Here are a few major scientific achievements that led to the utopian future of Star Trek.
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00:00Hey folks, before we start, just want to say a really quick thank you to Squarespace, who
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00:05The technology of Star Trek is where a lot of the wonder of the franchise comes from.
00:11Some tech is inspiring because it seems so realistic that it could actually exist in
00:15the future.
00:16Other devices, like replicators, are just interesting because of how ridiculously utopian
00:21they are.
00:22Now it is worth noting that the Vulcans actually invented many of the things on this list way
00:27before humanity did and just refused to hand it over because they didn't want humanity
00:32to become dependent on them.
00:35And with that in mind, I'm Ellie with Trek Culture, here with the 10 biggest advancements
00:40in Star Trek history.
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02:31Number 10.
02:33Artificial Gravity
02:34Most fans might not know this, but Starfleet's artificial gravity was actually reverse-engineered
02:40from recovered alien technology.
02:42In the animated series episode, The Slaver Weapon, we learned that an ancient species
02:46known as the slavers once ruled most of the galaxy a billion years before the 23rd century.
02:52The only remnants of their society that remained in the 23rd century was mysterious stasis
02:56boxes found randomly across the galaxy.
02:59These boxes contained technology that once belonged to the slavers, including what Spock
03:04referred to as a flying belt.
03:06He explained that this device helped Earth find the key to creating an artificial gravity
03:11field.
03:12Once the humans learned the flying belt worked, they were able to incorporate the tech into
03:16their vessels.
03:17Now, it's never explained how artificial gravity functions, but we do know that it's
03:21generated through gravity plating that's spread throughout the vessel's interior.
03:27Earth-like gravity is so important for humans.
03:31Spending too much time in zero-gravity environments can be really damaging to our bodies, and
03:36so it was completely necessary for long-term space travel.
03:41Number 9.
03:42The Discovery of Subspace
03:44Subspace is made of infinite pocket dimensions layered on top of our universe.
03:48The different laws of physics in these domains allow signals to travel faster.
03:53Without using a warp drive, a signal sent through normal space can only travel at a
03:56maximum of the speed of light, which is why Starfleet sent their communications through
04:02subspace.
04:03This method allows starships to instantly communicate with Earth while hundreds of light
04:07years away, though past a certain distance the signal would need to be amplified by a
04:11subspace relay station.
04:13This was also used to generate warp bubbles around starships to protect them from the
04:18effects of bending space.
04:20Warp travel would not be possible without subspace.
04:23It's unclear when exactly subspace was discovered, but it must have been before Zephron Cochrane's
04:29first warp flight in 2063, unless he somehow was able to tap into subspace without fully
04:34understanding what it was.
04:36Now, subspace is entirely fictional, but it does share some similarities with the extraspatial
04:42dimensions proposed in string theory.
04:45If string theory were proven, it would be one of the greatest scientific achievements
04:50in human history, and a huge step towards a theory of everything.
04:558.
04:56Tractor beams
04:57For all of human history, we have been trying to find a way to move things without actually
05:03touching them.
05:05Tractor beams are just that, energy projections that Starfleet ships use to hold objects in
05:09place or move them.
05:11These devices may seem mundane, but they've actually been very important for humanity.
05:16Prior to their invention, the NX-01 Enterprise used magnetic grapplers instead, but they
05:21were much less precise and more easily disconnected.
05:24Tractor beams made it much safer to tow disabled vessels to safety.
05:28Tractor beams also assisted with navigating shuttles in hangar bays, and could be used
05:32to deflect hazardous asteroids and hold fleeing enemy ships completely still.
05:37One thing that isn't mentioned very often, though, is how useful tractor beams could
05:41be for construction on Earth.
05:44Just think about the large, heavy components of a starship or a building that could be
05:48moved with ease into place without the use of cranes or large vehicles.
05:547.
05:55Self-Aware Artificial Intelligences
05:58Machines created by humans had become self-aware as early as the 23rd century, including V'ger
06:05and Nomad, but these were both accidents.
