Could it be only a few pieces of gravity control hardware were found and that alien tech was impossible to reproduce with tech in the 21 century?
Botany Bay Artificial Gravity
- Thread starter uniderth
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When the Enterprise came along side of the Botany Bay, Scotty remarks that the heat and lights came on so it would be logical to assume that the artificial gravity came on as well.
...But that doesn't work because if the ship had been in freefall until this moment, Khan wouldn't be resting peacefully in his seatbelt-free glass coffin.
We can of course argue that gravity aboard various starships is not universally maintained, and that only the cryochambers of the supermen had the gravity turned on during those long centuries (as a vital life support measure or whatnot). But I don't think this is a good idea, because we do see gravity maintained in areas and at times where there's little justification for it. Say, aboard the satellite carrying the corpses in "The Neutral Zone", or in the turboshafts and Jeffries tubes of various modern ships, or in cargo holds where heavy items are being moved, etc.
It seems more consistent to argue that gravity is generally kept on everywhere and at all times unless there's a specific reason not to, and that the balance of factors favors on over off. Which probably implies that gravity is "cheap", consuming little (or perhaps no?) power and requiring little maintenance. Alternately, maintaining gravity may be absolutely vital - perhaps the same machinery sustains the one-gee pull towards the floors and the anti-acceleration effect that allows the crew to survive the planned and unplanned maneuvers of their high performance spacecraft.
Timo Saloniemi
We can of course argue that gravity aboard various starships is not universally maintained, and that only the cryochambers of the supermen had the gravity turned on during those long centuries (as a vital life support measure or whatnot). But I don't think this is a good idea, because we do see gravity maintained in areas and at times where there's little justification for it. Say, aboard the satellite carrying the corpses in "The Neutral Zone", or in the turboshafts and Jeffries tubes of various modern ships, or in cargo holds where heavy items are being moved, etc.
It seems more consistent to argue that gravity is generally kept on everywhere and at all times unless there's a specific reason not to, and that the balance of factors favors on over off. Which probably implies that gravity is "cheap", consuming little (or perhaps no?) power and requiring little maintenance. Alternately, maintaining gravity may be absolutely vital - perhaps the same machinery sustains the one-gee pull towards the floors and the anti-acceleration effect that allows the crew to survive the planned and unplanned maneuvers of their high performance spacecraft.
Timo Saloniemi
I do not believe the tech is designed to be varied in short time periods. It also depends on how much area.
We know the tech can be adjusted fairly locally, as in "Melora", but not so locally as to be used as a precision weapon in "In a Mirror, Darkly" - it was an area effect weapon there...
We have also seen some pretty quick shutdowns or rampings-down, such as in "Practical Joker" - quicker than the "IaMD" trick. And ST6:TUC featured some insta-shutdown, insta-restart action as well, although it was no doubt of a very destructive sort, not something intended by the manufacturer.
Still, possibly one needs special gear to achieve the precise control we saw in "Lights of Zetar", where a medical chamber could be provided with zero gee (and not just with "no AG", because the ship is supposedly continuing evasive action as per Kirk's orders, and would be doing lots of gees) while people behind the glass would experience none of it.
Timo Saloniemi
We have also seen some pretty quick shutdowns or rampings-down, such as in "Practical Joker" - quicker than the "IaMD" trick. And ST6:TUC featured some insta-shutdown, insta-restart action as well, although it was no doubt of a very destructive sort, not something intended by the manufacturer.
Still, possibly one needs special gear to achieve the precise control we saw in "Lights of Zetar", where a medical chamber could be provided with zero gee (and not just with "no AG", because the ship is supposedly continuing evasive action as per Kirk's orders, and would be doing lots of gees) while people behind the glass would experience none of it.
Timo Saloniemi
Sure fine control will improve over the centuries, but unlikely in the 1990's.
I like the idea of rocket decks and induced acceleration gravity, but the cryogenic satellite found by the Enterprise-D in "The Neutral Zone" also has artificial gravity, and it is described as a 21st century object. Frankly, the people give me the impression they have to be early 21st century, as in pre-Atomic Horror, pre-First Contact.
Then there is the Mars ship in Voyager which is strictly modern late-20th early 21st century tech and explicitly lacks artificial gravity as shown by how the crew floats around. That is annoying because in the episode where Voyager goes to 1996 Earth, the period love interest for Paris has a model or poster of the Botany Bay style ship with boosters on a launch pad or at launch.
If not for Voyager muddying things, I would prefer the idea that Earth got artificial gravity in the 90's due to 23rd century tech left behind in the 80's. After all, it is stated the people in "A Piece of the Action" could reverse all warp tech in short order just from a left behind communicator, and 80's Earth got more than just a communicator.
Then there is the Mars ship in Voyager which is strictly modern late-20th early 21st century tech and explicitly lacks artificial gravity as shown by how the crew floats around. That is annoying because in the episode where Voyager goes to 1996 Earth, the period love interest for Paris has a model or poster of the Botany Bay style ship with boosters on a launch pad or at launch.
If not for Voyager muddying things, I would prefer the idea that Earth got artificial gravity in the 90's due to 23rd century tech left behind in the 80's. After all, it is stated the people in "A Piece of the Action" could reverse all warp tech in short order just from a left behind communicator, and 80's Earth got more than just a communicator.
This is one of those cases where we should simply decline to take the visuals literally, especially since nobody makes any overt reference to gravity being present or absent. I take the same basic approach to the Jeffries Tube problem: there is no gravity, they're floating there, and Jeffries tubes are actually pretty comfortable in microgravity, which is the entire reason why the Enterprise has no stairs (if the turbolifts are out, just glide up the tube).
Dr. Crusher said that Clare Raymond died in about 1994. She might have been frozen immediately and placed in the space capsule later, or put into space right after being frozen.
So possible the space capsule was equipped with artificial gravity in the late twentieth century.
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Ah, so it does fit with Khan's ship better than I thought.
Also, the "fad" of freezing dead people was said to be a late 20th century one - but one could argue it started then yet did not go away until some decades later.
As for lack of steps on Kirk's ship, she still had those fancy tri-ladders. I could very well see the vertical shafts being low-gravity areas where people can pull themselves up with minimal effort but do get a bit of help going down because negating all the pull from the surrounding decks would be a chore. OTOH, if those shafts were full gravity, the narrow and flimsy ladders would be a bit impractical - a single sturdier structure could still allow two people to pass, perhaps even better than the wobbly three-faceted version.
Timo Saloniemi
As for lack of steps on Kirk's ship, she still had those fancy tri-ladders. I could very well see the vertical shafts being low-gravity areas where people can pull themselves up with minimal effort but do get a bit of help going down because negating all the pull from the surrounding decks would be a chore. OTOH, if those shafts were full gravity, the narrow and flimsy ladders would be a bit impractical - a single sturdier structure could still allow two people to pass, perhaps even better than the wobbly three-faceted version.
Timo Saloniemi
Khan's golden discotheque outfit was attached to the "floor" of the chamber. No straps required.
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