Most Dumb Trek Artifact/Device

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2003-02-11 08:46am

what do you think is most cheesey device or artifact used in a trek episode or film?
my vote is for those patio light looking things they use to 'boost transporter signal'

Ted C · Post by **Ted C** » 2003-02-11 10:36am

How about the Tox Uthat (sp?) from "Captain's Holiday". This is a crystalline object the size of your fist that can supposedly cause stars to explode.

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2003-02-11 11:06am

I have to wonder why people watch Trek if they dislike so much about it (take a look at the recent threads a very large portion are The Worst ####, The most stupid ##### and so on).

Ted C · Post by **Ted C** » 2003-02-11 11:18am

TheDarkling wrote:I have to wonder why people watch Trek if they dislike so much about it (take a look at the recent threads a very large portion are The Worst ####, The most stupid ##### and so on).

A lot of people aren't watching Trek anymore, now that there are viable SciFi alternatives on television. When TNG was on, it was about the only game in town; that's no longer the case.

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2003-02-11 11:36am

There is viable Scifi on TV???

I was discussing this with a friend today and we couldn't come up with many Scifi shows that are currently airing (most are fantasy like Buffy and Angel or not quite Scifi like John Doe, Alias and DeadZone).

I suppose a case could be made for stuff like Smallville and *shudder* MutantX but we are using the qualifier of "viable".

The only proper Scifi we could come up with was Farscape (Cancelled), Firefly (Cancelled), Odyssey 5 (Cancelled), Enterprise (Would be cancelled if it wasn't Trek), SG1 and the Outer Limits (Should be Cancelled).

Oh and I forgot Andromeda which I gave up on after it became Hercules in Space (althouhg I have heard it may be picking up).

Of the shows I dow... watch each week I would class only Enterprise as proper Scifi (I watch SG1 on TV).

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-02-11 11:53am

There is no viable sci-fi on TV. Star Trek has killed the fucking market for it with its oversaturation.

But it's more than that; TV viewers seem to be increasingly fond of vapid, utterly mindless shlock entertainment. There is no other explanation for the popularity of these ridiculous "reality TV" shows.

Post by **Kuja** » 2003-02-11 11:54am

Hey, I like the Outer Limits!

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-02-11 01:35pm

Darth Wong wrote:There is no viable sci-fi on TV. Star Trek has killed the fucking market for it with its oversaturation.

But it's more than that; TV viewers seem to be increasingly fond of vapid, utterly mindless shlock entertainment. There is no other explanation for the popularity of these ridiculous "reality TV" shows.

Farscape. Stargate Sg-1. There are some.

Coaan · Post by **Coaan** » 2003-02-11 01:44pm

neoolong wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:There is no viable sci-fi on TV. Star Trek has killed the fucking market for it with its oversaturation.

But it's more than that; TV viewers seem to be increasingly fond of vapid, utterly mindless shlock entertainment. There is no other explanation for the popularity of these ridiculous "reality TV" shows.
Farscape. Stargate Sg-1. There are some.

There are definatly viable ones if you look closely enough or there were before they were canned...

Space:above and beyond, I believe that's still on sky (re-runs but then again, when is star trek not a rerun these days?)

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2003-02-11 01:45pm

IG-88E wrote:Hey, I like the Outer Limits!

I meant Twilight Zone, the Outer limits isn't on anymore.

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2003-02-11 01:50pm

Coaan wrote:
neoolong wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:There is no viable sci-fi on TV. Star Trek has killed the fucking market for it with its oversaturation.

But it's more than that; TV viewers seem to be increasingly fond of vapid, utterly mindless shlock entertainment. There is no other explanation for the popularity of these ridiculous "reality TV" shows.
Farscape. Stargate Sg-1. There are some.
There are definatly viable ones if you look closely enough or there were before they were canned...

Space:above and beyond, I believe that's still on sky (re-runs but then again, when is star trek not a rerun these days?)

SAAB was a great show - it had higher ratings than B5 or DS9 yet they still canned it

.

Dark Skys, Nowhere Man, Now and Again.... many shows that had alot of potential have died for no good reason.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2003-02-11 01:57pm

TheDarkling wrote:SAAB was a great show - it had higher ratings than B5 or DS9 yet they still canned it

But it was also way over budget and wasn't drawing the same audience/invest return as those shows.

