PERIODIC LIST OF &quotFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS" in

REC.ARTS.STARTREK.TECH
發信站: 台大電機 Maxwell 站 (Wed Oct 18 08:41:06 1995)
轉信站: Maxwell (local)

        以下是 rec.arts.startrek.tech 中的一些 FAQ , 裡面提到相關的參考資料
        , 大家可以參考看看...


Archive-Name: faql.rec.arts.startrek.tech

 PERIODIC LIST OF &quotFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS" in REC.ARTS.STARTREK.TECH
                       (last updated 23 May 1994)

This posting is intended to cut  down on  the &quotoften  asked questions"
that
seem to pop up  every few  months in  the rec.arts.startrek.tech newsgroup.
It is one of a number of periodic postings posted to  r.a.s.*.   For a full
list of informational postings, please read the &quotLIST  OF PERIODIC
POSTINGS
IN THE  REC.ARTS.STARTREK.*  HIERARCHY" in  rec.arts.startrek.misc, and the
&quotACRONYM LIST",  which  has  a list  of acronyms  used in  this (and
other)
articles.

This FAQL is basically a list of answers to commonly  asked questions about
technical aspects of StarTrek.  It  includes (but  is not  limited to) warp
drives, transporters,   phasers,   photon   torpedoes,   telepethy,  saucer
separation, view screen technology, ship  models, communicators, holodecks,
food replicators,  special  effects,  shuttles,   computer  memory,  Data's
storage capacity, satellite uplink times, etc.

Most of  these questions  have been  brought up  and discussed  to death in
rec.arts.startrek.tech, and a lot of  people would  be happy  if they never
resurfaced.

For the serious trekologist/treknician, pick up a copy of:

    &quotST:TNG Technical Manual" by Richard Sternbach and Michael Okuda
(1991)
    &quotST:TNG  Writer's Technical Manual" (new edition each season)
    &quotStar Fleet Technical Manual" by Franz Joseph (Ballantine/Del Ray
1975)
    &quotShips of the Star Fleet"

===========================================================================
 1) Top Speed
 2) TOS Warp
 3) TNG Warp
 4) Transwarp/Ultrawarp
 5) Impulse Engines
 6) TOS/TNG Enterprise Saucer Separation
 7) TNG Computers and Viewscreens
 8) Ships and More Ships
 9) Models/Computer Animation
10) Transporters
11) Replicators/Holodecks
12) Communications
13) Phasers
14) Photon Torpedoes
15) Shields (Deflector and Combat)
16) Artificial Gravity
17) Emergency Fueling
18) Auto-Destruct
19) Data's Data (and Positronic Brain)
20) Geordi's VISOR
21) Cloaking Devices
22) Wormholes
23) Shapeshifting
24) Shuttlecrafts and Runabouts
25) Why are all races shaped basically the same?
99) Misc Trivia
===========================================================================
1) ===== TOP SPEED =====

The fastest the original Enterprise has gone (not counting &quotoff the
scale")
was 14.1 in &quotThat Which Survives&quot.  Apparently the original version
of this
episode actually has a &quot15.2", but the version that gets run in
syndication
(at least the one I taped) has this line cut.

The Enterprise-D  seems to  have a  top speed  slightly less  than 10, (and
coming *very* close to this (whatever &quotclose"  means with  J-curves) on
the
occasions when Q flung it a great distance).  Riker mentioned  that warp 10
instigates time travel.  In &quotWhere No One Has Gone Before"  it is
mentioned
that the Enterprise has reached or passed warp 10.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2) ===== TOS WARP =====

For TOS, speed is (warp ^ 3) * c, which yields:

      warp    c
      ----  ----
       1       1
       2       8
       3      27
       4      64
       5     125
       6     216
       7     343
       8     512
       9     729
       9.6   884.736
       9.9   970.299
       9.99  997.002999
      10    1000
      11    1331
      12    1728
      13    2197
      14.1  2803.221

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
3) ===== TNG WARP =====

The ST:TNG  Writer's  Technical Manual,  third season  edition contains the
following table:

      warp    c   comment
      ----  ----  -------
       1       1
       2      10
       3      39
       4     102
       5     214
       6     392  normal cruising speed.
       7     656
       8    1024
       9    1516
       9.6  1909  maximum attainable speed for E
       9.9  3053  maximum speed for E under any circumstances
       9.99 7912
      10    infinite

    Notes not from the guide:

For warp speeds 1 through 9, the formula  w ^ (10/3) * c  provides the
numbers shown, rounded to the integer.

Note that with these figures, the  TOS warp  14.1 translates  to about warp
9.7 for TNG.

The Rick Sternbach/Mike Okuda Tech Manual mentions that Starships can
cruise at any warp factor -- integral or fractionary -- as long as the
powerplant's operating limits or warp 10 is not exceeded.  However, at
integral warp factors the amount of energy necessary to produce the desired
field effect lowers drastically.  The implication is that it requires more
energy expenditure to cruise at warp 3.5 than it does to cruise at warp 4.
This is due to the nested nature of the warp field.

Also, the efficiency of the engines drops  dramatically as  the warp factor
increases.

TNG &quotWhere No One Has Gone Before":   After the  Enterprise jumps
2,700,000
light years it is mentioned that it will take 51 years for a message to get
back to SFC via subspace, and that it will take the Enterprise 300 years to
get back.  Their next jump takes them over a billion light years away.

Warp drive is based on CDP (Contimium  Distortion Propulsion).   This means
that the Enterprise's warp coils distort the space-time  continum enough to
drive the vessel.  This is analogus to  moving a  bowling ball  on a rubber
sheet by bending the sheet.  Warp is powered by a violent matter:antimatter
reaction.  This power is regulated by the Dilithium crystals  (they are the
only known  material  to  Federation   science  which   is  transparent  to
antimatter when  subjected to  a high-freqency  electro-magnetic field), so
that the reaction occurs within certain bounds.  This energy is then fed to
the warp coils, in a carefully predefined sequence, from fore to aft.  They
energize in this pattern more  rapidly (with  more power  also required) to
drive the ship at higher warp  factors.   Each energy  &quotband" produces
some
force on the next-innermost field,  the closest  of which  pushes the ship.
When enough energy is applied, the Enterprise  tunnels through  &quotc" in
less
than Planck time (the smallest possible amount of time measureable).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
4) ===== TRANSWARP/ULTRAWARP =====

Both ST4 and ST6 have bridge graphics on the NCC-1701A showing a profile of
the ship labeled &quotTranswarp Geometry&quot.  &quotMr. Scott's Guide to the
Enterprise" has bridge photos which seem to verify this.

