I thought she might turn out to be a telepath or similar at some point - and there could be some missed story opportunities there, too.
Why was technology so uniform in the 24th century?
- Thread starter Gotham Central
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Bleh. Telepathy's been done to death, though that door was opened with the guy with the wormy head that wanted her to be his companion.
For me, it's just a case that there tends to be a lot of similarity among humanoid races (bipedal, five fingers, etc.) so that drives a lot of similarity among their technologies. When there are occasional differences (usually in system compatibility), they're generally noted, IMO.
One could say that Trek needs more non-humanoid races (a.k.a. bug-eyed monsters), but they tend to be few and far between due to budgetary restraints or just a tendency for some Trek outings to be seen as less campy.
One could say that Trek needs more non-humanoid races (a.k.a. bug-eyed monsters), but they tend to be few and far between due to budgetary restraints or just a tendency for some Trek outings to be seen as less campy.
I doubt the Sheliac are humanoid, and I've always felt that the Cardassians should've been much more snake-like but the technology of the 90s didn't allow it. I'd love to see a future remaster of DS9 with snaky CGI Cardassians.
You missed it when I said non-humanoid races "tend to be few and far between" in Trek. I didn't say they didn't exist at all.
You missed it when I said non-humanoid races "tend to be few and far between" in Trek. I didn't say they didn't exist at all.
Agreed. I would think that one of the reasons why aliens like the Sheliak are memorable despite being an Alien of the Week is partly because they're not the usual bipedal alien.
I wouldn't have minded seeing them at least once more, to be honest. I always thought it was neat that they were so strict procedurally, but were (at least stated to be) pretty powerful.
Yeah, the Sheliak were cool, but their reluctance and disdain for interacting with "inferior humanoids" kind of what made them work, IMO.You missed it when I said non-humanoid races "tend to be few and far between" in Trek. I didn't say they didn't exist at all.
Agreed. I would think that one of the reasons why aliens like the Sheliak are memorable despite being an Alien of the Week is partly because they're not the usual bipedal alien.
I wouldn't have minded seeing them at least once more, to be honest. I always thought it was neat that they were so strict procedurally, but were (at least stated to be) pretty powerful.
I find the Cardassians to be one of the better looking Trek races, both regarding the appearance and their costumes. I wouldn't change anything about them. Aside from maybe giving more of them facial hair like Gul Macet in The Wounded had.
They could manage with V well enough.
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZYoAmZX4rI[/yt]
^^^^
Ive not watched V but in that clip the modern version looked terrible compared to the original.
Ive not watched V but in that clip the modern version looked terrible compared to the original.
One strange thing I find is where cultures have access to replicators and yet STILL do risky or desperate things to get money for living.
In TNG, they said replicators can provide almost anything a person could want, particularly with food. So supposedly, humans have no want or need.
Yet we see examples where certain characters turn to crime, bartering, and slaving away in order to make money so they can survive--as in buying food, clothing, luxury comforts.
Some cultures even go to war frequently.
One Cardassian said that because of warfare, the Cardassians were 'feeding the people'-- yet Cardassians know exactly what replicators are and have them.
Bajorans frequently had problems with poverty and they know what replicators were and should have had access to them thanks to Fed help.
It seems like the Federation were the only ones that properly utilized replicator technology to take care all their needs, even luxurious ones.
And even that is whole other issue when we see humans working for money.
It seems artificial scarcity had to be created in order to have interesting plots or stories--otherwise everyone's fed and happy and there's no story or plot.
In TNG, they said replicators can provide almost anything a person could want, particularly with food. So supposedly, humans have no want or need.
Yet we see examples where certain characters turn to crime, bartering, and slaving away in order to make money so they can survive--as in buying food, clothing, luxury comforts.
Some cultures even go to war frequently.
One Cardassian said that because of warfare, the Cardassians were 'feeding the people'-- yet Cardassians know exactly what replicators are and have them.
Bajorans frequently had problems with poverty and they know what replicators were and should have had access to them thanks to Fed help.
It seems like the Federation were the only ones that properly utilized replicator technology to take care all their needs, even luxurious ones.
And even that is whole other issue when we see humans working for money.
