The stupidest flaw

[Stofsk]

At least one Trek novel actually handwaves this with, "Go argue with tradition". Though it's not siting the bridge where it is that's illogical if we assume the viewscreen is transparent when not in use, which it certainly seemed like it was in the series

Which series? Pretty sure TOS has shown the viewscreen as blank when it's off. TNG doesn't have a screen per se, it's a big holographic tank.

Really? It doesn't looks holographic.

Also, conventional armor is probably useless against phasers, since they just up and disintegrate things with some sort of nuclear treknobabble chain reaction, so if you get hit, you're taking that damage no matter how much armor you have. Well, barring some sort of supertech like the Planet Destroyer's impenetrable skin.

Or if you had some packing crate plating handy.

Has anyone ever thought that those instances where packing crates seem to block phasers might mean the phasers are on a stun setting, and not that those crates are somehow awesomely resilient?

Really, no. At minimum, armor would allow you to force your enemy to ramp up the power on their phaser and severely limit their shots. At most, if you line it with materials that the NDF chain reaction has trouble working on, you save the wearer's life even on level 16.

Level 16? You mean the level that destroys buildings?

[Imperial528]

Wasn't the episode where a phaser set at level 16 being said to destroy a building a hallucination by Riker? (And it was Riker who said that IIRC)

[Molyneux]

One of the changes to Star Trek that I greatly enjoyed in STO was the proliferation of both personal armor and personal shields (that also appear capable of retaining atmosphere). It's something I would love to see in the series, for the reasons already stated in this thread.

[Stofsk]

Wasn't the episode where a phaser set at level 16 being said to destroy a building a hallucination by Riker? (And it was Riker who said that IIRC)

Yeah.

And when the building didn't disintegrate/vapourise/blow up/whatevered, Riker knew he was hallucinating.

Incidentally, we do see phaser set to level 16 in 'Chain of Command part 1'. Its used to get past a rock wall to a passage on the other side. However the phaser does it, it manages to destroy or remove several metres worth of rock in the wall.

Am I saying developing armour is a worthless idea? No. But can it withstand level 16 phaser fire, which CaptJodan claimed it should be able to do? I seriously doubt it.

For that matter, we see Klingon disruptor disintegrate or dematerialise a Klingon wearing their Klingon armour by Kruge in Star Trek III; it doesn't seem to help. If I can theorise, it might be that wearing armour might prevent being stunned or surviving a shot at low to mid levels, but I'd say set to maximum you probably wouldn't be able to survive getting shot at.

[Imperial528]

It would still prevent the shrapnel from their own ship's systems exploding during battle from killing/injuring the crew in the area. Even if it does shit to stop weapons fire, I'd take it over pajamas any day.

[Zaune]

I'd like some evidence for the viewscreen being transparent when not in use, especially as all that would enable you to see would be the circuitry BEHIND it, or possibly the compartments beyond it, because the viewscreen is most certainly NOT set against the outer hull of the ship.

As noted above, it is in Nemesis, but I always assumed it was in TNG and Voyager based on the shape of the bridge and my best guess at the scales involved. And the perspective of whatever was visible in it in 'default' mode always seemed to imply that if it wasn't a window, it was the feed from a camera mounted on the outside of the bridge dome, which seems singularly pointless.

Not that I see why that would be an advantage, given the Mk1 Eyeball is moderately useless in space combat.

But not perhaps for low-velocity manoeuvres such as negotiating a debris belt or docking with an orbital facility. Besides, radar/lidar/whatever it is they use emitters and CCTV cameras can malfunction.

[Uraniun235]

Which series? Pretty sure TOS has shown the viewscreen as blank when it's off. TNG doesn't have a screen per se, it's a big holographic tank.

Really? It doesn't looks holographic.

Next time you're watching TNG, when they show Picard from the side facing the viewscreen, look at the guy he's talking to (a Romulan, Cardassian, whatever). The other guy on the screen is also shown from the side - he's not being shown as a flat image on a screen. I only noticed it a couple of years or so ago myself.

[Patrick Degan]

Democrats Republicans and the truth.

Corrected for accuracy.

