Interesting canon references that were probably unintentional?

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

I'll start off:

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, in the episode "Quality of Life", scientists and engineers develop a 'particle fountain', which will revolutionize mining, by mining from orbit above a planet, using a particle beam to extract minerals from the rocks.

The Narada, which accidentally goes back in time from well after that TNG episode, seems to have a mining particle fountain, perhaps showing that the technology did indeed come to be disseminated in the following decades - even Romulan civilian mining rigs use it.

 

[Tenacity]

mining from orbit above a planet, using a particle beam

From dialog in the episode, the particle fountain was a method of lifting either ore or refined materials from the surface to orbit. I don't think it was a case of a energy beam being use to extract the materials from rock.

Geordi: "The original design called for the particle fountain to lift five hundred kilograms per minute from the surface."

The particle fountain is intended to be a form of transportation.

The Narada on the other hand had a cutting beam, there's been conjecture that the beam also in some fashion fused the sides of the resulting tube, so that the liquid rock and metal inside of Vulcan wouldn't simply close the tube as soon as the beam was shut off.

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

I can't remember; I'll have to watch the episode again

Another good one from yesterday, is the ship from the new series:

Spoiler: Star Trek: Discovery

Since it looks so much like Ralph MacQuarrie's concept designs from the 70s/80s, which were sometimes used in the background in TNG episodes, etc, it fits really really nicely with those, by showing a lost era of ship design, where those designs were used.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Hi @USS Einstein , I put that in spoiler code, as there may be people in this forum who are avoiding news of upcoming productions.

Regarding that submission...I think it was clearly intentional, rather than probably unintentional.

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

Sorry, will do!