General Trek Questions and Observations

[knightgrace]

Something that Kor posted. He was pointing out the fact that the season 1 episode 'Conspiracy' left a great deal hanging.

This is a problem.

As in how did the parasites get by standard Tricorder sensors? What about Transporter biological pattern buffers? A whole slew of unanswered questions. Go rewatch the episode, and you will see the 800 pound Kzinti.

(Poor thing is starving. )

 

[Nerys Myk]

Something that Kor posted. He was pointing out the fact that the season 1 episode 'Conspiracy' left a great deal hanging.

This is a problem.

As in how did the parasites get by standard Tricorder sensors? What about Transporter biological pattern buffers? A whole slew of unanswered questions. Go rewatch the episode, and you will see the 800 pound Kzinti.

(Poor thing is starving. )

Needs of the plot. Sensors and filters work at the behest of the story.

 

[cooleddie74]

Sensors, filters, warp engines, transporters, phasers, characters.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Scotty canna change the laws of physics, but the writers sure can.

 

[knightgrace]

Sloppy writing. Not seeing the forest through the trees...

Parasites have consequences. Death being one of them (real world).

Even assuming stealth biology, something would have to be a bit off.

Stealth biology??

In Alien, pay attention to the fact that the implant is difficult to detect... Why? It is a biological warfare agent. This is made clear by the novel.

Star Trek is not supposed to fantasy, but Science Fiction. Meaning dotting every 'i', and crossing every 't'.

This is why Star Trek:Voyager failed. Not enough paying attention ( attention at that tim was paid at the rate of $5.00 per hour. )

Which is why nobody pays attention.

Seriously, nobody pays attention.

In the novel 'Drums Along the Mohawk' a canoe travels from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie.

Problem: Niagara Falls.

It is an old problem.

It is not bad enough that writers put anything down at all, revealing their ignorance, but Editors need to do their part as well.

 

[cooleddie74]

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[Nerys Myk]

Star Trek is not supposed to fantasy, but Science Fiction. Meaning dotting every 'i', and crossing every 't'.

Nope. It wants things to happen that place the crew in peril. That means things will slip through and do that very thing. Science Fiction in not about dotting "i" and crossing "t".

 

[fireproof78]

Nope. It wants things to happen that place the crew in peril. That means things will slip through and do that very thing. Science Fiction in not about dotting "i" and crossing "t".

Indeed. Star Trek has been characters and drama first, story second, tech a distant third. Consistently, the tech fails and the people have to figure it out. Not, "push a button and solve the problem" story of 5 minute vignettes on Star Trek: Button Pushing.

 

[XCV330]

Star Trek is not supposed to fantasy, but Science Fiction. Meaning dotting every 'i', and crossing every 't'.

You're describing a sub-genre of science fiction called Hard SF. It tends to be dry, and often unreadable. Hard SF fans are kind of like penitents of the genre. I'm not sure they actually enjoy the field, unless seeing Stephen Baxter bumble around for 1000 pages trying to come up with a different emote than "Shrug" is interesting, as much as they enjoy holding its banner.

In the novel 'Drums Along the Mohawk' a canoe travels from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie.

Problem: Niagara Falls.

portage around the falls. People still do it. Canoes are built for it. It's why native Americans typically used lightweight canoes. Portage was relatively easy.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

You're describing a sub-genre of science fiction called Hard SF.

Yep. This.

Star Trek is not hard science fiction, never has been. It relies on technology that is obviously and demonstrably fictional and unreal. There has never been any pretense otherwise.

 

[Kraig]

Yep. This.

Star Trek is not hard science fiction, never has been. It relies on technology that is obviously and demonstrably fictional and unreal. There has never been any pretense otherwise.

Exactly, which is why Roddenberry sold it to the network as, "Wagon Train to the stars". More of an adventure show, than a science class.

 

[knightgrace]

The point was that there was no portage mentioned.

 

[Nerys Myk]

The point was that there was no portage mentioned.

Is it important to the story?

 

[Firebird]

Here's some relevant quotes from the original Star Trek Writer's Guide:

Tell your story about people, not about science and gadgetry. Joe Friday doesn't stop to explain the mechanics of his .38 before he uses it; Kildare never did a monologue about the theory of anesthetics; Matt Dillon never identifies and discusses the breed of his horse before he rides off on it.

[...]

Science fiction is not gimmick and gadgetry but rather, like any other story, is best when the main theme involves believable people in believable conflict.

[...]

Most important, do not start your story with a machine of some kind and then add characters. Our series is about people, not hardware. If your people-in-conflict story needs hardware, simply think of something logical, with some kind of science or projected-science basis.

[...]

How much science fiction terminology do you want -- "space warp", "hyperdrive" and that sort of thing?

Generally, the minimum which is sufficient to maintain the flavor of the show and encourage believability. Our guide could be DRAGNET or DR. KILDAIRE, both of which use terminology which the audience did not have to understand fully. Important, however, the writer must know what he means when he uses sf terminology. A scatter-gun confusion of meaningless phrases only detracts from believability.

 

[fireproof78]

Is it important to the story?

Yes. Everything must be explained to the audience with exacting detail otherwise the audience will get lost.

But, if you over explain you are talking down to the audience and insulting their intelligence and insulting will not be tolerated!

Write accordingly.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

Meaning dotting every 'i', and crossing every 't'.

This is not what Science Fiction means.

Also, by inference you seem to imply that fantasy authors do not have to pay attention to detail or have things make sense consistently within the worlds they create.

I can only assume that you have not read The Lord of the Rings.