Starfleet technology: who gets access to what and when?

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

This question stems from the earlier conversation on transporter access and who could use it and how.

Since we seems to be in a "fleet bubble" - that is, seeing a good deal of Starfleet/other military agencies' technology and access to it, we tend to assume (subconsiously) everyone has the same level of access to what is deemed "basic" tech - tricorders, transporters, etc.

But do they really? Do most civilians we see only have access due to being aboard the Enterprise-D and therefore surrounded by tech or those who use it as part of their job? Does everybody on Earth have a tricorder the way most/many now have cell phones?

 

[Albertese]

I doubt it. I suppose that tricorders and other equipment are job specific things to have. Most people in their day to day lives probably don't need one. If they are a civilian scientist who do, likely they can get one. Or at least a civilian version of one.

The most civilians we ever see are in DS9... does Quark own a tricorder? I'm not sure he'd need one.

Other things, like phasers, might be more restricted. But the basic stuff, I'm sure is available. Especially since replicators allow stuff to be made pretty casually.

--Alex

 

[Ithekro]

We know in the 22nd century, a farmer can have a plasma rifle.

 

[Timo]

Would civilians have less goodies than Starfleet, or more? Soldiers today lack access to certain life-enhancing technologies civilians routinely possess and operate (ranging from communications and entertainment to transportation, nutrition and habitation), either because the logistics of keeping the soldiers supplied would be prohibitively massive, or because the technologies cannot be ruggerized, or because the technologies would undermine morale and efficiency.

Riker was unused to quality holodecks in "Farpoint", say. Would a civilian have been better off there? The MACO in ENT S3 "still" had rifles shooting white bolts when Starfleet had adopted the red rayguns that we know were cutting edge. Would military conservatism keep the most modern weapons out of the hands of Starfleet personnel in the later centuries, until such were field-proven, a process possibly taking decades? Our heroes fly military shuttles capable of warp two, or bigger things capable of up to warp five - is it more common for civilians to operate ones moving at warp zillion, like Quark's Treasure? Etc.

We do know of some restrictions that work the other way around. One can't replicate the TR-116 rifle unless one is a privileged Starfleet officer. Also, biomimetic gel is contraband if you aren't Dr. Bashir, but perhaps you could be Dr. McCoy between TOS and TMP as well, or even a doctor who has never seen a starship from the inside?

There's plenty of room for guesswork since we see so few civilians. But if every home has a replicator and access to transporters, it's pretty difficult to keep any "bubbles" up.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

These days a lot of the technology we now take for granted began life as a top-secret (or not) military/NASA project. Fabrics and such. How fast would other applications be developed/be available for these things in the 22-24th centuries?

 

[Jose Tyler]

I doubt it. I suppose that tricorders and other equipment are job specific things to have. Most people in their day to day lives probably don't need one. If they are a civilian scientist who do, likely they can get one. Or at least a civilian version of one.

The most civilians we ever see are in DS9... does Quark own a tricorder? I'm not sure he'd need one.


--Alex

I'm sure Quark owns a tricorder. It probably wasn't acquired legally, but I'm sure he would explain having one is essential in his role as "community leader"...

 

[matthunter]

There are probably civilian-spec versions of most devices - tricorders with a more limited sensor that can only pick up common substances/energy sources/wavelengths, phasers limited to light/medium stun (if private citizens are allowed weapons), etcetera. When Sisko Senior had an angina attack, Ben asked Jake to fetch a hypospray from the bathroom cabinet, so some medical tech can be held in private hands - I think we've seen civilians with dermal regenerators too, though can't remember where.

Seven's parents were civilian scientists who had been given a small warp-capable ship and a ton of analytical gear to use for themselves, albeit funded by Starfleet. And wasn't there a civilian-operated Oberth-Class ship in one TNG ep?

 

[Timo]

While the filthily rich Kivas Fajo had a private starship, it could only do warp three or so. In contrast, the DMZ settlers in DS9 seem to have easy access to high speed starships, and massive numbers of them - enough to evacuate an entire planet at the drop of a hat at any random moment, as per "For the Uniform". Or at least the Maquis among them have that. So ordinary Joes or hunted criminals trump the filthily rich, and may well trump Starfleet as well.

