Star Trek VOY » Treknicalities

The Extra Chair

May 082011

This week’s poll has raised an interesting question about the bridge design of the Enterprise D. Before asking the question, it is necessary to make one, very reasonable, assumption.

The assumption that we’re making is this: a doctor belongs in sickbay and really shouldn’t be spending most of his/her time on the bridge.

Given that this is the same assumption that the designers of the ship probably would have made, think about this. The Enterprise D bridge has four chairs

one for the captain
one for the first officer
one for the ship’s councilor (a valuable adviser to the captain)
and one for … whom?

Are all StarFleet doctors in the habit of spending more time on the bridge than in sickbay? This begs another question.

Voyager was intended to have a real doctor and not just the Emergency Medical Hologram, but there is no empty chair for the missing doctor and the EMH, by nature, doesn’t hang out on the bridge.

So where is the extra chair?

Voyager’s crew must have been bored

Star Trek VOY No Responses »

Mar 262011

Recently we started watching seasons one and two of Star Trek Voyager and it seems that they only have one holodeck program on that ship. In the first two seasons there are no less than four episodes that involve a holodeck program of a bar of some sort where Lt. Paris and Ensign Kim pick up pool cues and see who is better at geometry.

If I were looking at a 75 year trip home I’d be learning how to create new holodeck programs. Of course, if I had access to a holodeck, I’d probably never leave it.

Celebrity Birthdays: John de Lancie

Celebrity News, Star Trek DS9, Star Trek TNG, Star Trek VOY 2 Responses »

Mar 202011

John de Lancie, known for playing the omnipotent “Q” on Star Trek The Next Generation, Star Trek Voyager, and Star Trek Deep Space Nine, was born on this date in 1948.

The son of oboist John de Lancie, John was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Kent State University where he won a scholarship to Juilliard.He and his wife, actress-singer Marnie Mosiman, have two sons, Keegan and Owen.

In the Star Trek Voyager episode “Q2″, de Lancie’s character is having problems with his son, Q Junior. Appropriately enough, Q Junior is played by Keegan de Lancie, youngest son of John de Lancie.

Mr. de Lancie and Leonard Nimoy own Alien Voices, a production company that makes radio-style adaptations of classic science fiction. De Lancie produced, co-wrote, and directed audio dramatizations of: The Time Machine, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Lost World, The Invisible Man, and The First Men in the Moon.

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No money?

Star Trek DS9, Star Trek Movies, Star Trek TAS, Star Trek TNG, Star Trek TOS, Star Trek VOY No Responses »

Feb 262011

There are several instances in Star Trek where a character makes a comment that they no longer use money in the 23rd century – most notably, in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home when Kirk is explaining to his lunch date why she’s getting stck with the bill.

There are also sevreal other instances of a character or group of characters referring to their pay; Kirk, in “The Doomsday Machine”, telling Scotty, “You’ve just earned your pay for the week”, the weekly poker game on TNG‘s Enterprise-D, and anything involving a Ferrengi.

So, the question is, if they don’t use money, what are they exchanging? Dead fish? That’d be one way to get people to stop asking for payday advance loans.

Starfleet fitness program

Star Trek ENT, Star Trek Movies, Star Trek TAS, Star Trek TNG, Star Trek TOS, Star Trek VOY No Responses »

Feb 222011

Have you ever noticed that in every incarnation of Star Trek, whenever a hostile alien tries to take over the ship the first thing they do is cut off life support to the bridge? Have you also noticed that once life support is restored, usually at the last possible second, everyone is fine except for these huge sweat stains on their uniforms?

Those sweat stains would mean that their body temperature has gone up. Based on an article at thermogenesis.org, as often as that happens, nobody whose post is on the bridge should have any trouble with their weight.

In reality, once life support is cut off, the bridge area should be getting colder since the heating system is off.