# A Stupid Thing in Star Trek That Has Annoyed Me For Years (Add Your Own!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 14, 2008, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414 "2008-07-14T09:53:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/121 "2008-07-15T19:29:08Z")
[QUOTE=sciurophobic] Why is Spock more emotional because he’s half-human? Vulcans are by nature far more emotional. That’s why they’re obsessed with being logical, in order to control those emotions. Spock should be better at controlling his emotions than full-blooded Vulcans. [/QUOTE] I think it’s supposed to be that Vulcans are both by nature capable of more intense emotion _and_ more intense rational control than humans. So you can think of it this way. A Vulcan can provide strong-emotion genes and strong-rationality genes, while a human can provide less-strong-emotion genes and less-strong-rationality genes. On this reading, then, Spock got either the strong-emotion gene from his dad and less-strong-rationality one from his mom, or perhaps simply both his mother’s genes. In the latter case, Spock is really like a human trying to be Vulcan-logical, while in the former case, he’s like a Vulcan with a rationality deficit. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/122 "2008-07-15T19:29:24Z")
[QUOTE=BwanaBob] adding to that; true, the transporters were unsafe for human transport, but why not beam down a shitload of bricks and other materials so they could at least build a hut? So what if they duplicated, you can’t pile up duplicate bricks? [/QUOTE] yeah, they could have, then you’d have a pile of _evil_ bricks Mr. Smartypants. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/123 "2008-07-15T19:30:40Z")
[QUOTE=Peter Morris] In the 5th movie when Kirk is locked in the brig he sits on a seat. If you look closely, it has a sign saying “do not flush while in spacedock” or something similar, i.e. he’s sitting on a toilet. [/QUOTE] Really? I guess it’s played as kind of a joke? Because it would be strange to think that fecal matter flushed on the Enterprise immediately goes out to space. I’d think there’d be more of a sort of “sewage” system in place. Or-----maybe they _transport_ it out. 🙂 -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/124 "2008-07-15T19:31:29Z")
[QUOTE=control-z] Well I guess it just seems odd that a Sci-Fi show portraying the future wouldn’t address toilet technology at all. Geez, I sound like George Costanza. [/QUOTE] Nor did they deal with how people throw-up, how they deal with zits, or any of a number of other mundane factors of life that would both annoy and gross us out. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/125 "2008-07-15T19:46:05Z")
[QUOTE=Peter Morris] In the 5th movie when Kirk is locked in the brig he sits on a seat. If you look closely, it has a sign saying “do not flush while in spacedock” or something similar, i.e. he’s sitting on a toilet. [/QUOTE] However, if you study that scene even more closely, you will eventually realize that there actually was no 5th movie. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/126 "2008-07-15T19:48:03Z")
[QUOTE=DSYoungEsq] Nor did they deal with how people throw-up, how they deal with zits, or any of a number of other mundane factors of life that would both annoy and gross us out. :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] Well, if nothing else, _Enterprise_ touched on this. Although _DS9_ had earlier made a groundbreaking bathroom reference (in the ep where Sisko and Jake fly a “solar sailship” from Bajor to Cardassia), _Enterprise_ addressed the notion of waste recycling _and_ air sickness. Even zits, arguably, that time Tucker had a lifeform growing in his wrist and it bulged grossly. ---
**Author:** ![Promethea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Promethea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Promethea)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/127 "2008-07-15T19:49:02Z")
[QUOTE=JThunder] That would be Neelix. [/QUOTE] This is the funniest (and truest) thing I’ve read in ages. I salute you! ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/128 "2008-07-15T19:49:36Z")
My contribution: On _Star Trek: Enterprise_, there was this bit in between the opening credits of the first episode and the closing credits of the last episode… ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/129 "2008-07-15T19:53:25Z")
[QUOTE=Wheeljack] There’s a head just off the bridge. They never show it because… well, who would want to watch that? [/QUOTE] I would, once, or better, just this: FX: _clank. whoosh_ _Doors open, Kirk enters bridge, adjusting shirt_ ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/130 "2008-07-15T20:03:50Z")
