CARROLL@USC-ISIB@sri-unix.UUCP (07/25/83)
Re. David Levine's msg... I agree that IF the transporter was that expensive, secret, or unreliable that it may not be used for the purposes discussed. But in "The Trouble With Tribbles" wasn't space station K-7 a civilian installation? Maybe it was run by the Federation, but it wasn't a military base, and there were transporter stations inside. Also, the Klingons, etc. have transporters. The civilian version may not have the range or penetration through solid objects of a more advanced military version, but it could do the job described. At the very least, raw material could be run through to be reassembled as dilithium crystals. Very profitable, posing no risk to life in the case of a malfunction. It's a possibility... steve (carroll@isib) -------