&gtFrom Richard Arnold:  The story on transwarp drive:  it doesn't  work.  The
warp drive that we see on TNG is not transwarp or ultrawarp or whatever you
want to call it.  It is an improved version of the same warp  drive that we
saw on  TOS  (at  least  the  fifth  generation  warp  drive  according  to
Goldstien's Spaceflight Chronology).   The Excelsior  proved that Transwarp
wouldn't work by being destroyed by it during a test flight.

&quotFinally, to Bartley Busse:  Shane Johnson CHANGED Michael Okuda's
graphics
to suit himself in &quotScott's Guide to the Enterprise.  There  were never
any
graphics in  Star  Trek  IV or  V that  stated 'transwarp'  anything.  Your
'photographic evidence'  doesn't exist. You only assumed it did." --Richard
Arnold/Starlog #169, p4

So Richard Arnold seems to be retconning the pictures in &quotMr.  Scott's
Guide to the Enterprise&quot.

The TNG tech manual says that the Excelcior eventually  had a distinguished
career (albeit probably not with transwarp).

FASA has another category system which TPTB don't acknowledge.

The novelization of ST6 explains that the events of the  story occur before
the Excelsior blew up.

Basically, they haven't explained much about it on film, so  they can still
do pretty much what they please with transwarp.

There's an  explanation of  it (somewhat)  in the  Timescape novel
&quotBattle-
stations&quot.

&quotThe most dramatic and promising development in many years is the
discovery
of what  has  come to  be known  as transwarp  drive.   This new propulsion
technology is  based  upon a  discovery made  several years  earlier by the
U.S.S.  Enterprise  while  in  an  area  which  borders  on  Tholian space.
Enterprise's sensors  recorded  a  natural  phenomena  never  before known;
Science Officer Spock carefully documented a &quotdoorway" between two
parallel
planes of existence, which he labelled an &quotinterphase."  This &quottear"
in the
fabric of  three-dimensional  space-time  was  found  to  create, following
prolonged exposure, an imbalance in the chemical composition  of neural and
muscular tissues in  human beings,  causing insanity  and ultimately death;
this effect killed the crew of the starship Defiant,  which drifted through
the interphase  ahead  of  Enterprise.    This  natural  &quottear"  proved
 to
Federation scientists that travel between dimensional  planes was possible,
and research  began  into  the  possibility  of  generating  an  artificial
interphase for travel  purposes.   Enterprise's sensors  recorded that time
flowed at  a  different  rate  in  parallel space,  and that  that plane of
existence was devoid of all matter  and energy,  providing an obstacle-free
course of travel.  Theoretically, a starship could drop into parallel space
and move on a preset course for a predetermined  period of  time, then drop
back into normal space once the  destination coordinates  had been reached.
Because of the time differential, shipboard travel time  would vary greatly
from the  passage  of  time  in  normal space;  a vessel  might undertake a
three-week voyage to a distant star system, only to find after arrival that
four days had passed in  normal space.   While  the ship  actually moved no
faster that  was  possible  with standard  warp drive,  the relative effect
would be that of making a three-week trip in four days, giving the same end
result as would be  provided by  vastly increased  warp speeds.   Such warp
speeds would  create  stresses  beyond  the  tolerances  of any conceivable
structural design or building material, destroying any ship which attempted
them.  So,  it  was  concluded,  a &quotshortcut"  existed which  could open
up
entirely new areas of space for exploration.  After nearly  twelve years of
intensive research and  development, two  drive system  producers felt that
they had  each  designed  the  most  feasible warp  field configuration for
interphase travel.   Both designs  combined intricate  warp and transporter
field matrices to generate a momentary &quotdoorway" through which the
equipped
vessel could enter parallel space.  This artificial interphase  would be of
such short duration that even  repeated exposure  would be  harmless to the
ship's crew, avoiding  the effects  suffered by  Defiant."   --Mr.  Scott's
Guide to the Enterprise (Shane Johnson)

&quotWhen the official  start for  the [Galaxy]  project was  announced in
July
2343 much of the original theoretical  work had  already been accomplished,
particularly in the  propulsion field.   While  the attempt  to surpass the
primary warp  field  efficiency  barrier  with  the  Transwarp  Development
Project in the early 2280s proved unsuccessful, the pioneering achievements
in warp  power  generation  and  field  coil  design eventually  led to the
uprated Excelsior  and  Ambassador  class  starships.   Both vessels served
Starfleet in exemplary fasion.  They continue to  do so,  even beyond their
original design lifetimes.  The Galaxy class is expected to  remain true to
its predecessors."  --Star Trek The Next Generation  Technical Manual (page
14)

This seems to be saying that the transwarp drive concept was a failure, but
they used the information from portions of that project to increase the
efficiency of standard warp drives.  As for the original Excelsior, it
isn't made clear whether it was destroyed using Transwarp drive, or whether
it simply didn't work, so they re-installed standard warp drives on it.  In
STVI we see it was put into Starfleet service.  Thus it obviously did NOT
blow up while it was still experimental.  Also, it is clearly stated that
the uprated Excelsior CLASS starships used normal, but more efficient, warp
drives.  The only question is whether or not the Excelsior's trans-warp
engines blew up at some point and destroyed that particular ship, or if
they just failed, and were replaced in the Excelsior by normal Warp
engines.

