A Tribble Trouble

[Ssosmcin]

If K-7 cleans up the mess by beaming the tribbles out into space, it kind of implies that this is how they dispose of all their garbage. That means interstellar space stations of this type (just sitting there between the stars) are surrounded by disgusting debris fields that only get worse over time.

Come on Zap, you watch the show.

KIRK: Deep space. Full power. Widest angle of dispersion.

CHEKOV: Captain, leave them where they are. Non-existence.

Hell even if that's still leaving residual flotsam, there is such a thing as phasers.

The Treknology is too well established to have this situation unsolvable other than physically picking them up. And, again, where is Lurry during all of this? Or any of the station's staff, merchants or residents? "Yeah, we can't do anything at K-7 for 17.9 years." Starfleet wouldn't stand for that.

"Kirk, seriously? Again, you just left? Christ, send the Exeter to clean up. Again."

No wonder Tracey lost his shit.

 

[Metryq]

And it would use vastly less energy than a transporter-based solution.

This is what I call a "brute force" notion in physics. For example, it is imagined that tremendous pressures, temperatures and energies are needed to produce fusion. Yet we've known for centuries that nature does it quietly right in our own back yards:

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Then there's the replicator technology in TNG, which they use so casually to order up a glass of water at a desired temp. Replicators do not exist in TOS—at least not that we know of. The door slides up on the food dispenser, and there are the colored cubes. We don't see any sparkly transporter beam. But do we know that they are not earlier generation replicators?

SAFIRE is contemporary technology that can fuse new elements, or "remediate" something like nuclear reactor waste. And it takes surprisingly little energy. Imagine K-7 existing in a pre-replicator time, but using something like SAFIRE to, at least, break down waste into elemental "raw" materials. Supply ships might then pick up the raw materials while delivering new goods. Or K-7 might have 3D printing, or whatever comes between 3D printing and transporter technology. Imagine a whole economy built on tech like this.

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[CorporalCaptain]

For example, it is imagined that tremendous pressures, temperatures and energies are needed to produce fusion. Yet we've known for centuries that nature does it quietly right in our own back yards:

No, we haven't. Kervran's claims are discredited, and cold fusion is not known to occur.

 

[The Salt Umpire]

How did Scotty beam all the Tribbles onto the Klingon ship? Did he just have ship's crew gather and dump armfulls of them on the transporter pads and then beam over load after load? 1) the entire transporter pad area would not have been large enough. 2) The Klingons would have raised shields after the first batch.

So...he scanned for all life forms, subtracted 430 crew from the list, then transported them all at once. That would be an excellent procedure for pest control...because rats and other pests would have certainly followed humans into space.

Wouldn't K7 have done the same?

 

[The Salt Umpire]

No, we haven't. Kervran's claims are discredited, and cold fusion is not known to occur.

Why did you think 'cold fusion'?
We have a big glowing ball of hot fusion a mere 93 million miles away.

Yet we've known for centuries that nature does it quietly right in our own back yards:

We thought it was coal or a giant hot stone. That the sun shone using fusion was theorized by physicist Arthur Eddington in 1920, so ummm, no.

Shining light on our understanding of the sun

Learn about past theories on the nature of our closest star with today's A Moment of Science!

www.ipm.org

Arthur Eddington - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[scotpens]

Just put it up there with McCoy forgetting his communicator on Sigma Iotia with no word of going back for it (and he's pretty sure he knows where it is) or leaving Harry Mudd to be nagged to death by androids instead of, I don't know, facing charges or something.

Or Kirk giving no indication of how he'll account for the missing Commissioner Nancy Hedford at the end of "Metamorphosis."

 

[Ssosmcin]

Or Kirk giving no indication of how he'll account for the missing Commissioner Nancy Hedford at the end of "Metamorphosis."

I'd argue this is worse because it's not a comedy. "Eh, they'll find someone else and I'll blow it off with a BS story to keep their secret."

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Why did you think 'cold fusion'?

I wasn't the one who brought it up.

 

[Henoch]

Or Kirk giving no indication of how he'll account for the missing Commissioner Nancy Hedford at the end of "Metamorphosis."

