what kept laforge and ro from falling through the floor?
tha next phase
- Thread starter splodenode
- Start date
I always rationalized it considering the difference between the bulkheads and the decks....grav plating or whatever gravity generators keep 'em vertical.
So maybe something about the gravity field generators prevented them from passing through the floors...yet easily through the walls.
(of course, this doesn't account for the structural integrity field effects in the walls)
So maybe something about the gravity field generators prevented them from passing through the floors...yet easily through the walls.
(of course, this doesn't account for the structural integrity field effects in the walls)
Basically, they're ghosts. Ghosts can go through walls, but don't fall through the floor (unless they mean to, and they don't).
Thing is, this is Star Trek. That's scinece fiction, not fantasy. So we get some kind of technobabble explanation about alternate phases, and instead of an excorism, there's a technobabble solution.
Using a sheen of plausible sounding science to naturalise ghosts? Science fantasy, I guess, but then sci-fi is always at an uneasy crossroads with myth.
Thing is, this is Star Trek. That's scinece fiction, not fantasy. So we get some kind of technobabble explanation about alternate phases, and instead of an excorism, there's a technobabble solution.
Using a sheen of plausible sounding science to naturalise ghosts? Science fantasy, I guess, but then sci-fi is always at an uneasy crossroads with myth.
They shouldn't be able to see or hear anything either, since sounds and light would pass through them.
And they'd be dead...ya know...since they'd be floating in space. Although would the force of gravity act on them, or would that force just pass through their molecules like everything else?
If that would be the case...any force could be null and void and they'd just fly apart.
If that would be the case...any force could be null and void and they'd just fly apart.
They probably were already subconsciously adapting to their situation. Given enough time they may have been able to control their condition a little more. I hate to make this comparison, but sorta like how Patrick Swayze's character in Ghost started to be able to affect the physical world around him.
[/end fanboy explanation]
[/end fanboy explanation]
If this phasedness thing here is the same as the phasedness thing described in "Time's Arrow", we could ponder this in terms of LaForge and Ro getting to live the world "slightly behind the schedule".
That is, the universe would send EM radiation and air molecules and pressure waves their way as usual, but they would sort of live a few fractions of a second behind this universe, able to perceive what happened but unable to respond to it until the moment has passed. If they shouted their lungs out, this would indeed send the air in the regular universe vibrating (perhaps with some dampening and degrading at the interface) - but moments before the shout, so that only the Riker and Picard in this "past timeline" would hear the shouts. The Riker and Picard in the "current timeline" as perceived by Ro and LaForge would never hear the sounds.
This would explain most things: there would still be air, food and assorted other "lingering" objects in the timeframe where Ro and LaForge lived, but interaction with the regular universe would suffer from the fact that all "immediate" things like EM fields (which account for the solidity of matter") would only enjoy one-way access.
So light from Picard's shiny head would reach LaForge's VISOR just fine, but light from Ro's nonregulation earring would only catch the eye of the past Riker, not the present one.
And a table would still hold together by the undisturbed EM forces within, but when Ro tried to subject it to a disturbing EM interaction (that is, her hand), this interaction would only take place with the "past" table, not the "present" one. Something less structured such as oxygen in the air would adapt more readily and would agree to interact with our heroes' lungs, at least partially so.
Gravity (at least the artificial variant) would in this theory behave a bit differently from EM, being a "lingering" property of the universe rather than a short-lived interaction.
(Does anybody catch what I'm saying? It sort of makes sense to me in terms of conceptual-scifi-and-damn-the-details, at least insofar as Stephen King's Langoliers do. LaForge and Ro get to "receive" what is past, but can only "send" to that past, not to the present.)
Timo Saloniemi
That is, the universe would send EM radiation and air molecules and pressure waves their way as usual, but they would sort of live a few fractions of a second behind this universe, able to perceive what happened but unable to respond to it until the moment has passed. If they shouted their lungs out, this would indeed send the air in the regular universe vibrating (perhaps with some dampening and degrading at the interface) - but moments before the shout, so that only the Riker and Picard in this "past timeline" would hear the shouts. The Riker and Picard in the "current timeline" as perceived by Ro and LaForge would never hear the sounds.
