One of the most famously known things from Star Trek would have to be the USS Enterprise. Although there were several USS Enterprises, the notion of the USS Enterprise is famously known in the Science Fiction Universe. The first USS Enterprise was a Constitution Class Starship captained originally by Robert April, Christopher Pike, Willard Decker, and in later years Captain Spock. But the most famous captain of the Enterprise is James T. Kirk. The first two USS Enterprises were Constitution class ships. The third USS Enterprise was an Excelsior class ship. Fourth being an Ambassador Class. Fifth, Galaxy Class; and the last USS Enterprise, NCC 1701-E, was a Sovereign Class ship. (1)

Since the original Starships, travelling the galaxy was a priority. But what made a big impact on interstellar travel was the invention of the Warp Drive. In the year 2063, Zefram Cochrane developed and was the first to implement the warp drive. According to Memory Alpha, with this launch of the Phoenix with the first implemented warp drive in use. Because of this, the Vulcans were able to detect this ship, which means they were able to make first contact with the human race. This was the human race’s first encounter with extraterrestrial life.

The original term coined for the warp drive was “space warp generator.” But slowly the term Warp Drive caught on and has been used by the United Federation of Planets. Not only is it used by the United Federation of Planets, but it is used by the fan base and people to describe traveling fast in a vehicle.  (2)

What is the Warp Drive though, and how does it work?

Well:

Much like my previous post about time travel, this uses a similar principle that some of the time travel technology is based on. This warp drive creates a warp field, a sort of bubble that surrounds the ship, and makes it able to travel through space that has been distorted directly around the bubble. Because of all of these combined, the ship is able to travel faster than the speed of light.

One thing that should be combined with the warp drive should be the Inertial Dampener. Because of the quick acceleration without the inertial dampeners would cause extreme damage to the crew and the ship. The Inertial dampeners work by countering the affects from the warp drive. “For the most part, it's an invisible seatbelt substitute for crew and cargo.” –TvTropes.

Out of the world of science fiction and into real science, inertial dampeners aren’t that far off from being a reality. In fact, nowadays there are things that act much like inertial dampeners. But as for the faster than light travel being a thing, that is still the makings of science fiction.

One type of science that is like the science fictitious inertial dampeners are the flight suits that fighter jet pilots wear.  These flight suits are able to inflated when the pilot is undergoing more G forces than is common. When they are inflated, these suits keep the pilot’s blood from pooling in his or her lower extremities so that they are able to maintain consciousness during their flight. (2)

Like I said before, faster than light travel is much more of a difficult feat. It might be such a difficult feat that many scientists doubt that it is even possible. But according to a proposal by Chris Van Den Broeck of the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, it might be possible to obtain faster than light travel. According to this proposal it would be something like it is in the science fiction of Star Trek, the creation of a small bubble around the ship to transport it to where it needs to go. The only difference would be that the bubble would have a large volume, but a very small surface area. Once this is achieved the drive would be able to shrink the area in front of the bubble, but at the same time expand the space behind the bubble so that it would travel much faster than it normally would and also travel faster than the speed of light. According to the article though, this is only a theory, and there is much more to be thought of before anything can be done with it, like how is anyone going to be able to stitch together two dimensions so that the outside is much smaller than the inside. We could just ask the Timelords. (3)

Very relevant to this post, the new Star Trek movie, Star Trek: Into Darkness, arrives in theaters Friday, May 17th. Be sure to look for the wonderful warp drive capabilities of the USS Enterprise if you do go see it.

In the Book Ender’s Game, later in the book we become more familiar with the enemy that Ender has to defeat. This enemy is known as the Formics, or more popularly known by their derogatory name The Buggers. These aliens have been in battle with the human race three times. The book takes place during the third war. At the end of the book Ender finds the hive queen who telepathically communicates with him, telling him that the Formics attacked the human race because they didn't detect a hive-mind state of thinking in the humans. This led the formics to believe that the humans were non-sentient and attacked them.

 This means that the Formics have a hive-mind. Hive mind is defined as:

Another example of hivemind in science fiction are the Borg from Star Trek. Famous for the quote, “You will be assimilated, resistance is futile.”  The Borg is a cyborg race who believe that everyone should be assimilated and become part of the hivemind. Because of the fact that they all act under the same conscious it is like one thought that has multiple bodies. The Borg can assimilate other races, which means the Borg isn’t one race, but a collective of assimilated other races with the changes to make them part of the hivemind. 

