Long overdue improvements to Starfleet

[Lt. Beatings]

Hi, not an improvement on the show necessarily, but stuff starfleet should do.

The biggest one for me is that all shuttles should be replaced with defiant class ships. Then when there's a battle you have 2 ships instead of 1. Will save lots of lives.

Also the holocomm should've come in a while ago. It's the 24th century and we're still talking over a 15 inch monitor? (Holocomm is a cheap special effect for the show too, basically just having the actor on set. Lots of cool technology could've been shown by being indistinguishable from non-tech, as the holocomm was)

Also, after seeing the EMH get around it looks like you could have a crew of holograms, save maybe a few command personnel. It wouldn't make a great show though.

Oh yeah and why not a holographic bridge? Would be awesome, and on the theme of blurring the lines between tech/non-tech, you could have a natural environment/controls as because it's a holobridge, anything goes. You could have the weapons guy with a rifle and when he fires it, the phasers go, etc. Cheap to produce as well. Or if you want to maintain a standard bridge, the holobridge still means you can change configuration whenever you want, re-generating consoles when they explode, etc.

As I type this I notice the emoticons on the side laughing at me.

 

[BillJ]

Hi, not an improvement on the show necessarily, but stuff starfleet should do.

The biggest one for me is that all shuttles should be replaced with defiant class ships. Then when there's a battle you have 2 ships instead of 1. Will save lots of lives.

You do realize that Defiant-class vessels are quite a bit larger than a standard shuttle craft?

Also the holocomm should've come in a while ago. It's the 24th century and we're still talking over a 15 inch monitor? (Holocomm is a cheap special effect for the show too, basically just having the actor on set. Lots of cool technology could've been shown by being indistinguishable from non-tech, as the holocomm was)

That 15-inch monitor probably uses quite a bit less in the way of energy

Also, after seeing the EMH get around it looks like you could have a crew of holograms, save maybe a few command personnel. It wouldn't make a great show though.

Great idea until the few actual people on board go crazy because there's hardly anyone to talk to.

Oh yeah and why not a holographic bridge? Would be awesome, and on the theme of blurring the lines between tech/non-tech, you could have a natural environment/controls as because it's a holobridge, anything goes. You could have the weapons guy with a rifle and when he fires it, the phasers go, etc. Cheap to produce as well. Or if you want to maintain a standard bridge, the holobridge still means you can change configuration whenever you want, re-generating consoles when they explode, etc.

Until someone hits a primary power coupling and the power goes out. Then you have a bunch of people stuck in a room while the ship flies out of control. Not to mention the fact that a holographic bridge would probably consume a great deal more power than a standard bridge would.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Seat belts.

 

[tafkats]

Seat belts.

Where's a rep button when you need one?

 

[The Wormhole]

The biggest one for me is that all shuttles should be replaced with defiant class ships. Then when there's a battle you have 2 ships instead of 1. Will save lots of lives.

A Defiant class ship requires a minimum crew of 40 people, a standard shuttle can be operated with a minimum of 1 person. Then there's the nagging problem of a Defiant being comprised of 5 decks and most starships don't have shuttlebays large enough to accomodate that.

Also the holocomm should've come in a while ago. It's the 24th century and we're still talking over a 15 inch monitor? (Holocomm is a cheap special effect for the show too, basically just having the actor on set. Lots of cool technology could've been shown by being indistinguishable from non-tech, as the holocomm was)

My understanding was that tyhe holocomm upset a lot of behind the scenes people and that's why they stopped using it. It's for a similar reason that the Enterprise E's holographic viewscreen was turned into a traditional viewscreen in Insurrection and Nemesis. Don't ask me how Abrams got away with his window thing.

Also, after seeing the EMH get around it looks like you could have a crew of holograms, save maybe a few command personnel. It wouldn't make a great show though.

So instead of humanity exploring space we'd have drone ships with a skeleton crew doing the work for them? Yeah, that kind of goes against the Trek spirit.

Oh yeah and why not a holographic bridge? Would be awesome, and on the theme of blurring the lines between tech/non-tech, you could have a natural environment/controls as because it's a holobridge, anything goes. You could have the weapons guy with a rifle and when he fires it, the phasers go, etc. Cheap to produce as well. Or if you want to maintain a standard bridge, the holobridge still means you can change configuration whenever you want, re-generating consoles when they explode, etc.

Okay, ship loses power, your bridge disappears. At least with an actual bridge you could always hook a portable power supply to a console. You can't do that if there is no console.

