In the 24th century series, a character seems to be able to be able to instantaneously get in contact with someone in real time via their combadge. Any theories as to how this works?
Combadge question
- Thread starter toughlittleship
- Start date
You call someone, the computer now has made a recording of your request, "Toughlittleship to Riker," the computer then finds Riker, on the ship or on a away mission, it connects to Riker through his combadge and replays your initial request. The computer already has a connection to you, so when Riker answers the call you hear him.
That makes sense. And since we are talking about really, REALLY fast computer processors - this entire process probably takes nanoseconds.
I figured it was that a commbadge has an internal subspace transceiver capable of routing a message though the ship's communication system at extremely fast velocities (well in excess of Warp 9.99+). On away missions, the ship's comm system itself likely serves as the primary transmission device over an astronomical distance, but a standalone commbadge can probably work unaided over a relatively short distance of few hundred klicks, maybe.
The problem with this is that the person you're calling seems to answer sooner than possible if the computer is re-playing your entire initial hail. e.g.:
Riker: "Riker to Lieutenant Commander Data."
Data: "Data here."
There are probably a number of scenes like this throughout the series where the person answering responds before the entire initial call could have been repeated. e.g.
Riker: "Riker to Lieutenant Commander Data."
[Computer starts searching the ship after the name "Data" is stated, then replays the message to Data.]
Computer recording: "Riker to Lieutenant Commander Data."
Data: "Data here."
So, even if computing time and transmission time are instantaneous, there would still be a lag from the time Riker says "Data" at the end of his hail, as long as the time it takes to say, "Riker to Lieutenant Commander Data," before Data could even respond.
But in watching the episodes, such an exchange is shown as if the two are on a phone line together and hear each other live, with no lag for the computer to repeat the first message.
(This is obviously done to move the story along, since awkward pauses at the start of every communicator scene would get annoying for the audience after approximately one episode.)
But is it?
Virtually all of the scenes involve X first calling Y in full camera view, then the camera cutting to Y responding. There could be a time delay of arbitrary length there, hidden from us through that cut in the coverage.
Those situations where the camera lingers with X all the time and reveals that Y responds almost immediately could simply be cases where Y didn't wait for the message to be completed before impatiently responding. Say, Riker says "Riker to Picard", the computer only replays to Picard "Riker t-" and Picard hurriedly desponds "Go ahead, Number One". From the Riker end of the discussion, where the camera lingers, it will sound as if Picard responds without delay after hearing "Riker to Picard" even though in reality Picard already responded with delay after hearing "Riker t-".
If, OTOH, the camera stays with Y all the time, the replay theory covers all bases. Riker says "Riker to Picard", Picard responds, and Riker hears the response after a delay, but the delay is not evident from the camera POV.
Really, for us to really be able to claim that there really is a "case of the missing delay", we'd have to have a camera angle that covers both speakers simultaneously. And that never happens, because two people who fit in the same camera shot have no reason to use a communicator to speak to each other!
Timo Saloniemi
I thought there was a scene somewhere (either that or tech. manual) that stated the comm badges use RF (traditional radio frequencies). I was thinking simplistic FM (freq. modulation), but there's better than that nowadays such as FHSS (frequency hopping spread spectrum) or OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing). Wikipedia has good articles on those technologies if you're interested.
Yep. It is probably monitoring what the person says, and is immediately able to rout the call to the destination as soon as the caller says it.
In VOY "The Cloud" we actually see Tuvok press his communicator at the other of the bridge and hear his voice via Kim's combadge. Before he even finishes saying "Tuvok to Kim" we already hear him at the other side, so apparently making contact is instantaneous somehow.
Well, according to the ST:TNG Tech manual the Enterprise computer uses FTL (Faster Than Light) processing and also routes communications through subspace - which is also FTL - so any delay would be all but nonexistent.
Well yeah but using the example from my previous post that doesn't explain how the computer can already open a communication channel from Tuvok to Kim's combadge before Tuvok finished saying "Tuvok to Kim". I mean how can the computer possibly know who Tuvok wants to speak to? Yet in that scene we clearly see Tuvok speak and his voice being relayed to the other combage the moment he presses his own combage. That's like using a telephone and you start talking before you finished dialing the number.
Maybe Tuvok had preset a "quick dial" to prewarn the computer that his next outgoing comm-signal would be to Kim.
His still saying "Tuvok to Kim" could be taken as a "good telephone manner." Given that Tuvok was calling Kim to coach him on good bridge manners he would have put on his best bridge manners to do so (think how often, on here and other fora, someone calls somebody else on a spelling or grammatical error only for the next post to correct something in the second post in the sequence. Tuvok wouldn't fall for that).
dJE
His still saying "Tuvok to Kim" could be taken as a "good telephone manner." Given that Tuvok was calling Kim to coach him on good bridge manners he would have put on his best bridge manners to do so (think how often, on here and other fora, someone calls somebody else on a spelling or grammatical error only for the next post to correct something in the second post in the sequence. Tuvok wouldn't fall for that).
dJE
I've certainly had times where someone has answered the phone before I heard it ring from my end.
What if SF is using relativity distortion for this?
I mean, the communications via badges are effectively instantaneous.
What if the badges and communication system is based on relativistic effects which SF controls in a manner that the computer would be able relate the signal without any delays?
This might explain the inconsistency in 'Cloud' episode... however, I am also fine with negating that Cloud 'tuvok to kim' stunt which was real-time, and just thinking that usually it takes a second before the other party replies.
The Cloud can also be explained in a manner that Tuvok opened a private channel directly to Kim before tapping the comm-badge (for obvious reasons, Tuvok wanted to keep the conversation 'private').
I mean, the communications via badges are effectively instantaneous.
What if the badges and communication system is based on relativistic effects which SF controls in a manner that the computer would be able relate the signal without any delays?
This might explain the inconsistency in 'Cloud' episode... however, I am also fine with negating that Cloud 'tuvok to kim' stunt which was real-time, and just thinking that usually it takes a second before the other party replies.
The Cloud can also be explained in a manner that Tuvok opened a private channel directly to Kim before tapping the comm-badge (for obvious reasons, Tuvok wanted to keep the conversation 'private').
They use magic time-shifting tachyons.
The computer obviously read the script before they started filming the episode.
Silly question.
Ah, yes of course that explains it. Sorry, it seems so obvious now.
Your comment really had me spewing tea over my keyboard.
Silly response.
As I already mentioned (along with another poster), it's possible that Tuvok pre-programmed a private channel on his console so the moment he would tap the badge, he would be speaking to Kim immediately.
Sadly you completely missed my attempt at cheering people up through dry humour.
Ah, yes of course that explains it. Sorry, it seems so obvious now.
Your comment really had me spewing tea over my keyboard.
Somebody got it, though so that makes me feel better.
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