Lightsaber or Site-to-site transporter?

[Solauren]

Transporter.

Even if it 'kills' during transport (see my comment below)
it still has massive industrial applications.

Also, with transporters, there has been evidence even if the body is destroyed, the mind survives and moves to the new body.
(i.e the episode with Data's grandfather, Barkley thinking he's got some transporter sickness, The vulcan in ST: TMP in the transporter beam screaming in pain before rematerialization)

If that's the case, who cares my old body was sliced and diced, I'm fine

[Dakarne]

power systems capable of operating at high temperatures while still remaining efficient will still bring down the prices of lasers (and other power-intensive techs).

I never said it wouldn't...

why do you need to fully-reverse engineer it? Just beam a 80-kg nuclear warhead with a ten second timer and voila, instant superweapon.

Why ten seconds?

Why not make it, a "Kinetic Jolt" explosive, and beam it directly above the building...

[Spanky The Dolphin]

Also, with transporters, there has been evidence even if the body is destroyed, the mind survives and moves to the new body.
(i.e the episode with Data's grandfather, Barkley thinking he's got some transporter sickness, The vulcan in ST: TMP in the transporter beam screaming in pain before rematerialization)

Sorry but that's absolutely BS as proof against the transporter's murderous properties.

[Dakarne]

Sorry but that's absolutely BS as proof against the transporter's murderous properties.

For once, we agree on something...

That's the main reason I voted Lightsabre.

[Lancer]

Why ten seconds?

Why not make it, a "Kinetic Jolt" explosive, and beam it directly above the building...

Because with the ten-second timer, your victim should have the time to see the warhead and go "oh shit, I'm so fucked" before it blows.

[Dakarne]

Because with the ten-second timer, your victim should have the time to see the warhead and go "oh shit, I'm so fucked" before it blows.

Oh... in that case, I'd just beam two or three... all with 1 minutes timers... around the area... one just in front of the main leader... With all grey wires.

And then give him time to Shit himself a million times over.

[bilateralrope]

Lightsaber. Huge numbers of industrial and service applications possible (for example, how much do you think electricians would like a drill bit that could bore through three-four 2x4 studs in an instant?).

If your boring through wood the lightsaber is likely to set it alight. If boring through non-flammable stuff you still have the vaporised parts to deal with.

[Noble Ire]

Lets see, a lightsaber in the hands of a non-Jedi is next to useless aside from the cool factor.

I'd go with the transporter. Quite frankly, as some have said before, if my body dies, but then is put back together exactly as it was, with my mind preserved as well, I don't care if I died there for a moment or not.

[Manus Celer Dei]

How accurate is the transporter, and how small is it? (IE, Paris' handheld one in that alternate-reality episode of VOY)

Sure, it might kill you every time you use it, but it could be the ultimate slob tool. You want something from the other side of the room? Transport it to you! Or use it instead of carrying heavy stuff. Instead of pissing about hefting all your warddrobes around if you're redecorating, just beam them into the back garden.

I'd find that more useful than an energy sword that I'd probably end up slicing myself in half with.

[DrkHelmet]

How accurate is the transporter, and how small is it? (IE, Paris' handheld one in that alternate-reality episode of VOY)

That was exactly the device I was thinking of when I asked this.

[tumbletom]

I picked the transporter because knowing me, I would probably kill myself with the lightsaber whirling it around or something like Obi Wan in EP1.

You know kids, its all fun and games until some important appendage gets sliced off....


Plus the transporter has the advantage of taking you to other-side-of-the-world trips without the long damn flights...

[DPDarkPrimus]

What's the point of having a lightsaber if I don't get the Jedi reflexes to properly handle it? I'll just end up dismembering myself trying to take down some punk.

