[Gulliver]

Originally Posted by EarthlyPangaea

I think the most likely reason is that they probably just didn't think of linking Data to the ship wirelessly. We'd have it as a given now, because we have phones that actually fit in our pockets (and aren't the size of a brick), WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC or lots and lots of wireless sensors (Zigbee etc). When the show was originally written, digital mobile phone standards were still a work in progress. I think the mobile phone revolution of the 1990's helped to visualise what would be possible in the future. What did the writers have to play with? Analogue mobile phones or CB radio, perhaps?

They seemed to have anticipated a return to a more centralised vision of computing, and considering the cloud era (I dislike that word, but anyways) we're in they may not have been entirely off the mark. In retrospect, it seemed like that was a totally solved problem for them and it didn't seem to be an issue worthy of debate. A wasted opportunity, imho.

Who knows? Data might have been a special case. Not many Soong-type androids were ever built and I'd guess his architecture (for lack of a better word) may have been totally different to anything else in the Federation. Which meant that without special efforts from Geordi or Data, he may not have been able to connect to the ship without serious engineering and/or ingenuity. For example, see the picture of Data's head I posted earlier.

I think that we might sometimes forget that TNG is close to thirty years old, and that the writers were writing for the time and the world they were in.

And lets face it - even if they did think of that, they'd have to make sure that Data couldn't just wirelessly link to the ship and turn off the busted valve/forcefield/fire/etcetera right in front of them with a mere thought. Like all of the other times they have to conveniently disable the communications, replicators, transporters, life support or engines for the sake of the plot.

They handled access limitations pretty well with The Doctor in VOY who was essentially IN the computer. Even the command version of him couldn't do thought control.

But as you and other posters have said, the writers for that show had mobile phones and wireless computers to base their world off whereas the TNG writers were only on the cusp of those technologies.

If it was written now, Geordi would probably design a quantum device that Data could access a specific terminal (with human user level access) that worked over subspace, leading to some good twists on the whole "aliens have taken over the ship with forcefields/transporters/biological weapons"-type scenarios.

Data could be away planet-side or on a shuttle and eventually figure out that his access is to the main ship systems are blocked due to a hijack and then work out something with an environmental control bypass or something.

[LeinsterDub]

Originally Posted by Gulliver

Data could be away planet-side or on a shuttle and eventually figure out that his access is to the main ship systems are blocked due to a hijack and then work out something with an environmental control bypass or something.

That's a other thing who designed their operating and technical systems. Are they running windows 3000? The amount of holes in their systems . Install a firewall lads!

[Gulliver]

Only getting back to this now

Originally Posted by EnterNow

The Enterprise wasn't built with Data in mind. He can be linked up to the computer via a hardline, we've seen that before win Engineering with Geordi etc. As for wireless, I dunno, maybe LCARS just isn't compatible with Data's programming & its just easier for him to use a terminal...you've seen how fast he can input right?

Yeah and I suppose it did help to differentiate Data as being "humanoid but not human" when we see him do his super-speed.

Originally Posted by EnterNow

Yeah I suppose there should be, but for script/story reasons...it was better to have people in danger rather than safe from behind a viewer.

The ambush could be set for later in the exploration - after they move out of camp. It just seemed odd to beam crew down without protection.

Originally Posted by EnterNow

Well the MACO's from ENT looked pretty badass. With armour its a tradeoff with speed & maneuverability so they prob chose to omit it.

I must watch all of ENT. I kinda gave up with the whole time war and scenery-chewing acting.

Originally Posted by EnterNow

Can't really comment on that, I dunno anything about BSG...but in the Trek universe, shuttles arn't really gonna last long against Capitol ships

I would imagine that a phaser bank can only emit so many streams, so your capitol ship would attempt to draw the heavy fire while the fighters did a 360 pattern to confuse targeting sensors. I wonder if you cut power as you approached the outer shield could you drift a fighter through?

Originally Posted by EnterNow

Border wars went back as far as TOS with the Klingon & Romulan borders.
TNG dealt with Borg Invasion, one two parter & one movie really
DS9 had the wormhole & a new enemy. Four seasons of war
VOY was spend outside of the Federation
ENT dealt with the invasion arc again, but only two seasons.

Starfleet may be more exploration based, but that doesn't mean that every other race is so inclined

Yeah, I know what your saying, but what I was getting at is that even though the shows are all about going boldly, why not pimp your weapons systems to the max with all ship classes before sending them out into the unknown. I'm sure first contact scenarios might be a bit awkward with a warship bristling with weaponry, but I'm sure a good delegation would smooth it over.

[knucklehead6]

Saw the first 20 minutes or so of "Where No One Has Gone Before" last night and after the first hyper warp jump to the far side of the Triangulum Galaxy about 2.7million light years from the Milky Way. Geordi states that it will take 300 years at maximum warp to get home.

Fast forward to 2371, USS Voyager, is taken by the caretaker to the delta quadrant, a piffling 70000 light years from home, and from where it will take them approximately 70 years to get home travelling at maximum warp.

So on a Galaxy Class (max sustainable cruise Warp 9.2) it takes 300 years to travel 2.7 million light years but an Intrepid Class, (max sustainable cruise Warp 9.975) it takes 70 years to travel 70000 light years.

[Beefy78]

Obviously that's a continuity error.

However, did they actually say "70 years at maximum warp"? Because they never travel at maximum warp in Voyager - even when they're not wasting time at random planets. Yet three seasons in and Chakotay said it will now take 67 years to get home in the episode I watched yersterday.

[knucklehead6]

Originally Posted by Beefy78

Obviously that's a continuity error.

However, did they actually say "70 years at maximum warp"? Because they never travel at maximum warp in Voyager - even when they're not wasting time at random planets. Yet three seasons in and Chakotay said it will now take 67 years to get home in the episode I watched yersterday.

Ah stop you with your rational analytical thinking!!