Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ut-sally.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!gatech!ut-sally!barnett From: barnett@ut-sally.UUCP (Lewis Barnett) Newsgroups: net.startrek Subject: Re: Enterprise Gravity Message-ID: <2712@ut-sally.UUCP> Date: Mon, 19-Aug-85 23:56:48 EDT Article-I.D.: ut-sally.2712 Posted: Mon Aug 19 23:56:48 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 21-Aug-85 06:45:02 EDT References: <848@voder.UUCP> Distribution: na Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas Lines: 37 > I think you're completely overlooking reality here. Star Trek was a > television series. It did not have a billion dollar budget for each show. Yes, I realize that cost was the overriding reason for not showing an actual failure of the gravity generators. I don't think invalidates the point concerning designing for possible zero gee conditions, however. > Now the animated series showed a loss of artificial gravity on the bridge > at least once, Heaven knows I tried, but I could never get all the way through an animated episode. > and of course the movies showed an anti-gravity sled and one > person standing on an anti-gravity `step ladder'. Also Spock floating in > his suit, perhaps Star Trek IV will give us something more. > Ignoring cost for a moment, it would seem that something like an artificial > gravity system would be as fool-proof as possible, perhaps even having it's > own independent power source. > --- > Kevin Thompson {ucbvax,ihnp4!nsc}!voder!kevin > The movies did have humongous budgets, and state of the art special effects. And they also had battles in which the Enterprise was damaged far more seriously than in any of the TV episodes. Sure, the gravity generator would be as sturdy and well-protected as possible, but nothing is totally foolproof. But, I guess if they had taken all of this into consideration, our heroes would have wound up on the Nostromo. Or something. Lewis Barnett,CS Dept, Painter Hall 3.28, Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX 78712 -- barnett@ut-sally.ARPA, barnett@ut-sally.UUCP, {ihnp4,harvard,seismo,gatech,ctvax}!ut-sally!barnett