Transporters... Borg drone factories?

[c0rnedfr0g]

Theoretically, transporter technology can be used to create multiple copies of an individual (ethical issues aside).

So, assuming the Borg aren't complete idiots (I know, it's a stretch), could not that technology be manipulated to be an endless source of drones???

 

[dave_R_treker]

Theoretically, transporter technology can be used to create multiple copies of an individual (ethical issues aside).

So, assuming the Borg aren't complete idiots (I know, it's a stretch), could not that technology be manipulated to be an endless source of drones???

Now that would be scary, There would definitly be no stopping them then.

 

[c0rnedfr0g]

speaking of which, why didn't the Dominion use that same premise for the Jem'Hadar? they didn't seem to have too many moral dilemmas concerning those rascals

 

[JNG]

They sure would if they could, but I imagine they are an awfully long way from being able to put that theory into practice. The computers would have to be unimaginably more advanced than almost anything we've seen in order to make that possible.

 

[Michael]

That could have been a very good premise for a Borg episode with some interesting moral implications. I would like to see that.

 

[c0rnedfr0g]

They sure would if they could, but I imagine they are an awfully long way from being able to put that theory into practice. The computers would have to be unimaginably more advanced than almost anything we've seen in order to make that possible.

how do u figure? u take a transporter pattern, then rematerialize it time and again....

 

[The Borg Queen]

Theoretically...

Thomas Riker would disagree.

Canon's a bitch, huh?

 

[c0rnedfr0g]

Theoretically...

Thomas Riker would disagree.

Canon's a bitch, huh?

i meant that patterns eventually degrade, supposedly. there would have to be some tech to maintain the pattern, or just keep resupplying with fresh ones, which would probably be more efficient.

unrelated to Queen's post:
it's not like a copy of a copy of a copy is inferior, as far as we've seen, since Picard in NEM is likely the 200th+ copy of a copy.... of the original

 

[roguephoenix]

Theoretically, transporter technology can be used to create multiple copies of an individual (ethical issues aside).

So, assuming the Borg aren't complete idiots (I know, it's a stretch), could not that technology be manipulated to be an endless source of drones???

don't even get me started on the borg... lol

i've made several arguments that borgs don't even NEED drones. i've also argued that even if they did need drones, they ARE capable of making super human drones with powers/abilities more than any normal biological being would have. i've also questioned their "perfectionist" directive because of their falterings that they seem to have for no logical reason except plot device. right now, they have all they need to make super collective that would decimate/rule the galaxy and beyond in no time flat. so why haven't they? same answer to your question. >_<

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

After Watching Second Chances again, it seems it's not just a matter of having a pattern and doing it again. I would guess that the computer seemed to think he was lost but the TC used another beam

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

GEORDI
(to Riker)
... apparently there was a massive
energy surge in the distortion
field around the planet just at
the moment you tried to beam out.
The Transporter Chief tried to
compensate by initiating a second
containment beam.

DATA
An interesting approach. He must
have been planning to reintegrate
the two patterns in the transport
buffer.

GEORDI
Turns out he didn't have to.
Commander Riker's pattern
maintained its integrity with just
the one containment beam -- he
made it back to the ship just
fine.


BEVERLY
What happened to the second beam?

GEORDI
The Transporter Chief shut it
down, but somehow... it was
reflected back to the surface.

PICARD
And another Wil Riker materialized
there.

RIKER
How could the second pattern have
maintained its integrity?

Geordi's tone indicates he's making his best guess.

GEORDI
The containment beam must have had
the exact same phase differential
as the distortion field

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

They sure would if they could, but I imagine they are an awfully long way from being able to put that theory into practice. The computers would have to be unimaginably more advanced than almost anything we've seen in order to make that possible.

how do u figure? u take a transporter pattern, then rematerialize it time and again....

But they would need SOMETHING to make it from. Organic matter, metallic matter etc. If they DID do a direct energy - matter conversion, if that's even feasible, it'd be mind-boggingly inefficent. Might as well just assimilate some, saves energy and expense.

