Logistics

[Hilary]

So...

I have been watching some shows - a lot of Trek - and more recently Enterprise.

I am constantly annoyed by failures of logistics. I can take the pretend science and all that. But I am brought out of the suspension of disbelief by logistical inconsistencies.

"The Breach". ENT, Episode 2x21. Production number: 047. First aired: 23 April 2003.

The crew sends down a team to locate 3 Denobulan geologists. who don't show up on sensors. It takes them nearly a day and a half to locate them, and one of their team suffers a serious injury.

My question is: why didn't then down several probes instead.

They had these target drones that they used for phase pistol practice. There was a lot of other technology shown in various episodes. Why didn't they just send down a dozen or so probes?

 

[The Wormhole]

In the case of that episode the missing Denobulan subplot was added specifically because they needed something to pad the episode out. So if they had sent probes to search for them, they'd be defeating the purpose of the whole subplot.

 

[Hopeful Romantic]

We would have missed the delectable sight of buffed Mayweather in his skintight rock-climbing duds.

Not at all connected to logistics, I know...

 

[Timo]

I'm not sure the 22nd century Earth actually had small-scale hovering technology that would have made practical flying drones possible.

What we see at the phaser range appears to be a holographic projection rather than a robot: it gets activated when Reed manipulates a wall projector, say. Small antigrav drones still impress our DSC heroes in 2258, so their 2150s equivalents simply might have not been up to the challenges of spelunking. (Today's propeller-based drones might have trouble in tight spots, I guess.)

Timo Saloniemi

 

[at Quark's]

^add to that that they probably would need to be capable of independent operation, so they would need the AI on board those drones to match. It's quite conceivable that some segments of the spelunk wouldn't allow for contact with an off-site operator , after all.

 

[Timo]

Somehow I have an easier time believing that AI is up to realistic levels in the Trek future, since we don't get explicit counterindications. It's just that AI isn't allowed to speak in the presence of its Masters, except in a tinny and deferential voice...

We know shuttles can hover all right. But there's a conspicuous absence of flying belts or even flying cars in "early" Trek, and then this surprise revelation that hovering drones are considered cool by Burnham and pals in "Brother". Perhaps there's something to it? The general failure to have robotics in Trek could be attributed to them having insufficient mobility technology, and caves would be the ultimate test.

Then again, DSC now seems to show that the cutesy repair bots are easily capable of hovering inside the starship where regular folks get pulled towards the floor, making the "Brother" amazement a bit inconsistent. But that's a century after "The Breach".

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Kraig]

So...

I have been watching some shows - a lot of Trek - and more recently Enterprise.

I am constantly annoyed by failures of logistics. I can take the pretend science and all that. But I am brought out of the suspension of disbelief by logistical inconsistencies.

"The Breach". ENT, Episode 2x21. Production number: 047. First aired: 23 April 2003.

The crew sends down a team to locate 3 Denobulan geologists. who don't show up on sensors. It takes them nearly a day and a half to locate them, and one of their team suffers a serious injury.

My question is: why didn't then down several probes instead.

They had these target drones that they used for phase pistol practice. There was a lot of other technology shown in various episodes. Why didn't they just send down a dozen or so probes?

Just my opinion, but if they had such probes available, the writers would have written in something about the caves being lined by some type of mineral that renders the probes not able to function properly. They at least saved us some technobabble by not mentioning why the probes could not be used. Probably the same reason they could not directly communicate with the geologists via radio.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

Why would Starfleet risk any lives at any time period and not just send out vast numbers of probes/drones, would be far less resource-intensive and they could be controlled remotely to gather sensor data on spatial phenomena, observe and then open up communications with new alien races, and if they're equipped with weaponry then be used to defend Federation interests. There would be little need to send out crewed ships.

 

[Agony_Boothb]

So...

I have been watching some shows - a lot of Trek - and more recently Enterprise.

I am constantly annoyed by failures of logistics. I can take the pretend science and all that. But I am brought out of the suspension of disbelief by logistical inconsistencies.

"The Breach". ENT, Episode 2x21. Production number: 047. First aired: 23 April 2003.

The crew sends down a team to locate 3 Denobulan geologists. who don't show up on sensors. It takes them nearly a day and a half to locate them, and one of their team suffers a serious injury.

My question is: why didn't then down several probes instead.

They had these target drones that they used for phase pistol practice. There was a lot of other technology shown in various episodes. Why didn't they just send down a dozen or so probes?

Because that would be awfully boring to watch. As another poster said, why even bother putting people on ships when the ships could probably be automated and explore the galaxy.

Star Trek is about people and exploring the human condition. This is something that some Trek Fans seem to forget.

 

[Mister Spock]

They can't send probes for reasons of plot and nobody wants to watch people sat around a monitor, watching footage from a probe, for 45 minutes.