Text based communication

[thelordharry]

...seems to have gone the way of the dinosaur by the 24th century? Think about it. Present day, we communicate via email and SMS/text messages AND voice calls. I can think of very few instances in Trek that shows people communicating via text. Think of how useful it is when all you want to do is impart a bit of information without being caught up in a long conversation. Surely there would still be a need for it then? Can anyone think of any instances? Didn't Picard send a text message from his console in 'Nemesis'

[Lazar]

The whole future of the Internet seems to be very poorly thought out in a lot of science fiction.

[kostmayer]

I think video messaging is overused in the 24th Century. Think of all the times the crew were having problems getting a signal through due to interferrence. A voice message - or even better text message would have a much better chance of getting through.

And if Scotty wanted to programme the matrix for Transparent aluminum into a computer starting from scratch using Voice to Text software, he'd be there all day.

I don't even like talking on the phone, there's no way I'm moving to video communication if it ever takes off.

[Mikey]

I think if anything, it would be even more convenient and useful in 'Trek. Voice recognition is nearly flawless in 'Trek, as is decoding. There should be no reason why a spoken (on the transmitter's end) message couldn't be delivered as text.

[Sionnach Glic]

Didn't Voyager get a few text messages from Starfleet?

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Didn't Voyager get a few text messages from Starfleet?

Yeah, their mail call once Project: Voyager connected. Tom got a letter once IIRC.

[Mark]

TOS had the right idea. In "Day of the Dove" Kirk hit that little button on his communicator to send that "alert" so Spock would know they'd been captured. By TNG, it just seems nobody had thought of it. There WERE no such things as a private communication. Somebody once suggested its because Starfleet wanted to promote an air of trust, and did so by making it seem they had nothing to hide. Thats beyond stupid IMO. You NEED private communications sometimes....if only not to send others into a panic (which is why when I did security we wore earpieces)

[Tyyr]

And to send dirty messages to that hot yeoman.

[Mark]

Well, that goes without saying................

[kostmayer]

Gotta be safer then the Comm badges.

Picard: "Picard to Crusher. Enough of this, I know you want me as much as I want you. I'm tired of hiding my emotions. Lets get together and say all the things we've wanted to say over the years"
Wes: "You don't know how long I've wanted to hear you say that Captain"
Picard: "aaaagh"
Riker: "Sir, I really wish you'd make calls like that from your ready room"

[McAvoy]

I seem to remember during TNG that various crewmembers did make letters. Also, that when reading logs of other starship captains, they are reading them not listening to them.

[Mark]

Combadges remind me of my old cell phone that would only talk on speaker.

[Mikey]

I seem to remember them recovering audio or A/V logs more than text ones.

[Sonic Glitch]

I seem to remember them recovering audio or A/V logs more than text ones.

IIRC correctly (first thing that came to mind) in the episode with the Yamato, they download the logs and Picard is later seen reading them. I believe logs are dictated orally but can be either read or listened to.

[Mikey]

Off the top of my head, I recall the ep in which they had to repair a comm relay ("Ariel" or "Aquiel" or something) in which Geordi recovered A/V logs.