Great Unanswered Trek Questions

[drasche]

Why is it...when ever someone uses the sub space videophone, the recipient is always sitting in front of the camera at the other end straight away!? Dont these sad people have lives or places to go? Are they never at the bottom of the garden when the Subspace phone rings, or on the can? doesn't Missus recipient ever answer the damn thing and say " Sorry..He's not here right now...he's outside hitting cardasian voles with a shovel...call back in ten minutes"?

I think it's called 'artistic licence' and also not going over budget. Anyway, has anyone ever gone to the loo inST?

I always joke with my friends about that: there is no toilet aboard a starship

 

[Dayton3]

In regards to the Prime Directive, I always figured that the Prime Directive was always in a state of flux kind of like the U.S. Bill of Rights.

While it is always present, different Federation govts. and even different agencies of the Federation interpret and apply it differently.

 

[nx1701g]

I always joke with my friends about that: there is no toilet aboard a starship

Actually there was one seen in Star Trek V. It was what Kirk was sitting on.

 

[Unicron]

Nope. Star Trek has never approached the human-centric arrogance found in Babylon 5 (humans form communities...wow what a concept) or Stargate (humans will go from nothing to becoming the Fifth race in just a few years...please). Sometimes it does espouse these ideas, but it has more often been about eliminating fear and prejudice than the uniqueness of humanity.

I never really got the impression that B5 had human-centricness, though there were certainly individual humans who were arrogant. I liked that Earth is a major power, but only in the midrange; the EA isn't nearly as powerful as the Minbari or even the Centauri, and the latter are in decline. Trek on the other hand has long favored keeping the focus on humans, because it's cheaper to do and they assume the fans will connect more. As a result, many of the alien species have suffered from either neglect (Romulans) or bad writing and overuse (Klingons).

 

[Arpy]

Ever WISH their were no toilets in the future? These people travel thousands of times the speed of light...maybe they've genetically-engineered themselves not to need to go to the bathroom. It may be silly, but if necessity is the mother of invention, can you imagine how freakin' awesome it would be not to have to go to the bathroom? Or if you only had to pee or fart or something once a day, and that's it.

 

[Andrew Harris]

Ever WISH their were no toilets in the future? These people travel thousands of times the speed of light...maybe they've genetically-engineered themselves not to need to go to the bathroom. It may be silly, but if necessity is the mother of invention, can you imagine how freakin' awesome it would be not to have to go to the bathroom? Or if you only had to pee or fart or something once a day, and that's it.

Actually, think the toilet is just a small transporter device that beams out the solid waste from your body and sends it into space.

It floats there until another starship comes by...and *thwack*.

(And then, when the captain of that ship says "What hit us? Put it on the viewscreen!", a song starts playing: "It's been a long time, getting from there to here...")

 

[drasche]

I always joke with my friends about that: there is no toilet aboard a starship

Actually there was one seen in Star Trek V. It was what Kirk was sitting on.

Then I'll have to watch it again because I don't remember it at all

 

[WillsBabe]

In TMP where did they get the footage of V'ger attacking the Klingon ship and Epsilon 9?

Is Sherlock Holmes really an ancestor of Spock's?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

In TMP where did they get the footage of V'ger attacking the Klingon ship and Epsilon 9?

Spy satellites.

One of the Epsilon 9 technicians says "Our sensor drone is intercepting this" when the commander comes in to watch the footage.

 

[WillsBabe]

^Okay. Good answer!

 

[pookha]

hmm in both cases it is mentioned they are switching to external views.

remembering that epsilon 9 seems to be acting as some sort of listening station they might be picking up stuff both from the klingon ships and very possibly from probes or proximity detectors the klingons have set up in that part of space.

the same is possibly true of the footage from the destruction of epsilon 9 itself.
kirk orders an exterior view which probably picked up images from a sensor probe near the station itself.

 

[AstroSmurf]

My list...

