Not wanting to download any dodgy 3rd party software, I spent a few minutes tweaking the star Windows screensaver on my office PC to resemble what the crew saw through the viewscreen.
Thanks for the answers guys.I guess from what I've heard that we can safely assume that these are stars the Enterprise is passing. I do think it's a bit odd that this was never explained at any point of the show though. Maybe they did that to leave room for interpretation?
...Trek was many things but it was never remotely hard SF. Its take on biology (a human/Vulcan hybrid? with the radically different internal layouts, biochemistry and, presuambly, genetics? better a human/begonia hybrid, they'd be more closely related...)...
But there's really no good reason that a starship would be gathering hydrogen atoms from space around them: there's almost no hydrogen out there, the rate of collection would be useless for the sorts of accelerations starships insist upon, and in areas of space like that around the Sun, they'd serve as much better brakes than anything else.A starships bussard collectors magnetically attract stray hydrogen molecules and pull them into the ship's ramscoop on the front of its necelles. It could be safe to assume that as the hydrogen molecules pass through the warp field they would be excited and begin to glow. Of course that doesn't explain all the streaks moving past the ship, but that's my best guess
The hydrogen molecules could have many uses, not the least of which is raw matter for ships stores. The replicators need basic matter to transform into those colorful yet tasty dishes and Earl Grey teas.But there's really no good reason that a starship would be gathering hydrogen atoms from space around them: there's almost no hydrogen out there, the rate of collection would be useless for the sorts of accelerations starships insist upon, and in areas of space like that around the Sun, they'd serve as much better brakes than anything else.A starships bussard collectors magnetically attract stray hydrogen molecules and pull them into the ship's ramscoop on the front of its necelles. It could be safe to assume that as the hydrogen molecules pass through the warp field they would be excited and begin to glow. Of course that doesn't explain all the streaks moving past the ship, but that's my best guess
...Trek was many things but it was never remotely hard SF. Its take on biology (a human/Vulcan hybrid? with the radically different internal layouts, biochemistry and, presuambly, genetics? better a human/begonia hybrid, they'd be more closely related...)...
Did you steal that from Carl Sagan? I'm pretty sure it was him who said Spock's mother would have had a better chance reproducing with a rutabaga.
As for later Trek's contributions, tho', with the TNG episode that established all life on worlds populated by humanoids was seeded long ago by the same ancient race, then there could be some connection between all humanoid forms. Could be that on those seeded worlds, all the humanoids are similar enough where with little or no intervention, they can reproduce. We've heard the non-canon things about Amanda's pregnancy being carefully monitored and procedures done during it. We also see on DS9 Bashir saying something about needing to do one little thing so that Jadzia and Worf would be sure to conceive a viable child.
If you wanted hydrogen molecules you would be vastly better off stopping by a planet and beaming some up. One liter of water, for example, which you can get in easy abundance from any pond, lake, ocean, glacier, or that matter comet or half of a soda bottle, has about as many hydrogen atoms as you would get by clearing out every single atom in a cube of interplanetary space twice as tall, wide, and broad as the planet Earth. If you're in interstellar space you'd have to cast a much wider net. That's not even getting into the braking effect.The hydrogen molecules could have many uses, not the least of which is raw matter for ships stores. The replicators need basic matter to transform into those colorful yet tasty dishes and Earl Grey teas.
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