06:09The first sentient AIs created intentionally by humanity were the Soong-type androids Data,
06:15Lore, B4, and Juliana-Taylor.
06:18Their positronic brains simulated real brainwave patterns and were able to grow and learn over
06:23time, though Dr. Noonien Soong struggled to get the emotions perfect until later in his
06:28life.
06:29There is no question that a functional positronic brain is alive.
06:32Later, it was discovered that holographic programs could also become sentient if they
06:36were advanced enough.
06:38This was what happened to the Doctor from Voyager and the Moriarty hologram from Next
06:42Gen.
06:43Exocomps were also recognized as sentient, and one Peanut Hamper was even accepted into
06:49Starfleet.
06:50Building sentient artificial lifeforms was banned for a short time following the synth
06:53attack on Mars we saw in Star Trek Picard, but the ban was lifted when it was revealed
06:58that the attack was actually carried out by the Romulan organization the Zhat Vash.
07:02At the end of the first season of Picard, we also learned of a whole new society of
07:07synths created by Bruce Maddox and Dr. Noonien Soong's son, Alton Inigo Soong.
07:13These Soong-type androids, sentient holograms, exocomps, and synths are not mere machines.
07:19They are entirely new lifeforms created by humanity.
07:24Number 6.
07:25Holograms
07:26We talked about holograms that became self-aware, but now let's go over some of the other
07:31ways that this tech revolutionized life in the Federation.
07:36The NX-01 Enterprise encountered an alien holodeck in the episode Unexpected, but it
07:41took a while before humanity's tech was able to catch up to that level.
07:45Less advanced holograms were used in the first season of Star Trek Discovery, set in the
07:49mid-23rd century, but were soon phased out, likely because they used too much power and
07:54were too glitchy.
07:56These holograms weren't solid like the ones that came afterwards, but they could be used
07:59for communications, simple simulations, and target practice.
08:03In the 24th century, shortly before the Enterprise D went into service, holodecks were invented.
08:09This was by far the single greatest advancement in entertainment history.
08:15Using optical illusions to make the interior space appear bigger, users could escape into
08:20entire fantasy worlds, complete with characters, storylines, games, and anything else you could
08:26imagine.
08:27This tech made it possible to simulate solutions to engineering problems and to do virtually
08:32any activity completely safely.
08:34In theory, you could literally skydive from the safety of your own home.
08:39Holodecks is probably the reason why we don't really see anybody watching TV or playing
08:45video games in the 24th century, because why would you watch it when you can live it?
08:515. Universal Translators
08:54Universal translators allow people to communicate with each other while speaking entirely different
08:59languages, and they work by scanning the speaker's brainwaves and somehow feeding a translated
09:07version of their thoughts into the minds of those around them.
09:11It's unclear whether these devices could be used to read any thoughts or simply those
09:14associated with language, but it's possible that the same tech could function as a form
09:19of artificial telepathy or a direct brain interface like Geordi's visor.
09:24It's probably not a coincidence that universal translators were invented shortly before the
09:28launch of the NX-01 Enterprise.
09:31Being so far from Earth would have been incredibly dangerous if the crew had no way to communicate
09:35with the new species they encountered.
09:38They were able to speak to the Vulcans, but any species that didn't have their own universal
09:42translators would have been extremely difficult.
09:45By the 24th century, the Universal Translator was built into the comm badges of Starfleet
09:50officers and also in all of the ship's computers, and most civilians had their own.
09:56The creation of the Universal Translator is one of the greatest achievements in communications
10:01since the creation of the telephone.
10:034. Medical Technology
10:06A lot of Star Trek's medical technology seems miraculous by today's standards.
10:11Medical tricorders can easily read vital signs and detect certain conditions and viruses,
10:16laser scalpels allow for cleaner surgeries, and hypersprays eliminate the need for needles.
10:21But the most revolutionary medical device we've seen in Trek is probably the dermal
10:26regenerator.
