Will anything like Star Trek ever be reality?

captclazorus · December 2013

The world is full of pessimist ho look very lo lowly upon the future, but do you think t star Tek could eve be real? Could people realty come togetther and work to better themselves?
I myself don't think so. People are too concerned about themselves to worry about the greater good, generically. Though I do view the future optimistically. But at do you think?

oldschooldork · December 2013

Nope, will never happen. People have been on this earth for thousands and thousands of years and nothing has changed. If anything, things, and people, are getting worse. Not to mention people are getting dumber and dumber with each passing generation. We are always going to be fighting and slaughtering each other over resources, money, power and religious beliefs. Some will say "but when there is a disaster people come together to help each other", well, a FEW do, sometimes, but for every one that does there are 1000 that will loot, swindle and TRIBBLE over anyone they can, any way they can, for anything they can. Honestly, I'll be very surprised if the human race lasts another thousand years.

elandarksky · December 2013

'anything'

A bit vauge, so yes, in the sense we have Ipads etc that are like star trek's PADDs
3-d printing is ...kinda(ok not really, but loosely) like replicators

That aside,

I cant remember who said it, but it seems like a fairly wise statement, mankind will never work together until we find aliens, then we will unite together to fight said aliens,

But hey im a 'glass is most likely going to fall, never mind its contents' kinda guy

bitemepwe · December 2013

I would like to think so but as long as the individual human element exists we as a race will always wobble between greatness and barbarity.

I will personaly be happy if we learn to sail between the stars and leave the crib that is our zsolar system.

jonsills · December 2013

In the 20th century, despite two world wars and a number of smaller ones, fewer people died in war than ever before in history.

Each decade since about 1950, worldwide deaths due to violence of any sort have been in decline. In the US, one of the few countries where hard data on these matters is kept, violent crime has been in precipitous decline.

More and more, nations are negotiating treaties where once they simply held "grand and glorious wars", and cooperating where once they competed (International Space Station, anyone?).

Slowly, we're evolving to a more Treklike world every day. Evolution is, of course, a gradual process; it seems doubtful that we're ever going to look around ourselves and declare the process complete. However, if we can ever develop anything like real replicators (able to convert any element into any other freely, and assemble them into any desired form), we will have entered a post-scarcity economy, and that's when things get nearly unrecognizable to the modern mind...

cmdrscarlet · December 2013

Sure.

Today's smart phone can do a lot and its the closest thing to a Tricorder so far. It (the smart phone or tablet) can only get better, or closer to the thing envisioned by Roddenberry.

I've read that Warp Drive is theoretically possible.

Anything is possible. It just takes necessity and resources.

dahminus · December 2013

I believe hypo sprays are currently in the works...

rylanadionysis · December 2013

dahminus wrote: »

I believe hypo sprays are currently in the works...

http://www.geek.com/news/mit-creates-a-star-trek-hypospray-to-replace-needles-1492135/

sandormen123 · December 2013

One of two things will happen...
...In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war...
...or...
Pink balloonicorns, blue sky with butterflies and suger on top of chocolate mountains. Fluffy sugarcones floating on an ocean of coca cola...

Either way, we're scre*ed.

starkaos · December 2013

I believe that we would eventually become like the humans of the 24th Century, but the path that gets us there would be too costly. The humans in Star Trek always seemed to have this fear that if they behaved like us, it would ruin the planet. So they better act towards the greater good.

zipagat · December 2013

Well Scotty's Transparent aluminium already is a thing.

Communicators to, our smart phones serve this purpose. They are getting their with being able to translate in to many languages to not unlike Treks UT. Phones also use GPS nowadays which can serve to tell someone your location.

Phasers are something the US military has apparently been testing to.

PADDs are tablet computers.

We also have voice activated computers.

So a lot of Trek tech has already become a reality for us even if we havent noticed.

redsnake721 · December 2013

For the human race to move foward there sad to say it needs to be a missive drop in the popluation. Like what happened with the Plauge. After that we had the renaissance. Like the previous poster said people are getting dumber and the gap between classes is getting larger. Soon there will be no middle class only the very rich and the very poor. Its already happening in India. Something really terrible has to happen. In the movie the day the earth stood still there are some compiling scenes that say that only when man is at the brink does he evolve. If aliens landed like in that movie and said you have 50 years to develope clean energy, food and housing and jobs for everyone that can work. Free health care for everyone. No wars, One world govenrment with no opression, elimination of currency and free education to all. And a space program to begin to mine and colonise the other planets nad moons in our solar system. Or we will wipe out all human life on this planet and give it to the Dolphins. We would do it. It probibly would not even take us 50 years. The entire human race really needs a good slap in the face, a reality check that would not be open for debate or discussion or procrastination. An "either you do it or die" situation to get the kind of changes that are needed to bring about a world like Gene envisioned.

crypticarmsman · December 2013

Will space travel as depicted on Star Trek ever be 'real'?