&quotThe third  Enterprise, NCC-1701-B,  was an  Excelsior class  ship built
at
Starfleet's Anteres Ship Yards.  Although the  decision to  model this ship
on the   failed   original   experimental   Excelsior   was   at  the  time
controversial, the   economics  of   using  the   existing  (and  otherwise
successful) engineering of the basic spaceframe was compelling.  The wisdom
of this decision has been borne out by the large number  of Excelsior class
starships that still serve Starfleet in a variety of  capacities.  (Indeed,
the Excelsior herself ultimately proved to be  a distinguished  part of the
Starfleet.)"  --Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual (page 4)

Again, this seems to indicate that the original Excelsior was NOT destroyed
by a  failure of  the Transwarp  drive.   Instead, the  drive simply didn't
work, so they replaced it with a standard warp drive.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5) ===== IMPULSE ENGINES =====

The impulse engines on the Galaxy class  starships are  different in design
from the  Constitution  class  vessels  in TOS.   The  Galaxy class impulse
propulsion system (IPS) generates a subspace distortion field,  as does the
warp propulsion  system, but  the IPS  field is  induced by  an energy flux
several orders of magnitude smaller than that of the warp engines.  Because
of this, the warp  field produced  by the  IPS does  not have  the power to
propel the ship faster than light.

Starfleet operational  guidelines  restrict  impulse operations  to a small
fraction of the speed of light to reduce relativistic effects.

So impulse engines are true Newtonian (non-warp) engines.  They are powered
by sequential fusion reactors that fuse the slush deuterium into helium,
and the high-energy exhaust is expeled out the back, utilizing a
vector-controllable nozzle.  This was added to the TNG ships (the impulse
thrust alone was no longer sufficient to propel the larger ship).  Thus,
fusion exhaust products from the impulse engines are used to energize a
small warp coil which produces a non-propulsive warp field.  This field
effectively lessens the mass of the ship and means the impulse engines have
less work to do.

There actually is a warp field generated, but it is  a non-propulsive field
which only reduces the  effective mass  of the  ship and  gives the impulse
engines less of a job to do.

Some sources say that impulse engines must  be used  near inhabited planets
and other systems, because the field created by the warp  drives would tear
the area apart.

Section 6.1 of the Sternbach/Okuda technical manual states:  &quotDuring
normal
docking operations the main impulse engine is the active device, providing
the necessary thrust for interplanetary and sublight interstellar flight.
High impulse operations, specifically above 0.75c, may require added power
from the Saucer Module engines.  These operations, while acceptable options
during some missions, are often avoided due to relativistic considerations
and their inherent time-based difficulties (See:  6.2)"

And section 6.2 goes on to say:  &quotAs fledgling journeys were made by
fusion
starships late in the twenty-first century, theoretical calculations
concerning the *tau* factor, or time dilation effect encountered at
appreciable fractions of lightspeed, rapidly crossed over into reality.
Time aboard a spacecraft at relativistic velocities slowed according to the
'twin paradox.'  During the last of the long voyages, many more years had
passed back on Earth, and the time differences proved little more than
curiosities as mission news was relayed back to Earth and global
developments were broadcast to distant travelers.  Numerous other
spacefaring cultures have echoed these experiences, leading to the present
navigation and communication standards within the Federation.

Today, such time differences can interfere with the requirement for close
synchronization with Starfleet Command as well as overall Federation
timekeeping schemes.  Any extended flight at high relativistic speeds can
place mission objectives in jeopardy.  At times when warp propulsion is not
available, impulse flight may be unavoidable, but will require lengthly
recalibration of onboard computer clock systems even if contact is
maintained with Starfleet navigation beacons.  It is for this reason that
normal impulse operations are limited to a velocity of 0.25c."

All of chapter six is dedicated to IPS, so buy a copy of the tech manual to
read up more on how impulse engined work on the Enterprise-D.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
6) ===== TOS/TNG ENTERPRISE SAUCER SEPARATION =====

Yes, the TOS Enterprise could separate; just that it would take  a lot more
work (and a bigger effects budget) to  put it  back together.   Kirk orders
Scotty to  &quotdisengage  nacelles,  jettison  if  possible"  in  &quotThe
 Savage
Curtain" and &quotdiscard the warp drive nacelles if you have to  and crack
out
of there with the main section, but get that ship out  of there!"   in
&quotThe
Apple&quot.

According to the fourth season ST:TNG  Writer's Technical  Manual, when the
Enterprise-D separates,  only  the  battle  section  has  warp capabilities
(earlier we were told that the saucer could only go as fast  as warp four).
According to the 1991 TNG Technical Manual, the saucer section can actually
land on a planet.  Sternbach and  Okuda suggest  that such  a landing would
damage the saucer section beyond  feasibility of  repair--it is  only to be
used as a last resort, sort of as a &quotlife raft&quot.

Although there were countless episodes where the Enterprise-D *should* have
separated for  safety  reasons  (entering the  RNZ, for  example), the only
times we have seen them decouple were in &quotEncounter  at Farpoint",
&quotArsenal
of Freedom", and &quotThe Best of Both Worlds II&quot.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
7) ===== TNG COMPUTERS AND VIEWSCREENS =====

The main viewscreen in supposed to be 3-D.  When you see a side view of the
bridge crew looking at the screen, the view  on the  screen is  a side view
(like the sides of faces when talking with people).

Nearly all of the graphics displays were designed on Macintoshes.  Not only
that, but the &quotliving" displays on  the show  were also  being generated
by
Macintoshes.

Picard's workstation in the Ready Room is just a plastic-molded model.  The
display screen has been  replaced with  a blue  screen, so  that any action
that needs to be shown can be overlayed later.

Most of  these  workstations  don't  have  the  Blue  Screen  because their
displays are not normally shown.  Instead, they have some static graphic on
the display (known internally as &quotOkudagrams").

The storage capacity of the Galaxy Class Exploration Cruiser is 125,575,500
terabytes, 1  terabyte  being  1  quadrillion  bytes,  according  to FASA's
(non-canon) Star Trek TNG Officer's  Manual.   In the  twentieth century, a
terabyte is still approximately 10^12 bytes (one trillion).

According to  FASA's STTNG  Officer's Manual,  the storage  capacity of the
Enterprise's main   computer   (not  counting   random-access  memory)  was
575,000,000 terabytes (or was it 575,000,000,000?).

There are  three  principal computational  units (&quotcores")  on board
Galaxy
class starships.    Two  are located  in the  saucer section,  abeam of the
centerline.  The third is in the battle section abaft the connecting pylon.

Non-propulsive subspace   field   generators  enable   signals  within  the
principal units to propagate at FTL speeds.

