The replicators

[The Four Doctor]

I hated the Replicators. Whenever Cpt. Picard ordered "tea, Earl Grey, hot", I just wished that just once that Picard make a face and spit it out, and scream that the Replicator had malfunctioned and his drink tasted like cat's piss!

Anyone else not like the replicators?

 

[Makarov]

I love them. I would make my favorite meal every single night and get insanely fat. I have no idea how the crew doesn't get overweight when they can order whatever food they want and have it instantly, at any time, with no work involved at all. Maybe that's why Picard only orders a tea all the time.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Maybe like synthohol, they found a way to make food with no calories or fat or any of the other "bad" things.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I love the idea of replicators (they make sense aboard deep-space Starfleet vessels). But I also like the idea that some people just prefer the real thing and can taste a difference with some foods. It gives a sense that there are still people out there who cook and do some things the traditional way in the 24th-Century.

 

[Trekker4747]

Maybe like synthohol, they found a way to make food with no calories or fat or any of the other "bad" things.

I think the "idea" is that the food it dispenses looks and tastes like the real thing (or a very close approximation) but delivers an ideal nutritional need.

In one episode Troi tries to order a "real" chocolate sundae with "real chocolate" and ice cream, etc. The computer tells her it can't but can on deliver foods that meet nutritional needs (or something like that.) This implies that the food it produces isn't strictly "really" the stuff that was ordered but something else.

So the chocolate sundae may taste and look like one but the nutrition it delivers is really nothing (basically eating air/water) or what it delivers is of some nutritional benefit with none of the drawbacks.

Now, it may be possible to still gorge one's self by still taking in more calories than they're using up in activities as it's unlikely the computer is (or even can) track someone's diet 100%. So it's still "possible' to become slightly overweight but maybe likely without the risk of other effects of poor diet like obesity (probably requiring *really* gorging yourself and serious inactivity), diabetes, heart-disease, high-cholesterol and so-forth are likely no longer factors. You could order a big tub of fried pork-fat and it'd still be 100% good for you with 0-(bad) cholesterol. Extra salt? Sure. It'll taste like it. It won't really be "salt" beyond what you body may need but it'll taste like it.

We have seen people complain that the food from the replicator tends to not be as good as "the real thing." This could be due either to a poor or bland recipe used for the pattern, not being as "good as the real thing" simply because every instance of that dish tastes exactly the same. Food tasting good when there's some variety and flair in it. Replicators also operate on the molecular level, there could be something at the quantum level that can impact taste.

Really? I like the idea of replicators. From a writing stand-point it solves the problem of a ship being out in deep-space carrying over 1000 people needing to restock food supplies, cook meals, and all of that. It's just a way of saying "they have all the food they want/need they just ask the computer for it and they get it." It also solves many of those problems in-universe making it easier on the ship to sustain the crew by not having to carry this food, or restock or cook meals.

Personally, I think having a replicator would be neat assuming the food from it did, indeed, taste at least "good-enough to eat." Even average restaurant quality would be good or being able to program in your own recipes. And assuming the machine could monitor or deliver ideally nutritional foods and meals without any of the drawbacks on "bad" foods that'd really solve the food-related illness and disease problems we have.

 

[Mister Spock]

I liked the proto replicator idea put forward in Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise. The idea being that the food dispensers take a pile of nutritionally perfect matter - not unlike tofu - and transform it into a replica of the dish that you ordered.

 

[JarodRussell]

I love them. I would make my favorite meal every single night and get insanely fat. I have no idea how the crew doesn't get overweight when they can order whatever food they want and have it instantly, at any time, with no work involved at all. Maybe that's why Picard only orders a tea all the time.

Maybe like synthohol, they found a way to make food with no calories or fat or any of the other "bad" things.

Maybe they just contain themselves.

 

[Richard Baker]

Replicators do make sense for deep space travel and they do provide the basics disguised as stuff you want to enjoy.
On a ship that large there is also room for storage of actual foods for special occasions- formal diplomatic dinners and such. Worf has his live food stash somewhere, we have seen both he and Riker eating it before...