1. Why does Starfleet insist on placing their ship bridges on the top of the ship where they are fully exposed?

2. Why would a fully shielded shuttle craft be subjected to any kind of extreme atmospheric turbulence? Wouldn't the shield bubble lessen the amount of friction on the outer hull and, if so, couldn't the shield configuration be altered to lessen the impact of wind currents in extreme situations?

3. How is possible that completely different species from separate worlds be able to procreate at all? Is Trek suggesting that all biological life (with the exception of the genetic seeding by the preservers from TNG's "The Chase") uses the same exact molecules in their DNA?

4. How can a starship survive all manner of phenomenon, including subspace anomalies, extreme inertia and gravitational fluctuations, but one or two well place hits from a simple energy weapon can destabilize or fatally cripple a warp core?

5. What does God need with a starship?

6. How extensively have humans populated the Terran system in the 24th Century? Do we just a few colonies with the bulk of the populace living on Earth? (And if we do have Venus, Mars, Titan, etc populated, why would the Borg skip all of those tasty targets and head straight for Earth every single time?)

7. Why do ships always meet each other right-side-up and within a fifty meters? Is there some sort of ship etiquette that we are not privy too and do they not worry about bumping into each other?

8. Why do starships take so freaking long to build? With the Federation possessing technology to create huge amounts energy, advanced computer technology and replication systems, should it really take seven years to construct a Galaxy-class ship?


Of course most of these, if not all of them, can be explained away with a simple production/writing/artistic explanation. But a nice easy "in-show" answer would have been nice to have.

 

[Deks]

My list...

1. Why does Starfleet insist on placing their ship bridges on the top of the ship where they are fully exposed?

2. Why would a fully shielded shuttle craft be subjected to any kind of extreme atmospheric turbulence? Wouldn't the shield bubble lessen the amount of friction on the outer hull and, if so, couldn't the shield configuration be altered to lessen the impact of wind currents in extreme situations?

3. How is possible that completely different species from separate worlds be able to procreate at all? Is Trek suggesting that all biological life (with the exception of the genetic seeding by the preservers from TNG's "The Chase") uses the same exact molecules in their DNA?

4. How can a starship survive all manner of phenomenon, including subspace anomalies, extreme inertia and gravitational fluctuations, but one or two well place hits from a simple energy weapon can destabilize or fatally cripple a warp core?

5. What does God need with a starship?

6. How extensively have humans populated the Terran system in the 24th Century? Do we just a few colonies with the bulk of the populace living on Earth? (And if we do have Venus, Mars, Titan, etc populated, why would the Borg skip all of those tasty targets and head straight for Earth every single time?)

7. Why do ships always meet each other right-side-up and within a fifty meters? Is there some sort of ship etiquette that we are not privy too and do they not worry about bumping into each other?

8. Why do starships take so freaking long to build? With the Federation possessing technology to create huge amounts energy, advanced computer technology and replication systems, should it really take seven years to construct a Galaxy-class ship?


Of course most of these, if not all of them, can be explained away with a simple production/writing/artistic explanation. But a nice easy "in-show" answer would have been nice to have.

1. Tradition perhaps? SF is not well known sometimes for common sense.
2. Drama ... they lose shuttles easier that way and place the crew on-board in dangerous situations.
3. I think it was explained in Trek that most of the humanoid races are compatible to a certain degree, but still need science in order to help with the reproductive process if members of different humanoid (or otherwise) species decide to reproduce.
4. Depends really on the technological capability. Sometimes shields and star-ships can weather through various 'natural' phenomena without problems while specialized weapons do more concentrated damage and feedback pulses that obviously occur during combat which damage equipment and tech (although I agree that at times it was exaggerated)
5. The creature in question was not a 'god'. It was confined to a planet near the center of the galaxy and would be able to leave it's 'prison' by going inside the ship which would travel beyond the barrier with it's shields on and therefore set it free.
6. Writers negligence and drama. More to the point though, the Borg were more interested in the main capital of the Federation instead of just smaller 'colonies' (which by the 24th centuries by all accounts and purposes should have flourished enormously). Like I said ... writers negligence (just as the Enterprise is usually the only ship in the area, or the 'hero' ship is able of bringing down the enemy).
7. 'Visual coolness facto' (another stupidity as I would have preferred for combats for example to be done across huge distances like it was meant to be).
8. It was never really stated on-screen how long it took SF to construct a Galaxy class star-ship. However my personal opinion would sooner be that with their level of technology and construction methods, it would take about 6 months, if not less. I don't buy the TM statements because it's ridiculously down-scaled and SF also has numerous mushroom type star-bases (initially built in the mid/late 23rd century) spreading throughout the Federation that are actual cities in space (and as such far larger ... about 10x ... than a Galaxy class star-ship).

