Is Star Trek’s Transporter Really Possible?
We explore the rules of one of the greatest innovations in sci-fi history, Star Trek’s transporter! We also ask the big question: could this iconic science fiction technology become a science reality in our lifetimes?
EPISODE SUMMARY
The transporter is one of the most iconic pieces of Star Trek technology. By converting matter into energy, objects and living beings can be “beamed” across great distances, where they are then re-converted back into physical matter. It’s not just a clever way to not require Starfleet away teams to jump in an expensive shuttlecraft every time they need to get back and forth from a starship. Instead, the transporter is a concept instantly recognizable as uniquely Star Trek, one which has the power to make or break a mission and that has been the focus of many stories in the franchise’s history. Noted astrophysicist Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi and pop culture expert Tamara Krinsky break it all down to see what it takes to, well, break down a living person and reassemble them at another location.
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FURTHER READING
Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Of course you do!
Quantum Teleportation
Think of quantum teleportation as something that gets us a little closer to the kind of teleportation you see in Star Trek…but not all the way there. In this case, it’s teleporting information rather than matter. But it’s something! Read more here.
Avogadro’s Number
Part of what makes the transporter so difficult to translate into the real world is how many particles make up ANY object, let alone a human being. To calculate the number of molecules in anything, whether a grain of sand or a drop of water or a human being, you need Avogadro’s Number. Read more here.
Moore’s Law
As simply as we can get this, computing power should roughly double every 10 years while the cost of the components should halve relative to that power. It’s not a perfect formula, but if you’re wondering how long it will take to have the kind of computing power necessary for a transporter, it’s a good start. Read more here.
Hebbian Learning Rule
“That’s the big one for me. How do you handle memory? Because as the saying goes, ‘neurons that fire together, wire together.’” Think of Hebbian Learning as how you truly never forget how to ride a bicycle, even though you haven’t been on one in years. Read more here.
Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle
“There’s this thing called Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, so [with the transporter] you can’t get both their motion and their location to arbitrary-precision…” Basically, calculating the speed of the Enterprise as a physical object is one thing. Calculating how you are transferring a human being who has been broken down into their molecular parts is something more difficult. Read more here.
The Making of Star Trek by Stephen E. Whitfield and Gene Roddenberry
One of the foundational Star Trek texts, and one that Tamara referred to when researching today’s episode.
“Movie and TV-making technology at that time, making models and miniatures was pretty much how that was accomplished on screen, and it was really expensive. So if you were going to have a show every week where you had to bring a crew down in a shuttle or some kind of spaceship, that was going to be really expensive for the budget of the show. But it’s a basic premise, so you’re gonna have to figure out how to do it every week…you’ve only got a certain amount of time to tell your story and you want to use those most efficiently and most powerfully.”
Some other good books we referred to during the making of this episode include…
These Are The Voyages, TOS Season One by Marc Cushman and Susan Osborne
The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek – The First 25 Years by Ed Gross and Mark A. Altman
SUGGESTED VIEWING
As the transporter factors into virtually every single episode of Star Trek, it’s tough to narrow it down, but here’s a selection of episodes that helped inform the discussion of today’s episode.
Star Trek: The Original Series S1E5 “The Enemy Within”
The original “uh-oh, the transporter is being weird” episode, as Captain Kirk finds himself split into two selves after a transporter malfunction.
Star Trek: The Original Series S2E4 “Mirror, Mirror”
A transporter malfunction causes Spock to grow a goatee! Well, really, it swaps the Enterprise crew with their malevolent doppelgangers from the soon-to-be-infamous Mirror Universe.
Star Trek: The Next Generation S2E7 “Unnatural Selection”
Ever wonder if the transporter could be used as a medical tool? This is the episode for you!
Star Trek: The Next Generation S5E15 “Power Play”
Ever wonder if the transporter could be used as a way to hold non-corporeal beings captive? Of course you have! Who hasn’t?
Star Trek: The Next Generation S6E2 “Realm of Fear”
A fine example of the basis for transporter-phobia, and perhaps the only depiction of the process of transporting through the eyes of the person being transported.
Star Trek: The Next Generation S6E4 “Relics”
The transporter is used to hold a familiar character from Trek history in stasis for many years.
Star Trek: The Next Generation S6E24 “Second Chances”
As shown in our episode, a transporter accident creates a clone of William Riker. Awkwardness ensues!
Star Trek: Enterprise S2E10 “Vanishing Point”
A crewmember thinks she is starting to dematerialize after going through the transporter for the first time. Maybe Dr. McCoy heard about this one…
Star Trek: Enterprise S4E10 “Daedalus”
Want more detail on how the transporter was invented in the Star Trek universe? Check this episode out!
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