology to win the aforementioned war?

 

[Amaris]

Who better indeed! I don’t know, how about an interstellar federal republic, composed of hundreds of planetary governments, fighting a war against another interstellar empire? One that’s already experimenting with potentially dangerous technology to win the aforementioned war?

With a handful of 30 minute single use time crystals?

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

With a handful of 30 minute single use time crystals?

That handful of a 30 minute single use time crystal managed to destroy a highly advanced Federation starship 53 times. Or more.

 

[Amaris]

That handful of a 30 minute single use time crystal managed to destroy a highly advanced Federation starship 53 times. Or more.

In a localized setting, under unique circumstances, and he still lost.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Reminds me of a story I read in Voyages of Imagination. They had a sign on Roddenberry's door saying Stardates were meaningless B.S. and not to worry about them, but rejected a novel over the stardate because "Chekov wasn't on board yet."

The author changed a single digit and the novel was approved.

That sounds more like Richard Arnold than Gene Roddenberry.

 

[Pindar]

That handful of a 30 minute single use time crystal managed to destroy a highly advanced Federation starship 53 times. Or more.

The Federation gets easy re-usable time travel by slingshot in 10 years time.

Nobody seems to care about time travel in the Trek universe for reasons.

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

In a localized setting, under unique circumstances, and he still lost.

That’s because he was trying to capture it. He managed to destroy it successfully 53 times before that. That’s what Starfleet would do against Klingon ships as well. The Federation would LOVE those odds in the war!!!

 

[Amaris]

That’s because he was trying to capture it. He managed to destroy it successfully 53 times before that. That’s what Starfleet would do against Klingon ships as well. The Federation would LOVE those odds in the war!!!

It only means he failed 53 times, or are you suggesting that the Federation uses these rare, expensive crystals to destroy a handful of Klingon ships?