I doubt it. For one thing Star Trek completely ignores relativistic effects that crews would experience on long space voyages when dealing with near light speeds. Second, space is incredibly vast, and I think any technology to artificially warp space for FTL travel would take longer than 200 years to develop (if ever).

jonsills · December 2013

Crypticarmsman, were you unaware that NASA is currently running experiments to determine whether Alcubierre-White warp theory is correct? If it is, FTL travel becomes a thing - because while general relativity sets an upper boundary on the velocity of any massive object, there's no limit to how quickly space itself can expand or contract...

And ships in Trek never reached high enough sublight speeds for relativistic effects to become significant - there were short bursts at up to 0.5c, but this just requires correcting the clocks afterward, not meeting the grandkids as they graduate college.

crypticarmsman · December 2013

jonsills wrote: »

Crypticarmsman, were you unaware that NASA is currently running experiments to determine whether Alcubierre-White warp theory is correct? If it is, FTL travel becomes a thing - because while general relativity sets an upper boundary on the velocity of any massive object, there's no limit to how quickly space itself can expand or contract...

And ships in Trek never reached high enough sublight speeds for relativistic effects to become significant - there were short bursts at up to 0.5c, but this just requires correcting the clocks afterward, not meeting the grandkids as they graduate college.

Huh, there are plenty of theories regarding the warping of space-time; the issue is creating a system (and reliable power source, etc.)

Correlation? Mankind knew for millenia that flight was possible. However, it wasn't until the 15th century that some people started attempting to make it available to humans; and we saw the first man-capable hot air balloons, and powered atmospheric flight is just over one century old.

Let me put it another way: Do I think we'll see manned missions to other star systems in the distant future? Yes.

Will it be anything close to the way deep space exploration is depicted on 'Star Trek'. No.

If mankind ever does develop safe usable FTL tech, I would suspect we'd first use it with automated space probes to 'scout' other stars; an if some planet or resource was found that would justify the expense of sending a manned expedition; a planned expedition would be conducted.

Also, any 'First Contact' situation between ourselves and another alien race would not happen as depicted in Star Trek. We (and they if interested) would need to spend a lot of time trying to com up with a method of communication both understand to go beyond the situation of "Hey, we know we both exist"; and find out if we have enough commonalities between our two species to make complex communication, trade, etc. worthwhile to pursue for both species.

eazzie · December 2013

This site lists the top ten ST Tech that is used today.

http://www.space.com/9705-top-10-star-trek-technologies.html

ursusmorologus · December 2013

Star Trek is fantasy. You might as well ask if My Little Pony will ever be reality. Of course there are some pieces and parts of Star Trek that are possible, but there are also some pieces and parts of Star Trek that are undesirable, ie the Borg, or the Vulcan civil war. I dont think that's what you want? So please be more precise about what you are wondering, otherwise I have to say "no, talking rainbow ponies are not possible and will never be reality (I hope)."

captainrevo1 · December 2013

Yes i think so. we have come a long way in a thousands year or so and even though i think it will take longer than the 24th century to get there i think we will come together.

there will probably always be bad elements of our society so perhaps not the utopian star trek, but close enough.

lots of the technology first seen on trek is now common day devices we already use. ok perhaps time travel and transporters are too sci-fi to ever be real but they are just minor aspects of the whole package.

twg042370 · December 2013

No. The current era of advancement has come about due to increased access to resources and cheap energy. We're running out of both. The less violent lives we've been enjoying as a species will end.

markhawkman · December 2013

twg042370 wrote: »

No. The current era of advancement has come about due to increased access to resources and cheap energy. We're running out of both. The less violent lives we've been enjoying as a species will end.

Or maybe people will finally start exploiting off-world resources. Hard to say.

Unknown · December 2013

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maxvitor · December 2013

Humans as we are today? Not a chance. We can't even get along with each other and if we actually manage to make it out into space and bring that mindset with us, our future will be like Aliens or Starship Troopers or something else decidedly militaristic and xenophobic, but to be honest, I don't see us getting that far, not unless we make some major changes and soon.

theraven2378 · December 2013

If humanity stops the petty infighting over resources and learns to share, we might actually stand a chance but one major bone of contention is the fact of religion, it's dividing us and the amount of problems it causes is stupid, the amount of wars, repression and bloodshed over religion is a long list indeed and the sooner it's deemed obsolete the better.

If we are to survive, we need to unify and work together, as Spock said the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

maxvitor · December 2013

theraven2378 wrote: »

If humanity stops the petty infighting over resources and learns to share, we might actually stand a chance but one major bone of contention is the fact of religion, it's dividing us and the amount of problems it causes is stupid, the amount of wars, repression and bloodshed over religion is a long list indeed and the sooner it's deemed obsolete the better.