 

[bullethead]

Also the holocomm should've come in a while ago. It's the 24th century and we're still talking over a 15 inch monitor? (Holocomm is a cheap special effect for the show too, basically just having the actor on set. Lots of cool technology could've been shown by being indistinguishable from non-tech, as the holocomm was)

My understanding was that tyhe holocomm upset a lot of behind the scenes people and that's why they stopped using it. It's for a similar reason that the Enterprise E's holographic viewscreen was turned into a traditional viewscreen in Insurrection and Nemesis. Don't ask me how Abrams got away with his window thing.

I heard that the problem with the holocom was that viewers didn't realize the hologram was a hologram and thought that the character in question was actually on the bridge.

The Abrams viewscreen wasn't a problem because they just overlaid some infographics over a window, so it kept the traditional window looking out towards the stars aesthetic that the viewscreen traditionally had in the Prime universe stuff. It didn't radically change anything, unlike the holo-viewscreen.

 

[Lt. Beatings]

Don't seem to recall there being a holo viewscreen . . . in TNG. How did it differ from just your regular viewscreen?

 

[Lt. Beatings]

A Defiant class ship requires a minimum crew of 40 people, a standard shuttle can be operated with a minimum of 1 person. Then there's the nagging problem of a Defiant being comprised of 5 decks and most starships don't have shuttlebays large enough to accomodate that.

Maybe. The Defiant could also be integrated into the main ship, i.e. it would make up some of the living quarters in the Enterprise, and some of the cargo area, etc. Then when battle comes, it unhooks. Kinda of like the saucer separation, except the larger ship doesn't lose any power/size.

So instead of humanity exploring space we'd have drone ships with a skeleton crew doing the work for them? Yeah, that kind of goes against the Trek spirit.

It would, but it makes sense in war time.

Okay, ship loses power, your bridge disappears. At least with an actual bridge you could always hook a portable power supply to a console. You can't do that if there is no console.

There would always be a console somewhere even on the holobridge.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Don't seem to recall there being a holo viewscreen . . . in TNG. How did it differ from just your regular viewscreen?

The holo-communicator appeared in two episodes of DS9 and that was it.

The device appeared (to us, the viewer) as if the person on the other end of the signal was sitting right there in the room with whoever was talking to them. The only indication that they were a hologram was a glowing line around the base of their chair.

 

[7thsealord]

Defiants instead of shuttles? Sure, why not? While we're about it, give every ship a couple of extra warp nacelles, just in case they lose one. Oh, and definitely at least one spare Warp Core each, because those things ALWAYS cause trouble ....

*****

Improvements to Star Fleet?

In a word, Marines.

Gene Roddenberry refused to ever consider the idea. Supposedly, he saw it as counter to his vision of Star Fleet being devoted to defense and peaceful exploration. Probably with some justification - one does have terrifying visions of some Paramount "genius" fusing Trek with 'Starship Troopers'. Not a pretty picture, to put it mildly.

Certainly, beaming down a squad of heavily-armed (and, presumably, heavily armoured) troops would not make a favourable impression in most first contact situations; and probably would not be first, second or third choices for low-key scientific investigations, etc.. But having starship personnel act as ground troops (as happened several times in DS9, and at least a couple of times in each of the other series) is just plain idiotic. IMO, the MECOs in 'Enterprise' were a dern good idea.

It could be argued, with some validity, that this problem would be solved with equipment upgrades for Security. I am not so sure - the primary emphasis of Star Fleet's Security is really about protection of their assigned ship / base, and personnel thereof. More like Military Police or Shore Patrol, when you think of it, than actual troops. Rather different skillset.

Also, I think there is a certain unspoken prejudice there - an assumption that any ground troops would merely be draftees with guns. But, looking at the evolution of ground forces (especially in the West, since the end of the Cold War!), one finds that the level of sophistication has become quite amazing. With this in mind, a Star Fleet Marine Corps would, in all likelihood, be as well-trained and tech-savvy as its Star Fleet parent (albeit more specialized), and with its own well-developed ethos.

 

[T'Girl]

Don't seem to recall there being a holo viewscreen . . . in TNG. How did it differ from just your regular viewscreen?

There was a holographic viewscreen in the movie First Contact. The forward wall of the bridge was just a blank wall, but could have a hologram projected in front of it.

When the Enterprise first arrives at Earth for the big battle, you can see it clearly when Picard orders visual.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Improvements to Star Fleet?

