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From: metcalf@ucbmiro.ARPA (Chris Metcalf)
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Re: Where Were They?
Message-ID: <8892@ucbvax.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 9-Jul-85 02:42:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8892
Posted: Tue Jul  9 02:42:00 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 11-Jul-85 00:33:07 EDT
References: <515@hoxna.UUCP> <8800010@convexs>
Sender: nobody@ucbvax.ARPA
Reply-To: metcalf@ucbmiro.UUCP (Chris metcalf)
Organization: U.C. Berkeley
Lines: 20

In article <8800010@convexs> ayers@convexs.UUCP writes:
>>[Spock says] that he was from a place "...millions of light years away."
>>My question is: Does this imply that the Enterprise was in some other
>>galaxy (other than the Milky Way)? Our galaxy is estimated to be about
>>100,000 light years across, so this seems to rule out even the most remote
>>(from Earth) reaches. Or did Mr. Spock exaggerate? [...]
>
>Actually, the statement was probably factual.  Please remember that the 
>galaxy is moving very rapidly through space, and Spock was sent a long 
>way back in time...

How do we measure our own galaxy's movement?  Remember, it's just another
frame of reference, and we have nothing absolute to measure the galaxy's
speed against (everything seems to moving away from us).  Also, even if
the galaxy were moving REAL fast (say at .99 c) Spock only went back to
Vulcan's prehistoric past, certainly no more than 100,000 years, not nearly
enough for the galaxy to move 1,000,000 light years.  Let's stick with the
explanation that Spock was exaggerating to get the idea across to Zarabeth.

Chris Metcalf (metcalf@ucbmiro.BERKELEY)           ...!ucbvax!ucbmiro!metcalf