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I always joke with my friends about that: there is no toilet aboard a starship

Actually there was one seen in Star Trek V. It was what Kirk was sitting on.

Also, we see the 'heads' (to use naval terminology) in Picard's ready rooms, both on the Ent-D (several episodes - it's directly across from the food slot) and the E (ST:FC - that scene where he dreams that Borg implants are coming out of his face). And Riker's quarters' bathroom is shown in "Up the Long Ladder", as are Deanna's in "Genesis".

Why does Starfleet insist on placing their ship bridges on the top of the ship where they are fully exposed?

It wouldn't help, even if the bridge was deep inside the hull. The bridge would be just as vulnerable there. For one reason:

Shields.

Any attack that's powerful enough to punch through a ship's shields, will reach the bridge no matter where it is. It's not the hull's job to protect the bridge. That's what shields are for.

You might as well ask why the nacelles aren't always glommed directly onto the ship (as on the Defiant class) rather than at the ends of pylons which could be shot off. Same reason: The shields, not the hull, are the main protective force that any ship has.

 

[judge alba]

i have a question in startrek 3 or 4 they show an external view of the enterprise blowing up at kirks trial (i think) where did they get the footage from i doubt the klingons would have taped it

 

[Dayton3]

i have a question in startrek 3 or 4 they show an external view of the enterprise blowing up at kirks trial (i think) where did they get the footage from i doubt the klingons would have taped it

The novelization explains that those images were indeed part of a transmission of the incident transmitted by the Klingon who survived back to the Empire before he committed suicide.

In regards to the bridge of starships.

Very easy for modular swap out when technology changes.

Also, some fan made blueprints have suggested that the bridge and upper two or three decks on some classes of starships have a secondary "lifeboat" function. That is they can detach and save most of the officers and other key personnel.

 

[enan]

Here is my question, how in the galaxy does Starfleet get people to volunteer for Security duty on the Enterprise considering the mortality rate?

 

[Deks]

Here is my question, how in the galaxy does Starfleet get people to volunteer for Security duty on the Enterprise considering the mortality rate?

They consider security to be something they enjoy doing/enforcing and being on star-ships gets them to explore uncharted territories in the process.
All away missions are dangerous for everyone ... not just for the security personnel ... but again, the writers went overboard with this so they could have casualties on the sides while preserving the main cast.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Why was Julian blamed for being genetically engineered when it was his parents' idea and he was only six?!?

Because the little git concealed it for decades, despite being well aware of the law against those so enhanced entering Starfleet. If Siddig hadn't been a main cast member, Bashir would have been cashiered from the service ... and rightly so.

Considering the phobic, irrational way people in the Federation act in regards to genetic enhancements, he was right to say nothing. Sorta like being gay in the military today.

Why is Starfleet largely made up of hew-mons? And when will they catch on that they are be used as the Federation's cannon fodder?

 

[JM1776]

Considering the phobic, irrational way people in the Federation act in regards to genetic enhancements, he was right to say nothing.

Because, of course, the fact that it's illegal in no way should have any influence over someone sworn to uphold Federation law and principles.

He was smart to say nothing. Big difference.

Why is Starfleet largely made up of hew-mons? And when will they catch on that they are be used as the Federation's cannon fodder?

Humans essentially control the fleet ... and I'm quite sure humans prefer it that way.