Star Trek v. Reality

[Subdeacon Joe]

From FB 

 

In Star Trek, why do they use extremely inexperienced people in very important roles, case in point, Crusher at helm and Kim at Ops in Voyager?
It’s actually one of the more realistic aspects of the show in attempting to mirror naval operations. I see this question a lot, and it kinda baffles me. Want to know who drives a $12 billion dollar Ford-class super carrier? It’s the youngest, most inexperienced member of the crew and is typically one of the stations they start training at. Same for an Ohio-class ballistic missile sub and Virginia/LA/Seawolf-class fast attack subs and well, every class of ship in the Navy.

Other than Chief O’Brien, we don’t really see too much of what the enlisted specialist folks do, but the lowest-ranked officers have to start training somewhere, and they aren’t going to be cleaning the space toilets like the enlisted do. Honestly, with the level of computer automation that they would have at that point, how hard do you think it is to drive a starship?

Captain Picard:

Set a course for Spearmint Rhino 3, the strip club planet, warp 6!

Ensign:

Yes, sir! (Typing in search function/favorites list) Let’s see … Spearmint Rhino 3 (computer automatically plots the best and most efficient course) Mmk, that’s done. Select speed… warp 6 Mmk done. Course laid in, Captain!

Captain Picard:

Engage!

Ensign: Presses enter, and bam, we’re on our way to the planet of the nudie bars!

Captain Picard:

You have the bridge number 1. Heads to the ready room.

-A few minutes later-

Commander Riker: Increase speed to warp 8!!!

Ensign: Adjusts speed slider to warp 8.

Hell, a Virginia-class nuclear fast attack sub is driven with a joystick and touchscreens and they still have to manually track their course on a chart and do math correctly, or they end up running aground or smacking into an underwater mountain, and those are 18–20-year-old kids fresh out of high school. They are trusted with driving multi-billion-dollar naval vessels at that age and experience level with equipment that’s positively Stone Age compared to a Galaxy-class starship in the 24th century. The fact that there is a human being driving the ship at all instead of the computer doing it is the most unrealistic part of the show.
Read more>>> https://tinyurl.com/h86p87zp

 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Why to thhey send the 3 or 4 most senior staff to explore a strange new world?

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

13 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

The fact that there is a human being driving the ship at all instead of the computer doing it is the most unrealistic part of the show.

The human is not driving the ship, at this point, he's just monitoring what the computer is doing. Watching for alerts, sensor readings and such. The question I have is why they have two people at the Navigation Console. Why a Navigator AND a Pilot at the Helm? Just for redundancy? Okay, then why separate titles for them? And WTH is Worf doing back at Tactical anyway? On Kirk's Enterprise, the Helm read sensors and handled weapons WHILE Piloting the ship in battle.  

Just for reference to the Here and Now, Pilots in commercial passenger planes don't do much either. Yep, you guessed it, a COMPUTER is flying the plane from takeoff to landing. Pretty much all the Cabin Crew does is move the plane around on the ground. And watch monitors.

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

2 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

Why to thhey send the 3 or 4 most senior staff to explore a strange new world?

Absolutely right. There should be a specialized crew to do that. Specialists whose JOB it is to Go Where No Man Has Gone Before. If a Senior Officer must go, he should have, again, a team with him specially trained for just that mission. 

Exobiologists, Exobotonists, etc. Security on a Landing Party should be by personnel trained for that, and ONLY that.

I think that the one time we saw something like that was in the "Arena", when Kirk and crew were fighting a ground battle with the yet unseen Gorn, and Kirk ask a Security Guy about firing a Mortar.

[Alpo]

I seldom watched The Next Generation. Did Picard go down with the away team, or did he stay on board and let Riker do all the exploring?

[Rye Miles #13621]

41 minutes ago, Alpo said:

I seldom watched The Next Generation. Did Picard go down with the away team, or did he stay on board and let Riker do all the exploring?

He went several times and also with Riker as well! 

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

1 hour ago, Alpo said:

I seldom watched The Next Generation. Did Picard go down with the away team, or did he stay on board and let Riker do all the exploring?

Riker usually went, since the XO is expendable I suppose, but occasionally Picard went, and Riker usually argued over the Standing Orders that the Captain NOT go. When Picard went, it was most often because he had some personal interest in THAT mission.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

That’s one of things that bugged me about “The Hunt for Red October”. Skipper of the American sub, Scott Glen boards the Russian sub with his most experienced sonar operator. First of all, why the skipper? And secondly, what expertise does a sonar operator bring to a boarding party? Seems you’d want keep those two aboard the US sub in case the SHTF. 

 

Similar thing in the Carey Grant movie, “Destination Tokyo”. He’s the skipper who disarms an unexploded bomb instead of someone else, who likely would have more expertise. 
 

Hollyweird. 

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

4 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

Similar thing in the Carey Grant movie, “Destination Tokyo”. He’s the skipper who disarms an unexploded bomb instead of someone else, who likely would have more expertise. 
 

