RVR II's Star Trek thread.. Cause it's sure to veer off course!

[MartyS (Gromit)]

One advantage of having a soy allergy, can't eat any of those frozen pizzas, so have to make my own from scratch...

Back to Star Trek, I don't acknowledge the "JJ" trek universe, so I don't count that ship...

As for the E, that would still be 3rd worst on my list, at least the proportions are good.  Now that I think about it, the D would probably look a whole lot better if they rotated the oval shape of the saucer section, the wide, stubby, look is what makes it really funky.  And flip the shape of the nacelles, wider on the back just looks wrong.  The real shape of the nacelles is something I never noticed on screen.  The taper on the TOS nacelles is also something you never notice on film either, it simply changes the perspective, but still looks fine when examining the model (and only becomes apparent in larger models).

[RandyMistie]

The economy of Star Trek always perplexes me. I'm trying to work out an economy for a sci-fi novel of my own, even now. So, it worries me.

Gene Roddenberry imagined a world where money was meaningless. In that world, wouldn't you just sit back and relax? Why would you work? What motivates them? Honor? Truth, justice and the American Way? Didn't work for the Roman's... only slaves worked, citizens were all on welfare...

I'm a cynical bastard, but if there was no need for money, I would sit back and catch up on my "Flintstones" whilst eating replicated chessey poofs all day.

It was only later, after Gene died, with Rick Berman and the 'Rengi that "gold-pressed latinum" was introduced as a means of exchange.

An economy is based on the energy that is put into the system; The feds needed dilithium to power their ships. That was the closest TOS ever got to an economy. That energy is put into the system by workers and they do it for a share in the profits. So they can feed their kids and their hungry, hungry wives....

Although, it was established in Gene's mythology that a dilithium crystal could power a ship indefinitely unless damaged....and they were always getting damaged. Poor, Scotty....

Anyways... economy is hard. I always had that class in the morning.... and I was hung-over most of the time...

[MartyS (Gromit)]

I always thought that gold-pressed-latinum stuff was an extremely contrived way to force currency into Star Trek.  Also the idea that you couldn't use replicators to make living things.  If something can be transported, it should be able to be replicated as well.

And that's the thing about economy in a world with replicators, energy really is the only "commodity", and if technology is to the point of having replicators then it also has multiple ways of generating massive amounts of energy as well.

Given human nature, I do think Gene's idealized world would be more like the people in Wall-E than the toned, fit, happy shiny people we see in Star Trek. 

[RandyMistie]

"WALL-E" excellent example... I always thought that that film was too subversive. It made mom and pop "squirm" about their own lives and that is why it didn't do well. Although, I got my copy! I thought it was brilliant! And too true!

[Sideswipe]

I agree about the economy thing and gold pressed latinum.  It was kind of inconsistent, with the Federation not using money yet tons of Starfleet officers patronize Quark's bar.  We know he doesnt run that as a hobby, he is in it for profit.  Where does their latinum come from?  They cant all be super dabo players.

Also, the transporter doesnt create life, it just takes it apart in one place and reassembles it in another place.

[RandyMistie]

Yes. Very forced, gold pressed latinum, was.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Also, the transporter doesnt create life, it just takes it apart in one place and reassembles it in another place.

But there would be no technological reason not to be able to copy the data and use a replicator to make copies of living things just as easily as making a warp core or a sandwich....  It was just an excuse not to have to deal with the social ramifications of being able to replicate living tissue.  If you have the ability to scan anything at the resolution required to convert it to energy and then reassemble it exactly as it was, there would be no technical limitation on what you could replicate.

[Sideswipe]

I suppose?

[RandyMistie]

Marty is right. Where it really falls apart is at "The Holo-Deck", I liked that they addressed "holo-addiction" in Lt. Broccoli, "Barclay", but seriously, would you ever leave the Holo-Deck?

I mean, seriously... I don't have to work for money, and I have an endless fantasy world at my fingertips. I think "Star Trek" was Gene's idea of heaven....

[RandyMistie]

Try reading "The Little Red Book" in economics class at 9 in the morning, with a hangover. It's murder, brothers and sisters!

[RoninFox]

Hell, the first TNG episode screwed with the "no money" economy when Dr Crusher wanted to buy something at Farpoint Station and asked that it be "put on her account."

[MartyS (Gromit)]

I have collected several of the Enterprise + Botany Bay 1:1000 model kits this year, intending to someday build the pilot and maybe mirror universe versions of the Enterprise, but don't have any need for the extra Botany Bay models.

So, I used one of them to build a fully loaded version of the cargo ship, using my 3D printer to make the missing cargo pods:






Next time I print up some decals I'll have to make some logos and serial numbers to put on the pods, something like you see on freight train cars.

[Rainbow Dash]

[Soguru]

I tried watching Voyager again the other day, and I just couldn't. Janeway is a horrible character in practically every aspect. I appreciate that she's female and she's empowering for the viewers, but the way I see it, she just makes women look bad. Major Kira from Deep Space Nine is a far better role model. She does make bad decisions, yes, but at least she didn't get her crew stranded on the other side of the goddamn universe for no reason.

[RVR II]

I tried watching Voyager again the other day, and I just couldn't. Janeway is a horrible character in practically every aspect. I appreciate that she's female and she's empowering for the viewers, but the way I see it, she just makes women look bad. Major Kira from Deep Space Nine is a far better role model. She does make bad decisions, yes, but at least she didn't get her crew stranded on the other side of the goddamn universe for no reason.

Yeah I have to agree with this.. I'm kinda surprised it made it 7 seasons