Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site uscvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!uscvax!tli From: tli@uscvax.UUCP (Tony Li) Newsgroups: net.startrek Subject: Re: Hot potato Message-ID: <1311@uscvax.UUCP> Date: Sat, 15-Dec-84 02:24:23 EST Article-I.D.: uscvax.1311 Posted: Sat Dec 15 02:24:23 1984 Date-Received: Mon, 17-Dec-84 03:10:14 EST References: <2633@dartvax.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: CS&CE Depts, U.S.C., Los Angeles, CA Lines: 35 > So now the warp drive is damaged beyond repair, the Klingons are coming, and > you'd like to abandon ship. You'll initiate a sequence of commands that > will effectively destroy your ship--let's say you set off "controlled" > explosions on the bridge, computer center, engineering, etc. These ex- > plosions will disrupt power supplies. But what happens to the antimatter > field-isolation bottles, and the antimatter stored in them?? > > B O O M !! > > Once you destroy your ship, you destroy the only thing that keeps your > matter and antimatter apart. PLEASE don't argue that the field bottle > would survive the self-destuct; electromagnetic bottles are difficult > at best to maintain, and are notorious for their power consumption! And > remember--the field-generating equipment has to be OUTSIDE this force > field, or else! > > George Raiche Right. So now Kirk sets off this 'limited' self-destruct system, and it blows up the bridge and half of the hull. The Enterprise spirals in, and as it impacts, the field bottles collapse, and (to quote) > B O O M !! Up goes the Enterprise, the Klingons, and the rest of the planet. Nah! That's not touching. The Enterprise has to go out looking like a derelict instead of a small star. Foo. So much for realism... Sigh. Tony ;-) -- Tony Li ;-) Usc Computer Science Uucp: {sdcrdcf,randvax}!uscvax!tli Csnet: tli@usc-cse.csnet Arpa: tli@usc-ecl