When it comes to Star Trek versus Star Wars I certainly
do lean more towards Star Wars. It has been my bread and butter since my early
childhood. I essentially fell in love after witnessing my first light sabre
duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader and the sight of the X-Wings
battling it out to destroy the Death Star coupled with the daring assist by the
Millennium Falcon to help kick the Empires ass, well needless to say I was
hooked for life. That being said that does not mean I don’t have a deep
appreciation for the Star Trek. The adventures of Captain Kirk and the crew of
the USS Enterprise was one of my father’s favourite shows growing up. The next
generation featuring Captain Picard and his charming and interesting crew was
certainly first rate entertainment and storytelling. My father, brother, and
myself would definitely rank it was one of our favourite all-time TV programs.
One of the
main things I love about Star Trek is its attempt to remain dedicated to hard
physics and by that I mean there is a dedication to ensure the storytelling and
technical aspects of the show are accurate to real life facts, phenomenon, and
possibilities of outer space. Sure, liberties have to be taken here and there
in order to make things entertaining. For instance, in outer space there is no
sound but the sounds of a photon torpedo launching into a Klingon Warbird is
way to cool to pass up. There are other inaccuracies but the attempt to keep it
loyal to facts is certainly there. While Star Wars exists “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” Star Trek exists in our
own world in the distant future. The Federation of Planets is kind of like an
extended United Nations that goes well beyond planet Earth. The name “USS Enterprise” is an old and factual
one of naval vessels used throughout the history of the United States Navy. It
is interesting to note though, when outer space travel becomes common place the
Navy would not play a dominant role if one at all. Outer space endeavours would
fall under primarily space agencies and Air Forces. Through science fiction
history the Navy and its terminology has been the lead player when describing
outer space encounters. I suppose from a storytelling point of view it sounds
better but it is inaccurate.
On board
the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D is written by Denise and Michael Okuda who
worked directly on the television program. Their book is a short and
fascinating trip one of the most famous ships ever. The artwork is first rate
and knowledge provided is brief, interesting, and knowledgeable, just the way I
like it! It also comes with an interactive CD which allows the user to take a “3D”
tour of the enterprise itself. One of the most fascinating features of the USS
Enterprise is that large dish that sits in the middle just below large disc. I
have always wondered what that was. Turns out it is a long range sensor and
deflector. This is a very useful feature to have on a space ship that is
involved in long range travel. It is described as such:
“When
the ship is traveling at warp speeds or even higher impulse velocity, collision
with even a tiny particle of dust could be catastrophic. That’s why the ship’s
Main Deflector sweeps far ahead of the vessel, pushing aside meteoroids,
debris, and even dust. The big deflector dish also houses the long-range sensor
array, which helps detect such hazards, and also serves many scientific and
tactical functions.”
And to think, all this time
I thought it was one giant light bulb. The next most obvious feature is the
ability of the USS Enterprise to reach warp speeds, basically traveling faster
than the speed of light or at least close to it because according to Einstein
reaching the speed of light is in fact, impossible. The Enterprise is powered
by a matter/anti-matter engine which in the world of theoretical physics is a
legit option for space travel fueling and propulsion. You see there is matter
which exists all around us and is basically everything but there is also this
strange stuff called anti-matter which is the exact opposite. An electron has a
negative charge to it; we know this from basic high school science. An
anti-matter electron is not a proton which has a positive charge it is in fact
an electron that has a positive charge. It is the exact opposite of an
electron. When the two of them meet they collide releasing an enormous amount
of energy. Some astrophysicists believe that the big bang was the result of a
cloud of matter coming into contact with anti-matter resulting in a gargantuan
release of energy. Here on Earth anti-matter has been discovered but the amount
of which is extremely small. The thought of using a matter/ anti-matter reactor
to power a spaceship like the USS Enterprise is a fascinating one if not an incredibly
dangerous. Fortunately the Enterprise is capable of jettisoning the reactor
from the ship in emergency situations.
The next
most famous aspect of the Enterprise is the Transporter room. This room gives
the crew the ability to literally be beamed from the Enterprise to another
location weather that is a planetary surface or another spaceship. Believe it or
not, teleportation is not impossible and has been accomplished on the molecular
level the only problem is a second molecule is being created. Now, imagine
being teleported to another part of the world only to find out you have not
gone anywhere but your exact double now exists someplace else! Pretty wild huh?
Fortunately for the USS Enterprise this is not a problem as their technology
has been able to rectify that little bizarre problem. The transporter literally
converts matter (you) into energy and beams it to another location where that
matter (you) is reassembled good as new or good as you were.
There is
no doubt that mankind will one day venture into outer space on a more permanent
basis. The idea of establishing a permanent base on the Moon and Mars are not
ideas that are brand new. These ideas have been in existence for generations.
Everything starts with an idea. An idea is the seed to discovery and with
proper care and cultivation that discovery can lead to greatness. One day a
permanent base on Jupiter’s Moon Europa could become a reality as it is
believed that Europa could be home to vast supplies of water. I like to think
of outer space travel as a sort of connect the dots kind of game. We started
here on Earth then we ventured to the Moon now we are looking at Mars, Europa
could be next and then venturing further beyond our solar system to our sister
star Andromeda, and then of course, venturing to the infinite beyond. These are
certainly lofty goals and none of them will happen in my lifetime but if they
do end-up happening I would be excited and happy to see them happen aboard the
USS Enterprise.
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