Yet another alien race that acts similar to the hivemind, but differs slightly are the Cylons from Battlestar Galactica. The Cylons, short for Cybernetic Lifeform Node, are a robotic race that has multiple different beings. One kind of Cylon is the earlier model. This model looks like a robot, easy to identify. Another kind of Cylon, the later model, looks like a human. These types of Cylons are made through synthetic biology. Not only do they look like a human, but they are made from the same material, they have flesh and blood. The thing where the hivemind comes in is that Cylons of the same model are able to transfer data between their minds. It is stated that this is not a hive mind, but as a mode of communication.

A few other famously known examples of hiveminds in science fiction are the Bugs in Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein, The Heart of Atlantis from the movie Atlantis: The Lost Empire, The Anti-Spirals from Gurren Lagann, The Xenomorph from Alien, and The Cybermen and the Daleks from Doctor Who. 

The hivemind got its name from the insects that are Eusocial, which is the social system in insects that live under four basic characteristics. According to the Nature Education Knowledge Project these for characteristics are:

Bees are a prime example of this. Because they need to collect pollen to create honey there are certain things that need to be done. The pollen collecting bees bring back the pollen and give the nectar to the receiver bees who in turn take care of the food. They use this sort of hivemind thinking to know where to collect the pollen and nectar and to collaborate. This chart shows how the process is done within the group of bees. (1)

Much like in science fiction there are the workers who go out and do the work, and then there’s the one who directs the rest. The queen bee is much like the queen Formic from Ender’s Game. 

Many science fiction novels and movies depict humans going to other worlds and settling down on those worlds. While there they use the land to their own personal needs. This colonization and terraforming is seen in Dune, Imperial Earth, and the sequels to Ender’s Game: Xenocide, Speaker for the Dead, and Children of the Mind. 

In Dune, Paul Atreides and his family assume control of the planet called Arrakis. This planet’s original inhabitants, the Fremen, first knew, used, and controlled the geriatric spice, also known as mélange. Melange is a drug that is created by the excretions of the desert sand worms. The spice is collected and sold at a high price. Because of this spice, the planet attracted many people from other worlds to try and take over and sell the spice to gain money and power. Human-like people from around the universe attempted to colonize the desert planet and sell the spice, but only a few managed to survive the harsh environment of the planet. Due to the planet being one giant desert, water is scarce. Many fights have occurred over who should control the spice, and further the control of the planet.

I must say, and my mother would agree, read the books, but do not watch the movie. The movie is a sad rendition of the novel. 

Another novel that deals with the colonization of another planet is Imperial Earth. In the not too distant future, there is a decline in the amount of hydrogen on earth. The main character’s grandfather set out to Titan, the moon of Saturn, which is thought to have an abundance of hydrogen. When arriving on the planet, he sets up a colony where people mine for hydrogen and sell it back to people of earth. 

Yet another set of books that shows the colonization of humans on another planet are the sequels to Ender’s Game. Set 3000 years after when Ender’s Game takes place, Andrew ‘Ender’ Wiggin, or known then as Speaker for the Dead goes around marking the death of a person, or for him, the death of a race. He arrives on Lusitania, a planet that has been colonized by humans who are there to study the indigenous race called the Pequeninos. But because of being on the planet they are subjected to the virus known as the descolada, a self-mutating virus that can infect any lifeform.

All three of these novels have many similar aspects with colonization. They all deal with humans taking over a distant planet or world in order to better themselves.

One thing that jumps out at me is that many of the planets in many science fiction novels and movies have species native to the planet. The Fremen in Dune and the Pequeninos in Speaker for the Dead. But these native species are usually regarded as inferior species. Is it really true that they are inferior, or is it a superiority complex of the humans that are taking over the land? This is much like back when the British and French were colonizing the New World and pushing the Native Americans out of their homes in order to take over the land. This continued to happen even once the United States was formed, the Native Americans were pushed off of their land and onto reserves much smaller than their land. None of this is good, pushing people out of their land and making a profit from them. 

Another problem with terraforming another planet is what happens when you use up all of the resources from that planet that you are mining for? Do you just pack up and move out? Leave the planet for dead? This is major issue with the earth today. People are using up resources faster than they can be replenished, if they can be replenished at all. We need to start respecting the planet and taking care of it, as of now it is the only world we have and there isn’t any other planet that we can just zoom to and make our new home.

Not yet at least. Recently, the company Mars One was founded and is taking applications to settle a permanent human settlement on Mars. In the year 2023, the plan is to have humans land on Mars and create a permanent settlement. This just might be the beginning of humans colonizing other planets. As of now, it is not foreseeable that humans who are chosen to go to Mars will ever be able to return to earth. But that is the risk that is involved with colonizing another world, just like the humans who colonized Lusitania in Speaker for the Dead. 