In a word, Marines.

Gene Roddenberry refused to ever consider the idea.

Actually, I heard the opposite - that Gene once suggested that the Enterprise did carry a platoon of Marines but he couldn't figure out how to work them into an episode...

 

[captcalhoun]

it's quoted on wikipedia that he said sometime in the 60s or 70s that he thought the Enterprise had Marines on board, but it doesn't say he never figured out how to use them. christ, they could've easily been used in Errand of Mercy or even The Trouble With Tribbles. or they honour guard in Journey to Babel could've been given different uniforms as Marines...

 

[T'Girl]

^ The scene at the end of Friday's Child, where Scotty arrives with "The Troops" would have been a good place. Security comes off as more than simply Military Policemen in that one short scene.

 

[The Wormhole]

I heard that the problem with the holocom was that viewers didn't realize the hologram was a hologram and thought that the character in question was actually on the bridge.

Despite the fact that dialogue made that very clear?

The Abrams viewscreen wasn't a problem because they just overlaid some infographics over a window, so it kept the traditional window looking out towards the stars aesthetic that the viewscreen traditionally had in the Prime universe stuff. It didn't radically change anything, unlike the holo-viewscreen.

How did the holo viewscreen "radically change things?" The holo viewscreen is just a viewscreen done as a holographic projection as opposed to an actual screen. It doesn't radically change anything, it's just different from the norm. So whi is this considered so wrong that it has to be changed, but Abrams is allowed to get away with something else which is different from the norm? Or should we expect a traditional viewscreen in Trek XII?

 

[CoveTom]

Improvements to Star Fleet?

In a word, Marines.

Gene Roddenberry refused to ever consider the idea.

Actually, I heard the opposite - that Gene once suggested that the Enterprise did carry a platoon of Marines but he couldn't figure out how to work them into an episode...

Remember that Roddenberry may very well have said both, depending on whether we're talking about 60's Roddenberry or 80's Roddenberry. I can see him saying that Kirk's Enterprise had Marines back in the day, but changing his mind and declaring that Picard's Enterprise would never have such a thing.

 

[Forbin]

The Ent-D's viewscreen was supposed to be holographic, with images showing depth behind the frame. It was sort of shown as best they could, by having talking heads on the screen shot at a proper angle to be looking at the person talking to them from the bridge when the camera was off-center. Sort of.

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

1 ) Seatbelts
2 ) better gear for security. I don't care if they're supposed to be MPs, they're about as well-equipped as a kid with a Nerf gun. I'm not just talking weapons, either. Starfleet's security officers are caught in the 19th century, with the exception of their fancy ray guns. It's like they haven't even heard of the information age.
3 ) Multiple primary power plants onboard ships. TOS did good by this, but TNG-onwards narrowed things down to a single point of failure. Redundancy means that it's easier to perform regular maintenance without offlining a lot of stuff. It's also better for damage control.
4 ) Actually have security checkpoints on their ships. How many times has someone stolen a shuttlecraft or used the transporters without permission?
5 ) Active anti-transporter defenses seperate of the shields, for use during yellow and red alerts. Transporters have proven to be easily defeated by all manners of interference. This really shouldn't be too difficult.
6 ) There's some bizarre brain bug Star Trek writers have that says you have to be the rank of Captain to captain a ship. This is absolutley bizarro. Let's get some Lieutenant Commanders and Commanders up in that business.
7 ) More enlisted people. Starfleet officers take 4 years to train. I very much doubt the entire fleet is officers. Starfleet needs somebody to keep their lights running.

there's probably a whole laundry list, but I can't be bothered.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

Don't ask me how Abrams got away with his window thing.

By telling anyone who complained, "Because I'm the director and I said so. Now STFU and GTFO."

So instead of humanity exploring space we'd have drone ships with a skeleton crew doing the work for them?

The ship visits a strange new world. The captain decides to send an away team. The Away team will consist of himself, the first officer, the doctor, the chief engineer and for some reason the guy who serves coffee in the mess hall.

Seems to me the only difference would be they leave the ship being run by the computer and/or an army of holographic programs instead of a bunch of disposable redshirts. Other than that, it's not much different, EXCEPT we finally have a feasible excuse for why nobody other than the bridge crew ever goes on away missions.

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

Or cut out the holographic middleman and make the ship self-sustaining and self repairing. Internal robots. Nanotech. Smart materials.

You know, the stuff that Star Trek ignored as it popped up in popular scifi.