# Is transparent aluminum even remotely possible?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-transparent-aluminum-even-remotely-possible/702586>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 26, 2014, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-transparent-aluminum-even-remotely-possible/702586 "2014-10-26T18:11:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-transparent-aluminum-even-remotely-possible/702586/41 "2014-10-31T16:26:46Z")

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> [@Dewey\_Finn](#):
>
> As I remember the conversation, someone else (perhaps Bones?) said to Scotty, “Aren’t you changing history?” to which he replied, “How do we know that he _didn’t_ invent it?”

I think in the movie they said this, but I believe in the book, Scotty recognizes the name of the guy as the guy who DID invent transparent aluminum so he guessed he was supposed to give him the formula.

I also think they couldn’t use solid steel or other heavy things because the weight would screw up the sling shot calculations, or something.

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**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-transparent-aluminum-even-remotely-possible/702586/42 "2014-10-31T16:30:58Z")

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> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#):
>
> [Star Trek IV bashing] I never understood why people like this film so much. It’s almost as stupid as ST-V.
> 
> I don’t even know _why_ they needed transparent aluminium, or transparent _anything_ for that matter. The whales don’t care. They don’t need to see into the passenger compartment. They can ride in a closed tank for the brief time it takes to go 300 years.
> 
> Where, after being released into the wild, they immediately told the probe how humans had killed off all the whales. The probe then finished destroying all life on the planet. It then went on and destroyed all the Borg as well, as it was incredibly powerful. And the universe was made safe for cetaceans, the one true intelligent life form in the galaxy. [end rant]

Only if by “safe for cetaceans” you mean “inbred until they turn into chainsaw-wielding hillbilly cannibals” 🙂

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**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-transparent-aluminum-even-remotely-possible/702586/43 "2014-10-31T19:04:07Z")

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> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#):
>
> Where, after being released into the wild, they immediately told the probe how humans had killed off all the whales. The probe then finished destroying all life on the planet.

Except George & Gracie had just arrived in the 23rd century, and wouldn’t know that their species was extinct or even that they’d just traveled through time. And at the start of the movie, Spock speculates that the Whale Probe’s so advanced that their civilization doesn’t recognize humans as an intelligent life form worth worrying about (“I find it illogical that its intentions could be hostile”) which does kinda go against the patently obvious pro-environmental message of the movie, go figure.

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