TheDarkling wrote:Dark Skys, Nowhere Man, Now and Again.... many shows that had alot of potential have died for no good reason.

Yeah, TV Sci-fi is a tough market.

Coaan · Post by **Coaan** » 2003-02-11 02:09pm

Stormbringer wrote:
TheDarkling wrote:SAAB was a great show - it had higher ratings than B5 or DS9 yet they still canned it
But it was also way over budget and wasn't drawing the same audience/invest return as those shows.

TheDarkling wrote:Dark Skys, Nowhere Man, Now and Again.... many shows that had alot of potential have died for no good reason.
Yeah, TV Sci-fi is a tough market.

They're giving way for all these reality tv shows you see so many of these days...people don't want to think anymore, they want to watch other mindless drones do mindless drone things in their mindless drone lives and get paid for it by mindless drone controllers!

Captain tycho · Post by **Captain tycho** » 2003-02-11 03:21pm

Darth Wong wrote:There is no viable sci-fi on TV. Star Trek has killed the fucking market for it with its oversaturation.

But it's more than that; TV viewers seem to be increasingly fond of vapid, utterly mindless shlock entertainment. There is no other explanation for the popularity of these ridiculous "reality TV" shows.

Eithet that or people like watching other people suffer.

We are a sadistic bunch, aren't we?

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2003-02-11 03:28pm

Exocomps. I fucking hate exocomps.

paladin · Post by **paladin** » 2003-02-11 03:52pm

Ted C wrote:How about the Tox Uthat (sp?) from "Captain's Holiday". This is a crystalline object the size of your fist that can supposedly cause stars to explode.

I thought that thing stopped the nuclear reactions at the star's core.

Admiral Johnason · Post by **Admiral Johnason** » 2003-02-11 04:31pm

The Probe from ST 4 was pretty cheesey

Grand Admiral Thrawn · Post by **Grand Admiral Thrawn** » 2003-02-11 05:12pm

I might simply be ignorant, but the Emergency Transporter from Nemesis. How can you be re-materielized at your destination if the ET is energy?

Patrick Ogaard · Post by **Patrick Ogaard** » 2003-02-11 05:27pm

Grand Admiral Thrawn wrote:I might simply be ignorant, but the Emergency Transporter from Nemesis. How can you be re-materielized at your destination if the ET is energy?

Simple: The transporter is enclosed in a self-extracting warp bubble which is projected to the destination site via a tertiary subspace manifold. Once the ET achieves the requiste 17.936% level of interface with realspace, an annular confinement beam is automatically generated, and the rest is elementary transporter physics.

Baron Mordo · Post by **Baron Mordo** » 2003-02-11 06:50pm

Whatever they were using the Oscillation Overthruster for. It had to be something stupid.

Sam Or I · Post by **Sam Or I** » 2003-02-11 07:04pm

Nowhere Man, I loved that show. I wish they would not have cancelled it. It was so twisted. :)

Sektor31 · Post by **Sektor31** » 2003-02-11 07:28pm

Babylon 5 reruns, SG-1, Farscape (damn i'm going to hate it when S4 ends...TIIC will replace it with Remors.

), and more.

I used to be a hardcore TOS and TNG fan when I was a kid, but now I see them whenever they come on.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2003-02-12 06:48am

Patrick Ogaard wrote:
Grand Admiral Thrawn wrote:I might simply be ignorant, but the Emergency Transporter from Nemesis. How can you be re-materielized at your destination if the ET is energy?
Simple: The transporter is enclosed in a self-extracting warp bubble which is projected to the destination site via a tertiary subspace manifold. Once the ET achieves the requiste 17.936% level of interface with realspace, an annular confinement beam is automatically generated, and the rest is elementary transporter physics.

wiseass!

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » 2003-02-12 07:01pm

Ted C wrote:How about the Tox Uthat (sp?) from "Captain's Holiday". This is a crystalline object the size of your fist that can supposedly cause stars to explode.

Damn! You beat me to it!

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » 2003-02-12 07:33pm

I would have to say the TNG tricorder. The endless sequencing of lights and ridiculous noises make me have convulsions.