As for one of mine, to return to topic: the original Galactica with NO compartment blast doors anywhere in the ship, which allowed a landing bay fire to threaten the entire vessel. From "Fire In Space".

[Batman]

A fire in a landing bay that is open to space on both ends
'Um-guys? Couldn't we just, you know, drop whatever it is we're using to keep the atmosphere in?'
'Shut up, suit up, and get ready to dramatically blow some holes in the hull!'
'Um-I'm a fighter pilot. Don't we have like, combat engineers or something for stuff like that?'
'JUST GET OUT THERE ALREADY!'

[Patrick Degan]

A fire in a landing bay that is open to space on both ends
'Um-guys? Couldn't we just, you know, drop whatever it is we're using to keep the atmosphere in?'
'Shut up, suit up, and get ready to dramatically blow some holes in the hull!'

Oh, it was even funnier than that. To fight the fire in the landing bay, which they couldn't separate from the rest of the ship due to the aforementioned lack of compartmentalisation capability, they fitted three Vipers with fire extinguishers and chemical tanks to shoot foam into the landing bay ports to try to suppress the fire.

[Stofsk]

Which series? Pretty sure TOS has shown the viewscreen as blank when it's off. TNG doesn't have a screen per se, it's a big holographic tank.

Really? It doesn't looks holographic.

Next time you're watching TNG, when they show Picard from the side facing the viewscreen, look at the guy he's talking to (a Romulan, Cardassian, whatever). The other guy on the screen is also shown from the side - he's not being shown as a flat image on a screen. I only noticed it a couple of years or so ago myself.

Wow. Which episodes is this apparent? Can you think of any?

EDIT: seems to be noticeable in 2x20 'The Emissary' - there's a good shot of Worf standing up close to the viewscreen talking to the Klingon Captain, and his image isn't flat

EDITx2: omg it's in 'Data's Day' as well. You see Rom Admiral flat on the screen and parts of his bridge, but when you see Picard get up and see him at the side, you can see a door on the Rom's bridge which you couldn't see from a straight angle

holy shit Uraniun, that's awesome!

[lordofchange13]

the potato warriors from doctor who. they git nocked out from a rubber ball to the neck. why not force field, or maby a lesscenterized breathing system. then theres the eath star, multibillion credit spacestation, with the greatest minds working on it. and they didn't notice the hole, or if they did they did hipe up turrets around it.

[Isolder74]

The Death Star's Exaust Port wasn't undefended or weren't you watching the movie? Also it's a tiny target that the only way to hit it by making a suicidal attack run and the only person that can actually hit it is because he has superpowers. Give the Death Star a break here.

Oh and you have a centralized breathing system too, why else was the Heimlich maneuver invented or needed?

[Eddie Van Helsing]

the potato warriors from doctor who. they git nocked out from a rubber ball to the neck.

It's Doctor Who, remember? Think of how many times the Daleks have been killed off, only to somehow return again.

[Bottlestein]

In Logan's Run (the 1976) version, the locks to the city doors are all connected to one computer. Blow the computer, and apparently the the guards are useless - everyone can escape.

What ends up blowing the computer? Logan saying, "There is no Sanctuary." Apparently, the fact that everyone who escaped from the city died outside is too "irrational" for the computer to handle.

[lordofchange13]

The Death Star's Exaust Port wasn't undefended or weren't you watching the movie? Also it's a tiny target that the only way to hit it by making a suicidal attack run and the only person that can actually hit it is because he has superpowers. Give the Death Star a break here.

Oh and you have a centralized breathing system too, why else was the Heimlich maneuver invented or needed?

#1 yes the port was defended, i ment with more procise weaponry not slow moving turgolasers. from what i sow in the move the turolasers moved very slow, in comparison with the X-wings.
#2 the sontarans arificialy breath through a small hole in there neck, why bot have several holes unstead of just one in a easly hitable area?

[Eddie Van Helsing]

#1 yes the port was defended, i ment with more procise weaponry not slow moving turgolasers. from what i sow in the move the turolasers moved very slow, in comparison with the X-wings.

