What kind of new Gadgets do you think away teams could use?

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Before getting to new gadgets, I'd actually use the stuff we already have but seem to have forgotten about, like the force field belts and simple shots that can temporarily give telekinesis and super speed...

Force Fields = So everybody can wear Battery Powered Double sided Force Field Belt Buckles (Buckle mounted squarely in the front and in the back. This allows you to have 2x Ovaloid Force Field Bubbles (You got a backup incase the first one fails for whatever reason, e.g. enemy energy bolt over powers your shields in 1-shot, you got another unit).

TeleKinesis = Tractor Beam Gloves that are linked to a small battery to help you lift and move heavy objects

Super Speed = Time Dilation Watch that slows down the passage of time by having you in a time bubble where you move at your perceived normal rate while everything around you moves slower. Ergo you are "The Flash", but no 'Speed Force'

 

[fireproof78]

Before getting to new gadgets, I'd actually use the stuff we already have but seem to have forgotten about, like the force field belts and simple shots that can temporarily give telekinesis and super speed...

Indeed. The life support belts are probably my favorite concept from TAS in terms of tech, after the rec room. It would be nice to see those utilized in less than hospitable environments.

Portable forcefields and life support for temporary shelters so that we don't have another Sulu freezing incident.

Portable antigrav to prevent deadly falls.

Super Speed = Time Dilation Watch that slows down the passage of time by having you in a time bubble where you move at your perceived normal rate while everything around you moves slower. Ergo you are "The Flash", but no 'Speed Force'

No, thanks. That's something that I think is too easy to abuse, as well as ignores some relativity problems. See the film "Clockstoppers" for that effect.

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

Away teams should be crewed with specialists, dressed, and geared as per mission parameters. Don't include the captain or senior staff.

My problem is less "senior staff" on away teams, as only senior staff on away teams who have vital operational functions on board ship.

On the other hand, a Diplomatic/Exploration Officer ranked with either the First or Second Officer, who manages a team of perhaps 5-10% of the ship's complement that only does that (and maybe assisting the Security Department during emergencies) would be dandy IMO.[/quote]

Are you going to war? Then get the MACO’s, give them anti-grav boots, machine guns, and personal shields. Beam down a couple tanks or mechs and a fighter escort.

That's not war, that's pest control.

The general principal is accurate however.

Are you attempting first contact? Maybe dress more casually in local attire and leave your guns on the ship.

That's spying, not making friendly, official first contact. It has it's place though.

 

[Go-Captain]

If in the TNG period there is a lot they could have without going too hard against what we have seen. For instance, a full holographic armor suit is too far on the side of the Doctor's mobile emitter,

• but a self deploying pressure hood in the collar of every uniform is a perfectly reasonable and minimalist feature.
• VISOR/Tricorder. Instead of goggles the device sits over the shoulder and projects data into the user's eyes as an augmented reality info layer. The sensor is omni-directional, with a secondary sensor and projector package for the opposite shoulder. Control is done through a virtual interface, a PADD on the arm, which is removable for two hand use, and voice control.
• A drone. A mosquito size robot scout using micro-graivitc propulsion, for searching facilities with sensor blocking, or scouting ahead into areas of poor sensor reception.
• Comm badge with camera. Just the addition of a camera could have benefits in situations where communication has been compromised but where a simple view would be enlightening.
• Comm badge coded transporter inhibitor. Blocks unwanted beam out of user but allows friendlies to beam user out.
• Comm badge pattern scrambler. Blocks beam-in, but coded to let friendlies to beam in. At such a small size it would be too weak to work on its own and would depend on multiple comm badges covering an area.
• Smart grenade. It's an antigraivty driven AI guided throwing munition which can act like a missile or mine, and which can stun or kill.
• Squad drone. A substantially autonomous device carrying a phaser Type III equipped flying robot with light shield. An officer can lead four using natural language either in person or through a communicator, or through a PADD.

 

[Oddish]

No, thanks. That's something that I think is too easy to abuse, as well as ignores some relativity problems. See the film "Clockstoppers" for that effect.

And if you pause the movie at the "tech convention" scene, you'll see two guys in jumpsuits, one of whom should be a familiar face.

 

[fireproof78]

And if you pause the movie at the "tech convention" scene, you'll see two guys in jumpsuits, one of whom should be a familiar face.

Probably the director.

 

[Oddish]

Probably the director.

That or the USS Titan took a trip back to the earli 21st century, to look into rumors of illegal Zargonian time-bending technology.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

How is it that Wesley Crusher was able to make a hand held Tractor Beam Emitter as a Science Project, yet there isn't a standardized Hand Held Tractor Beam Device to do all the heavy lifting?

Why make officers do all that heavy lifting?

 

[shapeshifter]

The patent rights became disputed, got caught up in the courts for centuries. No use allowed during mitigations.

 

[matthunter]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

How is it that Wesley Crusher was able to make a hand held Tractor Beam Emitter as a Science Project, yet there isn't a standardized Hand Held Tractor Beam Device to do all the heavy lifting?

Why make officers do all that heavy lifting?

They have antigrav clamps for that. The only advantage of the emitter is you don't need to bring the clamps. And Wesley's design might have an upper load limit much less than the clamps.

 

[Unicron]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

How is it that Wesley Crusher was able to make a hand held Tractor Beam Emitter as a Science Project, yet there isn't a standardized Hand Held Tractor Beam Device to do all the heavy lifting?

Why make officers do all that heavy lifting?

For that matter, he does that in the same episode claiming that tractor beams can only work in one direction - no "reverse" function.

