Spoilers What the 32nd century Should look like.
- Thread starter valkyrie013
- Start date
Uhm... well, actually, the 29th century was different contrasted to the 23rd and 24th centuries because of extensive use of Temporal Technology (Temporal cores for one thing, ability to generate temporal rifts that eradicate distances in space and time - though this tech could have been used to travel only say 1 second into the future - or basically not allow time travel into the past but simply to allow a shortcut in space from one location to the next).
Although, we do know the 29th century did use Warp technology... but regardless of Warp being used (which can be justified if the ships also have other FTL drives in them too), you'd think the method of power generation would have changed by that time drastically.
I don't think it would change, you would just get more options and have more efficient versions of the same thing.
Hybrid Power Systems should be standard on StarShips.
Only relying on one type of power source is asking for trouble.
Having all sorts of different types of Power Generation Reactors allows for a diversity in Power Reliability.
How many times has the M/A-M reactor gone off-line due to some random Anomaly in TNG?
Too many for my tastes.
Having diversity in Power Sources makes it far harder to take down power on a StarShip.
Shinzon's Scimitar having multiple reactors proves how powerful it is to have more than one reactor.
Imagine a standard StarFleet ship having 5x different types of Main Reactors for power output.
All using different fuel sources.
That should make your ship far harder to kill.
Voyager had three kinds of power sources at least. There was the M/A-M reactor, the fusion reactors, and the special holodeck power source that couldn't be plugged into any other system, but could be run indefinitely during any crisis.
I wonder if the EPS System is naturally AC or DC current or something else like Lightning.
Once you convert from EPS to localized Power Grid, you gotta have some type of Electricity.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Holodeck was using a incompatible Electrical Standard to the common EPS to do what it needs to do.
The time cops can be thought in-universe to have accomplished the same thing writers do when they ignore every fleeting appearance of wild tech. Somehow we get to see echos of what could have been, before someone drops in and snips the timeline. It's postponing the galactic great filter, the kind of progress that leads to disaster.
I do agree Trek has always struggled to depict a truly technologically imaginative future society, or capitalise on each new "wow" invention that appeared since TOS - there is a creative need to dial back to a status quo with only a few pieces of technological magic. Unfortunate, as the franchise has never managed a hard sci-fi leap that could be truly imaginative (beyond window dressing of weird architecture in matte screens back in the day or cg backgrounds since 2000ish, or things like the station in Beyond, etc) - although one of the most moments they appeared to do something akin to this (pocket dimension turbolifts) has been heavily critiqued.
But overall the 32nd century is pretty dull as a world-building space - from the production design to costuming to world-building. But that's ok if disappointing.
But overall the 32nd century is pretty dull as a world-building space - from the production design to costuming to world-building. But that's ok if disappointing.
Yes, and superior tech in the hands of people with those traits can be bad for everyone.
This might be more in line with a controversial opinion, but I'm going to out on a limb any way. Since TNG, Star Trek has not been groundbreaking in technology, nor has it been doing the big leap like TOS or TNG imagined. Modern day culture has moved past some aspects of Trek tech, and Trek has become satisfied with not pushing the technological envelope, and focusing more on building characters, relationships and positive collaboration in the face of adversity. In that instance, it is very much keeping in line with TOS' writer's bible about making the stories about people, not technology.
While this is completely valid from a story telling point of view, I think it runs against the pop culture notion that Star Trek is to inspire new technological advancements, i.e. communicators to cell phones. But, Star Trek has moved in to a status quo of basic Trek tech, phasers, communicators, tricorders and starships. It doesn't want to innovate because any innovations get such incredible push back that it takes away from the characters.
I'm sure someday Trek will be inspirational on the tech front again. But right now it is to play it safe.
There is much promise in S3 & 4, but DIS could go so much further...
Tech wise:
Society wise:
Tech wise:
- Tricomm variant that is also a mobile emitter & emergency type 1 phaser
- EV belts, which also function as a personal shield, a bio dampener, and allows the user to phase through walls. EV suits just shouldn’t be a thing in the 32nd century, imo.
