if we ever wanted to have a socity as idealistic as federation humans, i'd imagine the replicator is the only thing to remove greed and the rat race to that extant?
most important piece of tech in utopian 23-24th century star trek?
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One thing that I'm uncertain of, though, is where the replicator gets its raw materials. I believe it was the FASA (non-canon) TNG Officer's Manual that mentioned that the replicators pulled from the ships' supplies, whereas I've read other sources that said that the replicator pulls elements from the surroundings.
If the former, then no, the replicator would have no bearing on greed as you'd need to afford the supplies to run it.
That said, I'm sure that the replicator would be one of, if not THE most important factor in removing greed if the raw material source is not a factor.
If the former, then no, the replicator would have no bearing on greed as you'd need to afford the supplies to run it.
That said, I'm sure that the replicator would be one of, if not THE most important factor in removing greed if the raw material source is not a factor.
i can't remember any particular scenes detailing where the replicators matter comes from or how finite it is. especially on a starship, where would this hypothetical matter come from to have a crew of 1200 replicating stuff at will?
would you guys rather see humanity invent a replicator that is cheap to run and own, or warp drive?
would you guys rather see humanity invent a replicator that is cheap to run and own, or warp drive?
Federation notwithstanding, some sort of replication device for unlimited food and supplies would be far more important to attain a utopian society (whether it's the Federation proper or some other Utopia) than star travel. Actually, quite the opposite. How many sci-fi movies do you see that meeting alien species results in less than pleasant results? I'm not saying that's what would happen, but it could as easily as not in exploring the stars.
The Federation, I would argue, became more utopian (still not there, though) after replicators.
The Federation, I would argue, became more utopian (still not there, though) after replicators.
i mean more if we could import one of these technologies into the real world. as sexy as warp is, humanity would be much better benefited by cheap functional replicators.
i agree. at this point the only intelligent life we know of is humanity, and i'm unsure if i'd want to meet humanity if i was nearby
The replicator is only useful as long as it has energy (raw materials aren't the issue - it can break down and reconfigure matter at the molecular level, so you could recycle crap into anything you want - though the TNG Tech Manual does say the ship uses a bulk "base matter" supply for general use as it needs less energy to reconfigure). So I'd say the main issue is cheap, clean energy. They've cracked safe, compact fusion generators, and M/A reactors probably supply enough to run an entire planet, if you're not fussed about high-end stuff like shields and phaser emplacements.
Most Fed worlds probably also have efficient geo-thermal taps or orbital solar arrays.
Most Fed worlds probably also have efficient geo-thermal taps or orbital solar arrays.
Between the two, I would rather Humanity had a FTL drive.
Soylent Green.
I don't think that star travel would, in itself, contribute all that much toward a Utopian Society, though.
FTL cool? Absolutely. I'd love to visit other stars. Then again, I'd love to visit the Bahamas, but that won't create a world of compassion and tolerance.
FTL cool? Absolutely. I'd love to visit other stars. Then again, I'd love to visit the Bahamas, but that won't create a world of compassion and tolerance.
I'm gonna go a different route and say the universal translator. Just learning a different human language can take years, and humans all have common frames of reference. Imagine using a universal translator, just amongst humans, so we all could communicate with each other with no problems. Than amplify that with alien languages, people with whom we don't have a common frame of reference at all. Proper communication would help people work together to develop other new tech, such as replicators.
By itself, neither will the replicator.
True, though replicators could reduce some of the competition for resources between peoples.
The largest factor in Star Trek towards peace on Earth is actually a simple thing...knowing that aliens are real and we are not alone in the galaxy. Having another species on another planet that is the outside can easily unite humanity as out species suddenly seems very small and vulnerable, leaving no place for out usually conflicts which in the larger scheme of the galaxy, are pointless.
The largest factor in Star Trek towards peace on Earth is actually a simple thing...knowing that aliens are real and we are not alone in the galaxy. Having another species on another planet that is the outside can easily unite humanity as out species suddenly seems very small and vulnerable, leaving no place for out usually conflicts which in the larger scheme of the galaxy, are pointless.
That might actual work against regional and world peace. Today with interconnected trade, nations need each other and depend on each other for food, goods and resources.
What happens if the nations don't have to worry about being cut off, and there's no fear of say trade sanctions? Would there be anything holding China from more territorial expansion? The replicator could increase the likelihood of war.
Why have a European Union? One (best?) advantage of the EU is the ease of cross border trade. With the replicator, no trade.
And what happens to employment and economies if I can (examples) just replicate grocery store items right in my apartment, or a container of gasoline?
With no jobs how would the majority of people afford to purchase the power to just to operate their shiny new replicators?
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I suppose the most integral technology to Star Trek is the warp drive because it allows for alien contact which is described as the reason for human peace. But, not just the knowledge of aliens united humanity, Vulcan aid did as well in Enterprise, and we see that not all of humanity is in Utopian condition just because of knowledge of aliens. The chaos occasionally witnessed on various colonies show us a different reality.
So, even if knowledge of aliens isn't the real key, it is held up as one within the minds of characters, and we can take it as an expression of a critical ideal which itself might aid in Utopia. The belief drives humans of Earth to reach out in peace to new civilizations and that is the mission statement of Starfleet.
So, even if knowledge of aliens isn't the real key, it is held up as one within the minds of characters, and we can take it as an expression of a critical ideal which itself might aid in Utopia. The belief drives humans of Earth to reach out in peace to new civilizations and that is the mission statement of Starfleet.
We had a thread a year ago or so where it was determined the replicator is definitely an energy to matter and matter to energy converter, but there are also trade agreements for raw materials and various statements and displays of raw materials being harvested. My guess is replicators are expensive to run, power wise, and that running off raw materials makes them cheaper, but on a Starship with limited volume and extremely high power output it makes sense to use direct energy to matter conversion and not bother with the more efficient chemical level replication. That would also explain why a small Maquis colony has a single public replicator in their town square, rather than everyone having their own replicator.
I recall a thread like that, but I don't remember such a definitive conclusion being reached!
What became of the principal obstacle to that interpretation; namely, that if a common replicator node can convert energy to matter (and vice versa) then why bother with a warp core at all?
Also, energy limitations shouldn't really apply to replicator yards that are located within solar systems - each has a colossal energy source, shining away in the centre!