Each unit consists of  2048 modules,  each module  containing 144 isolinear
optical chips.  The capacity of each module  is 634,060.8  kiloquads, for a
total per-unit capacity of 1.29e09 kiloquads  (Tech Manual/page  53).  This
is roughly the same as the figure given on page 49  for each  *module*.  [I
could not find  a reference  explaining what  a &quotquad"  is.] Each
isolinear
chip contains a small onboard processor to accelerate data access rates.

There are 380 optical subprocessors distributed throughout the  ship.  Most
are available to the main units for offloading  of computational  tasks.  A
few are dedicated to certain critical operations such as the bridge control
cluster, transporter  operations,  and  engine  control.   Signals in these
devices do not propagate at FTL speeds.

The computational units are connected by an optical data network.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
8) ===== SHIPS AND MORE SHIPS =====

STARSHIPS NAMED ENTERPRISE:

NASA Space Shuttle Enterprise:  Late 20th century re-entry vehicle, not
capable of any siginificant fraction of C, much less escape velocity, used
to pioneer the early technologies of space flight.  Named thanks to a ton
of letters from Star Trek fans.

NCC-1701 Constitution class.  Commanding officers - Robert April,
Christopher Pike, James Kirk, Spock, Decker.  2245 - commissioned, San
Francisco Starfleet Yards, Earth.  2284 - assigned to training duty at
Starfleet Academy, San Francisco, Earth.  2285 - destroyed in combat,
Mutara sector.

NCC-1701-A Constitution class.  Commanding officers - James Kirk, Spock.
2286 - USS YORKTOWN renamed USS ENTERPRISE, Earth.  Mr.  Scott's Guide to
the Enterprise might say that the 1701-A was the flagship of the Enterprise
Class, but ST6 confirms that it is Constitution Class.

NCC-1701-B Excelsior class.  Commissioned Antares Shipyards.  Although the
decision to model this ship on the failed original experimental Excelsior
was at the time controversial, the economics of using the existing (and
otherwise successful) engineering of the basic spaceframe were compelling.
The wisdom of this decision has been borne out by the large number of
Excelsior class starships that still serve Starfleet in a variety of
capacities.  (Indeed, the Excelsior herself ultimately proved to be a
distinguished part of the Starfleet.)  The third Enterprise was a key
figure in the exploration of space beyond the Gourami Secotr.  This ship
and her crew were responsible for mapping over 142 star systems, including
first contact with seventeen civilizations.  (info from the TNG tech
manual) Commanding officer - Tomas Johnson Jr.  (according to one of those
big 2'x4' cutaway posters of the 1701-D)

NCC-1701-C Ambassador class.  Commanding officers - Rachel Garrett.
Commissioned Earth Station McKinley.  2344 - destroyed in combat, Narendra
sector.

NCC-1701-D Galaxy class.  Commanding officers - Jean-Luc Picard, William
Riker.  2363 - commissioned, Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, Mars.

Six Galaxy class starships have been built.  The first was the Galaxy,
second was the Yamato (destroyed), third was the Enterprise, and three more
for the writers to use later.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
9) ===== MODELS/COMPUTER ANIMATION =====

TNG is shot on film in the studio.  Final editing is done  via video before
being beamed out to the satellite.  The film  shooting is  done for quality
purposes...  you get better pictures and  sound by  using film.   The video
editing is  done  for  practical  purposes...   it's  fast and (relatively)
cheap.

TNG:  ILM did the &quotEncounter At Farpoint" FX and a bunch  of stock
footage.
They NEVER did the bulk of the effects work.  They are credited  at the end
of the  show  because  their  stock  footage  (which  means  shots  of  the
Enterprise flying by, etc.)  is still used.  I  noticed in  TBOBW2 that the
Enterprise fly-by looked a lot better, so maybe the TNG  folks have ordered
new stock footage from their special effects people (The Post Group).

TNG:  There are  two separate  contractors.   The model  work is  done at a
motion- control shop and the compositing is done at The Post  Group.  There
are many specialist shops invovled with TNG visual effects.

TNG &quotQ Who":  The model for the Borg ship is 8'x8'x8',  with the
underlying
cube being 6  feet on  a side,  with lots  of tubes,  models, toy soldiers,
R2D2s, parts from airplanes, etc to build the outer layer.

TNG:  In the opening credits (and occasionally in the same  shot during the
show) you  can  see  a  man walking  by the  large vertical  windows of the
observation lounge.  It  is the  slow flyby  of the  Enterprise (from lower
left to upper right) after all the quick flybys.   There  are large windows
just beyond the bump in the saucer section, and if you look closely (and it
helps to have a giant screen TV)  you can  see a  man walking  from left to
right past the windows, then someone walking from right to left behind him.
NOTE:  It's harder to catch it with freeze-frame since pausing  a VCR loses
half the resolution, so just watch it at normal speed a few times until you
figure out where on the ship you're supposed to be looking.

TNG:  Mike Okuda and Rick Sternbach have said  that they  still use models,
not computer-generated ships.

TNG:  Richard Arnold has said they haven't used the  captains yacht because
low bid for it is something like $50,000.   Though according  to Mike Okuda
they've stretched the envelope  on this  so far  that it's  now pretty cost
effective to throw in new ships  (witness the  Klingon cruiser).   Even the
leap into  warp  space is  non-computer-generated.   It is  an incamera job
using slit scanning.

TNG:  Thus far, STTNG has shown us Shuttle Bays Two and Three.  We have
never seen the main bay:  Shuttle Bay One.  That's because Shuttle Bay One
is the size of a football field, and would cost too much to construct.
Writers are under orders to use the smaller shuttle bays where possible,
when writing their stories.  Well, actually I guess we see part of it in
&quotFinal Mission" since the blip on data's console representing the shuttle
carrying Wes and Jean-Luc is shown leaving the *main* shuttle bay.  Also,
in &quotCause and Effect", we see a model of the main shuttle bay (from
outside
the Enterprise) when Data opens the doors to depressurize the bay.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
10) ===== TRANSPORTERS =====

The Galaxy class contains 4  personnel transporters,  8 cargo transporters,
and 8  emergency  transporters.   Personnel transporters  are configured to
transport at  the  quantum  level.    Cargo  transporters  operate  at  the
molecular level and as such cannot  transport living  beings.   They can be
configured to operate at the quantum  level with  considerable reduction in
transportable payload mass.

