No, that's not a mistake...

Tiberius · Post by **Tiberius** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 10:06 am

There are lots of mistakes in Star Trek. Why did phaser fire come from the forward photon torpedo tube? Why is it that Klingon blood was purple in ST6, but red everywhere else?

But, I lay down a challenge! Can you take a mistake from Star trek, and explain why it's not a mistake after all?

The writers themselves have done this in their explanation of the Klingon foreheads. But can we explain the others?

Have at it!

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 10:11 am

Humans 'evolving' into salamanders when they go fast enough.

Discuss.

mlsnoopy · Post by **mlsnoopy** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 12:19 pm

Royalty blue blod.

Blackstar the Chakat · Sun Jan 27, 2008 1:20 pm

The pink(it was that pink stuff you drink when you're) Klingon Blood was actually because of the lighting has strange effects on Klingon Blood in zero-G.

The phaser fire was from a placeholder thing that moves into place after the last torpedo is fired so that the tube isn't useless.

Post by **Mikey** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 4:00 am

Rochey wrote:Humans 'evolving' into salamanders when they go fast enough.

Easily explained: we're just a lot lower on the evolutionary scale than we thought. Newts aren't any higher than before; we just started lower.

As to why evolution occurs instantaneously at warp 10 - err...

Monroe · Post by **Monroe** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:28 am

evolution is based on stresses to organisms. Humans in our natural environment would not evolve the same as humans in a sci-fi setting. Maybe humans evolved into salamanders because of the forces of going to warp 10 an amfibian life form has a better chance of surviving that environment.

Tiberius · Post by **Tiberius** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 7:28 am

true, Monroe. The path that the evolution of the human species will take has not been mapped. It is open and flexible.

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 4:55 pm

It's not the 'turning into a salamander' bit I have a problem with. It's the 'go a certain speed and you evolve' and the 'it takes about an hour to progress millions of years along the evolutionary ladder' bits that I hate.

Post by **Captain Seafort** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:12 pm

Not to mention the problems of "evolution within a single generation" stupidity and Tom Paris: Time Lord.

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:27 pm

Well, there's that too.

Blackstar the Chakat · Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:42 pm

Rochey wrote:It's not the 'turning into a salamander' bit I have a problem with. It's the 'go a certain speed and you evolve' and the 'it takes about an hour to progress millions of years along the evolutionary ladder' bits that I hate.

During the Transwarp flight the stuff that makes you evolve goes faster. Usually this takes generations because the average person's genes may change 5% at most in their life time, which affects any kids they may have. The changes are usually minor, maybe different hights or something. But the Transwarp flight accelerated this and you get Tommy the Salamander.

Post by **Captain Seafort** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:47 pm

Evolution has nothing to do with changes during your lifetime - it's a process of survival of the fittest, not a predetermined path. What Threshold depicts is a mutation

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:57 pm

During the Transwarp flight the stuff that makes you evolve goes faster.

Then shouldn't he just evolve during the flight, rather than coming back and have it start a few hours later? And why did it stop at the salamander-stage?

Post by **Mikey** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 6:51 pm

It stopped there because Seafort is right - a mutation is only a mutation. Without a few generations to test out the advantage or disadvantage of said mutation, no evolution occurs.

Now with THAT being said, a mutation can't change your entire genome at once - into a completely differnet phylum, no less!

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 7:01 pm

D'oh, missed Seafort's post.