(I guess Fajo could have been going for style over speed, perhaps even choosing the 24th century equivalent of a sailing yacht over a powerboat. But the point about common civilian access is well made there.)

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

When Sisko Senior had an angina attack, Ben asked Jake to fetch a hypospray from the bathroom cabinet, so some medical tech can be held in private hands - I think we've seen civilians with dermal regenerators too, though can't remember where.

Well, sure, but running to the doctor/nurse for every scrape and administration of medicine makes as little sense in the future as it does now. Unless, of course, you're on a starship and it's convenient. Your medical record needs to be as complete as possible when you're serving in Starfleet.

 

[Go-Captain]

I remember Barcley in TNG revealing to Dr. Crusher he has a medical tricorder and she saying he isn't supposed to have that. But, I think she doesn't take it away either, so it isn't a rule or law that he cannot have one, just a precaution of sorts?

A theme of TNG seems to be one of permissiveness and responsibility. Everyone has access to everything, but everyone doesn't access everything because they are grown up enough not to abuse the privileges.

For instance, in "The Neutral Zone" a 21st century man contacts the captain directly, the captain says he wasn't supposed to, the guy counters there should be an officer's key, Picard retorts the civilian crew are adult enough not to require such restrictions.

Even Wesley has his own sample of antimatter in one episode, so I can only imagine there is a supreme level of trust and respect for people to manage themselves. That makes the TR-116 restriction quite unusual, possibly out of character, and more in line with how we handle things today. Especially because we saw at least one civilian with obsolete Starfleet phasers, and no one thought anything strange of it.

Picard has given away shuttles, maybe it was only once, like it was no big deal, and Voyager built two Delta Flyers, and who knows how many regular shuttles. It took only about three days to build the first Flyer, and that was after two days of design refinement. It is hard to imagine shuttles being a rare thing for civilians, unless civilians, due to responsibility and lack of desire to show off, hold themselves back from having shuttles for shuttle's sake. So, they can have them if they decide they can use them, but most decide they have no need. Maybe 7 of 9's parents did not request and get a ship, maybe they decided they needed a ship so they got one, the difference being no review process, or process of expense consideration.

 

[Timo]

It could be argued that TR-116 wasn't difficult to obtain because it was dangerous, but because it was obscure. That is, it takes "special clearance" to obtain a musket today - not because the military would object to it, but because the raw materials and craftsmanship are in short supply and a close circle of hobbyists has to be contacted and befriended to make the project reality. Just equate said hobbyists with Starfleet, because the project was Starfleet-internal, and you have your suspects-narrowing plot twist right there.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

It could be argued that TR-116 wasn't difficult to obtain because it was dangerous, but because it was obscure.

I would mostly disagree (although I'll give you the 'obscurity' point). IMO, the TR-116 was restricted not so much because it was dangerous - arguably without the microtransporter it's actually less dangerous overall than a phaser - but because it is usable only as a weapon, and mostly in the offensive/assassination role (magazine capacity appears to be very limited unless it also has a micro-replicator), which under normal circumstances is politically tricky in the Federation?

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

I remember Barcley in TNG revealing to Dr. Crusher he has a medical tricorder and she saying he isn't supposed to have that. But, I think she doesn't take it away either, so it isn't a rule or law that he cannot have one, just a precaution of sorts?

Emphasis on "He". Being the hypochondriac that he is, he really shouldn't have one to feed his paranoia. But she lets him keep it anyway because a) he's an engineer and b) she thinks he can mostly curb his urge to self-diagnose - it's not big enough a problem yet to take it from him.

 

[Ithekro]

I would mostly disagree (although I'll give you the 'obscurity' point). IMO, the TR-116 was restricted not so much because it was dangerous - arguably without the microtransporter it's actually less dangerous overall than a phaser - but because it is usable only as a weapon, and mostly in the offensive/assassination role (magazine capacity appears to be very limited unless it also has a micro-replicator), which under normal circumstances is politically tricky in the Federation?

I would think they just would worry about the projectile punching a hole in the ship or station. Sure a phaser can likely do the same thing, but it can be tuned not to take out the entire wall or mountain. A bullet can only follow the laws of physics.