[QUOTE=Malacandra] I would, once, or better, just this: FX: _clank. whoosh_ _Doors open, Kirk enters bridge, adjusting shirt_ [/QUOTE] Oh, c’mon. They’re so high tech that they beam the shit out of you. Bathrooms are unsanitary and laughably low tech. Although the one thing I always thought was missing from the “Q gets turned into a Human” episode was a scene of him peeing his pants, because he didn’t know better and was unfamiliar with trained muscle control - ie, he’d never been potty trained. Q: “I seem to have sprung a leak. What am I doing? Riker?!? Data? What’s going on here! Why am I leaking fluids? _And what’s that smell?_” Crew: \ Riker (Snark): I’m surprised at you, Q. Human children learn to control their bladders at a very young age. Q: That explains it. I was never a Human child. Can someone clean this up? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/131 "2008-07-15T20:04:22Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] Really? I guess it’s played as kind of a joke? Because it would be strange to think that fecal matter flushed on the Enterprise immediately goes out to space. I’d think there’d be more of a sort of “sewage” system in place. Or-----maybe they _transport_ it out. 🙂 -FrL- [/QUOTE] Actually I believe waste of all sorts went back to central holding tanks for use as raw material for the replicators. I don’t know if that was mentioned on any show or if I saw it somewhere else though. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/132 "2008-07-15T20:10:31Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] My contribution: On _Star Trek: Enterprise_, there was this bit in between the opening credits of the first episode and the closing credits of the last episode… [/QUOTE] I’m somewhat disturbed by the implication that you enjoyed the opening credits of _Enterprise_. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/133 "2008-07-15T20:11:27Z")
I should have said “opening title.” The song was shite. [QUOTE=What Exit?] Actually I believe waste of all sorts went back to central holding tanks for use as raw material for the replicators. [/QUOTE] I guess that explains the cornbread. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/134 "2008-07-15T20:31:02Z")
::dumb joke excised:: ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/135 "2008-07-15T20:38:38Z")
I admit to liking the montage concept for Enterprises’s opening credits. Now if it had only been a _silent_ montage… I haven’t seen most of the show, but I still think it was an interesting idea, just done completely wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/136 "2008-07-15T20:42:26Z")
[QUOTE=whiterabbit] I admit to liking the montage concept for Enterprises’s opening credits. Now if it had only been a _silent_ montage… [/QUOTE] I liked the original acoustic version of the theme. The overamped synthed-out replacement (which I believed coincided with the show’s name changing from _Enterprise_ to _Star Trek: Enterprise_) was a severely horrible move. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/137 "2008-07-15T20:55:46Z")
They pulled a similar move with the theme to DS9. Turned “majestic” into “grocery store muzak.” ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/138 "2008-07-15T20:55:49Z")
[QUOTE=DSYoungEsq] how they deal with zits [/QUOTE] Are Vulcan pimples green? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/139 "2008-07-15T20:57:45Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Actually I believe waste of all sorts went back to central holding tanks for use as raw material for the replicators. I don’t know if that was mentioned on any show or if I saw it somewhere else though. [/QUOTE] That’s mentioned in the TNG Tech Manual. Which was thoroughly contradicted at various points in the series (the 3-nacell Enterprise shown in the final episode is, according to the Tech Manual, impossible. But I’m willing to go with the Tech Manual on this, since the last season of TNG sucked, including the finale), so it should be taken with a grain of salt, but that’s pretty much the obvious thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414/140 "2008-07-15T21:00:35Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] Are Vulcan pimples green? [/QUOTE] Don’t know. But Klingon pimples are semi-intelligent and ambulatory. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-thing-in-star-trek-that-has-annoyed-me-for-years-add-your-own/456414.md?page=8)