If we are to survive, we need to unify and work together, as Spock said the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

What's needed is not so much eliminating religion as eliminating those who profit from religion because they are the ones who are perverting religion's often peaceful message to promote wars and atrocities for the sake of their own greed and power lust. Even if we eliminate religion we haven't changed the human factor, as long there are those who feel wronged, homeless, starving, poor, desperate, whatever, there will be those who will capitalize on it for their own greedy ends.

yreodred · December 2013

oldschooldork wrote: »

Nope, will never happen. People have been on this earth for thousands and thousands of years and nothing has changed. If anything, things, and people, are getting worse. Not to mention people are getting dumber and dumber with each passing generation. We are always going to be fighting and slaughtering each other over resources, money, power and religious beliefs. Some will say "but when there is a disaster people come together to help each other", well, a FEW do, sometimes, but for every one that does there are 1000 that will loot, swindle and TRIBBLE over anyone they can, any way they can, for anything they can. Honestly, I'll be very surprised if the human race lasts another thousand years.

THIS!

Don't get me wrong i like Star Trek and its premise of a better humaity (at least in TNG) but it's pure fantasy.
In real future, people will become more like Ferengi/Borg with a good amount of stupid klingon agressiveness to speak in Trek terms.
I hope that i'm wrong, who knows...

theraven2378 · December 2013

maxvitor wrote: »

What's needed is not so much eliminating religion as eliminating those who profit from religion because they are the ones who are perverting religion's often peaceful message to promote wars and atrocities for the sake of their own greed and power lust. Even if we eliminate religion we haven't changed the human factor, as long there are those who feel wronged, homeless, starving, poor, desperate, whatever, there will be those who will capitalize on it for their own greedy ends.

you sir have a point, humanity really needs to create a fair and equal society and the first thing that needs to go is greed, in the bible greed is one of the 7 deadly sins (yes I'm quoting from a religious text but it serves a point).

Point and case here, in ancient Athens every free man was required to vote on city affairs, it was a civic duty, while it could and often led to trouble, it also did good for the state.

Another point and case, the Persian empire, it was the first state in history that had equal rights for all it's peoples.

So here is my my idea for improving humanity, take the good points of Athenian democracy and match it with the concept of human rights from the Persian empire and you have a good base to start from, things like cultural and scientific evolution can then flourish unhindered, in effect a new renaissance is what is needed.

mirrorchaos · December 2013

captclazorus wrote: »

The world is full of pessimist ho look very lo lowly upon the future, but do you think t star Tek could eve be real? Could people realty come togetther and work to better themselves?
I myself don't think so. People are too concerned about themselves to worry about the greater good, generically. Though I do view the future optimistically. But at do you think?

im a human pessimist, meaning i ridicule human advancements to arrogance and a lack of vision. to some point i have also become to realize technology is also overrated. however i do still hold a little hope in there somewhere that we savage humans can leave our petty difference behind like our bombs and that evil thing called money, and set off to advance the entire human understanding.

so long as you got corrupt leaderships and artificial borders being countries, their own concerns and hatred towards others. it wont happen and that is just a start.

defileddragon · December 2013

Humanity will destroy itself long before it conquers the social and technological challenges required to reach the trek like utopian existence.

chrisedallen89 · December 2013

I tend to believe in possibility in the human race but we have some serious issues to sort out before we move out into space. We are still maturing as a species.

roxbad · December 2013

You post this,

oldschooldork wrote: »

People have been on this earth for thousands and thousands of years and nothing has changed.

And your next sentence is this,

If anything, things, and people, are getting worse. Not to mention people are getting dumber and dumber with each passing generation.

Wouldn't people getting dumber be considered a change?

Critical Thinking. It's a skill.

slashdot1 · December 2013

When i was a little kiddo, i used to believe that anything in those old sci-fi movies was going to look so awesome in the near future...That feeling held true until i saw what the negative effects where for example drones and the so called smartphone.

But the key thing is: we`ve expanded way beyond these old ideas, techno speaking. We do have a hive-mind kinda like construct, a.k.a the internet and we do have the technology to disrupt that.

So , we are heading away from any trek universe from the 70`s. Now all we have to do is let money "go the dinosaur way". And you know what? I`ts already happening. Most of our money only exists virtual and so do most debts.
With the scarceness of food and water heading our way in the near future, i tend to think that a better system will flourish out of the debris that was caused by Keynes and his fellows. Nature everywhere looks for balance, so does humanity. After big wars, bigger wars may erupt, but not before there is a timeframe of rest.

Hey, even with the genetics which are being developed nowadays, we may even be able to "help" evolution in a major way, even when the side effects means we will have to deal with supersoldiers.

I used to grow up fearing the end was near, cause both sides where having The Bomb.
Did it happen? No.
Humanity is much more reslient then most humans give it credit for. Eventually we will adapt, resistence in this case is rather futile IMO.

And if it means i`m having two blue antenna`s on me head, well...there are worse things to imagine

Will anything like Star Trek ever be reality?

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