List of Star Trek materials

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This is a list of notable fictional materials from the science fiction universe of Star Trek . Like other aspects of stories in the franchise, some were recurring plot elements from one episode or series to another.

Contents

Metals for starship construction

The fictional metals duranium and tritanium were referred to in many episodes as extremely hard alloys used in starship hulls and hand-held tools. The planet-killer in "The Doomsday Machine" had a hull made of solid neutronium, which is capable of withstanding a starship's phasers. Neutronium is considered to be virtually indestructible; the only known way of stopping the planet-killer is to destroy it from the inside via the explosion of a starship's impulse engines. Federation ships in the 32nd century also used this material in their construction. The NX-01 Enterprise partly consists of horonium, an element that is rare to find but can be synthesised. It is also used to power a time portal on Krulmuth-B.

Transparent aluminum

Star Trek technical manuals indicate that transparent aluminum is used in various fittings in starships, including exterior ship portals and windows. It was notably mentioned in the 1986 film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home . Ultra-strong transparent panels were needed to construct water tanks within their ship's cargo bay for containing two humpback whales and hundreds of tons of water. However, the Enterprise crew, without money appropriate to the period, found it necessary to barter for the required materials. Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott exchanges the chemical formula for transparent aluminum for the needed material. When Dr. Leonard McCoy informs Scott that giving Dr. Nichols (Alex Henteloff) the formula is altering the future, the engineer responds, "Why? How do we know he didn't invent the thing?" (In the novelization of the film, Scott is aware that Dr. Marcus "Mark" Nichols, the Plexicorp scientist with whom he and McCoy deal, was its "inventor," and concludes that his giving of the formula is a predestination paradox/bootstrap paradox.) The substance is described as being as transparent as glass while possessing the strength and density of high-grade aluminum. It was also mentioned in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "In Theory".

The series' science consultant, André Bormanis has concluded that the material would not be a good conductor of electricity.

Real-life transparent substances composed of some aluminum

An aluminum windowpane, "of glass-like transparency" was reported from Germany in 1933. [1]

Sapphire (Al 2 O 3) is transparent and is widely used in commercial and industrial settings. It has a hardness of 9 Mohs, making it the third hardest mineral after diamond and moissanite.

Aluminium oxynitride ((AlN)x·(Al2O3)1−x) is a transparent ceramic which has a hardness of 7.7 Mohs, and has military applications as bullet-resistant armour, but is too expensive for widespread use. [2] [3] It was patented in 1986. [4]

Pure transparent aluminum was created as a new state of matter by a team of scientists in 2009. A laser pulse removed an electron from every atom without disrupting the crystalline structure. [5] However, the transparent state lasted for only 40 femtoseconds, until electrons returned to the material.

A group of scientists led by Ralf Röhlsberger at Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg, Germany, succeeded in turning iron transparent during research in 2012 to create quantum computers. [6] [7]

Trellium-D

Trellium-D, shown in Star Trek: Enterprise , was an alloy used in the Delphic Expanse as a protection against spatial anomalies there. It had unusual effects on Vulcan physiology, causing a loss of emotional control, and became a recurring plot element in the third season of Star Trek: Enterprise , exploring the theme of drug addiction.

Other materials were occasionally mentioned in the scripts, such as nitrium , a radiation-resistant material.

Energy sources

Dilithium

Dilithium crystals, in all Star Trek series, were shown to be an essential component for a starship's faster than light drive, or warp drive, since they were necessary to regulate the matter-antimatter reactions needed to generate the required energy. Dilithium was frequently featured in the original series as a scarce resource. By the time the later series were set, dilithium could be synthesized.

Trilithium

Trilithium is a material used in a star-destroying weapon in Star Trek Generations , and an explosive in "The Chute" (VOY). This is due to the fact that trilithium is termed a "nuclear inhibitor," which is believed to be any substance that interferes with nuclear reactions. In the film, trilithium is known to be capable, when used to its full potential, of stopping all fusion within a star, thereby collapsing the star and destroying everything within its solar system via a shock wave. Trilithium resin is a toxic byproduct of warp engines, and can be used as a powerful, and quite unstable, explosive (see "Starship Mine", the 18th episode of the sixth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation). It is not known whether this is related to the nuclear inhibitor.

