TNG Ponder This...

[Christopher]

I think the real point of my question is, where the hell are the robots? A technology as advanced as what we see in ST should easily allow for all sorts of robotic mechanisms, and it's implausible that we almost never saw any that weren't walking around and wearing uniforms. We know they had nanobots, so where the macrobots? Where were the survey bots and maintenance bots and repair bots and Roombas? It's one of the clearest illustrations of the gap between the technology the 24th century would reasonably have and the technology a 1980s-90s television series had.

 

[BolianAuthor]

I think the real point of my question is, where the hell are the robots? A technology as advanced as what we see in ST should easily allow for all sorts of robotic mechanisms, and it's implausible that we almost never saw any that weren't walking around and wearing uniforms. We know they had nanobots, so where the macrobots? Where were the survey bots and maintenance bots and repair bots and Roombas? It's one of the clearest illustrations of the gap between the technology the 24th century would reasonably have and the technology a 1980s-90s television series had.

Well, Gene Roddenberry always wanted the tech to be "invisible", in the regard that it's not blatant... but we can assume that a lot of 24th century stuff is awesomely advanced, for instance, in either TNG or DS9, it is mentioned that Starfleet uniforms are designed to be comfortable in any environment. If they have that kind of tech... imagine the stainmaster rating on the Enterprise-D's carpet! Maybe some kind of forcefields remove stains and trash, and reorganize them, like a replicator, or fire suppression field. In "First Contact", the plasma in Engineering was automatically sucked out of the room, by the ship.

 

[pleccy]

I wonder - with over 1000 people abroad the enterprise, all using replicators for food and other stuff - what happens to the displaced air? If all that matter is created, it MUST displace air when it's generated.

 

[T'Girl]

Is starfleet a military or not?

Maybe a para-military organization like the fire or police departments. Or the coast guard.

The Calypso with deck guns.

Something like a police analogy might explain starfleets rank system. The police have lieutenants, captains, chiefs who are officers, but they also have patrolmen, trooper, deputys and sargents, who are 'police officers.' This could explain how everyone is a starfleet officer. Even the rarely seen enlisted techs and specialists.

There was Roddenberry's one time statement that everyone was an officer.

.

 

[Christopher]

I wonder - with over 1000 people abroad the enterprise, all using replicators for food and other stuff - what happens to the displaced air? If all that matter is created, it MUST displace air when it's generated.

Replicators don't "create" matter, they convert a pre-existing stock of matter into the desired form. As for the displaced air, it simply gets circulated along with all the rest.

Is starfleet a military or not?

It is a military in organization, but one whose priorities are different from those of a modern military, with combat near the bottom of the list and exploration at the top.

 

[sbk1234]

Is starfleet a military or not?

Maybe a para-military organization like the fire or police departments. Or the coast guard.

The Calypso with deck guns.

Something like a police analogy might explain starfleets rank system. The police have lieutenants, captains, chiefs who are officers, but they also have patrolmen, trooper, deputys and sargents, who are 'police officers.' This could explain how everyone is a starfleet officer. Even the rarely seen enlisted techs and specialists.

There was Roddenberry's one time statement that everyone was an officer.

.

That Roddenberry was once a cop helps to (non-canonically) support this idea. I like it.

 

[BolianAuthor]

Is starfleet a military or not?

Maybe a para-military organization like the fire or police departments. Or the coast guard.

The Calypso with deck guns.

Something like a police analogy might explain starfleets rank system. The police have lieutenants, captains, chiefs who are officers, but they also have patrolmen, trooper, deputys and sargents, who are 'police officers.' This could explain how everyone is a starfleet officer. Even the rarely seen enlisted techs and specialists.

There was Roddenberry's one time statement that everyone was an officer.

.

That Roddenberry was once a cop helps to (non-canonically) support this idea. I like it.

It would also explain why the dominant lights on Starfleet ships are red and blue.

 

[Christopher]

There are no blue lights on the original Enterprise, just the red nacelle caps and the red and green running lights (as are standard for all sea, air, and spacecraft, red to port and green to starboard). The use of blue nacelle and deflector lights was introduced in TMP and continued in TNG and thereafter.

And then there's the new Enterprise with all blue lights, even the nacelle caps.

 

[BolianAuthor]

^

True, but the context of my remark was mostly for light humor, not so much a serious description of all Trek ships. I mean, from TNG and beyond, in the non-JJ 'verse, the ships have red ramscoops and blue warp coil lights... very police car-looking.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

How come robotics technology advanced so little between TOS 'What are Little Girls Made Of?" and TNG?

 

[Myasishchev]

Did Starfleet officers have to sign waivers before they were allowed to bring their civilian and under age families on board?

Could tort liability exist in a society without money?

 

[ThereR4Lites]

Not once do I ever remember seeing a toilet on any ship. Just what does a 24th century toilet look like??? Did they even have any? Was there one off the bridge somewhere?

 

[Yeoman Randi]

I do seem to remember reading somewhere that there IS a bathroom with whatever appropriate markings on the door...somewhere. Im sure Timo or Christopher or one of the other posters who are more up on the tech stuff can give the exact location. But, i DO remember reading that somewhere....

 

[childofdarkness]

Not once do I ever remember seeing a toilet on any ship. Just what does a 24th century toilet look like??? Did they even have any? Was there one off the bridge somewhere?

Perhaps a complete lack of toilets can help explain Riker's posture....

 

[Michael]

Not once do I ever remember seeing a toilet on any ship. Just what does a 24th century toilet look like???

Well, we do know what a 23rd century toilet looks like ...