This would explain most things: there would still be air, food and assorted other "lingering" objects in the timeframe where Ro and LaForge lived, but interaction with the regular universe would suffer from the fact that all "immediate" things like EM fields (which account for the solidity of matter") would only enjoy one-way access.
So light from Picard's shiny head would reach LaForge's VISOR just fine, but light from Ro's nonregulation earring would only catch the eye of the past Riker, not the present one.
And a table would still hold together by the undisturbed EM forces within, but when Ro tried to subject it to a disturbing EM interaction (that is, her hand), this interaction would only take place with the "past" table, not the "present" one. Something less structured such as oxygen in the air would adapt more readily and would agree to interact with our heroes' lungs, at least partially so.
Gravity (at least the artificial variant) would in this theory behave a bit differently from EM, being a "lingering" property of the universe rather than a short-lived interaction.
(Does anybody catch what I'm saying? It sort of makes sense to me in terms of conceptual-scifi-and-damn-the-details, at least insofar as Stephen King's Langoliers do. LaForge and Ro get to "receive" what is past, but can only "send" to that past, not to the present.)
Timo Saloniemi
Why assume this? They weren't completely out of touch with the universe or anything. All they had was a minor communications problem and a partial permeability problem; it took them obvious effort to push through walls, which may mean that it would take effort for the air not to interact with their lungs.
The "out of time" explanation would jibe with how "Time's Arrow" tries to technobabble itself out of another such poor-interaction phenomenon. Several other explanations are also possible. But ultimately we should remember that the episode does not describe LaForge and Ro as completely detached from the universe and its life-sustaining processes. At most, it shows them invisible, unheard, and able to walk through walls with some effort.
Timo Saloniemi
The "out of time" explanation would jibe with how "Time's Arrow" tries to technobabble itself out of another such poor-interaction phenomenon. Several other explanations are also possible. But ultimately we should remember that the episode does not describe LaForge and Ro as completely detached from the universe and its life-sustaining processes. At most, it shows them invisible, unheard, and able to walk through walls with some effort.
Timo Saloniemi
Re: "The Next Phase"
Maybe I'm putting too much thought in a TV episode, but I think the question should not be why they don't fall through the floor but why they can walk through walls. I mean, since they can touch things (Ro touching her console) and don't fall through the floor, why are they able to go through walls?
BTW, nice avatar, Mojochi.
Maybe I'm putting too much thought in a TV episode, but I think the question should not be why they don't fall through the floor but why they can walk through walls. I mean, since they can touch things (Ro touching her console) and don't fall through the floor, why are they able to go through walls?
BTW, nice avatar, Mojochi.
Kirby said:
Wormhole Extreme! - When she asked that question the look on the faces of the producer and writer was priceless. "uh.... we'll get back to you on that."
More likely this line was referring to the 3rd Season episode "Crystal Skull" where Daniel winds up out of phase with no forcefields or technobabble to explain how.
Re: "The Next Phase"
That's the one with the Traveler. I thought it was that one too, but I just watched the dvd, & that death is not in there
Maybe I should make a thread, & get everybody working on this
Starlock said:
Mojochi said:
Thanks
Help! I'm going out of my mind trying to think of the episode I mentioned
"Where No One Has Gone Before" :thumbsup:
That's the one with the Traveler. I thought it was that one too, but I just watched the dvd, & that death is not in there
Maybe I should make a thread, & get everybody working on this
Re: "The Next Phase"
is it the one with all the holes in space and picard has to pilot a shuttle out in front of the enterprise to guide the ship safely through?Mojochi said:
Starlock said:
Mojochi said:
Thanks
Help! I'm going out of my mind trying to think of the episode I mentioned
"Where No One Has Gone Before" :thumbsup:
That's the one with the Traveler. I thought it was that one too, but I just watched the dvd, & that death is not in there
Maybe I should make a thread, & get everybody working on this
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