Fan Theories volume four

Fan theory four:

Science fiction television programmes featuring humanoid aliens are all set in the same universe as the Culture. The difference is that these programmes portray aliens as humans would imagine them to look like. The events portrayed are after the Culture makes contact with Earth but Humans can't take there being other humans "out there" that look just like them so, in their minds collectively, aliens look a lot different.

This theory also allows for the Drakh and Vorlons to be offshoots of the Culture, or that Babylon 5 is actually anti-Culture propaganda. This reflects the policies of the two races and the mobile nature of their civilisations.

Warp versus Warp

(First wrote this ages ago but never before published) 

Old Warp vs. New Warp

“Speed of plot” notwithstanding, in episodes of Star Trek two variants of warp speeds  appear to be given. In the Original Series, alien ships are occasionally described as traveling at Warp factors of 10, 12 and 14, while it is often established in Next Generation-era episodes that Warp 10 is the upper limit for Warp velocities as it refers to an effectively infinite velocity. Conversely, ships are often described in TNG as taking 70 years to traverse large distances at Warp 9 when the Enterprise covers comparatively greater distances in much shorter times.

So what speeds do the term "Warp Factor" translate to?

Keeping with the “Old Style” warp, v=(w^3)c, where c is the speed of light, v is the velocity and w is the Warp Factor, which is then cubed. This value fits in with the “Maximum Cruise Velocities” often given in all series-it takes the Kelvins about 200 years to travel to our Galaxy from Andromeda while it would take a Starship 70 years to travel the distance which the Bajoran Wormhole covers.

These so-called “cruise velocities” do seem to work in all eras and Series-The first “NX” class vessels (launch date of NX-Enterprise: 2251) have a MCV of w5.4 (157c), Constitution-Class vessels about warp 7, Galaxy-class Starships w9 and Intrepid-class w9.95.

For the actual day-to-day speeds given on-screen to work, this formula is insufficient. For example, at certain periods in the Original Series, the Enterprise travels at around 600,000 times the speed of light. As a further example, Bajor is probably at least 2000 l.y. from Earth and it takes about a week to travel between the two planets, presumably above warp 8.

For warp velocities to fit in with “speed of plot” (not to mention managing an interstellar federation without it having to take eight years to get from one part to another) a formula of v=(w^4)c works between warp 5 and warp 8; after which

it increases rapidly in an empirical fashion up to infinite velocity at Warp 10.

This also allows the MCV given for each class of starship to be the maximum “New Style” on-screen velocity. This certainly works for the NX-class Enterprise (5.4^4=850) as it must approach 1000c fairly significantly and Voyager can manage warp 9.95 for exactly one minute. Values for MCV (would presumably) reflect the amount of anti-matter a starship can produce to power its warp drive without replenishing its supply from a starbase. Upper limits for warp values on-screen reflect the speeds a ship can go before it either runs out of
antimatter (not power per se as at least the Enterprise-D and Voyager carry Bussard collectors to harvest interstellar hydrogen for nuclear fuel) or the engines are simply overloaded, risking a warp core breach.

 At warp 5 and below, the old formula still applies, so 22^nd century ships mostly travel at around 100c (example, below warp 5 it takes the Enterprise 60 minutes to reach Neptune, which sounds impressive but is very slow in galactic terms). There is something of a contradiction in using two formulae, but Warp 5 is effectively the speed limit within a solar system, presumably due to the increased levels of interstellar (planetary) dust present, so this could be a realistic reasoning for the change in formula after warp 5.

  

According to the calculated values, warp 1 is the speed of light, warp 4.8 is 111 times the speed of light, warp 5.4 is 850 times lightspeed and warp 8 is 4096 times lightspeed. This allows for the Romulan Neutral Zone to be situated in the Beta Quadrant between c.350 and 1700 light Years from Sol in the direction of the Delta Quadrant. This also allows for the Romulans to have a vast empire, most of which is in the Beta Quadrant of the Galaxy, thus explaining why most of the Federation/Federation exploration is in the Alpha Quadrant.

