Discovery: Is the technology wrong?

[Maddi Hyden]

((POTENTIAL SPOILERS))

This one intrigues me because I've heard people saying the thing that deters them from watching the show is how the technology seems so advanced compared to ships in the other shows ie The Enterprise-D. The thing is though an experimental ship would hypothetically have better tech than most, being as Discovery is set way before the Enterprise that doesn't seem accurate.

Let's discuss some of the tech in the show. We start with the spore drive not much to say about that one it is an experimental drive which they state in the show, but then we have things like the landing pods from a recent episode. The pods look so much more advanced than anything the Enterprise-D had along with the worker bee's and the suits in the show, but there's something that has brought me to thinking of it all in a different way.

Discovery was created recently 2017-2018 and we look at when The Next Generation was created in 1987. That's a 30-year difference. The graphics and technology now are so much more advanced compared to 30-years ago. So in a way, it gives a new outlook on Star Trek. If we think about it the technology in the show is supposed to far surpass the earth now, well in 1987 that was considered the future, but now we can put so much more in the thoughts of the future. So my answer, in the end, is no I don't think it is. 

I do however want to hear what anyone else has to say! Look forward to the discussion!

[Blake]

One of the biggest "complaints" from anti-Discovery viewers was always to do with "they have holographic technology before it existed!" - to which I always link to this Telstra ad:

Fact is, "back in the day" of classic Trek, stuff like holographic technology was a blip on the radar - practically nonexistant. A twinkle in inventor eyes. Today, however, we've not only established VR (which, honestly could be considered early versions of a holodeck) but also have a very, very rudimentary version of 'holographic' capabilities as Discovery has established.

If Calypso established anything, it was that Discovery ends up without a crew, lost in space for years. Part of me wants to believe that this is because of a huge disaster with the spore drive - a jump gone wrong, if you will, which would explain why the crew had to abandon ship and Discovery ended up alone for hundreds of years. Not implementing the spore drive in any other Starfleet vessel following this incident seems like the most logical conclusion.

The technology is not wrong. It is more in line with how we consider the future.

Edited February 7, 2019 by Sky Blake

[Maddi Hyden]

12 minutes ago, Sky Blake said:

One of the biggest "complaints" from anti-Discovery viewers was always to do with "they have holographic technology before it existed!" - to which I always link to this Telstra ad:

Fact is, "back in the day" of classic Trek, stuff like holographic technology was a blip on the radar - practically nonexistant. A twinkle in inventor eyes. Today, however, we've not only established VR (which, honestly could be considered early versions of a holodeck) but also have a very, very rudimentary version of 'holographic' capabilities as Discovery has established.

If Calypso established anything, it was that Discovery ends up without a crew, lost in space for years. Part of me wants to believe that this is because of a huge disaster with the spore drive - a jump gone wrong, if you will, which would explain why the crew had to abandon ship and Discovery ended up alone for hundreds of years. Not implementing the spore drive in any other Starfleet vessel following this incident seems like the most logical conclusion.

The technology is not wrong. It is more in line with how we consider the future.

Exactly right! It’s sad though that people don’t like the show because of that! Star Trek is Science Fiction and they’ve bettered what we as humans in the 21st century think of as future technology. Holographic Communication is definitely possible! The spore drive has a functionality to it, but in the end I think it poses more danger then the worth of trying to overcome that danger. The Discovery as a ship is what we think of when we think of the future. I honestly feel some people have just seen all the old shows and are so accustomed to the technology anything new seems wrong, but this is the future and that’s what I feel they’ trying to portray in the best way that they can.