# Star Trek Tech Questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 19, 2009, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889 "2009-12-19T21:26:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/101 "2009-12-24T17:58:00Z")
The weapons targeting was off in the nebula. Firing up at Reliant’s belly offers a bigger target. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/102 "2009-12-25T04:37:07Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > The weapons targeting was off in the nebula. Firing up at Reliant’s belly offers a bigger target. But perhaps shooting from aft provides them with a better variety of targets to hit? Blowing the chow hall into deep space doesn’t do Enterprise any good, but hitting the weapons rack on the top of the ship does (of course, I don’t recall a scene in Trek yet where a ship’s warp nacelles were badly damaged without something catastrophic happening to the ship) Honestly, the most real explanation is probably that they were going for a “Raking the Stern” shot, since in the making-of on the Director’s Cut DVD has them pretty much admitting to shamelessly ripping off (er… tributing) Horatio Hornblower. Even on a Federation starship, I’d dare say the stern is the most vulnerable spot. Fewer weapons positions, important things like the engines and the shuttle bay being exposed to fire, etc. Basically, it looked awesome. ---
**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:** [December 25, 2009, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/103 "2009-12-25T04:49:01Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > Honestly, the most real explanation is probably that they were going for a “Raking the Stern” shot, since in the making-of on the Director’s Cut DVD has them pretty much admitting to shamelessly ripping off (er… tributing) Horatio Hornblower. Raking the bad guy all the way through his ship, from “stem to stern” means that you are going to hit a lot of folks and important things. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/104 "2009-12-25T06:41:07Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Raking the bad guy all the way through his ship, from “stem to stern” means that you are going to hit a lot of folks and important things. Most importantly, of course, it means you’re going to crush his side-kick to death under a giant piece of styrofoam painted to look like a metal support structure. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/105 "2009-12-25T14:36:19Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > What I want to know is why “yellow alert” doesn’t involve shields. One would think it would–a preventive, protective move. It’s been so long since I’ve seen TWoK that I don’t know if this is a specific reference to that movie, but Yellow Alert does mean shields are raised. Red Alert would mean the phaser banks and torpedo bays are also readied. ---
**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:** [December 25, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/106 "2009-12-25T14:51:36Z")
Amber Alert means Naomi Wildman is missing. ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/107 "2009-12-25T16:31:51Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Amber Alert means Naomi Wildman is missing. It also requires changing the bulb. One thing I liked in TWoK was when the Reliant hit the Enterprise in the “neck” section with phasers. Too me that always seemed like an obvious spot to fire on a starship. The flattened shape of the Enterprise E and even Voyager looks like a better overall design, at least defensive-wise. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2009, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/108 "2009-12-26T02:26:50Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > It’s been so long since I’ve seen TWoK that I don’t know if this is a specific reference to that movie, but Yellow Alert does mean shields are raised. Red Alert would mean the phaser banks and torpedo bays are also readied. Well, the shields weren’t raised during Yellow Alert in TWOK. Just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2009, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/109 "2009-12-26T04:52:43Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Well, the shields weren’t raised during Yellow Alert in TWOK. Just sayin’. I think they did raise their shields, just too late for them to come up all the way. I can’t remember how long after Yellow Alert they did that though. When TWOK took place, it’s possible that “Yellow Alert” means go through all the processes of securing the ship for battle (locking down loose equipment, donning protective gear, closing up the bar, manning the battle stations) without putting up the outwardly threatening gestures like raising sheilds, arming phasers, or giving the other dude the finger over the viewscreen. But that’s just some fanwanking here. Since we didn’t see the cool sequence of crewmembers running around preparing the ship for battle like we did at the end of the movie, I’m assuming it didn’t actually happen. ---
**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:** [December 26, 2009, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/110 "2009-12-26T05:04:30Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > I can’t remember how long after Yellow Alert they did that though. It was right after Spock reported, “They’re raising shields.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/111 "2009-12-26T21:13:50Z")
Before all that, Kirk says “this is damned odd” or some such and goes to Yellow Alert. Before THAT, Saavik tries to quote regs to Kirk and Spock chastises her. Of course, if they’d gone to shields up when they should have (per Saavik), the trilogy of movies would have been very different… ---
**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:** [December 26, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/112 "2009-12-26T21:18:57Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Of course, if they’d gone to shields up when they should have (per Saavik), the trilogy of movies would have been very different… Shatner’s ad lib line, “He still gets too much fan mail” was edited from the final cut. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2009, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/113 "2009-12-26T21:29:39Z")
Ships have to run a 24 hour schedule. This means there are typically three shifts, each working 8 hours each. In a yellow alert, one other shift is alerted and goes to their battle stations. In a red alert, all hands are alerted and go to their battle stations. Note that a crewmember could have a different duty station and battle station–if you’re the ship’s barber you don’t go to your hair salon, you’re assigned to damage control, or sickbay orderly or some such. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/114 "2009-12-27T00:54:18Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Ships have to run a 24 hour schedule. This means there are typically three shifts, each working 8 hours each. In a yellow alert, one other shift is alerted and goes to their battle stations. In a red alert, all hands are alerted and go to their battle stations. Note that a crewmember could have a different duty station and battle station–if you’re the ship’s barber you don’t go to your hair salon, you’re assigned to damage control, or sickbay orderly or some such. This bit makes sense, I recently found out just what Services (guys in the Air Force who ladle out soup in the chow halls, passes out towels in the gym, etc.) does in a combat situation. It seems they transport casualties to the medical guys, collect and deal with dead bodies, etc. Yikes. Makes me glad my job is to help shovel dirt. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/115 "2009-12-27T01:00:45Z")
IMS, band members in the Armed Forces also doubled as medic type personnel: moving the wounded back to the medics on stretchers etc. Anyone know how the Federation was set up? Did it have representation and suffrage for the masses? Were there taxes? I know there was no money, but goods and services had to have been valued in some way… ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/116 "2009-12-27T01:04:21Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Anyone know how the Federation was set up? Did it have representation and suffrage for the masses? Were there taxes? I know there was no money, but goods and services had to have been valued in some way… Well, Picard made the mistake of claiming there was no money, but all evidence points to that being total malarky. It’s no wonder Q decided to keep tormenting humanity. ---
**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:** [December 27, 2009, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/117 "2009-12-27T01:28:11Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Well, Picard made the mistake of claiming there was no money, Didn’t Kirk tell the Whale Lady that he couldn’t pay for the pizza because they “didn’t use money in Outer Space”? ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/118 "2009-12-27T01:49:01Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Didn’t Kirk tell the Whale Lady that he couldn’t pay for the pizza because they “didn’t use money in Outer Space”? Yes. He says (paraphrased) “we don’t use money in the 23rd century”. And in The Trouble With Tribbles, the space station used “credits” to buy and sell stuff. I’d like to think that an implanted chip was scanned and that’s how they kept track of such things… Still doesn’t explain how starships were funded or maintained financially. ---
**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:** [December 27, 2009, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/119 "2009-12-27T02:05:44Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Still doesn’t explain how starships were funded or maintained financially. It _does_ explain that Kirk was a cheap date. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889/120 "2009-12-27T04:45:59Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > It _does_ explain that Kirk was a cheap date. Name your friends, sir! Kirk was NOT a cheap date. :mad: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tech-questions/521889.md?page=7)