MovieChat Forums > Star Trek: Discovery (2017) Discussion > Beacons and New Stars

Beacons and New Stars

posted 7 years ago by swanstep (2715)
11 replies | jump to latest

In ep. 1, the Klingons create a new star/beacon that instantly calls/signals Klingons from far and wide - presumably over distances of many light years. That's impossible. Starlight would take years to propagate (or even just hours if the other Klingons are, as it were in the same solar system - light from our Sun takes over a hour to reach Saturn for example).

Later we hear from Sarek who's thousand of light years away (over - wave hands! - standard Star Trek faster-than-light communications systems) that he can already *see* the new star/beacon in the sky. This is no-ifs-ands-or-buts impossible.

I'm prepared to cut sci-fi on TV and in movies considerable scientific slack, but the Star Trek universe has historically tried a little bit harder than this to maintain a veneer of physical plausibility.

This may be the least of Star Trek:Discovery's problems right now, but it's significant nonetheless.

[–] Jes' Sayin' (6349) 7 years ago

Always nice to have a little science in science fiction.

[–] naDaht (1087) 7 years ago

As often as Star Trek uses something resembling "real" science, it uses som made up bullshit.

[–] crc32 (2584) 7 years ago

yea but star trek has always respected special relativity even going as far as using warp drive to avoid hittig the speed limit of light. To make radios faster communication is done in subspace rather then with regular radios. For this new star to suddenly be visible light years away is flat out negligence. We can try to retconn it in our minds by assuming he was refering to subspace sensor readings.

[–] naDaht (1087) 7 years ago

You are aware that "subspace" is just treknobabble?

[–] crc32 (2584) 7 years ago

Yes and no. Subspace is a reference to the higher dimension of a universe then the 3 space/1time dimension where aware of(Even real scientists believe we are in a higher dimensional universe then the 4 were used to). For example its an extension of the theory of worm holes where the 2 points of spacetime are connected by another higher dimensin where the star ships warp engines can pull in the higher deminsions and control its direction through local space time. IE it makes an half way honest(It ignores the details of how warp drive could actually do that) to explain how we can escape the currently known limitation of physics and motion. Portraying a beam of light that can propagate tens of light years inbetween scenes that can't be more then a few hours apart ignores science all together which is what we are complaining about.

I disagree with the notion that all science (in this case the gaping hole that light now seems to travel light years in mere hours) should be disregarded from star trek simply on the basis that it doesn't explain how it warps spacetime for starship travel is a pretty unfair reasoning as our declared goal is more accurate science portrayal. If you have issues with FTL sci-fi theres always the expanse you can watch.

[–] naDaht (1087) 7 years ago

Well, it's still just a show and people take it way more serious than they should. Q.E.D.

[–] crc32 (2584) 7 years ago

probably because people like the star trek franchise and dislike it when the show gets derailed in terms of even soft sci-fi.

[–] Volley (3433) 7 years ago

In Star Trek Voyager, which takes place some 115-120 years into the future from Discovery's era, Starfleet Communications on Earth is able to communicate with the USS Voyager, in real time, in the Delta Quadrant (literally the opposite side of the galaxy from the Federation) utilizing certain stellar phenomena.

This is probably the biggest example of extremely long range communications in Trek, by far the most unlikely--even given 24th century technology, as the distance is over 50,000 light years away. The amount of stellar matter between point to point comms would be near impossible to fathom, our galaxy has hundreds of billions of stars, and that doesn't include all the other material in between. Fascinating for sure, but still unlikely communication without significant delay.

[–] swanstep (2715) 7 years ago

@Volley. Right. Star Trek itself has long had faster-than-light communications ("subspace radio" and so on) and of course FTL travel, so light's relative slow-ness isn't a problem overall in this world. But, and this is the problem with ST:Discovery, that doesn't mean the speed-of-light barrier has been suspended for light (and other e-m radiation)! Clearly, however, the ST:D writers thought it was 'cool' to have a bunch of old-school Klingons doing a galaxy-wide light-signal and the hell with what's physically intelligible.

It's actually a great teachable moment that every high school science teacher should have in her back pocket hereafter I'd say! Neil deGrasse Tyson will probably tweet about it in the next week or so.

[–] LaurieGonzalez (130) 7 years ago

First, you have to separate this piece of crap from real Star Trek. They mucked it up so much that no true Trekkie is going to like it.

If you accept that first point, they can do whatever they want. Call it fantasy, just don't call it Star Trek.

[–] Pete314 (3001) 7 years ago

What makes you a "true Trekkie"? Your apparent intolerance? You should re-watch Star Trek from the beginning...