Are there too many "convenient" planets or scenarios to beam down to ?

[Jimi_James]

Re: Are there too many "convenient" planets or scenarios to beam down

Sorry, didn't mean to put somebody else's words in your mouth, it's late here.. I get what you're saying and mostly agree.

I think we can assume that the Enterprise probably investigated many other sorts of worlds off camera and that we are only shown the most interesting ones. Also I imagine that more emphasis is put on checking out the more earthlike planets, or inhabited planets in general for obvious reasons.

To your last point...yes I agree that is quite as awesome thing isn't it?! Very exciting.

No worries. And it's very exciting indeed.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Re: Are there too many "convenient" planets or scenarios to beam down

Well, it goes without saying that any planet is going to be orbiting some star or other. And the nomenclature was often quite specific. For example, the planet in "This Side of Paradise" is Omicron Ceti Three, meaning it's the third planet orbiting the fifteenth brightest star (omicron being the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet) in the constellation Cetus (the whale).

Not always. In "Enterprise" episode "Rogue Planet" they found a planet with no sun that somehow managed to support a complete ecosystem. There was no explanation for what the planet's source of heat was, and I don't think there is anything redeeming that episode scientifically.

From Memory Alpha

When the Enterprise discovers a "rogue": a planet that has broken out of its orbit. They decide to lay in a course to take a closer look. Scanning it, T'Pol points out that this planet supports a diverse animal population despite being a rogue, because of hot gases venting from its interior, forming oases where most lifeforms are concentrated.

 

[T'Girl]

Re: Are there too many "convenient" planets or scenarios to beam down

" ... to seek out new life, and new civilizations ..."

Kind of hard to do on a lifeless moon, or a poisonous planet the temperature of Venus, or a gas giant.

 

[Xhiandra]

Re: Are there too many "convenient" planets or scenarios to beam down

For that image? What's up with the moon and why is it so close? Is it inhabited and indeed, does its proximity effect the planet in some way beyond simple tidal forces? What's with the low cloud cover? Is the atmosphere unusually thin? Are those lakes of water, or so sort other liquid? If it's not water, is it dangerous to go swimming? Is it even liquid, it could be frozen from the looks of it. Why do things looks sort of hazy? What's up with those blue/purple bushes? If that is the local star to the left of the moon, is it flashing or pulsing for some reason and if so why? Why is the sky that color?

Wouldn't it break your suspension of disbelief if they wondered about such things all the time? With the possible exception of Enterprise (where they did have some such scenes early on), it would break mine: remember that spacial exploration has been a cultural reality for centuries by the time of the TNG/DS9/VOY era, so it's only natural that they wouldn't question why a particular planet has bigger/smaller satellites or a purple sky: they're used to visiting vastly different worlds by then.

It would also be poor writing, to be honest. Such expository details belong squarely in the "show, don't tell" category.

 

[plynch]

Re: Are there too many "convenient" planets or scenarios to beam down

TMOST line from GR: Earth-Mars conditions?? That's a pretty wide range of temps and atmospheres (or lack thereof)!

 

[Jonas Grumby]

Re: Are there too many "convenient" planets or scenarios to beam down

^ Not from Roddenberry's POV. He originally wanted Spock to be "half-Martian."

 

[T'Girl]

Re: Are there too many "convenient" planets or scenarios to beam down

TMOST line from GR: Earth-Mars conditions?? That's a pretty wide range of temps and atmospheres (or lack thereof)!

It was the mid-sixties, maybe GR meant the planet Mars as in Barsoom, and not the planet Mars that was later found to be.

Fantasy, not reality.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Re: Are there too many "convenient" planets or scenarios to beam down

TMOST line from GR: Earth-Mars conditions?? That's a pretty wide range of temps and atmospheres (or lack thereof)!

It was the mid-sixties, maybe GR meant the planet Mars as in Barsoom, and not the planet Mars that was later found to be.

Fantasy, not reality.

Since he wanted Spock to be a red Martian, you're probably not too far off the mark.