"Enterprise" too advanced for 22nd Century

Phaser technology wasn't near as advanced, transporters were still experimental, Warp 5 was a big deal, they had bio-filters(obviously that's not necessary by the 24th century).

 

One might well speculate that it's a threshold thing. If you don't have what Kirk had, you can't explore space - you die, because everybody else already has what Kirk had. On the other hand, once you do start exploring space, you get what Kirk had - again because everybody else has it, and you can buy it, swindle it, or pry it off their dead tentacles.

It's not as if Earth really would have to invent transporters or warp five engines or phased particle beams or shields. At most, Earth would have to go through the motions of reproducing what the elders had invented long ago, with their foster parents watching that they be careful with the scissors and don't eat the glue. And when somebody like Emory Erickson steps forth and proudly says "I made this!", the only reason the foster parents don't smile is because they swore an oath not to.

Timo Saloniemi

 

Actually, Enterprise's Transporter pad was considerably larger than any of the pads used in TOS, another incongruity.

 

Computers were also a lot larger 50 years ago bigger doesn't mean more advanced. Perhaps its size is indicative of its crudeness.

 

It was built for transporting equipment and could only transport what? One or two people? How is it larger

 

The pads in TOS were about two feet across, the one big pad on ENT was larger.

 

Exactly, thank you!

The pads in TOS also had no trouble transporting large cargo boxes, as we saw in Dagger Of The Mind.

 

You mean like a TOS pad had six smaller pads and ENT had one single one that was larger than the 1/6 pad?

 

Yes, the single large pad on ENT was much larger than a single pad on TOS

 

Probably around the size of the central pad in the TNG era Galaxy-class.

 

I can understand if it was built for cargo and if they only used it for cargo, it having very simple controls.

But since they used it for people...

The Franklin's transporter pad was pretty big, but she was designed as a cargo hauler (or warp drive testbed, or exploration ship, depending who on the production staff you ask!)

 

The transporter pad on Enterprise was designed for cargo use, but rated for being able to handle humans. Meaning it could be used for that, but it was not its intended function on the starship. Franklin's weren't rated for humans, but was probably just one iteration behind that of Enterprise, so it could probably do it, but was not recommended. It is possible that over time they found things were not idea with that transporter setup and in a later starship design, made for a six pad configuration. But multiple pads at first required more operators and controls to keep the multiple matter streams intact for separate reintegration on the other end.

After several decades operating it like that, they managed to simplify the system so it only needs one operator and less controls. In even later eras, it can be triggered automatically by remote.

 

We don't really know whether the Franklin set was rated for humans or not. Quite possibly it went the very same route as the Enterprise set, getting a page saying "Okay for people" added to the manual.

As for being designed for X, Y or Z, Earth back then might have been forced to design all its ships for every letter of the alphabet, ships being such rare things. The Franklin may have been a passable transport and a sturdy mount for experimental engines, a miserable border patrol cutter and the most uncomfortable VIP yacht in history, all of them at the same time.

Timo Saloniemi

 

We saw the NCC-1701's transporter being manned by two people ... ONCE, I believe. And there could be any number of excuses for that.

Maybe they were having refits or repairs that day, and there was an extra tech on hand in case anything went wrong?

 

Well, it was the pilot episode and IRL they didn't have a transporter console yet, it was the helm/nav panel imported from the bridge.

 

The problem that some people consider Star Trek Enterprise too advanced for 22 century is because of the shape of the ship. It look like a 24 century ship rather than the ball kind of saucer like Daudalus. But I think it is justified for the show. Because those two people who're responsible for the raise of Starfleet have been contaminated by seeing the Enterprise E in Star Trek First Contact. That contamination make their taste of design change. Because they have seen the aesthetic of the 24 century Starship. So rather than they go to what they would do (IF ST First Contact didn't happen), they use Enterprise E and Picard's ship collection in his ready-room as the example, and pursue to develop them instead.

That's why I think Star Trek Enterprise is not happen in Prime timeline, but in their own timeline (which era split when ST First Contact happen). So it is a reboot. And Kelvin Era is basically the continuation of Enterprise Universe than the Prime Universe.

 

What ball ship? We never really got a helping of those. There never was a Daedalus class ship with a spherical hull on screen, and indeed in-universe the ball hulls are a 24th century thing, as in TNG "All Good Things..".

Some fans might have expected spheres in the 2150s. Others might have expected the shapes familiar from Sternbach's Spaceflight Chronology artwork. But those would have been alternate universes - in the Prime one, there has never been anything but saucers for the hero ships.

Timo Saloniemi

 

I agree that some aspects of ENT seem realistic for the era, such as a cramped submarine look in the ship, and uniforms derived from NASA flight suits. (Actually, for duty aboard a starship the jumpsuit look appears more practical than the mini skirt look in TOS).

Other aspects seem at least somewhat plausible, such as transporters and beam weapons being new tech. Warp 5 making Archer's ship faster than earlier models, but not as fast as Kirk's Enterprise-the Warp 5 program being a relatively early version warp drive.

Having the grappler rather than tractor beams-right, definitely less advanced than Kirk's Enterprise, tractor beams haven't even reached the prototype stage.

 

I think of the U.S.S. Franklin being the established level of tech when Archer's Enterprise was launched. Franklin's level of tech would be considered modern at the time, while Enterprise was full of experimental/prototype/bleeding edge technology. At warp 4, Franklin would be deemed fast, and has real artificial gravity. But I imagine the MACOs carrying projectile weapons instead of beam weapons. And at this level transporters would be deemed experimental.

I imagine the ships before the Franklin's class being not just slower, but also spinning to simulate gravity (in appearance resembling the ship in Passengers). These ships would have been used for the first interstellar expeditions, and used to establish the first colonies in other solar systems.

 

There was a Daedalus model in DS9's school and then later in Sisko's office with TOS markings and colouring.

Except the fact the final episode took place in the Prime Timeline and Riker called the simulation historical.

Plus the word of god (aka the producers/writers and CBS)

I doubt most of audience would have cared. The Daedalus never showed up on screen except for as a model on DS9, and I doubt most of them read any of the books which had the Daedalus in it. There probably would have been more complaints that it wasn't the normal saucer design.