[Sharpshooter]

While it's a moral affront, the transporter is probably much more useful than the lightsaber in terms of the spin-offs and side technologies that could be developed from it. For example, if you were to set up a pseudo-transporter system in something like, say, a slaughterhouse, you could just march a bunch of cattle on to a massive transporter pad, break 'em down to their basic componants, then assemble the elements in the forms of cuts of meat, possibly even packaged in those styrafoam trays and with plastic wrap on them. You can make the most use out of the available meat while also eliminating the need to conventionally kill the animal in a potentially cruel way if the procedure is botched up, and could possibly even screen out any harmful bacteria and such. And think of the boom for recycling...!

[Grandmaster Jogurt]

I'd go with the transporter. Quite frankly, as some have said before, if my body dies, but then is put back together exactly as it was, with my mind preserved as well, I don't care if I died there for a moment or not.

You're not getting the point. Your mind does not get preserved. An identical but seperate one is created on the other end.

Think about it this way. Imagine there's a transporter accident when you use it and there are two Noble Ires now, just like when Riker was duplicated. Are both of them "you"? How could that be possible? And yet, if the mind was preserved, like you say it is, both would be you.

If you missed it, I'll reiterate Spanky's analogy.

No, it's along the same lines as say a xerox or cloning machine that say, incinerates the original.

If you still think that the mind is preserved, the burden of proof is on you.

As to the OP, I'd go with transporters, since it still works well when dealing with nonliving objects.

[Hawkwings]

so basically what I'm getting is this. A transporter breaks you down, then creates a new you from the broken down stuff at the other end. However, the new you is not the original you, it's a perfect copy.

Now, assuming my consciousness gets transferred, it'll be like, well, teleporting to that place basically. If my consciousness doesn't get transported, well... I'll never know will I?

Transporter. I'd definitely take the Transporter. Think of the advantages of putting stuff into orbit very quickly and cheaply. Think of stuff like mining, timber harvesting, etc. I will be rich!

[Noble Ire]

I'd go with the transporter. Quite frankly, as some have said before, if my body dies, but then is put back together exactly as it was, with my mind preserved as well, I don't care if I died there for a moment or not.

You're not getting the point. Your mind does not get preserved. An identical but seperate one is created on the other end.

Think about it this way. Imagine there's a transporter accident when you use it and there are two Noble Ires now, just like when Riker was duplicated. Are both of them "you"? How could that be possible? And yet, if the mind was preserved, like you say it is, both would be you.

If you missed it, I'll reiterate Spanky's analogy.

No, it's along the same lines as say a xerox or cloning machine that say, incinerates the original.

If you still think that the mind is preserved, the burden of proof is on you.

As to the OP, I'd go with transporters, since it still works well when dealing with nonliving objects.

And?

Yes, of course its a copy. An exact copy in virtually every way. My mind and body is exactly duplicated. So, I'm me. Basically, if you disregard the idea of some kind of metaphysical soul, there's no real problem.
Yes, some transporter mix-up that generates a Clone of me would be a problem, but if it really is me, then I'm sure that me(we) could work out some arrangement. Besides, such an instance occuring seems highly unlikely (it only happened once, excluding evil Kirk.)

And whats with this burden of proof crap? The fact that transported people, by all indications, including medical analysis, have exactly the same minds even after being transported thousands of times would seem to show that yes, your mind stays the same.

[Ender]

Spanky, a transporter no more kills you then you die every 7 years (every 7 years all your cells have died and been replaced). This was brought up (albeit with the wrong number) on the first page and you simply chose to ignore it.

I'd go with the transporter, provided it didn't have all the stupid issues that transporters have on the show. No clones of me if its cloudy and no getting blocked by anything random and all that.

[applejack]

But since there isn't, I see the ST transporter as being nothing but a killing machine.

Well, it's also a cloning machine and a teleporter.

That's not too bad provided it doesn't take inordinate amounts of power to operate the thing.

Also, as other people have pointed out, there are practical applications, as long as you don't use it on people. I actually like Sharpshooter's ideas for transporter applications.