- Transwarp beaming
- Transporter range of 1000 lightyears (it was ridiculous for someone to transport from Earth to Qonos in STID, but it actually makes sense for DIS)
- Digital latinum/crypto latinum
- 24th century exographic targeting sensor as an ocular implant
- Personal tractor beams for phasers
- Sonic showers no longer malfunction like in the 24th century
- Shuttlecrafts/runabouts that are also stratopods; all have a slipstream drive onboard
- Multi-vector mode for starships and starbases; a tractor beam for each section
- Federation warp engines are now either a tritium intermix (Klingon) or an artificial quantum singularity (Romulan)
- Repuslor beams for planetary defenses for all Federation planets
- No captain’s chair for 32nd century vessels; hold on to pillars instead
- 32nd century version of Universe class ships (i.e. Ent-J) should be in service somewhere; with their own large parks, entertainment zone, malls, university campuses, and various personal care facilities.
Society wise:
- Free love is going as strong as ever
- Soong androids should be more commonplace
- Human cyborgs like Airiam and 0718 should be more commonplace
- Sentient holograms have their own planet to live on, independent from the Federation
- Parisses Squares still exists, but banned on some worlds because of concussions risks
- Freecloud is the same in the 32nd century as in the late 24th/early 25th century; Quark’s Bar and Mr. Mot’s Emporium are still around, and Dabo is still a staple; Orion cabaret clubs have relocated from Qonos to Freecloud; Freecloud continues to remain unaligned and never joined the Federation or the Emerald Chain (or any other empire or alliance).
- The Antarian Trans-stellar Rally in the Delta Quadrant is treated as a big deal in the 32nd century and has spawned spin offs rallies in the other three quadrants.
- Xindi Aquatics and their starships should be more commonplace.
- The majority of Kazon sects are united under the United Kazon Republic; dispense water instead of looking for it
- Skants are still in fashion as civilian clothing
- Lifespans have been extended some more (Vulcans 300 years, humans 200 years)
- 150+ year old Vulcans and humans that remember life before the Burn
- Lurians frequently hide latinum in second pouches on behalf of the Emerald Chain; explains why all of the Lurians in DIS are bald when they can grow hair.
- The Prime Directive doesn’t exist anymore, and neither does Section 31 or Federation News Network
- The Tal Shiar and Vulcan Ministry of Security have merged into the Ni'Var Ministry of Security.
Some cool ideas above. New ideas are there if you want to think about them.
Daniels’ line about “it depends on what you mean by Earth” or something made me think that some of the more advanced planets are “multidimensional” now. Maybe Earth is like a plexus of a Federation that’s expanded to multiple parallel dimensions. Maybe you can’t even see all of it unless you’re looking at it a certain way, like the Edo god in “Justice.” But it’s a bigger brighter jewel than anyone might have imagined a thousand years earlier, technological progress tending to expand exponentially.
How the show would deal with that and some of the more far-out realities of the distant future, well, that could take a while. Maybe there’s be some depression from the crew at first, not knowing how to take it all in. Especially as they’re not transhumanistically augmented to fully take in the brighter multidimensional future. Maybe at first it all just looks like an endless white space of movement, light, and music; at least when they’re trying to take it all in unfiltered. Then it’s like the Q Continuum with abstract representations and an Eden-like, Alice in Wonderland-like place. As they’re ushered through it, it begins to take on more shape as something we’d recognize through the season.
Or maybe it should go the other way. First it just looks like an empty but friendly planet giving you whatever you want, then you begin to realize there’s more going on all around you than you can possibly sense, until finally you get to white light in glimpses of the raw thing.
The crew would find people enigmatic and opaque, though they’re be respected and cared for like ancient artifacts…or pets…but they’d never really feel that, given how accommodating and understanding the super intelligent future people are.
Anyway, the crew would eventually find themselves among less advanced aliens (maybe Federation protectorates or beyond its borders) and become useful there, saving them from aliens the Feds are too advanced to understand or to want to meddle with, Prime Directive and all that.
This would all last a season before the “Discovery” heads to another setting to “discover” something new.
I think more importantly, I would have made each season like a Horatio Hornblower climb for Burnham, only making her captain in the final one. The benefit of having a lower ranking officer as the lead is that they can make more mistakes.
Daniels’ line about “it depends on what you mean by Earth” or something made me think that some of the more advanced planets are “multidimensional” now. Maybe Earth is like a plexus of a Federation that’s expanded to multiple parallel dimensions. Maybe you can’t even see all of it unless you’re looking at it a certain way, like the Edo god in “Justice.” But it’s a bigger brighter jewel than anyone might have imagined a thousand years earlier, technological progress tending to expand exponentially.