The effective range of the transporter is 40,000 kilometers.

Transported matter is not converted to energy,  but is  disassembled by the
transporter (at the appropriate resolution) and is conveyed via an
&quotannular
confinement beam"  as  a  &quotsubatomically  debonded  matter  stream."
 and
reassembled at the destination.

Both the source and destination sites, if in motion, must be  moving at the
same integral warp factor for transport to occur.

See also Joshua Bell's ([email protected]) Mini-FAQ which explains the
concept of transporters in much greater detail.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
11) ===== REPLICATORS/HOLODECKS =====

The replicator  functions  at  the molecular  level, hence  is incapable of
replicating living beings (Moriarty notwithstanding).  Raw  material from a
central storage facitility is dematerialized by transporter.   Before being
materialized, the matter stream is  perturbed by  a transformational matrix
whose values are derived from computer storage.

Food materials  are replicated  using a  sterile organic  suspension as raw
material to reduce the  amount of  processing the  replicator must perform.
This resource is supplemented by solid waste materials as necessary.  Thus,
the phrase  &quotflush twice,  it's a  long way  to the  cafeteria" has
special
meaning on Starfleet vessels.

Holodecks use replicator technology for small objects (Wes  falling in real
water, Wes hitting Picard with a real snowball), but  uses force-fields for
more complex  objects  (Picard riding  a holo-horse,  Worf sparring against
holo-partners).

It was mentioned by someone (Richard Arnold or Mike Okuda or someone) at a
con shortly after TNG's &quotElementary, Dear Data" aired that there was a
scene that ended up on the cutting room floor (due to time constraints)
that made it more clear that Geordi was showing the paper to Data to show
him that it could leave the holodeck and therefore Moriarty could also
leave the holodeck (if he had only known) and not just showing him the
picture of the Enterprise (which was upside down as well, I believe).

Stewart told a slightly different version of this at a Creation Con.  It
wasn't just for time that they cut out the implication that Moriarty could
leave.  Remember that Picard did not defeat Moriarty, but persuaded him
that he had no possible independent existance (outside the holodeck).  Then
Moriarty consented to let Picard store his program until he could really
live at some future date.  According to Stewart, a cut scene showed that
Picard knew Moriarty could leave, because of that paper.  However, Picard
didn't trust the sweetness, light, tea & crumpets that he was showing.
Picard deliberately lied, because he would not free one of the worst
villains in English-language fiction.  Maurice Hurley, a former supervising
producer, said in the September 1990 issue of Cinefantastique that they
wanted to it to end with Picard lying to Moriarty.  When Dr.  Pulaski finds
out what happened she calls Picard a liar.  However, it seems that Gene
Roddenberry refused to have Picard say anything that was not the absolute
truth, in spite of arguments by Hurley and Rob Bowman, therefore the ending
had to be changed.  Both Hurley and Bowman agreed that the episode suffered
as a result and did not pay off.

In TNG's &quotShip in a Bottle", Picard throws a book off the holodeck and it
disappears.  You *could* say that they were on a holodeck within a
holodeck, but why wouldn't Picard be surprised at the book's disappearance,
since he didn't *know* he was in a double 'deck?

Also, in TNG's &quotThe Big Goodbye", the holodeck characters were able to
live
for a short while outside the holodeck, and the snowball Wes threw out of
the holodeck didn't seem to dissolve...

I think we can assume that replicators are not able to replicate
gold-pressed latinum, or else it wouldn't be so important to the Ferengi
and other profit-motivated races.  If we go with the theory that it doesn't
create matter from energy, but gets the matter from bins filled with
various elements, then one would need gold and latinum raw materials from
which to make the gold-pressed latinum in the first place, so nothing would
be gained.

See also Joshua Bell's ([email protected]) Mini-FAQ which explains the
concept of holodecks in much greater detail.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
12) ===== COMMUNICATIONS =====

Onboard communications are routed through the central computer.  The
communication software listens for communication requests, and when the
recipient has been identified activates his or her personal communicator or
nearby speakers.  There may be a slight delay in communication while the
recipient is located, but subsequent transmission proceeds in real time.

I assume there are checks made (and delays (though we don't seem to see any
on TNG)) when a crewman is on a planet or starbase.

As far as communications from ship to ship or to StarFleet Headquarters
(long-distance communication), the reason messages travel so fast is that
voices/pictures are sent via &quotsubspace", and since there's no &quotmatter"
(like a ship) to break up, they can send it at VERY high warp (bending
space) so it can travel VERY fast.

&quotThe speed of propagation of a subspace signal continues to be the
limiting
factor in any long-range communications.  Subspace radio signals, even
those tightly focused and radially polarized, will decay over time, as the
energies forced across the subspace threshold will tend to 'surface' to
become normal slower EM.  As this decay occurs, enormous amounts of
information are lost, since the modulated signal does not decay evenly.
The proagation speed under ideal galactic conditions is equivalent to Warp
Factor 9.9997.  This places subspace radio about sixty times faster than
the fastest starship, either existing or predicted.  The phenomenan, which
occurs at distances proportional to the peak radiated power of the outgoing
beam with an upper distance limit of 22.65 light years, has necessitated
the placement of untended relay booster beacons and small numbers of
crew-tended communications bases at intervals of twenty light years,
forming irregular strings of cells along major trade lanes and areas of
ongoing exploration."  -- TNG Tech Manual pg 99

Most people have accepted that if a person is on a ship or starbase or
someplace where the computers can monitor one's speech, the person doesn't
have to tap his/her badge.  If the person is exploring a planet or oterwise
away from direct contact with the computer system, a tap on the comm badge
will signify that the user wants toopen a channel, and the person may or
may not mention who he/she wishes to speak to (the must be some default,
such as &quotthe bridge of the last ship I left").

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
13) ===== PHASERS =====

The term stands  for PHASed  Energy Rectification.   It  capitalizes on the
&quotrapid nadion effect."  [It appears  that Roddenberry's  explanation that
a
phaser is a beam of &quotphased light" has been retconned.]

The saucer  section  is  equipped  with  a dorsal  and ventral
&quotcollimeter"
emitter array.

