WMartin@Office-3@sri-unix.UUCP (08/12/83)
From: WMartin at Office-3 (Will Martin) The mention of the ST warp drive methodology (in the transporter discussion) brings a question to mind: If the drive warps space, and higher warp numbers mean that space is more "curved", thereby decreasing the effective distance between two points in normal space, it would justify not always moving at highest warp numbers in terms of energy consumption (it should take more energy to warp space more), but it does not explain the constant use in ST if the ship shaking and trembling with the strain of higher "speed" at high warp numbers. Scotty: "I dinna ken if she'll take this much longer, Cap'n!" Of course, I am mixing a "rational" explanation with a theatrical effect here, but that's what we've doing all along in this sort of discussion, and it's fun, so anyway... That does remind me of my biggest beef with the ST director/staff: the constant use of people on the bridge being knocked about and thrown out of their chairs by buffeting or external effects when the ship is moving at lightspeed (or brought to a dead halt therefrom, as I seem to recall from one or more episodes). If the ship is in orbit or moving slowly or stopped, I could see that a tractor beam or some other external effect could shake it and its contents. But at lightspeed, there has to be some sort of inertial shielding field which would completely isolate the crew from these external forces. At those speeds, if such shielding was not utterly complete, any measurable fraction of such forces would reduce the beings on board to a molecular goo, and the ship's structure to something resembling a ball of crumpled aluminum foil. I guess it's hard for people used to directing car chases to accept their characters finding out about everything happening to them from screens and dials, but that would have to be the only remotely realistic way to do it... Will Martin
preece@uicsl.UUCP (08/17/83)
#R:sri-arpa:-414200:uicsl:10700027:000:793 uicsl!preece Aug 16 14:25:00 1983 If the buffeting of the Enterprise can't reasonably be caused by external effects, why not make the obvious alternative explanation: internal effects. Two obvious possibilities: at high warp speeds the equipment generating the effect vibrate, possibly as a result of difficulty in synchronisation of multiple drives; there may be an interaction between the effort of achieving a given speed and the nature of the universe -- pushing the ship harder may result in discontinuities in position, for instance, or the drive mechanism may not have time to recycle between jumps at high rates (assuming the warp occurs in small, discrete jumps). Isn't it a little silly, though, to worry about the effects used in producing a show that long ago? Why not limit technical complaints to the movies...