Hollyweird. 

How about on "M*A*S*H*" when Hawkeye and Trapper disarmed a bomb in the compound. 

"Okay, let's sent the two most valuable guys in the unit for a dangerous job that they have no more experience than anybody else to do."

Edited October 27, 2025 by Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

5 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

Hollyweird. 

Oh yeah.

That's when you take a Winchester 92, remove the forestock, brass the receiver, and wahlah!  You've got yourself a Henry!

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

9 minutes ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

Oh yeah.

That's when you take a Winchester 92, remove the forestock, brass the receiver, and wahlah!  You've got yourself a Henry!

To be an official Hollywood Henry, they will slide a piece onto the magazine tube that looks like the Magazine Follower on a real Henry. You can see one clearly in the Sam Elliot movie of Louis L'amour's "The Quick and the Dead", in the hands of the head Bad Guy.

[Subdeacon Joe]

4 hours ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

That’s one of things that bugged me about “The Hunt for Red October”. Skipper of the American sub, Scott Glen boards the Russian sub with his most experienced sonar operator. First of all, why the skipper? And secondly, what expertise does a sonar operator bring to a boarding party?

 

Think of it as both a diplomatic mission and rescue expedition, not a "We beat the snot out of you, now surrender" boarding party.  They are going to accept the defection of a VERY senior naval officer and some others, and his gift of a multi-billion dollar asset.  You send your senior officer on scene for that.  Also, it's an historic event, and the American officer who accepts it will have all sorts of recognition. 
 

They are also going to help man a submarine that has had all the enlisted men taken off of it, and a good chunk of the junior officers.  A submarine that has the Soviet fleet and the Americans trying to find it and sink it.  The defecting officers may be enough to steam to port, but they are likely to have to fight the ship.  They'll still be short, and the Americans will be working with unfamiliar equipment, so you send your best to make the most of it.  Jones has a degree in electronics, as well as being a highly experienced sonarman,  and is likely to be able to make the most sense of the unfamiliar Soviet gear.  

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

Of course it isn't reality.  It's science FICTION!

 

it has plots aimed at 12 year old kids and people who simply want to kill time enjoying a stupid movie...like I do.

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

21 minutes ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

Of course it isn't reality.  It's science FICTION!

 

it has plots aimed at 12 year old kids and people who simply want to kill time enjoying a stupid movie...like I do.

NO!! STAR TREK IS REAL!! 🤩Star Wars is for kids.

[Subdeacon Joe]

Just now, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

NO!! STAR TREK IS REAL!! 🤩Star Wars is for kids.

 

What's amazing about the original series is how many of the little every day things that were in it are things that we have now....or things close to them.  Many new cars you can have voice commands to make calls, send texts, change temperature,  defrosted, and fan settings.   You can monitor engine function, tire pressure,  engine efficiency. 

 

Our smart phones can tell us where we are,  how to get to where we want to go, provide recipes (see, Alpo? I don't ALWAYS use "receipt." Especially in this case when our phones can do both).

 

Hospital beds can monitor weight,  body temperature, Blood Oxygen Satuation, and Lord knows what else. 

[Alpo]

 

50 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

see, Alpo? I don't ALWAYS use "receipt."

Now Joe, you and I both know that you forced yourself to write "recipe", so you could point it out to me.

 

 

So there.

 

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

56 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

What's amazing about the original series is how many of the little every day things that were in it are things that we have now....or things close to them.  Many new cars you can have voice commands to make calls, send texts, change temperature,  defrosted, and fan settings.   You can monitor engine function, tire pressure,  engine efficiency. 

 

Our smart phones can tell us where we are,  how to get to where we want to go, provide recipes (see, Alpo? I don't ALWAYS use "receipt." Especially in this case when our phones can do both).

 

Hospital beds can monitor weight,  body temperature, Blood Oxygen Satuation, and Lord knows what else. 

A while back, when the History Channel was still on, they did the biography of William Shatner. It was a two part episode, and the first part was called "How William Shatner changed the world". It discussed many of the Star Trek inspired devices and equipment we had back then, what we would have, and how their creators were driven to make them from watching Star Trek. It's available on youtube.

[Chantry]

8 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

What's amazing about the original series is how many of the little every day things that were in it are things that we have now....or things close to them.  Many new cars you can have voice commands to make calls, send texts, change temperature,  defrosted, and fan settings.   You can monitor engine function, tire pressure,  engine efficiency. 

 

Our smart phones can tell us where we are,  how to get to where we want to go, provide recipes (see, Alpo? I don't ALWAYS use "receipt." Especially in this case when our phones can do both).

 

Hospital beds can monitor weight,  body temperature, Blood Oxygen Satuation, and Lord knows what else. 

 

And the 3D printers can be considered an extremely early version of the replicator

 

As for the transporter  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleportation#Quantum_teleportation

 

 

Edited October 28, 2025 by Chantry

[Black Angus McPherson]

I had a college physics professor whose favorite saying was:  "If it's on TV it must be true.  If it's on Star Trek it's absolutely true."