The battle section has emitters on the dorsal docking area, the upper and
lower fantail, and the underside of the nacelle pylons.  Isn't it ironic
that the &quotbattle section" has no phasers which bear directly forward when
the ship is separated?  Actually, if you study the Tech Manual closely
enough, pages 22 and 26 show side views of a raised portion on the upper
surface of the stardrive section forward of the Battle Bridge.  This would
*appear* to be a phaser bank.  (For further reference, in the illustration
on page 22, it is located between the blue lines labeled 0 and 1.)  On page
27, they show the upper surface of the stardrive section (a detail of the
docking latches).  Just abaft the forwardmost arch of docking latches,
again a section that resembles some of the shorter phaser arrays, merely
extending across the the surface of the connection point.  Finally on Page
123, in Section 11.1, the TM notes that there are *twelve* phaser arrays.
The drawings on pages 8 and 9 however, only note 11:
 - dorsal, saucer
 - ventral, same
 - (2) just inboard of the saucer impulse engines, dorsal on the stardrive
   section
 - (2) either nacelle pylon
 - just forward of the warp core ejection hatch, port-starboard
 - (2) either side of centerline, aft of the aft torpedo launcher, dorsal.
 - (2) same position, but ventral.
So what else could this upper stardrive section thing be other than a
phaser bank?

Phasers may  be  fired  while  the ship  is moving  at FTL  speeds, but the
discharge would have no effect.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
14) ===== PHOTON TORPEDOES =====

The saucer section has a forward launcher.  The battle  section has forward
and aft launchers.  The launch tube induces a warp field  in receptor coils
in the torpedo casing.  A sustainer coil  augments the  induced field using
warhead matter/antimatter  components   as  propellent   and  provides  for
midflight course and speed corrections.

According to  the  TNG  Tech Manual  the saucer  section has  an aft facing
launcher.  It  can  only  be used  (hence seen)  when the  two sections are
seperated.

The warhead consists of a few kilograms of  matter and  antimatter.  Before
launch the  reactants  are  stored  in  different  areas   of  the  casing.
Approximately one second after successful launch, the warhead  arms and the
reactants are  brought  into  proximity  separated  by   forcefields.    At
detonation, the fields drive the reactants quickly together.

Minimum safe  target  range is  15 kilometers.   Maximum  range for nominal
warhead yield is 3.5 million kilometers.

Galaxy class starships carry 275 torpedo casings.

Up to 10 torpedos can be launched as  a single  unit.   After traveling for
150 meters, they separate into distinct delivery systems.

Starfleet tactics include simultaneous  discharge of  phasers and torpedos.
The phasers  locally  weaken  the  target's defensive  shields allowing the
torpedos to  penetrate  and detonate  within the  shield perimeter, usually
resulting in complete destruction of the target.

A &quotPhoton" torpedo is  a torpedo  casing (with  a *very*  small warp
engine
which has enough fuel for a few seconds of  &quotpower-assisted" flight),
fired
from a huge rail-gun.  The casing carries a warhead of a  few hundred grams
of antimatter in  a magnetic  &quotbottle&quot.   Upon impact,  the magnetic
bottle
disintegrates, and the anti-matter impacts with  the inside  of the casing,
providing a  *very*  powerful  explosion,  with a blast  of  mega  doses of
broad-spectrum radiation,  with &quotextra"  energy in the X-ray  and Gamma
ray
range...  *THAT* is what does all the damage.

So why is it  called a  PHOTON torpedo?   When  electrons and antielectrons
(positrons) collide and annihilate each other photons are emitted.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
15a) ===== DEFLECTOR SHIELDS =====

Deflector shields are focused spatial distortions resulting in a deflective
graviton field.  This field effect is generated by waveguides  on the outer
hull of the ship.

Deflector shields have a significant fratricidal effect on the warp fields.
Neither system  can  be  operated  at optimal  efficiency when  both are in
operation.

By definition of the Star Trek Technical Manual (STTNG):

Like most forcefield devices, the deflector system creates a localized zone
of highly  focused  spacial distortion  within which  an energetic graviton
field is maintained.  The deflector field itself is emitted and shaped by a
series of  conformal  transmission   grids  on   the  spacecraft  exterior,
resulting in a field that closely follows the  form of  the vehicle itself.
This field  is  highly  resistive  to  impact due  to mechanical incursions
ranging from relativistic  subatomic particles  to more  massive objects at
lesser relative velocities.  When such an intrusion occurs, field energy is
concentrated at the point of impact, creating an intense, localized spacial
distortion.

Basically all this says is that the shields are  a set  of reversed gravity
screens.  if anything 'hits'  the screens,  the shield  system reverses the
gravitational acceleration  in  that zone,  counteracting the  force of the
photon torpedo  or  whatever.   To the  torpedo, it  will seem  like it hit
something solid.

          (Force of Torpedo)--->&lt---(Force resisting from shield)
                               OR
   (Energy from beam weapon)--->&lt---(Counteracting energy at opposing
                                     frequency and power level)

15b) ===== COMBAT SHIELDS =====

The shield  frequency  is  modulated  at  random to  prevent opponents from
matching a  weapon  frequency  to shield  frequency.   During the frequency
change, sensor operations are  performed.   Chief O'Brien  referred to such
deflector &quotwindows" in &quotThe Wounded" as the explanation for  his
ability to
transport to a ship whose shield were operating.   Normally the transporter
requires more bandwidth than the window allows.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
16) ===== ARTIFICAL GRAVITY =====

Artificial gravity  and  inertial  damping  is achieved  by machinery which
function according to  the same  principles as  those used  in tractor beam
technology.  A controlled graviton field is projected  by devices dispersed
throughout the habitable sections of the hull.

&quot...In the event of EPS [Electro Plasma System] failure, the stator will
continue to provide an attraction field for up to 240 minutes, though some
degredation to about 0.8g will be detected."  --RS/MO Tech Manual, p144.

This explains why there is still gravity on the Enterprise during a total
power failure.

In the TOS episodes &quotArena", &quotTomorrow is Yesterday", and &quotWhere
No Man Has
Gone Before" a voice in the background can be heard saying &quotGravity down
to
point eight" during emergency situations.