How the show would deal with that and some of the more far-out realities of the distant future, well, that could take a while. Maybe there’s be some depression from the crew at first, not knowing how to take it all in. Especially as they’re not transhumanistically augmented to fully take in the brighter multidimensional future. Maybe at first it all just looks like an endless white space of movement, light, and music; at least when they’re trying to take it all in unfiltered. Then it’s like the Q Continuum with abstract representations and an Eden-like, Alice in Wonderland-like place. As they’re ushered through it, it begins to take on more shape as something we’d recognize through the season.
Or maybe it should go the other way. First it just looks like an empty but friendly planet giving you whatever you want, then you begin to realize there’s more going on all around you than you can possibly sense, until finally you get to white light in glimpses of the raw thing.
The crew would find people enigmatic and opaque, though they’re be respected and cared for like ancient artifacts…or pets…but they’d never really feel that, given how accommodating and understanding the super intelligent future people are.
Anyway, the crew would eventually find themselves among less advanced aliens (maybe Federation protectorates or beyond its borders) and become useful there, saving them from aliens the Feds are too advanced to understand or to want to meddle with, Prime Directive and all that.
This would all last a season before the “Discovery” heads to another setting to “discover” something new.
I think more importantly, I would have made each season like a Horatio Hornblower climb for Burnham, only making her captain in the final one. The benefit of having a lower ranking officer as the lead is that they can make more mistakes.
@Arpy, that is...quite an interesting view of the future.
I'll be quite happy to be long dead before anything like that comes to pass.
I couldn't live in a world like that, I'll tell you right now. It sounds quite incomprehensible.
Oh yes, because that's what I've always dreamed of...being treated like a PET.
So what happens to those who aren't "evolved" enough? Locked up in cages, singing for their supper? Getting whacked on the ass with a 32nd-century rolled up newspaper? No thanks. As I said, I take comfort in the fact that I will be dead long before that happens.
I'll be quite happy to be long dead before anything like that comes to pass.
I couldn't live in a world like that, I'll tell you right now. It sounds quite incomprehensible.
Oh yes, because that's what I've always dreamed of...being treated like a PET.
So what happens to those who aren't "evolved" enough? Locked up in cages, singing for their supper? Getting whacked on the ass with a 32nd-century rolled up newspaper? No thanks. As I said, I take comfort in the fact that I will be dead long before that happens.
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It should be incomprehensible. It's the distant future.
Actually, you'd never notice. They'd be so far beyond you they could treat you well, engage you, like you, and still only be using a fraction of their brains for it. That's the point. We are not now the end-all be-all of human evolution.
That's your fear talking. Maybe it's how you would treat us if you were far beyond us. But note these people. Because they're more than just powerful. They're Federation.
Things in the 32d century might look like magic?
For the most part I think they do a decent job of avoiding talking too much about technology and the political situation, because when they do it definitely seems like not enough has changed. Obviously it was dissapointing that the UFP only peaked at 350 worlds. I also didn't like the line in the last episode that going from Species 10C to Federation space would take "decades" with Warp. They're only slightly outside the galaxy, right? So basically warp has barely improved at all...
I do think there could be a "halfway" explanation for this though. If the Temporal Cold War started around the 28th century, humanity and the UFP might have become obsessed with time travel and moved all of their resources towards that, stagnating everything else. And a little after that issue ends, the Burn happens.
I do think there could be a "halfway" explanation for this though. If the Temporal Cold War started around the 28th century, humanity and the UFP might have become obsessed with time travel and moved all of their resources towards that, stagnating everything else. And a little after that issue ends, the Burn happens.
It just seemed to me like tech had reached functional limits, as it does. Airliners aren't any faster now, than they were 60 years ago, possibly even a little slower, same for many jet fighters jet fighters. Commercial ships move at about the same speed as those in the 1950's, even if they are faster and easier to offload at port.
And of course Star Trek is incredibly bad/good about forgetting its past technological leaps. I assume no one ever found a fix to the Warp 10 Salamander problem. Combine with the technological regression of the lean-years, the Burn and the post-burn collapse, there has been few technological improvements. The Emerald Chain's method of scientific development, make scientists work alone and randomly murder them, was not conductive to technological improvement. The Federation had gone into lock down mode, handling each crisis as it could. The Federation was doing its best to preserve (the seed ship, relay stations run in hereditary fashion) but could do little else.