 

[PicardSpeedo]

I liked the proto replicator idea put forward in Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise. The idea being that the food dispensers take a pile of nutritionally perfect matter - not unlike tofu - and transform it into a replica of the dish that you ordered.

But this is not, in canon, how they work. It's been explained that the replicator system is basically a transporter system that's been reconfigured to take matter in one form, dematerialize it, and rearrange it at the atomic level into whatever form the end-user wants. The replicator system draws the matter from a storage unit called the 'matter storage tank,' which is a fancy word for 'high-end garbage disposal.' It's a holding unit where all the waste material aboard a starship, both biological and technological, ends up, and is kept, until the replicators need the raw matter they're made of. So, rather than having to haul around pre-made space tofu for conversion into imitation turkey, the replicator system scoops up three parts' worth of burnt-out power couplings, two parts' worth of discarded Bolian soufflé, and one parts' worth of explosive Klingon diarrhea, does some atomic rearranging, and pops out a semi-convincing, nutritionally-perfect version of Grandma's Christmas turkey for your consumption.

Charming, isn't it?

 

[P0sitr0nic]

I liked the proto replicator idea put forward in Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise. The idea being that the food dispensers take a pile of nutritionally perfect matter - not unlike tofu - and transform it into a replica of the dish that you ordered.

But this is not, in canon, how they work. It's been explained that the replicator system is basically a transporter system that's been reconfigured to take matter in one form, dematerialize it, and rearrange it at the atomic level into whatever form the end-user wants. The replicator system draws the matter from a storage unit called the 'matter storage tank,' which is a fancy word for 'high-end garbage disposal.' It's a holding unit where all the waste material aboard a starship, both biological and technological, ends up, and is kept, until the replicators need the raw matter they're made of. So, rather than having to haul around pre-made space tofu for conversion into imitation turkey, the replicator system scoops up three parts' worth of burnt-out power couplings, two parts' worth of discarded Bolian soufflé, and one parts' worth of explosive Klingon diarrhea, does some atomic rearranging, and pops out a semi-convincing, nutritionally-perfect version of Grandma's Christmas turkey for your consumption.

Charming, isn't it?

More likely it takes all those things you mentioned, converts them to energy, stores that energy, and uses it again when its needed for a new food dish.

 

[JarodRussell]

Actually, it should be able to pop out an absolutely convincing turkey. It works like a transporter. If a transporter is able to beam a living turkey from A to B, then a replicator would be able to replicate an absolutely delicious turkey out of the atoms in the matter storage. All they need to do is to take Grandma's Christmas turkey, scan it the way a transporter does, and then reconstruct it any time they want.

The thing is that there would be no variation. You get the very same Christmas turkey every time. Unless you made scans of various different versions.


I never liked these remarks how replicator food didn't taste right. The way a replicator is supposed to work, it's impossible. If you construct a meal on the atomic level, you get it perfect. Taste, smell and consistency isn't some black magic. It's all based on the proper arrangement of atoms and molecules. And if you can precisely scan that and replicate it, you get the exact same thing.

 

[PicardSpeedo]

I liked the proto replicator idea put forward in Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise. The idea being that the food dispensers take a pile of nutritionally perfect matter - not unlike tofu - and transform it into a replica of the dish that you ordered.

But this is not, in canon, how they work. It's been explained that the replicator system is basically a transporter system that's been reconfigured to take matter in one form, dematerialize it, and rearrange it at the atomic level into whatever form the end-user wants. The replicator system draws the matter from a storage unit called the 'matter storage tank,' which is a fancy word for 'high-end garbage disposal.' It's a holding unit where all the waste material aboard a starship, both biological and technological, ends up, and is kept, until the replicators need the raw matter they're made of. So, rather than having to haul around pre-made space tofu for conversion into imitation turkey, the replicator system scoops up three parts' worth of burnt-out power couplings, two parts' worth of discarded Bolian soufflé, and one parts' worth of explosive Klingon diarrhea, does some atomic rearranging, and pops out a semi-convincing, nutritionally-perfect version of Grandma's Christmas turkey for your consumption.