 

[trekshark]

and then reverses the Enterprise's in just a minute or so of work

 

[Unicron]

Yep, despite it also being said that such a change would require "weeks" of laying new circuits. Oops...

 

[Dumbbell]

Why make officers do all that heavy lifting?

True. Why are officers lifting anything at all? “Officers” must be another word for enlisted, aboard the Enterprise. Unless, it is the enlisted who have such devices as anti-grav devices because they need them, and officers can never seem to find an enlisted crewman when they need one.

 

[at Quark's]

That's spying, not making friendly, official first contact. It has it's place though.

Might be called for sometimes. For example when making first contact with a race you think is ready for first contact, but only if told very gradually, introduced slowly, only after having established a bond of trust first.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

How is it that Wesley Crusher was able to make a hand held Tractor Beam Emitter as a Science Project, yet there isn't a standardized Hand Held Tractor Beam Device to do all the heavy lifting?

Why make officers do all that heavy lifting?

Because it's good for their daily workout , keeps them in shape :P

I once worked for a company that seriously came up with an excuse like that. Not in the area of lifting objects, but in storage space. We had to work with large data files but only had a very limited storage space (say, like 2 gb for the entire department), and those files weren't allowed to be stored elsewhere. So this caused problems frequently, where people simply couldn't do their job and complaints were sent to IT about it. Their official response? No, we're not going to give you more storage space, as this will force you do work neatly and delete any files you no longer strictly require.

Needless to say the company didn't fare well. Being miserly when it comes to core business facilities (but spending millions on ads) is rarely a good idea.

 

[Deks]

True. Why are officers lifting anything at all? “Officers” must be another word for enlisted, aboard the Enterprise. Unless, it is the enlisted who have such devices as anti-grav devices because they need them, and officers can never seem to find an enlisted crewman when they need one.

Its possible that in SF, there is emphasis on doing mundane things like that for physical exercise (though to be fair, these are SF officers... and as such I'd expect them to follow a regular exercising regime on thier own)... however, automation is definitely available to do the heavy lifting if necessary.

Same thing with writing up reports, conducting maintenance, upgrades, repairs, etc... its more redundancy than necessity because automation can easily do all of those things (though in extreme cases of self-repair and self-maintenance not working, the crew would obviously step in).

My guess is that things aren't too literal like that though (in a sense there's so much manual work involved)... so the crew would mostly be focusing on the 'big stuff' and doing small stuff occasionally to keep their skills in those areas at high level - though it can also be done via gamification which would make things less 'job like' - plus, rotating crew to do different things and take them across the entire ship familiarizes the crew with the vessel they are on instead of keepin them in a certain section at all time - SF crews are more generalists than not

 

[Oddish]

Might be called for sometimes. For example when making first contact with a race you think is ready for first contact, but only if told very gradually, introduced slowly, only after having established a bond of trust first.

A dilemma explored in the episode "First Contact". Picard discusses the controversial decision to have "boots on the ground" spies. And indeed, the first contact process is ultimately derailed (delayed anyway) by this.

 

[somebuddyX]

Phaser proof vest and helmet. Personal forcefield. Purple space bazooka. Drone. Bluetooth headset. Ocular interface. Anti-enemy transporter device. Gloves.

 

[Oddish]

Phaser proof vest and helmet. Personal forcefield.

Something like the hazard suit in "Elite Force" could provide both these things, making officers on away teams much harder to kill.

Purple space bazooka.

A hand phaser set on 16 and wide field can destroy a sizable building. I expect a phaser rifle could level a small city block.

Drone

Definitely. Maybe a dozen of them, marble-sized with mini countergrav units.

Ocular interface.

Connecting with the drones, of course.

Anti-enemy transporter device

A transport dampening field could definitely be added to the hazard suit. You can only beam the person up if your transporter is set at a very specific frequency.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

A hand phaser set on 16 and wide field can destroy a sizable building. I expect a phaser rifle could level a small city block.

Probably not in the way you're thinking, it could probably cut through the floor level structural supports of every tall building in it's way with enough time, toppling over the building in the process.

But it won't be a Bomb like effect that you're probably thinking about.

It's still impressive as heck to be able to do that with a Phaser Rifle with enough time.

Definitely. Maybe a dozen of them, marble-sized with mini countergrav units.

I'd say up to 9x Dozen marble sized mini drones in a Folder like Case.

They need to be able to position them selves all over the place to let the user know if people are coming around corners or slowly moving near them.

They'd be the perfect Teeny Sensor Drone that sits somewhere and reports in on ground movement towards them.

Definitely. Maybe a dozen of them, marble-sized with mini countergrav units.

Marble sized drones of any design would work. DISCO showed that they had tiny drones as well.
I'm thinking a 12-sided dice / Dodecahedron would be a good shape?

Something like the hazard suit in "Elite Force" could provide both these things, making officers on away teams much harder to kill.

They had Phaser Proof Polymer Barrels in TNG, so they can take similar material and make Helmets / Plate Carriers out of them =D.

Ocular interface.

I'd think they would be modern day glasses or sun glasses that use AR to project information on the lens that is only really visible to the wearer.

Obviously, the glasses wouldn't be distinguishable from modern day frames in terms of look & size.

A transport dampening field could definitely be added to the hazard suit. You can only beam the person up if your transporter is set at a very specific frequency.

I'd think the dampening field would be constantly rotating onto random frequencies and only turn off once you get a authorized & validated requested to beam up from an ally who had the right encryption request codes.