10:27These small handheld devices would automatically regrow any damaged skin tissue that they were
10:32shined on.
10:33They could even remove scars.
10:35They were typically only used for minor injuries and couldn't grow entire organs or limbs,
10:39but they instantly healed simple cuts and burns.
10:42They've been used countless times in Trek, but dermal regenerator technology has never
10:48been fully explained in canon.
10:51In the Voyager episode Warhead, Neelix used one to simulate fake plasma burns on Seven's
10:56face and Chakotay used one in Workforce to reverse similar cosmetic changes.
11:01Neelix was just a beginner and he was able to create fake plasma burns on Seven's face.
11:07That implies that anyone with access to this technology could easily modify their face
11:12in any way they want to.
11:153.
11:16Replicators
11:17Replicator technology can rearrange molecules into thousands of different foods, clothing,
11:24small devices and other items.
11:26World hunger was already virtually eliminated on Earth by the time replicators became commonplace
11:30in the 24th century, but its invention gave humanity an infinite and much more convenient
11:36supply of food and a 100% humane source of meat.
11:40Plus, they removed the need to store food at all.
11:42Any meal could be produced hot or cold in an instant, and if you didn't enjoy it,
11:47you could feed it back into the machine to be rearranged into your next meal.
11:50They also allowed for things to be built much quicker and easier, leading to what was probably
11:55the biggest increase in production efficiency since the Industrial Revolution.
11:59In Star Trek Prodigy, we even saw a replicator that could construct entire vehicles, atom
12:04by atom.
12:06Although there are many who claim to prefer the taste of real food, there's no denying
12:10that the creation of the replicator was a game changer, and I really hope they are invented
12:16in our future, because an unlimited supply of crisps?
12:20Yes, please.
12:222.
12:23Transporters
12:24In the 20th century, Albert Einstein proved that matter and energy are interchangeable,
12:29different forms of the same things.
12:31In Star Trek, Emery Erickson used this knowledge in 2124 to create the first functional transporter.
12:38The transporter can convert anything into a stream of pure energy, which can then be
12:43directed somewhere else and reconstructed into its original form.
12:48Several people died during the early trials of this technology, leaving humanity with
12:52a general distrust for beaming until closer to the 23rd century.
12:56For a while, it was almost exclusively used for transporting non-living things.
13:01Transporter use eventually skyrocketed, and by the time of Star Trek Picard, Earth was
13:05dotted with public transporters that could send you all across the planet in an instant.
13:10Of course, transporters were actually created by the writers of the original series as a
13:15cheaper way to get the characters from the ship to a planet, because landing the ship
13:21or a shuttle onto a new planet's surface every week would have eaten up the budget.
13:271.
13:28Warp Drive
13:29The date of Zefron Cochrane's first warp flight, the 5th April 2063, is one of the
13:34most important moments in human history.
13:38Humanity had long believed that faster-than-light travel was impossible, but by folding the
13:44space around his ship, Cochrane was able to break the universal speed limit.
13:49After detecting a warp signature near Earth, the Vulcans could no longer ignore humanity,
13:54so they decided to make first contact.
13:57What followed was the biggest worldwide collaboration ever seen on Earth.
14:01When humanity realized they were not alone in the universe, they united like never before.
14:06The post-World War III planet was transformed into a utopia.
14:10Humans were finally able to visit other solar systems and become a part of the galactic
14:14neighborhood.
14:15Contact Day became an official Federation holiday, celebrated on the 5th April every
14:20year.
14:21Some kids get the day off school, and there are celebrations all across the Federation
14:25commemorating the events of this first warp flight.
14:28There have been other advancements in faster-than-light propulsion since 2063, such as the Spore
14:34Drive, the Proto Drive and Quantum Slipstreams, but none changed the fate of humanity like
14:40the first warp engine.
14:42And that concludes our list.
14:43If you think we missed something, then do let us know in the comments below.
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15:24I've been Ellie with Trek Culture, and I hope you have a wonderful day, and remember,
15:30to boldly go where no one has gone before.