It doesn’t seem possible yet, but who knows what the future will hold for colonizing other planets, some day in the future mankind could spread out across the stars and make their home on planets lightyears from our current home. The only thing that we will have to be wary about is to not destroy the planets and make a mess out of the universe.

Since its beginning in 1966, Star Trek has captured its audience for generations. Starting with The Original Series in 1966, many new series and movies have debuted. For Television shows following the original series there was the Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. 

“Dammit Jim, I’m a doctor, not a miracle worker.” Thanks to Leonard “Bones” McCoy, this phrase is well known in the world of Star Trek. From the first episode it was used, it has sparked many different spin offs in The Original Series. 

Taking place in the mid-23rd century, the show was depicted with many new technologies and sciences. Warp Drives, Faster Than Light travel from said Warp Drives, but the thing that I will be focusing on in this post is the medical advancements. One of the most iconic technologies of the Star Trek universe would have to be the Tricorder. 

The tricorder did everything. It was used for data sensing, recording information, analyzing data, and many other functions. There were also many different tricorders. The different tricorders had many different functions from the original functions, to being able to sense medical problems. These medical tricorders worked hand in hand with the portable, handheld scanner. These medical tricorders were primarily used out in the field or on the ship to do a primary assessment of a patient

Since the first appearance of the tricorder in the mid-60s, scientist and medical professionals have been trying to make their machines and instruments more portable. At the time the space race was in high gear. Because of this, medical professionals were trying to find ways to be able to send medical equipment with the astronauts when they went into space. Another way the science fiction of the day was coming to life was the technological advancements of medical records and hospital care.

According to Kate Lunau, there is a competition in progress of developing a real life tricorder. The competition named, The Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize, has only a few specific guidelines; 

The competition began in 2010, and the final judging isn’t expected to be until 2014 if not even 2015. The grand prize is $10,000,000. If you have personal knowledge of medical technology, you really should give it a thought to enter the competition! Here is the link to the website of the competition. 

A previous competition much like this one was the competition to create a private spacecraft. The winner of this was SpaceShipOne, now part of Virgin Galactic.

Another technology from the series that is now being made into a real technology is Geordi LaForges’s visor. According to the series, LaForge was born blind, but was given the chance to see when he turned five. He was given a visor that gave him the ability to see.

This science behind science fiction is becoming reality. An implant created by a German Scientist is now giving people with retinitis pigmentosa the ability to see. This light sensitive implant is attached to the retina and sends electrical signals to the brain. (1) Essentially, it is a replacement retina. Another product that is helping the blind regain sight is Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System. This is much more like Geordi’s Visor. Created by Second Sight Medical Products, the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System, the product consists of glasses with cameras on the front connected to 60 electrodes that have been implanted on the retina. Both of these bypass the problem with the retina so that people are able to see. (2)

Even further in the future, medical technologies like the ones from Star Trek will be readily available for doctors and physicians of the day. 

Let’s face it; people have always been intrigued by the idea of time travel. From back in the 1800s, with the publishing of HG Wells book: The Time Machine, to modern day science fiction books and movies, there have been countless stories about time travel.

This post will be focusing on two iconic time machines.

Since the early 1960s, Britain has been airing a television show loved by many a generation. Evil Villains, a Dashing hero, his lovely companions along for the ride, kooky plot lines; what’s not to love? One of the most iconic things of Doctor Who is the TARDIS. 

TARDIS, short for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space, is what the Doctor uses to travel through space, like a spaceship. It is also a time machine. It has seen the beginning of the earth all the way to the end of the earth. The TARDIS is able to travel in time by entering the Time Vortex and travelling back and forth through the vortex

Another famously known time machine is the DeLorean, from the 1980s Back to the Future Trilogy. The DeLorean time machine was created by Doc Brown so that he could travel through history. The DeLorean was powered by nuclear reactor on the back of the car that is fuelled by plutonium, this was used to produce 1.21Gigawatts that was needed to power the flux capacitor and time travel. To travel to the future or the past, the passenger of the machine must enter the date that they are trying to get to and then get the car to 88 miles per hour. When all of these were combined, the DeLorean was able to travel through time. In the three movies, it was only used to travel back to 1955, forward into the future once (To the year 2015) and back to 1985, then to 1885 and then returned to 1985 where it was destroyed on impact.  

