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Hello All.

Does anyone remember "The Next Generation" episode "Emergence"?

Remember how LaForge and company said that the weird space life form had rigged the Holodeck, transporter and replicator together to produce whatever it was?

Here's a question: Was that a more advanced form of Replicator?

Because it seems to me that the 'life form' was using this rigged up system to turn one type of matter (i.e hydrogen) into another (i.e helium)
(it's been a while since I saw the episode) in order to build itself a body/reproduce

If it was, couldn't that have huge implications for Starfleet and the Federation once they duplicated that (if they are not trying, they are rather foolish), so that replicators function the way some of the more Rapid trekies claim?
i.e
Red Shirt: Captain, we are low on parts to make a new shuttle
Captain: Really? Fine, I'll make a note next time we are near a starship, to swing over a planet or asteroid and beam up enough material to make a new shuttle
Red Shirt: Thanks captain. By the way, we are out of coffee material
Captain: Oh? Use the parts we have left to make shuttles, and feed them into the replicator. I want my coffee!

Opinions? Am I correct in my "reading" of the episode? Would Starfleet and the Federation try to duplicate this technology to increase it's industrial base? (We all know they SHOULD)

Thanks

Here's a question: Was that a more advanced form of Replicator?

Because it seems to me that the 'life form' was using this rigged up system to turn one type of matter (i.e hydrogen) into another (i.e helium)
(it's been a while since I saw the episode) in order to build itself a body/reproduce

IMHO that's how they build a lot of stuff already in Feddie industry.

(I picture TNG+ shipbuilding as alot like the creepy repair staition in ENT., only slower in execution given canon transporter/replication delays)

Just that the life form was restricted to the systems the Enterprise had readily avaliable, so it cobbled together the necessary systems to build a bigger body more rapidly than the tiny transporter hybrid in the replicator alone could accomplish.

Actually, replicators can only do compounds, not elements

i.e Sodium + Chlorine to create salt
but it can't turn Hydrogen into Sodium and Chlorine and then make Salt.

The 'alien' in question appeared have rigged them up to be able to do so

Actually, replicators can only do compounds, not elements

Ok. But then the E-D and other ships must be stopping quite a bit to regain lost elements, as there is no massive element storage compartments that would be required to make all the things available from the replicators. Is that canon? Or is it just the current theory? Cuz it doesn't seem that efficient to me to do it that way. (shrug)

Also, IIRC there was something called "replicator stock" that was used as the primary means of allowing replication. It seemed from the dialogue to be a more complex compound than a mere conglomeration of all relavent elements.

Also check you PM box. You should have one from me there.

I checked it, I will be sending you the first idea later.

Anyway.. that IS how they work. They keep stuff in storage and replicate it from the elements later. Otherwise Voyager wouldn't have had any problems in the DQ.

Voyager was not meant for long term deep space exploration remember. They had to restock every so often. The Enterprise-D however had alot more Cargo room. Like at least 10 bays for storing stuff

Solauren wrote:Does anyone remember "The Next Generation" episode "Emergence"?

Yes

Solauren wrote:Remember how LaForge and company said that the weird space life form had rigged the Holodeck, transporter and replicator together to produce whatever it was?

No, they said that an unforeseen, independent, intelligent process in the ship's computer had commandeered the holodeck, transporter, and replicator systems to construct something in one of the ship's storage bays. It also took over the ship's propulsion and guidance systems to collect raw materials and the security systems to protect its project.

Solauren wrote:Here's a question: Was that a more advanced form of Replicator?

No, it was simply tying into other systems in an innovative way to accomplish something that the replicator couldn't do alone. It still needed to collect raw material ("vertion particles"), so it wasn't performing elemental transmutation.

Solauren wrote:Because it seems to me that the 'life form' was using this rigged up system to turn one type of matter (i.e hydrogen) into another (i.e helium) (it's been a while since I saw the episode) in order to build itself a body/reproduce.

Since it couldn't replicate "vertion particles", it stands to reason that the ship couldn't change one element into another; otherwise it wouldn't have needed to go to such great lengths to find them.

Solauren wrote:If it was, couldn't that have huge implications for Starfleet and the Federation once they duplicated that (if they are not trying, they are rather foolish), so that replicators function the way some of the more Rapid trekies claim?

The limits of the what the computer was doing aren't known. The object that the Enterprise constructed in the cargo bay when it "reproduced" wasn't very large. It was much smaller than a shuttle, and it took many hours for the ship to complete it.

Solauren wrote: Red Shirt: Captain, we are low on parts to make a new shuttle
Captain: Really? Fine, I'll make a note next time we are near a starship, to swing over a planet or asteroid and beam up enough material to make a new shuttle
Red Shirt: Thanks captain. By the way, we are out of coffee material
Captain: Oh? Use the parts we have left to make shuttles, and feed them into the replicator. I want my coffee!

We know that there are many critical starship parts that are manufactured instead of replicated, so I think it's unreasonable to assume that a shuttle could be replicated this way.

Solauren wrote:Opinions? Am I correct in my "reading" of the episode? Would Starfleet and the Federation try to duplicate this technology to increase it's industrial base? (We all know they SHOULD)

I think you're reading way to much into this episode. You seem to be assuming that the cost in resources and energy to "materialize" an object using transporter and replication technology would be much less than the cost of manufacturing the same object. We have little idea how much energy the ship spent on this project, but it apparently used the bulk of the it's computing, replication, and transporter capacity for hours, possibly days. The computer apparently didn't even keep a record of what it was doing, so Starfleet may not even have enough data to try to recreate the computer's work.

Even if the process could be duplicated, there's no reason to assume it would be more efficient than Starfleet's current construction methods. The computer used the transporter and replication systems because they were the only tools at its disposal, not necessarily because they were the best tools for the task.