Charming, isn't it?

More likely it takes all those things you mentioned, converts them to energy, stores that energy, and uses it again when its needed for a new food dish.

How is this different from what I said?

 

[JarodRussell]

But this is not, in canon, how they work. It's been explained that the replicator system is basically a transporter system that's been reconfigured to take matter in one form, dematerialize it, and rearrange it at the atomic level into whatever form the end-user wants. The replicator system draws the matter from a storage unit called the 'matter storage tank,' which is a fancy word for 'high-end garbage disposal.' It's a holding unit where all the waste material aboard a starship, both biological and technological, ends up, and is kept, until the replicators need the raw matter they're made of. So, rather than having to haul around pre-made space tofu for conversion into imitation turkey, the replicator system scoops up three parts' worth of burnt-out power couplings, two parts' worth of discarded Bolian soufflé, and one parts' worth of explosive Klingon diarrhea, does some atomic rearranging, and pops out a semi-convincing, nutritionally-perfect version of Grandma's Christmas turkey for your consumption.

Charming, isn't it?

More likely it takes all those things you mentioned, converts them to energy, stores that energy, and uses it again when its needed for a new food dish.

How is this different from what I said?

It's totally different. P0sitr0nic talks about energy to matter conversion, which would basically turn them into gods. P0sitr0nic's replicator can create a bar of gold out of nothing (it only needs energy, which could be provided by fusion, solar, whatever). You talk about matter storage and rearrangement, which is a lot more limiting. Your replicator can only create a bar of gold if you stored gold atoms before.

 

[PicardSpeedo]

More likely it takes all those things you mentioned, converts them to energy, stores that energy, and uses it again when its needed for a new food dish.

How is this different from what I said?

It's totally different. P0sitr0nic talks about energy to matter conversion, which would basically turn them into gods. P0sitr0nic's replicator can create a bar of gold out of nothing (it only needs energy, which could be provided by fusion, solar, whatever). You talk about matter storage and rearrangement, which is a lot more limiting. Your replicator can only create a bar of gold if you stored gold atoms before.

Well, then it seems canon supports my explanation, as it has been demonstrated that you CAN'T replicate certain items (gold being one of them), and the replicators on TNG are certainly not God machines. Repurposed Worf poo for the win!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Actually, gold can be replicated. Latinum can't.

 

[Armored Saint]

I never liked these remarks how replicator food didn't taste right. The way a replicator is supposed to work, it's impossible. If you construct a meal on the atomic level, you get it perfect. Taste, smell and consistency isn't some black magic. It's all based on the proper arrangement of atoms and molecules. And if you can precisely scan that and replicate it, you get the exact same thing.

You're wrong, because the most important for cooking is love.

More seriously, maybe the Borg (or V'Ger) would be able to recreate more convincing food, but not the computer of a Federation starship? Why? Because the Borg captures cultures and individual minds, an ordinary starship computer doesn't. The Replicator can only apply a theoretical framework with a limitated number of variables.

Ask for a steak. Neither the Replicator nor the Borg know the biography of a delicious beef. However, the Borg is able "to taste" a steak because it has a large database of individual memories and feelings.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Nevertheless, I think I'll pass on the Borg restaurant....

 

[Armored Saint]

Resistance is futile!

 

[The Old Mixer]

"Assimilate this":

 

[Amaris]

I mark it down as humans being fickle. Replicated food is normal for these people, so they're going to get used to it, and so they're going to start complaining about how ordinary it is, even though people like us see it as extraordinary.

It's also human nature to find flaws in things, even things we like. I would bet that if you gave me food cooked on a stove, and food from a replicator, without telling me, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The same applies to the crew. Take them down to a planet and make it look like they're getting home cooked food, and most of them probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

It's the organic food debate, only involving replicated food and starships. It tastes better because it's more "real."