Both series show the effects of traveling back in time and messing with history. Marty tried to change history, and as a consequence, almost erased himself from time. In Doctor Who, the Doctor makes sure that he doesn’t mess with fixed time. There are a few exceptions to this though, if there is an event in flux (this means that there isn’t a set occurrence, and things can be easily changed without creating paradoxes or problems), time can easily be rewritten.

The idea of travelling forward in time has been much more thought of than travelling back in time, and it is much more of a feasible idea. Einstein’s theory of relativity states that time appears to slow in the vicinity of a large gravitational force.

Another way people could time travel is to use worm-holes, or an Kerr Black Hole. Because Einstein and Rosen predicted that these bridges did not obey the laws of thermodynamics and physics they could be gateways to the future or the past. Kerr Black Holes are described as a black hole on one side, with a white hole on the other. The Black hole sucks up things, its white-hole counter-part somewhere else in the universe in another time or even in a parallel universe would spit out whatever the black hole had sucked up. It was later found that black holes have a singularity in the center of them where time effectively ceases to exist. (1)

Another way to travel that is much like a Kerr Black Hole is an Einstein-Rosen Bridge. An Einstein-Rosen Bridge, also known as a wormhole, can be described like folding the universe to connect two very distant points to travel instantaneously through. With this, people would be able to possibly travel into the past or the future depending on where, and more specifically when, they have connected to. (2)

There are many theories about travelling into the future, but travelling strictly into the past with knowing where and when you intend to travel is a much less scientifically studied process. Although one way to see into the past is to look up into the night sky. The stars that you see are images of what has happened millions of years ago and light years away. There is no way that scientists have come up with specifically travelling into the past itself.

When it comes to time travel, one thing you have to be careful of are paradoxes. One of the most famous time travel paradoxes is the Grandfather Paradox. If you are able to go into the past and you kill one of your ancestors before they have their offspring that leads to you, what happens to you? What happens in general? If you kill them, they aren’t able to have their children, to lead to your other ancestors, which in turn leads to you. You don’t exist, so you cannot go back into the past to kill them. (3)

Ender’s Game, one of the first science fiction novels I remember reading. It took me about a week to finish it, but by the time I was finished with the book I was hooked. This was my gateway book to higher levels of science fiction. 

Originally published in 1977 as a short story, Ender’s Game was so loved that readers wanted more. In January of 1985, Orson Scott Card released the first novel in the whole series.

In November of this year, Summit Entertainment is releasing Ender’s Game the movie. My hopes are that it is very much like the book, and they don’t butcher it much like other book-to-film movies.

In the series, communicating with places way far away is instantaneous. Not like from one continent to another, although yes, that is also possible, but this is on a large scale. Places that are light-years apart. Using a machine called the Ansible, people are able to communicate instantaneously over vast distances. The Ansible was first created by Ursula K LeGuin in her 1966 book, Rocannon’s World.

The original term of the Ansible is described as:

In the Ender’s Game series, the Ansible is a nickname for the Philotic Parallax Instantaneous Communicator. It is described as a process that Philotes to vibrate in space, which causes other counterpart philotes to also vibrate. Through this, they are able to make them vibrate in a specific way so that they are able to send messages instantaneously. (1)

Although at the time that the story was written, and up until very recently, being able to communicate instantaneously was unheard of except in science fiction. According to Orson Scott Card, the author of Ender’s Game, there was no theory or possibility of being able to communicate instantaneously at the time when Ender’s Game was written or any of the other books in the original series.

In the last 5 years though, research was done to try and create a way to communicate instantaneously or at least faster than light. One project that has been done in attempt to find a way to communicate instantaneously was done by A.Y. Shiekh using light particles. Using a single photon emitted by a light source, the photon is sent through all sorts of shifters and mirrors. If these shifters and mirrors are set up in a specific way the photon detector at the end of the course wouldn’t detect any photons. It seems I need to brush up on my particle physics to understand how this works. But all in all the experiment deemed this instance of instantaneous communication unfeasible. 

Over the last 50 years, communication has been getting easier to do. One of the things that makes communication super-fast, but not quite instantaneous, is the internet. To read more about how the internet works, here is a great link that will explain how it works in great detail. But when one is connected to the internet, much like you probably are now, packets of information are sent to your computer electronically. Originally, this had to be done with wires and cables, but nowadays, people are able to get information from what seems straight out of the air using WI-FI. Wi-Fi uses radio waves to be able to connect to a router, which using cables, is able to connect back to the internet. (2)

The communication in Ender’s Game and Ursula K LeGuin’s book, Rocannon’s World, revolutionized the way people thought about how to communicate written out messages.