It seems artificial scarcity had to be created in order to have interesting plots or stories--otherwise everyone's fed and happy and there's no story or plot.
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Replicators can't give you new territory, private property for your growing population, corp land to grow food at a lower cost than operating your replicator.
In spite of possessing replicator technology, the Cardassians were still removing materials from Bajor. There was a advantage to mining that material and a disadvantage to get a replicator to make the same material ... assuming it could.
People think that replicators are magic. They require both energy and raw materials to run. You don't get any more out of them than you put into them.
Replicators can't give you new territory, private property for your growing population, corp land to grow food at a lower cost than operating your replicator.
In spite of possessing replicator technology, the Cardassians were still removing materials from Bajor. There was a advantage to mining that material and a disadvantage to get a replicator to make the same material ... assuming it could.
That may be the problem--"in spite of possessing replicator technology". Instead of using this technology to its full potential, they still resort to preying on other planets.
The Cardassia are depicted doing this because they have to--they need to feed the people, they need resources to thrive.
Yet the Federation, specifically earth, is said to have eliminated poverty completely, and there are no needs or wants.
They don't even need a money system anymore, (according to them) because their technology, presumably the replicator- provides all their major needs. And even luxuries.
Even the land issue doesn't always make sense, in light of the technology that is known-- weather modifications nets should be able to allow crops to grow even in the most harshest environment.
Combined with replicators, it should make growing food really easy--assuming Cardassians mainly want to eat food grown out of the ground.
In order to have stories and plot lines, artificial scarcity had to be created, even if the technology contradicts the plots.
Isn't there something odd about Dukat saying that the Cardassians, while occupying Bajor, could have made it into a paradise, when around the same time another Cardassian Gul was telling Picard about how the wars on Cardassia caused planet wide hunger and poverty?
How can they turn Bajor into a paradise, if they have to go to war and prey on other planets just to 'feed the people'?
Shouldn't one warp engine be enough to power a replicator for a thousand years? Trek's always been terrible at comprehending the sheer power it wields (like antimatter warheads on photon torpedoes, which should be unimaginably destructive, yet in practice cause less damage than current day weapons)
Ummm…it should be obvious that access to technology and resources is equally important as what you decide to do with it.
Just because you have the means to fix your problems doesn't mean that you have the will to do so.
The US is the richest society on Earth, yet we have poverty rates worse than most other developed societies. Its not that we couldn't fix this, its that enough folks don't want to so we don't.
There are enough resources RIGHT NOW to ensure that everyone on Earth has a place to live and food to eat. Yet we all know that that has yet to be accomplished. That's not due to scarce resources.
Just because replicators exist will not mean that everyone will be given access to them.
But how much of that is because of replicator technology, and how much owing to the fact that Earth has an extensive system of colonies, interstellar trade, and other factors?
The replicator might play a very small role in Earth's current state.
Things could get pretty good if all of humanity were working together toward that goal, even now. But the replicator is the "killer app" in the 24th century economy: even if it can't make everything you want (and I'd daresay that a replicator station placed as close to the sun as would allow optimum power collection could do nearly that), the amount of stuff it can make that would no longer have to be provided for out of other resources would almost certainly free up so much in the way of those resources that getting/making the rest of what you want or need would be fairly trivial.
I just don't think the replicator is a ubiquitous item in the 24th century every day life. While it might be considered essentual aboard a starship or space station, it wouldn't be a "have to have" on the surface of a planet with non-replicator sources of everyday items.
Robert Picard wouldn't have one in the house, it doesn't make sense that he would then go into the village and pick up a bunch of replicated what-not. Everything the he and his family needed could be acquired on Earth through non-replicated means. Clothing, food, funishings, etc.. Likely without the replicators stated heavy power requirements.
It's not like he was the only Human, Human family, we heard of in the Star Trek universe without this particular gizmo right there at arm length.
Robert Picard wouldn't have one in the house, it doesn't make sense that he would then go into the village and pick up a bunch of replicated what-not. Everything the he and his family needed could be acquired on Earth through non-replicated means. Clothing, food, funishings, etc.. Likely without the replicators stated heavy power requirements.
It's not like he was the only Human, Human family, we heard of in the Star Trek universe without this particular gizmo right there at arm length.