The Borg have been all Borgy for thousands of years and don't seem capable of scientific breakthroughs. Adapting to the Burn, if they even still existed, must have been particularly devastating to them. And they don't appear to have been invited to the new All You Can Mine It Will Never Run Out of DiLithium planet. We don't know what the Dominion was like after the war, so it is difficult to say if it continued to exist, but without the ability to ship ketracil-white to its soldiers, the entire system would have broken down across the Gamma quadrant, possibly in months. Klingons were notable by their absence. But again, Klingon society as it has been shown is about the same as the Emerald Chain, in how it treated scientists. This was a culture best suited to taking ideas from their neighbors. Andorria, Earth, and NiVar all went isolationist, refusing to work together, again limiting the kind of cooperation that would have been needed to make big breakthroughs work.
We’ve already seen Rillak deal with a whale probe problem-like situation through the DMA. Based on precedence for onscreen appearances of the Federation President, all that’s left is:
- dealing with a couple of Starfleet officers - originally sent on a diplomatic peace mission to end hostilities - undergoing a tribunal and subsequently being prosecuted and sentenced to a penal colony
- the fallout of a conspiracy during peace talks with a longstanding bitter rival
- a coup attempt by a Starfleet admiral and the crew under him in the name of a security threat
We could also see how the Rillak and Federation Council handle the 32nd century version over various events seen or mentioned throughout the franchise that various leaders have dealt with.
United Earth
- A xenophobic group threatening ongoing talks to form a new alliance and nearly destroys Starfleet Command (Terra Prime)
- Debates over the Prime Directive and Non-Interference (Early Federation)
- Non-aligned war-torn worlds (ex. Daled IV)
- The 32nd century take on a rouge agent John Harrison type on the run and hiding out in enemy territory (I supposed Emerald Chain territory in this case)
- Transphasic torpedo ban (this ban has to exist, given that it one shots a Borg cube, and thus one shots every other vessel/space station/starbase in existence)
- The Temporal Accords
- A Federation judge (ex Satie) making an important ruling
- Helping a number of worlds under their thumb deal with corruption (Agaron, Mazarite)
- Supporting a Puppet government (Coridan)
- Limiting a startup warp program/still offering assistance to a world recovering from a global conflict 90 years on (United Earth)
- Ongoing conflict with a species that initially was a peaceful and fruitful first contact (Andorians)
- An outsider group deemed as violent radicals when they are peacful reformers (the Syrranites)
- The head of the government secretly working with a liaison for a rival government (V'Las & the Romulans)
- how the head of state deals with rivals that want power; the idea that might makes right
- The Chancellor discovering a traitor among them (K’mpec)
- Electoral campaign (Gowron and Duras)
- A rival faction secretly being backed by outsiders for a civil war (Gowron)
- The Chancellor being considered an imposter (Gowron)
- Abuse of power (Gowron)
- Making false promises to curry favour and build the alliance (Female Founder to the Breen)
- Misleading a fleet that wants to pre-emptively wipe out their people (Female Founder towards the joint Romulan/Cardassian fleet)
- expand business and economic opportunities (Zek)
- implement reforms (Rom)
- transition of power (Zek to Rom)
There's no shortage of ideas as you can see as to where the politics of the 32nd century could go next.
In any case, the main issue with 32nd century politics is making it exciting for the viewers to watch. Right now, the only real exciting idea ready to go relates to the Emerald Chain (or its remnants) pursuing Burnham and Discovery for the death of their leader Osyraa looking to bring them to justice. Yes, she was the enemy and doing terribly things, but Osyraa was still a political leader.
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Actually, before Discovery leaves the 32nd century (maybe to return to the 23rd via a show of grace by the future Federation…or to a parallel 23rd where there wouldn’t be a Control threat) maybe the crew have to decide whether to stay or go, and some stay. I mean, some could choose to live as they are in the future, but others to ascend. I mean, it’d be like choosing to go to a living Heaven. Where you’d be immortal and happy and “alive” in ways we could never imagine possible. The unknown possibilities of existence.
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