No real details of the RNZ are described, but it is reasonable to assume it extends at least 1500 light years in a roughly straight direction between the RSE and the UFP facing roughly ‘north’ in the Galactic plane towards the Delta Quadrant as this distance is the thickness of the Galaxy/ Galactic plane (think of the Galaxy as a dish 1500 light years thick on average, while having a diameter of 120,000 light years) in order to allow no opportunity for it to be circumvented by one side or the other.

Apparent disparities: Obviously being a television and film series not everything in Star Trek should be considered canon (i.e. the changing appearance of the Klingons and Trills, the postponement of World War Three), but there are some apparent glaring contradictions with the limits on warp speed.
For example, in “The Final Frontier” both the Enterprise and a Klingon Bird of Prey travel from a system in the Klingon Neutral Zone to the apparent centre of the Galaxy in a manner of days-presumably a distance of at least 20,000 light years-when it would normally take probably six years for a starship to traverse such a distance (a very conservative estimate). However, for the purposes of making a fast-paced filmed drama it would hardly do for long scenes of the Enterprise crew playing cards or reading “War and Peace” for the tenth time!

A six-year journey would, however, fit in nicely with the timescale for significant Federation

events:

[· 2272: An attack on Earth by a massive machine life form called V'Ger is closely averted. ***

· 2286: Another devastation of Earth is averted, when a reply to a probe of unknown origin can be given, whose attempts to contact Humpback whales severely affect Earth's atmosphere.

· 2293: On the Khitomer Conference between the Klingons and the Federation the Khitomer Accords are signed to establish a lasting peace between the two powers.]

which have the events in the Kirk movies taking place over a nineteen year period (up to “The Undiscovered Country”), while in the real world they were in production over a twelve year period. This may also explain why the [apparently newly-constructed] Enterprise-A was ordered to be decommissioned at the end of “The Undiscovered Country”.

*In the NG episode “The Neutral Zone”, the Enterprise crew discover and revive three cryonically preserved humans, who ‘died’ in the late 20^th century, near the Romulan Neutral Zone. 

[Presumably the pod/ satellite containing them was accidentally taken in by the warp wake of one or other of the ships establishing one of the Earth colonies which (TOS) had been established near what would become the buffer zone between the (United) Federation (of Planets) and the Romulan Star Empire at some unspecified time in the 22^nd century when traveling these distances had become feasible for Earth-built starships]

 

 

 

 

 

**When Q transports the Enterprise-D 7000 l.y into the Delta Quadrant, Lieutenant Commander Data comments that it would take two years to reach the nearest Starbase.

***If this date is canon, the events take place three years at most after Kirk’s five year tour of duty, but “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” was in production ten years after the Original Series was made.

Parallels between Deep Space Nine and Babylon 5

Parallels between Deep Space Nine and Babylon 5

Or, pretty much bits when the former rips off the latter.

1. The human commander of a space station is a religious leader to a particular alien race

2. The two main human characters in the pilot episode are a navy commander (as in rank as well as position) and his "sidekick", a senior non-commissioned officer*

3. Both are war veterans, with the commander being one of very few survivors of a disastrous space battle against superior alien forces. Who gave up at the last minute, thus saving Earth (hooray!)

4. A ballsy female first officer who has a somewhat tangled love life

5. An unlucky-in-love doctor/chief medical officer who is something of a lady's man

6. A life-or-death struggle for control of the station emerges during one episode between the station's occupier-commanders and a battle group sent on behalf of the stations actual builders

7. A "War in Heaven" emerges between God-like aliens for the "souls" of lesser races

8. There's a female character called Lyta

9. There's a male character, a planetary leader even, called Dukat/Dukhat

10. The station is under the command of a ranked captain the year an interstellar war breaks out

The station orbits near:

11. An "interdimensional portal" (a stable wormhole exiting in the Gamma Quadrant http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Gamma_Quadrant/ Jumpgate http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/Jumpgate for hyperspace http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/Hyperspace travel)

and

12. A seemingly innocuous planet, later found to be the home of an ancient civilisation crucial to the show's plotline

13. Aggressive aliens are introduced who can camouflage themselves but tend to avoid the use of cloaking devices on their warships

14. A major character is "interviewed" by an inquisitor, the process bordering on torture despite being carried out by an allied human in everyone's best interests

15. The station is lent a prototype cruiser enhanced with borrowed advanced alien technology during the course of the show

16. "Holo-brothels"

Plots involving

17. Interplanetary terrorism

18. The aftermath of a military occupation

19. Political intrigue

20. Racism and discrimination

21. Labour strikes

22. Prophecies
and

23. Various coups; actual, attempted and plotted by military, paramilitary and non-military organisations

*Both Miles "Chief" O'Brien
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Miles_O'Brien
and Michael "the telepaths made me do it" Garibaldi http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/Michael_Garibaldi
are depicted as having the rank of "Chief Warrant Officer", although O'Brien is generally considered to be a Senior Chief Petty Officer by the fan-base

Trekonomics: conclusions

Or, Instead of asking how let's ask: Why Abolish Money?

1. Political corruption; It costs $500 million to become President of the United States of America

2. Imagine if, with the exception of large-scale capital projects, the main uses for money were illicit or illegal ones, like buying slaves or employing a hit-man.

3.Let's say you had a situation where money was mostly worthless or an automated society put 40% of the adult population out of a job.
It is easy to imagine a situation similar to the invention of replicators in "Star Trek: The Next Generation", or in the novel "Forever Peace" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forever_Peace, that combines the two scenarios.
I would propose that a conservative-leaning government would be the one to abolish money for the above reasons.
Maybe?

More Trekonomics

The Economics of Star Trek part 3 / Further Trekonomics

To add a few things:
1. Tom Paris (Star Trek: Voyager) refers to the New World Economy being established in the twenty-second century

2. Gold apparently can be replicated, certainly radioactive gold can be produced in the twenty-first century by bombarding mercury with alpha particles, and it is theoretically possible to extract gold from seawater-perhaps a process of both is performed by the never seen but mentioned in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine "industrial replicators"

3. Granted, Paris does replicate a necklace for Kes , but maybe it just looks like gold or is only gold-plated; or Fools Gold, iron pyrites

4. The form of credit I have conceived precludes the concepts of banking, taxation, and rent in the usual concept

5. Of course all I've done really is create a post-scarcity economy that relies on a "World State" while endorsing private property, sort of an Objectivist version of the European Union (!)

6. Although, as far as I know, they still use money on Earth and other Federation planets, they just don't pay Starfleet personnel-joining Starfleet could then be a free way to both see the universe and escape the rat race?

Trekonomics

The Economics of Star Trek, part two

I want to expand on my last post about how a post-capitalist society can still have private property, with particular respect to "Trekonomics". I talked about how citizens can have social housing or live in inherited mansions, well I would have implied that and now I repeat the assertion.
For example, one could own or perhaps rent a plot of land which one would build a house on.
One could apply for a house to be constructed to their desires free of charge but there would be a wait based on available labour and/or materials. However, the wait could be reduced by spending one's savings in labour notes.
If, on the other hand, one is effectively a homeless citizen an empty plot of land or empty property could be allocated. One could live there for as long as one desires but there would be no property rights over the land. It cannot be rented or sold.

An alternative to the labour notes system could be a lifetimes' ration of replicator credits. This doesn't contradict the previous system and the two can exist in tandem, but is more likely to cover all Federation planets. Simply put, when one is born one is allocated a lifetime's use of public replicators for basics like food, medicine and clothing. These can be earned or traded for limited goods such as antiques or real estate in the same way as money and perhaps exchanged to currencies such as latinum.