What sort of "precise weaponry" would you have used instead of anti-spacecraft gun emplacements and squadrons of TIE fighters?

[Isolder74]

The Death Star's Exaust Port wasn't undefended or weren't you watching the movie? Also it's a tiny target that the only way to hit it by making a suicidal attack run and the only person that can actually hit it is because he has superpowers. Give the Death Star a break here.

Oh and you have a centralized breathing system too, why else was the Heimlich maneuver invented or needed?

#1 yes the port was defended, i ment with more procise weaponry not slow moving turgolasers. from what i sow in the move the turolasers moved very slow, in comparison with the X-wings.
#2 the sontarans arificialy breath through a small hole in there neck, why bot have several holes unstead of just one in a easly hitable area?

Consider yourself owned dimwit.

Tracheostomy


Put you finger in the hole of someone who has had to have this done and get the same results so buzz off!

[lordofchange13]

#1 yes the port was defended, i ment with more procise weaponry not slow moving turgolasers. from what i sow in the move the turolasers moved very slow, in comparison with the X-wings.

What sort of "precise weaponry" would you have used instead of anti-spacecraft gun emplacements and squadrons of TIE fighters?

well i i was in control i would use high powered lasers (there easier to hit things with) instead of turbolasers (which are not lasers) and if the Tie fighters had them target locking missles. or use some sort of targeting computer instead of soldier instinks.

[Srelex]

They did mention heavy jamming in the film, which would hamper computer targeting. Furthermore, given the materials capability of SW, I'm not sure if lasers would be overly practical, especially against shields.

[lordofchange13]

The Death Star's Exaust Port wasn't undefended or weren't you watching the movie? Also it's a tiny target that the only way to hit it by making a suicidal attack run and the only person that can actually hit it is because he has superpowers. Give the Death Star a break here.

Oh and you have a centralized breathing system too, why else was the Heimlich maneuver invented or needed?

#1 yes the port was defended, i ment with more procise weaponry not slow moving turgolasers. from what i sow in the move the turolasers moved very slow, in comparison with the X-wings.
#2 the sontarans arificialy breath through a small hole in there neck, why bot have several holes unstead of just one in a easly hitable area?

Consider yourself owned dimwit.

Tracheostomy


Put you finger in the hole of someone who has had to have this done and get the same results so buzz off!

well people who have had that sergury would not be out as front line infantry, i also didn't say finger i sade hit with a ball for a nanosecound makes them fall over. the santarans are supost to be the greast army in the history of the universe, not chain smokers.

[lordofchange13]

They did mention heavy jamming in the film, which would hamper computer targeting. Furthermore, given the materials capability of SW, I'm not sure if lasers would be overly practical, especially against shields.

fighters dont have shields, and i'm talking a superlaser, not a phaser. was not the jamming don by the impire against the rebels, i ment targeting for the TIE fighter.

[Srelex]

X-wings definitely have shields, and film evidence suggests that at least some TIEs have them too. I'm not sure what you're trying to say for the second; ECM doesn't discriminate, to my knowledge.

[lordofchange13]

X-wings definitely have shields, and film evidence suggests that at least some TIEs have them too. I'm not sure what you're trying to say for the second; ECM doesn't discriminate, to my knowledge.

I looked it up you are right x-wings do have shields, while TIE fighters don't. I must have mixed them up. you's win. but don't the rebels and Empire use diffrent frequency's?

[Batman]

X-wings definitely have shields, and film evidence suggests that at least some TIEs have them too. I'm not sure what you're trying to say for the second; ECM doesn't discriminate, to my knowledge.

I looked it up you are right x-wings do have shields, while TIE fighters don't. I must have mixed them up. you's win. but don't the rebels and Empire use diffrent frequency's?

As Srelex mentions the TIEs in ANH DID have at least rudimentary shields, the jamming was so heavy it affected MANEUVERABILITY and was stated to warp spacetime in the novelisation, and what was wrong with the TIEs targetting anyway? DESPITE the fact that only Vader's personal squadron launched thanks to Tarkin's arrogance they damn near managed to repel the rebel attack. Would have if not for Han's unexpected return.
Have you actually seen the movie?