So why did the Klingon ship lose gravity in ST6?  In TOS &quotThe Changeling"
there are gravity palettes, and in ST5 and ST6 there are gravity boots,
indicating that self contained, low power gravity generators that can be
quickly turned on and off exist.  The Klingons probably used something more
akin to this gravity generation system aboard the warship than what the
Federation uses.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
17) ===== EMERGENCY FUELING =====

The forward sections of the warp nacelles  are Bussard  ramscoops which, in
an emergency  situation, can  be used  to collect  interstellar hydrogen by
means of  a  magnetic  field.    This  hydrogen can  be used  as the matter
component of  the  warp  and  impulse  engines.    When the  ramscoop is in
operation, the  navigational  deflector  shields  are   modified  to  allow
interstellar hydrogen to reach the collectors.

The Enterprise also carries a device capable of generating small amounts of
antideuterium, the antimatter component of the warp and impulse engine fuel
mixtures.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
18) ===== AUTO-DESTRUCT =====

Each section has provisions for scuttling.  Normally, self-destruct entails
deactivating the magnetic fields which  keep the  antimatter fuel component
from coming  into  contact  with  the  ship.    If  the  computer should be
non-operational, ordnance packages placed  at key  structural locations can
be manually detonated.

TOS &quotLet That Be Your Last Battlefield":  They attempted self-destruct.
TOS &quotBy Any Other Name":  They attempted self-destruct.
ST3 &quotThe Search for Spock":  They self-destruct the origianl Enterprise.
TNG &quot11001001":  Picard and Riker try to self destruct.
TNG &quotWhere Silence Has Lease":  Picard tries to self destruct for Nagilum.
TNG &quotContagion":  The virus from the probe initiate a self-destruct.

The self-destruct sequence from &quotLet That Be Your Last Battlefield":

        Kirk:   1-1-A
        Spock:  1-1-A-2-B
        Scott:  1-A-2-B-3
        Kirk:   0-0-0-Destruct-0 Initiate

Abort:  Kirk:   1-2-3-Continuity Abort Destruct Sequence

The self-destruct sequence from &quotStar Trek III:  The Search for Spock"

        Kirk:   1-1-A
        Chekov: 1-1-A-2-B
        Scotty: 1-A-2-B-3 (possibly 1-B-2-B-3)
        Kirk:   0-0-0-Destruct-0 [ Initiate ]

Auto-Destruct Sequence in &quot11001001":

        Picard and Riker place their hands on the computer terminals for
        finger scan.

        Computer: Recognized - Picard, Jean-Luc, Captain.
        Computer: Recognized - Riker, William T., Commander.
        Picard:   Set auto-destruct sequence.
        Computer: Does the first officer concur?
        Riker:    Yes, set auto-destruct sequence, now.
        Computer: Auto-destruct will detonate in four minutes and
                  fifty-nine seconds.

De-Activation:

        Picard places hand on bridge computer console.

        Picard:   Cancel auto-destruct.
        Computer: Does the first officer agree?

        Riker places hand on computer console.

        Riker:    Affirmative.
        Computer: Auto-destruct cancelled.

While the auto-destruct  can be  activated in  Engineering, it  can only be
deactivated on the bridge.)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
19) ===== DATA'S DATA (AND POSITRONIC BRAIN) =====

Data is NOT Asmovian and does NOT obey Asimov's Laws of Robotics.  The only
connection is that Data has a positronic brain.

Data has between 90,000 and 100,000 terabytes of memory (approximately
equiv to 100,000,000 one-GB hard drives).  When on trial, he stated that he
had a storage capacity of 800 quadrillion bits (100 quadrillion bytes).

Data processes 60 trillion operations per second. (&quotMeasure of a Man")

If you'd like to compare  Data's 100,000  terabytes of  storage capacity to
something real-world,  someone  mentioned  a  chart  that  set  the maximum
storage capacity  of  the  human brain  to approximately  3 teraBITS, which
would mean  that Data's  brain could  contain everything  from over 260,000
human brains.

Anyone with more  info to  put here,  feel free  to email  me.   Be sure to
mention that's it's for the r.a.s.TECH FAQL.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
20) ===== GEORDI'S VISOR =====

Geordi said that his VISOR covered the range 1 Hertz to 100,000 Terahertz
(this was the episode where they have to help the colony of genetically
engineered people who have been living in isolation in a &quotbiosphere" on an
otherwise uninhabited planet).  Although it covers radio, microwave, and
far infrared frequencies, it does NOT include near infrared, visible light,
ultraviolet, X-rays, or gamma rays.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
21) ===== CLOAKING DEVICES =====

Why doesn't the  Federation have  a cloaking  device, even  after all these
years they've had to study Romulan/Klingon designs?  Some say it is because
they don't want to appear like  a military  organization.   Others say that
the ships shape doesn't lend to the  use of  a cloaking  device (seems like
I'd change the shape then).  Still others say that it sucks too much power,
and since it hinders one's ability to fire on other ships they have decided
it isn't worth using.  One might still think they could keep  one around in
case of grave emergency, however...

The novelization of ST6  hints around  with cloaking  devices on Federation
ships, but doesn't say anything explicitly.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
22) ===== WORMHOLES =====

A wormhole is a portal through space, and possibly time, created by a black
hole linked to its opposite white hole somewhere else.  A black hole, of
course, is a collapsed neutron star that has tetered past the three solar
mass limit - into the twilight zone of Einstein's General Theory.

It was Albert Einstein with his Special Theory of Relativity in 1905 and
his General Theory of Relativity in 1916, who set up the parameters of
infinity.  The former, of course, pegged the speed of light for all
abservers at 186,000 mps.  The latter showed how the gravitational field of
matter defines the universe through gravitational force.  The larger the
mass, the larger the gravitational field.  The very stuff of space and time
can be considered physical entities.

A black hole is matter that has become so dense that its center approaches
infinite density.  It becomes a singularity.  Anything that enters gets
scrunched.  Any matter, energy, light, etc.  that gets too close will not
be able to get out.  Once you've crossed the event horizon - you're there
and presumably in trouble.

Work in the 1960's showed how space and time could be warped around black
holes.  The Law of Symetry would indicate, some theorists speculate, the
existance of a balck hole's counterpoint - a white hole.  Matter sucked in
by a black hole near Pluto, might simply woosh out through a white hole in
Andromeda!

