# Is the Star Trek transporter inspired by The Fly? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, star-trek-paramount\ **Created:** [October 30, 2021, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549 "2021-10-30T23:37:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TimfromNapa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@TimfromNapa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimfromNapa)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/21 "2021-10-31T16:16:34Z")
I think that was the show Dark Matter. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/22 "2021-10-31T16:47:38Z")
There is an episode of ST:TOS with long-distance transportation - Gary Seven’s people can transport people hundreds of light-years. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/23 "2021-10-31T17:10:13Z")
So can the Metrons in “Arena.” ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/24 "2021-10-31T17:30:49Z")
Yep, “Contagion” is the episode I was thinking of. I wonder if it was the first to use the trope “Have you tried turning it off and then back on again?”\* 🤔 \*I call this the “Howard Wolowitz maneuver.” 🤭 ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/25 "2021-10-31T17:47:47Z")
I had forgotten that - I remembered the Gary Seven bit, because it’s explicitly recognized by the Enterprise crew as a form of transporter, like theirs, but way better. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/26 "2021-10-31T17:51:12Z")
Yep. The Metrons just blinked and it was done. No machinery involved, SFAWK. I think the Organians had the same capability in “Errand of Mercy.” ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/27 "2021-10-31T18:14:15Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > This one from 1877 is also a hoot. (And only four pages long.) > [https://nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/sffaudio-usa/mp3s/TheManWithoutABodyByEdwardPageMitchellJJ2020.pdf](https://nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/sffaudio-usa/mp3s/TheManWithoutABodyByEdwardPageMitchellJJ2020.pdf) That story is remarkably prescient for 1877, since Einstein didn’t mathematically prove the existence of atoms and molecules until 1905. Maybe some real time travel was at work here? 🤨 [https://www.ans.org/news/article-969/albert-einstein-and-the-most-elemental-atomic-theory/](https://www.ans.org/news/article-969/albert-einstein-and-the-most-elemental-atomic-theory/) I also wonder if this wasn’t the inspiration for the _ **TNG** _ two-parter where Data’s 500-year-old head is discovered by an engineering team in San Francisco. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/28 "2021-10-31T19:03:32Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > That story is remarkably prescient for 1877, since Einstein didn’t mathematically prove the existence of atoms and molecules until 1905. Atoms and molecules had been discussed and theorized about since the 18th century. They were a working theory for scientists, especially chemists, for a long time. Boltzmann was the main proponent of atomic theory at the end of the 19th century, but some scientists were still sceptical until Einstein’s 1905 paper. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/29 "2021-10-31T19:07:19Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > Atoms and molecules had been discussed and theorized about since the 18th century. They were a working theory for scientists, especially chemists, for a long time. Couldn’t we go back even farther than that? > **[Atomism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomism#History)** > > Atomism (from Greek ἄτομον, atomon, i.e. "uncuttable, indivisible") is a natural philosophy proposing that the physical universe is composed of fundamental indivisible components known as atoms. > References to the concept of atomism and its atoms appeared in both ancient Greek and ancient Indian philosophical traditions. Leucippus is the earliest figure whose commitment to atomism is well attested and he is usually credited with inventing atomism. He and other ancient Greek atomists theorized tha... ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/30 "2021-10-31T19:10:30Z")
Right. For that matter, atomic theory went all the way back to Ancient Greece, but it was still hotly debated until 1905. I watched a bio of Einstein not too long ago in which one of his professors castigated him for supporting the molecular theory. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/31 "2021-10-31T19:15:08Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Couldn’t we go back even farther than that? That’s ‘philosophical’ atomism. As a scientific theory to explain chemical reactions and thermodynamics, it was developed in the 18th century. See the wiki on [Atomic theory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_theory). ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/32 "2021-10-31T19:16:05Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > For that matter Pun intended? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/33 "2021-10-31T19:16:57Z")
Sort of. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/34 "2021-10-31T19:33:52Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Yep. The Metrons just blinked and it was done. Like the jinn depicted in _One Thousand and One Nights_ 1000+ years ago. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/35 "2021-10-31T19:39:01Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Ah, but _ **ST** _ transporters have “filters,” as was established in “The Enemy Within.” SFDebris recently reposted his review of this, and he comes up with a reason. The previously aired episode was “The Naked Time”—you know, the one where everyone got drunk with “heavy water” and were just generally messing everything up. So he says (in a facetious tone) that they must’ve sabotaged the shuttles and they weren’t repaired yet. He also notes that, in reality, they just hadn’t invented the shuttlecrafts yet. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/HZHl2ctQq1U/hqdefault.jpg "A Look atThe Enemy Within (Star Trek)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZHl2ctQq1U) ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/36 "2021-10-31T20:26:51Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Maybe _The Fly_ and _Star Trek_ are notable for actually taking the concept seriously. There’s Rogue Moon. That’s pretty serious, and has the identity issue also. > **[Rogue Moon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_Moon)** > > Rogue Moon is a short science fiction novel by American writer Algis Budrys, published in 1960. It was a 1961 Hugo Award nominee. A substantially cut version of the novel was originally published in F&SF; this novella-length story was included in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two, edited by Ben Bova. It was adapted into a radio drama by Yuri Rasovsky in 1979. > Rogue Moon is largely about the discovery and investigation of a large alien artifact found on the surface of the Moon. The o... ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/37 "2021-10-31T20:29:42Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Maybe some real time travel was at work here? 🤨 Even more worrisome: > This was on a Trustees’ day, and I was the only visitor in the hall. The faithful attendant > had gone to enjoy a **can of beer** with his friend, the superintendent of the monkeys. Beer cans weren’t invented [until 1933](https://www.decades.com/lists/a-visual-history-of-the-beer-can)! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/38 "2021-10-31T22:25:00Z")
Could simply have been a canister of beer that he brought to work with his lunch, maybe one like this: [![](https://www.horniman.ac.uk/media-collection/447/309/27_8_52_8__002_RS.jpg) ](https://www.horniman.ac.uk/media-collection/447/309/27_8_52_8__002_RS.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/39 "2021-10-31T22:29:12Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > He also notes that, in reality, they just hadn’t invented the shuttlecrafts yet. Which is interesting, since the _Enterprise_ was designed to have a shuttle bay (in the rear of the secondary hull) right from the start. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549/40 "2021-10-31T22:50:36Z")
In this case “hadn’t invented yet” means “hadn’t had good enough reason to build the prop yet.” The engineering set wasn’t built until “Enemy Within” - and I guess the shuttle sets were in line after that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-star-trek-transporter-inspired-by-the-fly/953549.md?page=3)