Now that we've segued into Superman, here's the question we've all pondered at one point or another:

[conuly]

Is it ever going to be possible to find a way around that whole "speed of light" thing? One that doesn't involve generational ships or the also sci-fi concept of cryogenics, that is? NASA's page isn't that hopeful, and I assume they know what they're talking about.

Does that mean we really ARE all stuck here? (Well, unless we DO go the generational ship route, but that causes its own problems, I should think.)

Comments

[sayga.livejournal.com]

I would totally volunteer to go on a generational ship if it was like Star Trek. :P Course, if it was like Star Trek, we wouldn't NEED it to be a generational ship.

[conuly]

Were it Star Trek, there'd be holodecks.

[sayga.livejournal.com]

I think the replicators would be my #1 choice. Well, that or warp drive. Holodecks would be awesome (I would love to do some holonovels!), but having replicators would really be awesome in so many applications. I imagine that the invention of the replicator is what made currency outdated. Nothing is worth anything if you can replicate valuables, or any tool, food, or item you want or need. Transporters are really great too, but I think I would be really paranoid about using them as much as people do on Star Trek. I'm surprised transporter accidents are as rare as they claim them to be. Haha, speaking as if all this is completely real and just waiting for me in the future!

[conuly]

Nothing is worth anything if you can replicate valuables, or any tool, food, or item you want or need.

You can't replicate repairmen, or medical knowledge, or garbage pickup, or a host of other things. If the replicator repairpeople go on strike, you'll know what's valuable and what isn't.

[sayga.livejournal.com]

You are totally right of course, but in this case, by "nothing" I really did mean "no THING." I wasn't terribly clear, but I like in Star Trek that stuff doesn't matter with the exception of a few rarities, and the people themselves, their contribution and their efforts are what are valued. It's such a nice fantasy world to wish I was a part of. :)

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

You can build replicator repair robots, and autodocs (http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=264), and automatic trash trucks. That's what robots are for - to do the work that people don't want to do.

Of course, then you've got to be sure to treat the robot-makers right. Otherwise, being geeks, instead of going on strike themselves, they're liable to program the robots to rise up, and robot uprisings tend to be a lot worse than workers' strikes. It's impossible to negotiate with an army of robots that's already killed off the only people who knew how they worked, which is what usually happens.

Ick, replicated food - thanks no, I'll be in the garden. Preferably a real garden, with real, composted soil, but if it has to be hydroponics, that will suffice. As for replicating tools, clothing, etc, people would still have to pay for the raw material (because obviously the replicator has to have mass to start with; it can't just create atoms out of nothing) and for the energy of replication, and the overhead on the machine's maintenance, and the insurance in case the maintenance robot suddenly goes 'on strike'.

Starfleet is the military, though; they provide all this luxury tech to their flagship officers as part of the package. I bet the USS Cargo Grunt only has a replicator if replicators are the cheapest way to feed a crew - which they might be, but if so, the Enterprise ought to have fresh organic food, at least in the officers' mess, for the sake of comparison. We've already observed that society in the Star Trek world may have gotten rid of war, racism and poverty, but they haven't gotten rid of class markers and status indicators.

[conuly]

That's what robots are for - to do the work that people don't want to do.

I thought that's why we had illegal immigrants...?

Ick, replicated food - thanks no, I'll be in the garden.

Notably, all Star Trek ships that I can recall grew or bought their own food. As I recall, replicators were far from perfect when it came to edibles. Still, better than starving.