The credits and notes system can be run together, but with labour notes dominating on Earth and replicator credits dominating when a citizen goes off-world. For example they could use their credit ration to book transport off-world and exchange it for latinum if travelling outside the United Federation of Planets.
An Earth landlord could be allowed to rent property to non-family members with the renter not actually handing over credits or latinum. Instead, the landlord would receive further labour notes from the central government. Plus, lets say a citizen would still receive an allocation of replicator credits at birth.
These could be saved or used at any time but any extra rations would only apply to that week (for example) and could not be saved or carried over to the next week. Every Federation citizen would receive a weekly dole or ration of credits until they die. These credits would not be transferred to family members as an inheritance but certain Federation officials and (commissioned) officers in Starfleet would be allowed to keep their surplus rations in lieu of labour notes. A similar arrangement could be made for scientific researchers and other academics.

University students, Starfleet recruits and officer cadets would receive labour notes during study or training periods and extra weekly rations for clothing, equipment, uniforms etcetera. Enlisted personnel and civilian advisors working for Starfleet would receive labour notes for every hour of their shift plus non-commissioned officers and private landlords would be allowed to keep a percentage of their credit ration on top of received labour notes.

Notes:
1. Gold is almost worthless in the Star Trek universe, even though it cannot apparently be replicated, but it can be used to contain a valuable liquid called "latinum". Hence, "gold-pressed latinum". 
2. I have the comments made by Quark regarding the value of gold and the actor Max Grodenczeck (sic), who plays Quark's brother Rom, that gold cannot be replicated as sources for this.
3. Replicators seemingly create objects out of thin air by converting matter from one location into energy and rearranging its structure on its appearance in another.
4. Starfleet is organised in the same way as a modern Earth navy, specifically that of the United States, although is ostensibly a non-military civilian organisation.

The Economics of Star Trek

The Economics of Star Trek, or the use of labour notes.

I've often found the utopianism in the various incarnations of the 1960's television series to be not entirely convincing, especially when certain episodes seem to criticise the Counter Culture Movement, pacifism and anarchism. There are also clear canonical contradictions, especially with the introduction of the final spin-off series "Enterprise".

However, lets put these issues to the side and consider the comments of the character Tom Paris regarding the abolition of money in the late 22nd century with the creation on Earth of the New Earth Economy (I'm quoting from memory here) and my own ponderings of how a post-capitalist society could work...and I think it could work very well.

The concept here is a separation between capital and labour, in that labour cannot be exploited to increase capital but individuals are still allowed to own property like houses, starships, restaurants, paintings etc. Things of social value such as housing, healthcare, clothing and equipment such as food replicators are provided by the Earth government or possibly a Federation department such as Starfleet, while a similar arrangement could exist in a greater or lesser degree on other Federation planets. Citizens can obtain these products based on need or by an amount of provided labour to other citizens.

This can be done by the producer (a direct provider of a good or service) and the consumer both keeping a digital record of the amount of labour completed and this being kept centrally as a record of labour notes measured in hours. A citizen can build up labour notes in order to use them to obtain further consumer items or capital.

This also provides the incentive for a businessman such as Joseph Sisko to run, say, a Cajun restaurant. Even though Sisko may not make a profit it is still worth him "hiring" employees and recording the amount of labour they provide. Siko's labour notes would be the hours he opens or the hours he actually spends cooking and serving meals. The customers do not pay for their meals but Sisko makes "money" from having them or, to put it another way, it is still worth having a traditional job even though no wages are ever paid.

This doesn't contradict James Kirk's comments about selling a house or buying a boat.

Federation colonies seem to have public replicators provided by Starfleet for general use, but otherwise their internal affairs are their own.

Notes:
1. Tom Paris (lieutenant, junior grade) is the navigation officer aboard the USS Voyager throughout the series Star Trek: Voyager. He is briefly demoted to ensign for insubordination and was introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation as a fellow cadet of Wesley Crusher at Starfleet Academy who was expelled after a fatal shuttle manoeuvre during training and although he was called "Nick" at first (for some reason) the "Voyager" character had the same backstory and was played by the same actor.

2. Joseph Sisko is Benjamin Sisko (lieutenant commander, later promoted to captain) 's father and a recurring character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.