Also, with transporters, there has been evidence even if the body is destroyed, the mind survives and moves to the new body.
(i.e the episode with Data's grandfather, Barkley thinking he's got some transporter sickness, The vulcan in ST: TMP in the transporter beam screaming in pain before rematerialization)

Well, the mind is a duplicate, too. As for that Vulcan incident, it looks like he was already out of the buffer and re-materializing on the transporter pad. He would have begun to become conscious at that point.

Now, assuming my consciousness gets transferred, it'll be like, well, teleporting to that place basically. If my consciousness doesn't get transported, well... I'll never know will I?

Your mind isn't tranferred, it's duplicated.

Spanky, a transporter no more kills you then you die every 7 years (every 7 years all your cells have died and been replaced). This was brought up (albeit with the wrong number) on the first page and you simply chose to ignore it.

Yeah, but that happens over a long period of time. There's a greater degree of natural continuity of your consciousness, it seems, than there is with a transporter. The transporter happens quickly and ends your consciousness in a violent and non-natural way that could be termed as death.

[Spanky The Dolphin]

Yeah, a transporter kills you by disintigrating your body into data and energy, then after you're destroyed it builds a new copy using that data as a guide and the energy as a source. In my opinion, that's pretty much instant death with a clone being made right after you're killed.

[nightmare]

Transporter. Even if I can use the lightsabre, which would make me feel safer, I haven't had any actual use of a weapon so far.

With the transporter I could... borrow things, for example. Or send presents to my afar family. Or start a company and use it in secret for special transportation services at high cost. If I could actually travel with it, it's even better.. but the moral complications of transporters freak me out.

[Spanky The Dolphin]

Actually I change my mind about my choice (Lightsabre). I now choose neither. A lightsabre is too dangerous and pretty much useless, while having a portable transporter device would only encourage me to become a thief.

[Ford Prefect]

I'll take the Transporter. I mean, sure, it'll kill me, but the fact that I'll be retaining all of my memories, all of my habits, the fact that my body is completely identical to my body before I was transported will completely assauge my fears. I could then use it to go to places I've always wanted to go, and also use it so I can sleep in on school days. Unfortuneately I'll get really lazy, so I'd have to get highly selective about when I used it.

On the other hand a lightsaber, though cool, would be more or less useless to me, unless I made a habit of needing to cut through stuff.

[Mr. Coffee]

And now I finally bust my STvsSW cherry... And there was much rejoicing...


I'd go with transporters.

I've read everyone elses reasons for the pro-transporters side, so no need to repeat it.

But here's another idea for a use of transporters...

Replacing the Space Shuttle and all the rockets for pushing people and things into orbit. You want to get a new module for the ISS up there? Beam the fucking thing up. Or even better, just build the entire station down here on earth, beam the entire thing on up. Something goes wrong with it? Beam it back down to the garage for maintinence. Want to put a man of the moon or establish a moon base? Beam it there.

Transportation of goods?

FedEx has next day air? Well TransEx has RTFN beaming. Order your stuff online and have it beamed right to your front door (Or even beamed to your office, or your car, or your garage, or where ever). No more sitting there waiting for that game or dvd or book or whatever you ordered to arrive by mail. Instant gratification.

You're on a fishing trip and forgot the beer back at home in the fridge? No problem, beam a frosty cold one right to the boat!

The neighbor's dog shit on your lawn again? Beam that shit (and the dog) back in your neighbor's yard.

Want that pizza delivered hot and fresh from the oven? Beam it right to your dining room table.


Now of course this technology would have to be regulated to hell and back. Think cartheft is a problem now? Imagine carthieves with transporters.

[Bounty]

Or even better, just build the entire station down here on earth, beam the entire thing on up.

There's a limit to how big a transportable item can get (I believe the biggest transport was of the Delta Flyer, a 21m shuttle).

Want to put a man of the moon or establish a moon base? Beam it there.

Max transporter range is usually high orbit. Certain transporters can beam across several light years, but the bog-standard Fed one is limited.

[Jaepheth]

I'd take the transporter and head for fort knox...

actually, make that the Federal Reserve Bank.