 

Angus

 

 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

7 hours ago, Chantry said:

 

And the 3D printers can be considered an extremely early version of the replicator

 

As for the transporter  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleportation#Quantum_teleportation

 

 

But can they do “Earl Grey, hot?”

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

Fiction is fiction...until someone figures out to do it or find out what it can be made to do.

 

THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT REMAINS FICTION!

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

10 minutes ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT REMAINS FICTION!

Kinda like “customer service” and corporate mission statements… 🙃

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

1 hour ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

Fiction is fiction...until someone figures out to do it or find out what it can be made to do.

 

THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT REMAINS FICTION!

That's true, but some science fiction is more based in actual science than others. When I was a kid in school, one of my delights was reading fictional books on landing on the Moon. Until it wasn't fiction.

The science of Star Trek is mostly at least BASED on real science. Whether it will work remains to be seen. Star Wars, not so much. Nobody has even come close to even figuring out how to make a beam of light only 3 feet long, as well as having that same beam of light stop another 3 foot long beam of light. 

Warp Drive is at least theoretically possible. Lightsabers, not so much.

 

Edited October 28, 2025 by Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770

[Jiminy Cricket]

48 minutes ago, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

Lightsabers, not so much.

 

That’s only because we haven’t found kyber crystals yet.  

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

29 minutes ago, Jiminy Cricket said:

That’s only because we haven’t found kyber crystals yet.  

We haven't found dilithium yet either, but they're still working on warp drive. And they HAVE been able to make Antimatter, microscopic amounts true, but it proves the concept.

Edited October 29, 2025 by Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770

[Seldom Seen #16162]

I read that scientists in Japan were able to create Warp speed. It was in a laboratory and only lasted for three seconds. So this means the theory is possible but may not make it out of the laboratory setting.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

Please define warp speed. Does it have a meaning outside of Hollywood?

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

31 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

Please define warp speed. Does it have a meaning outside of Hollywood?

A faster than lightspeed drive.

 

[Pat Riot]

1 hour ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

Please define warp speed. Does it have a meaning outside of Hollywood?

It’s how fast a body can absorb certain alcohols to get looped. 

[Subdeacon Joe]

2 hours ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

Please define warp speed. Does it have a meaning outside of Hollywood?

 

It's how fast you can set up a loom for weaving. 

 

Compare to weft speed,  which is how fast a shuttle moves.

[Matthew Duncan]

On 10/27/2025 at 12:30 PM, Subdeacon Joe said:

In Star Trek, why do they use extremely inexperienced people in very important roles, case in point, Crusher at helm and Kim at Ops in Voyager?

To keep within their production budget.  

[Chantry]

On 10/27/2025 at 12:30 PM, Subdeacon Joe said:

From FB 

 

In Star Trek, why do they use extremely inexperienced people in very important roles, case in point, Crusher at helm and Kim at Ops in Voyager?

 

I still think they should have beamed Crusher out into space, but the little brat was supposed to appeal to younger viewers.  In series he was supposed to be brilliant.

 

I didn't watch much Voyager, but Kim was supposed to be extremely smart, besides the event that transported Voyager also killed a number of crew, so it's possible Kim was the best qualified person available.

 

And Deep Space Nine was far better than either Next Generation or Voyager

 

[Rye Miles #13621]

Yea but Voyager had Seven of Nine ❤️

 

 

[DocWard]

On 10/27/2025 at 12:55 PM, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

Why to thhey send the 3 or 4 most senior staff to explore a strange new world?

Because they’re the stars of the show. Nobody wants to watch Ensign Bobby fall in love with Edith Keeler. They want to watch Kirk. Ensign Bobby might not handle it well when Spock informs him Edith Keeler must die. And it certainly won’t have the tragic effect of the hero letting his love be killed.

 

Wait, it just dawned on me that Spock wouldn’t be there either, so they might never realize she must die, and everything gets screwed up!

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

38 minutes ago, DocWard said:

Because they’re the stars of the show. Nobody wants to watch Ensign Bobby fall in love with Edith Keeler. They want to watch Kirk. Ensign Bobby might not handle it well when Spock informs him Edith Keeler must die. And it certainly won’t have the tragic effect of the hero letting his love be killed.

 

Wait, it just dawned on me that Spock wouldn’t be there either, so they might never realize she must die, and everything gets screwed up!

I kind of give the show a pass on this one. Since somehow the ship's Senior Medical Officer, under the influence of a powerful drug, managed to transport himself down to the planet, and since he was a personal friend to both the Captain and First Officer, I can see them going to find him and hopefully call on that friendship to talk him out of his delusions. I DON'T see why they would take the ship's Chief Engineer and Communication's Officer with them. Four Security guys would make more sense.

Besides, McCoy probably only knew Ensign Bobby from giving him a physical exam.