knudsen@ihnss.UUCP (08/06/84)
Yes, trwba!mnw is right -- the movie destruct sequence blew up only the saucer command hull, leaving the engine hull & pods for the atmosphere. In the novelization, the antimatter and matter do mix as part of the plan, making a mini-nova that outshines the Genesis sun for a few seconds. (Amazingly, there is still stuff left to re-enter as a spectacular meteor shower in the novel also). But the explosion should have been bigger -- in some TV episode Scotty said you'd get a pretty good super-nova bang if you mixed all the fuel at once, and the comic book of ST:TMP had the Eprise crew fixing to blow up Vger that way (what a tummy ache!). So, yes, ST-III has an inconsistency here. Let's just say that the fuel tanks must have been pretty low -- after all, the Big E would hardly have been refueld at Space Doclk, being slated for scrapping. One "consistent" error -- why did the Eprise re-enter Genesis atmosphere after destruct? Why, for the same reason that Star Trek vessels ALWAYS spiral into decaying orbits when their engines break down/blow up! "Are ye tryin' ta say that in the 20th century, they kept satellites in orbit without usin' any power?" Yes Scotty we do it all the time. mike k
rjnoe@ihlts.UUCP (Roger Noe) (08/07/84)
> But the explosion should have been bigger -- in some TV episode > Scotty said you'd get a pretty good super-nova bang if you mixed all > the fuel at once, and the comic book of ST:TMP had the [Enterprise] > crew fixing to blow up Vger that way The movie ST:TMP also had that. (Quick, trivia fans, what Starfleet General Order did Kirk tell Scott to implement on his command in ST:TMP?) But what makes you think that the self-destruct sequence implemented by the computer would bring all its matter and antimatter together at once? Why must there be only one way to destroy a starship? They had to find another way in "The Doomsday Machine" because that starship's computer was inoperative. > "Are ye tryin' ta say that in the 20th century, they kept satellites in > orbit without usin' any power?" Yes Scotty we do it all the time. No, we don't. Skylab is an example of what happens to satellites left up a long time without sufficient maneuvering power. Also, I doubt many satellites would stay up long after experiencing an explosion of the same relative magnitude as a starship's primary hull exploding. -- "It's only by NOT taking the human race seriously that I retain what fragments of my once considerable mental powers I still possess." Roger Noe ihnp4!ihlts!rjnoe
jeh@ritcv.UUCP (Jim Heliotis) (08/08/84)
> So, yes, ST-III has an inconsistency here. Let's just say that the fuel > tanks must have been pretty low -- after all, the Big E would hardly have > been refueld at Space Doclk, being slated for scrapping. Ha! I, with my limited knowledge finally get to pick apart something! "Low fuel" is not an issue with the Enterprise; it is self-regenerating (explain that one). I heard Kirk tell someone that in one of the TV episodes. Jim Heliotis {allegra,seismo}!rochester!ritcv!jeh rocksvax!ritcv!jeh ritcv!jeh@Rochester
bsa@ncoast.UUCP (The WITNESS) (08/15/84)
"Self-regenerating"? Maybe the MATTER is, but the ANTImatter would not be
(and there was an animated episode where they had to refuel the Enterprise
and whee! was THAT shown to be fun!) If the Big E were short on antimatter
there would not be much of an explosion. Especially if Kirk had Scotty pull
out the stops on the way to Genesis (maybe he expected to hitch a ride on
Grissom?).
I still think the Federation actually FOUND some kind of substance like
corbomite (never underestimate a human!) and built it into the refitted
Enterprise of STTMP. Look at the explosion scene for a good argument; the
structural bracing of the ship dissolved under the tritanium hullplates.
I suspect they mixed something into the metal they used to build her and
put a trigger somewhere forward of the bridge, considering the way she blew.
It would, once started, have spread backwards... but she hit atmosphere first.
--bsa
--
Brandon Allbery: decvax!cwruecmp{!atvax}!bsa: R0176@CSUOHIO.BITNET
^ Note name change!
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"The more they overthink the plumbin', the easier 'tis tae stop up the drain."iv@trsvax.UUCP (08/20/84)
#R:ihnss:-217700:trsvax:54700010:000:740
trsvax!iv Aug 20 14:46:00 1984
In reference to:
/***** trsvax:net.startrek / ritcv!jeh / 6:48 am Aug 11, 1984 */
Ha! I, with my limited knowledge finally get to pick apart something!
"Low fuel" is not an issue with the Enterprise; it is self-regenerating
(explain that one). I heard Kirk tell someone that in one of the
TV episodes.
Jim Heliotis
ritcv!jeh@Rochester
/* ---------- */
Actually as I understand it, it is (was) the Enterprise's *power*
which is regenerated, not her fuel. The matter and anti-matter are
carefully combined, yielding energy which is used to power the ship
and recharge the batteries and so on.
IV (aka John Elliott IV)
Tandy Systems Software; Fort Worth, TX
...{convex!ctvax,microsoft}!trsvax!iv