Wormholes are also believed to be built into the structure of spacetime at
the planck length, (Gh/c^3)^(1/2) =1.6 *10(-35) meters.  This length is 20
powers of ten smaller than the nucleus of an atom, so it is far beyond our
power to measure.  But the nascent quantum theory of gravity seems to
predict that wormholes should be continually created and destroyed at the
planck length.  That means we would be surrounded by trillions of wormholes
forming and collapsing trillions of times a second.  Hawking has recently
argued that this phenomena may explain the nature of the physical
constants, like G, h and c.  (See Hawking, Physical review D, 1988).

TNG found a wormhole that was stable only on one end, which would still be
useful for sending a probe in (and yanking it back before the other end
changed) to explore far reaches of the galaxy.

DS9's is the only known stable wormhole.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
23) ===== SHAPESHIFTING =====

TOS &quotThe Man Trap":  Most people seem to agree that the saltsucker wasn't
a
shapeshifter, but was merely projecting the image of what people wanted to
see into their minds.  This explains how Kirk, McCoy, and others saw her as
different women at the beginning when they were all standing in the same
room.

TOS &quotWhom Gods Destroy": Garth of Izar learned shapeshifting from someone.

ST6: Kirk encountered a shapeshifting female on the penal colony.

TNG &quotThe Dauphin":  Wes fell for a shapeshifter, only to piss off her
shape-shifting nanny.

TNG &quotAquiel":  A creature that exists by consuming and then assuming the
form of its prey is discovered and destroyed.

DS9:  Odo seems to be able to change into very small objects (a rat, a bag
of gold, etc).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
24) ===== SHUTTLECRAFTS AND RUNABOUTS =====

The TOS shuttlecraft was brought in as a plot device (actually &quotbeaming"
was originally brought in to save on models and effects).

We have seen the following shuttlecrafts in the following episodes:

TOS &quotThe Doomsday Machine"
TOS &quotGalileo Seven"                  Galileo NCC-1701/7 (destroyed)
TOS &quotThe Immunity Syndrome"
TOS &quotThe Menagerie"                  (class F shuttlecraft with theranium
hull)
TOS &quotMetamorphosis"                  Galileo NCC-1701/7

TNG &quotBooby Trap"

In Deep Space Nine, they have &quotrunabouts" (a new class of smaller ships),
which allow our characters to travel to numerous star systems with a
maximum speed of warp 4.7, operated by a two-man crew, with a single pilot
in control if necessary.  They can transport up to forty people, but that's
a crowd.  There are cramped, uncomfortable sleeping quarters for six
people.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
25) ===== WHY ARE ALL RACES SHAPED BASICALLY THE SAME =====

This question is answered in full in the &quotStar Trek Aliens" FAQ in the
rec.arts.startrek.misc newsgroup.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
99) ===== MISC TRIVIA =====

TOS:  The Klingons and  the Romulans  had a  trade agreement  of sorts, for
technology.  The  Klingons  got  cloaking  devices  (according to non-canon
sources), the Romulans got Klingon warships (ref &quotThe Enterprise
Incident")
and warp  technology  (from non-canon  sources).   It's been  said that the
trade agreement originated when someone stepped on the  Romulan ship model.
:-) Also, there is some speculation (again, non-canon) that the BoP as seen
in TSFS  and  TVH,  plus  several  times in  TNG, was  originally a Romulan
design.

TNG:  On the topic of the Enterprise-D having dolphins involved in
Guidance/Navigation:  &quotIn the Galaxy class starship, ongoing G&ampN system
research tasks are handled by a mixed consultation crew of twelve Tursiops
truncatus and T.  truncatus gilli, Atlantic and Pacific bottlenose
dolphins, respectively.  This crew is overseen by two additional cetaceans,
Orcinus orca takyai, or Takaya's Whale.  All theoretical topics in
navigation are studied by these elite specialists, and their
recommendations for system upgrades are implemented by Starfleet."  --Star
Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual (pages 44-45).  In &quotThe Perfect
Mate", Geordi is trying to get rid of a couple of Ferrengi and says &quotHave
you seen the dolphins?  You gotta see the dolphins..."

If you have  technical comments  on what  you believe  are technical errors
that show  up frequently  on ST:TNG,  the following  is an  address to send
comments to tech.   consultants  for the  show (only  responses from people
with  sufficient  backgrounds  in  science   or  engineering,  please--e.g.
physicists, EE's, etc.):
                                Attn: Technical Consultant
                                Star Trek The Next Generation
                                Cooper Bldg  c/o Paramount Pictures
                                5555 Melrose Ave.
                                Hollywood, CA  90038

TNG and DS9 satellite uplink times are in the r.a.startrek.misc FAQL.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you know of any other topics that should be included in this list, feel
free to email me at one of the addresses below.  Be aware that about 10% of
the mail I send out bounces, so if you don't get a reply from me, it isn't
because I'm ignoring you.  :-)

This article is Copyright 1994 by Otto Heuer.  It may be freely
redistributed in its entirety provided that this copyright notice is not
removed.  It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial
documents without the written permission of the copyright holder.
Permission is expressly granted for this document to be made available for
file transfer from installations offering unrestricted anonymous file
transfer on the Internet free of charge.

                --Otto &quotHACK-MAN" Heuer
 _____  _________  _                         _____   _____   _____   _____
|  ___||  _______|| | Otto E. Heuer, CEO    ||___|| |_   _| |_   _| ||___||
| |__  | |___  ___| | FSD, Inc.             |  o  |   | |     | |   |  o  |
|  __| |___  ||  _  | &quotThe innovator for    |__O__|   |_|     |_|
|__O__|
| | _______| || |_| | software solutions."            C, Pascal, Fortran,
BASIC
|_||_________||_____|         Assembly Language, Snobol, Ada, APL, Prolog,
LISP
Unix, MS-DOS, ProDOS       .  .   .   .... .  .   .   .   .   .   .
Audio/Video
[email protected]   :..: .:.:. :    :.' .. :`.': .:.:. :`. :   Star
Trek
[email protected]  :  : :   : :... : `.   :   : :   : :  `:  Apple
IIgs