She died of Sakuro's disease and was buried on the planetoid they crash landed on, complete with a false death certificate signed by Dr. McCoy. Captain Kirk gave a beautiful eulogy at her gravesite, I was told.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

She died of Sakuro's disease and was buried on the planetoid they crash landed on, complete with a false death certificate signed by Dr. McCoy. Captain Kirk gave a beautiful eulogy at her gravesite, I was told.

I guess that what had to happen, but Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are all risking their careers to play it that way. And incidentally it leaves Zefram and Nancy with no hope of relief ever coming if things go bad. And they've given up the Companion's power to protect human health.

I'd prefer to think that Kirk was expressing friendly irony when he said "Not a word, Mr. Cochrane," and Cochrane knew perfectly well that the three would submit honest reports to Starfleet. They had to.

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

She died of Sakuro's disease and was buried on the planetoid they crash landed on, complete with a false death certificate signed by Dr. McCoy. Captain Kirk gave a beautiful eulogy at her gravesite, I was told.

Perhaps Amanda Grayson managed to attend, unless Ensign Bud or Cadet Cathy came in her place.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Or Kirk giving no indication of how he'll account for the missing Commissioner Nancy Hedford at the end of "Metamorphosis."

Father knows best.

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

Father knows best.

And let's not pretend David's his only offspring.....

 

[Ssosmcin]

I guess that what had to happen, but Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are all risking their careers to play it that way. And incidentally it leaves Zefram and Nancy with no hope of relief ever coming if things go bad. And they've given up the Companion's power to protect human health.

Well, I think Cochran was fine with that. As long as he could plant his fig tree. I don't think he expected protection or an escape hatch. They made it clear it's a nice place to live.

I'd prefer to think that Kirk was expressing friendly irony when he said "Not a word, Mr. Cochrane," and Cochrane knew perfectly well that the three would submit honest reports to Starfleet. They had to.

I agree. I think "them" meant "the public." Starfleet would just keep it classified and let him stay.

 

[Spock's Barber]

And let's not pretend David's his only offspring.....

You mean….**gulp**….there are more little Kirks running around the Universe.

 

[Therin of Andor]

You mean….**gulp**….there are more little Kirks running around the Universe.

You really need to look up the hilarious fanfilm, "Kirk's Bastards".

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

Flying Leg Kick Babies with unique takes on punctuation.

 

[johnnybear]

The thing is do we really believe Cyrano would spend the next seventeen years to clear the station of it's infestation?
Well we know he didn't so how did he clear them without time travelling? Plus he doesn't have the Glimmer as of yet...
JB

 

[ZapBrannigan]

The thing is do we really believe Cyrano would spend the next seventeen years to clear the station of it's infestation?
Well we know he didn't so how did he clear them without time travelling? Plus he doesn't have the Glimmer as of yet...
JB

You know how I thought Kirk was kidding around when he said "Not a word, Mr. Cochrane"? Because that would put Spock and McCoy in a terrible bind: lie to Starfleet or betray their captain. It was untenable.

Same thing with giving Cyrano Jones that ultimatum. Kirk and Spock were kidding with the guy, and he was sport enough to play along. When men are joking, they commit to the bit. He knows that as soon as the Enterprise leaves, Kirk's interest in the situation goes with it. Then I say Jones will speak to Mr. Lurry about automating the cleanup. Where the glommer comes in, I don't really worry. I'm sure I could come up with some kind of doubletalk if it were important.

 

[johnnybear]

You know how I thought Kirk was kidding around when he said "Not a word, Mr. Cochrane"? Because that would put Spock and McCoy in a terrible bind: lie to Starfleet or betray their captain. It was untenable.

Same thing with giving Cyrano Jones that ultimatum. Kirk and Spock were kidding with the guy, and he was sport enough to play along. When men are joking, they commit to the bit. He knows that as soon as the Enterprise leaves, Kirk's interest in the situation goes with it. Then I say Jones will speak to Mr. Lurry about automating the cleanup. Where the glommer comes in, I don't really worry. I'm sure I could come up with some kind of doubletalk if it were important.

My phone again wrote Glimmer despite my writing Glommer. Boy it gets annoying.
JB