 

[c0rnedfr0g]

They sure would if they could, but I imagine they are an awfully long way from being able to put that theory into practice. The computers would have to be unimaginably more advanced than almost anything we've seen in order to make that possible.

how do u figure? u take a transporter pattern, then rematerialize it time and again....

But they would need SOMETHING to make it from. Organic matter, metallic matter etc. If they DID do a direct energy - matter conversion, if that's even feasible, it'd be mind-boggingly inefficent. Might as well just assimilate some, saves energy and expense.

you think it'd be easier to go assimilate some species than to turn a pile of dirt into a dozen drones? a single planet would provide enough raw materials to make kajillions (estimate) of drones i'd imagine

 

[Marie1]

When their "factories" are all destroyed, I can see the Founders going that route... but even as White supplies dropped during the War, their facilities were still at 100% so I'd say they have a reliable system as it is... still, thats really creepy.

 

[Anticitizen]

Well, the Borg were already cloning drones. Remember the baby Borg vats? Cloning and growing them the old-fashioned way is probably a heckuva lot cheaper and efficient and gets you the same result. Logical from a logistical standpoint. All the implant stuff seems to be 'grown' from injected nanites (at least later on). Sure it takes longer, but what's the rush?

 

[c0rnedfr0g]

Well, the Borg were already cloning drones. Remember the baby Borg vats? Cloning and growing them the old-fashioned way is probably a heckuva lot cheaper and efficient and gets you the same result. Logical from a logistical standpoint. All the implant stuff seems to be 'grown' from injected nanites (at least later on). Sure it takes longer, but what's the rush?

how do we know they were being cloned? i'd suspect that the Borg were experimenting with mixing DNA of many different species

 

[Anticitizen]

Well, the Borg were already cloning drones. Remember the baby Borg vats? Cloning and growing them the old-fashioned way is probably a heckuva lot cheaper and efficient and gets you the same result. Logical from a logistical standpoint. All the implant stuff seems to be 'grown' from injected nanites (at least later on). Sure it takes longer, but what's the rush?

how do we know they were being cloned? i'd suspect that the Borg were experimenting with mixing DNA of many different species

Well, cloned, grown, genetically engineered, whatever. Test tube babies in any case. Far cheaper in terms of energy costs than replicating, at any rate, and the Borg, being so ruthlessly logical, would probably be nitpickers in that regard.

 

[Timo]

I don't think we ever saw evidence of "test tube babies" anywhere. What we saw in "Q Who?" is far likelier to have been recently assimilated newborns.

The Borg don't do things just for themselves, at least not according to their public relations department. They intend to improve the quality of life for everybody. They don't really need Drones - but Drones are the result of the Borg helping out us poor miserable humanoids. The whole purpose of the Collective is to turn existing non-Drones into Drones so that their quality of life would improve. The incidental side product of manpower is nonessential, and certainly doesn't require cloning for further boost.

That is, if the Borg themselves are to be believed. And they might.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Crewman47]

how do u figure? u take a transporter pattern, then rematerialize it time and again....

But they would need SOMETHING to make it from. Organic matter, metallic matter etc. If they DID do a direct energy - matter conversion, if that's even feasible, it'd be mind-boggingly inefficent. Might as well just assimilate some, saves energy and expense.

you think it'd be easier to go assimilate some species than to turn a pile of dirt into a dozen drones? a single planet would provide enough raw materials to make kajillions (estimate) of drones i'd imagine

Didn't they do that with the alien creatures in the 2nd Elite Force game where an ancient race used a giant machine of some sorts to generate bio monsters using the planets materials as the ingrediants, so to speak? It was said that using the planet in this way could generate billions of the creatures.

 

[JNG]

They sure would if they could, but I imagine they are an awfully long way from being able to put that theory into practice. The computers would have to be unimaginably more advanced than almost anything we've seen in order to make that possible.

how do u figure? u take a transporter pattern, then rematerialize it time and again....

The TNG Technical Manual will provide some pretty solid answers to your question. Despite the show's slips in this area (the Pulaski one was the big one), what you describe was never meant to be possible.