Sort of the argument about why they had plasma guns on Babylon 5, so bullets wouldn't punch a hole in the station.

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

I would think they just would worry about the projectile punching a hole in the ship or station. Sure a phaser can likely do the same thing, but it can be tuned not to take out the entire wall or mountain. A bullet can only follow the laws of physics.

Sort of the argument about why they had plasma guns on Babylon 5, so bullets wouldn't punch a hole in the station.

I'm not sure that contradicts my idea, but I agree that that's probably another factor.

 

[Timo]

The thing is, we seldom hear of the UFP keeping "dangerous" tech out of the hands of civilians. A civilian having access to a lethal firearm is never the cause of comment or counteraction, say. It's just expected.

Outside the context of guns, though, biomimetic gel and gene therapies aren't for everybody (even though the government eagerly dabbles in both). And, as said, certain individuals shouldn't be allowed a medical tricorder, or a sharp pencil.

Limitations on what one can replicate are probably still a separate thing. The machines are prone to overuse or misuse, since demonstrably they can do anything and everything, including creating death rays and slugthrowers, copying and enlarging technology that the best minds of the UFP cannot understand, or being turned into short range transporters. Perhaps one needs Starfleet clearance for certain things because one needs level-headed individuals and Starfleet has a supply? (OTOH, while it certainly helps to be insane when you work for Starfleet, it may actually also be an entry requirement - who'd give up paradise for mortal risk?)

Timo Saloniemi

 

[trekshark]

Barclay not supposed to have a medical tricorder could have simply meant it was part of the ship's allotment and should be in sickbay when not being used by the medical staff

 

[Crazy Eddie]

The thing is, we seldom hear of the UFP keeping "dangerous" tech out of the hands of civilians. A civilian having access to a lethal firearm is never the cause of comment or counteraction, say. It's just expected.

Outside the context of guns, though, biomimetic gel and gene therapies aren't for everybody (even though the government eagerly dabbles in both). And, as said, certain individuals shouldn't be allowed a medical tricorder, or a sharp pencil.

Limitations on what one can replicate are probably still a separate thing. The machines are prone to overuse or misuse, since demonstrably they can do anything and everything, including creating death rays and slugthrowers, copying and enlarging technology that the best minds of the UFP cannot understand, or being turned into short range transporters. Perhaps one needs Starfleet clearance for certain things because one needs level-headed individuals and Starfleet has a supply? (OTOH, while it certainly helps to be insane when you work for Starfleet, it may actually also be an entry requirement - who'd give up paradise for mortal risk?)

Timo Saloniemi

And this is the whole reason why I avoided wading into this thread: because it's abundantly clear that Starfleet doesn't have any legal authority to enforce any sort of technology ban or contraband regulations outside of a few very select regions of Federation space. They can't confiscate weapons, they can't prosecute people for SELLING weapons, they can't confiscate cloaking devices or deflector shields or any other weird shit they've found civilians using. Even Fajo's Varon-T disruptor is considered to be illegal, but the episode ends without any clarification on whether or not he's going to face charges for having it; the only thing we know for sure is that all the stuff he's stolen over the years is getting returned to its rightful owners, but Fajo seems convinced that he's going to get away without being otherwise punished, and he's probably right.

And I think Picard was probably speaking more literally than figuratively in "The Survivors" when he said:

"We're not qualified to be your judges. We have no law to fit your crime. You're free to return to the planet and to make Rishon live again."

Except for the fact that if Kevin had done something like that while in legal Federation space, he'd be facing about twenty billion counts of manslaughter. But he didn't, so Picard can't touch him, which is as good an excuse as any not to bother to try.

 

[Idran]

And this is the whole reason why I avoided wading into this thread: because it's abundantly clear that Starfleet doesn't have any legal authority to enforce any sort of technology ban or contraband regulations outside of a few very select regions of Federation space.

A future version of posse comitatus, maybe?

 

[Crazy Eddie]

I'd be surprised if it's even a FUTURE version. It's probably a longstanding tenant of interstellar law that pre-dates Zephram Cochrane.