Precious materials

Latinum featured in many episodes of Deep Space Nine as a medium of exchange used by Ferengi and others because it is impossible to replicate. A liquid in its natural state, it was enclosed for convenience (Jadzia Dax joked "probably someone got tired of making change with an eyedropper") in gold casings of standardized size (called slips, strips, bars, and bricks), known as "gold-pressed latinum". The Ferengi, who had earlier considered gold a valuable commodity, came to consider it worthless once gold-pressed latinum came into use.

Tholian silk was a valuable fabric mentioned in multiple series.

Bio-mimetic gel is a volatile substance with medical applications. It is also highly sought after for use in illegal activities, such as genetic experimentation and biological weapons development. As such, its use is strictly regulated by the United Federation of Planets, and sale of the substance is prohibited. The substance was first mentioned in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation , and was used as a plot element in several episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

Propulsion

Verterium cortenide is a usually synthetically generated compound, the only known substance to be capable of generating warp fields, when supplied with energy, in form of plasma, from the warp core. Warp coils are made of this material.

Benamite is a rare and unstable form of crystal required to construct and run a quantum slipstream drive. According to "Timeless" (VOY), benamite is extremely difficult to synthesize and creating enough for one slipstream drive can take years. Synthesized benamite is also known to decay and become useless over time. It is not known if naturally occurring benamite is subject to the same process of decay.

Minerals

Kironide is a mineral by which, upon consuming plants containing the mineral, the Platonians (the inhabitants of the planet Platonius) acquire telekinetic powers, including the ability to levitate, in the original series episode "Plato's Stepchildren". [8]

Pergium is a substance mined in "The Devil in the Dark", and fictionally given the atomic number 112 as a chemical element in a non-canon Star Trek medical manual publication.

Drugs

Cordrazine, introduced in "The City on the Edge of Forever" is a powerful stimulant used to revive patients in an emergency. Overdoses cause hallucinations, madness and death.

Felicium, a highly addictive narcotic produced on the planet Brekka, but misrepresented as a medicine for a plague impacting the planet Ornara. It was introduced in the episode Symbiosis.

Venus drug, introduced in "Mudd's Women", causes women to appear much lovelier and more exciting.

Inaprovaline, introduced in "Transfigurations". Helps resuscitate the neurological and cardiovascular systems by reinforcing the cell membranes. It is also frequently used as an analgesic.

Ketracel-White, introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , is a narcotic stimulant drug intravenously taken among the Jem'Hadar soldiers of The Dominion. The Jem'Hadar were created by the Founders – a shape-shifting species in the Gamma Quadrant – with a genetic predisposition for addiction to the drug. This was done to ensure their loyalty to the Founders. The drug is synthetically manufactured and refined at guarded facilities throughout Dominion space. Ketracel-White is stored as a liquid in glass vials locked in portable cases held by Vorta field supervisors. A Vorta must dispense the drug among the unit they command at regular hourly intervals, otherwise the Jem'Hadar will suffer withdrawal leading to death. A vial of White is inserted into a dispensing mechanism embedded in the soldier's chest armor, and automatically pumped through a tube inserted into the common carotid artery. The Son'a were also known for their production of Ketracel-White ( Star Trek: Insurrection ).

Retinax-5, introduced in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , a drug that corrects vision problems.

Unstable substances

Protomatter is a key component of the Genesis Device prototype—an experimental terraformation device introduced in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Protomatter is presented as an unstable substance that, due to its instability, is considered unethical for usage in scientific research. The substance is used as a plot device to compare David Marcus with his father, James T. Kirk, both of whom, in Lieutenant Saavik's words, "changed the rules"—David Marcus by using the forbidden protomatter, and James T. Kirk by "cheating" to win the Kobayashi Maru test. The inclusion of protomatter ultimately results in both the accelerated maturation of the regenerated Spock during his stay on the Genesis planet, and the planet's subsequent explosion into an asteroid belt.

In the Deep Space Nine episode "By Inferno's Light", Protomatter was used by a Dominion changeling in a bomb plot that, if successful, would have destroyed the Bajoran sun and the forces of the Alpha Quadrant.

Protomatter is also mentioned in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Mortal Coil", where it is said, "Protomatter's one of the most sought-after commodities. The best energy source in the quadrant." [9]

The Omega Molecule is a highly unstable molecule believed to be the most powerful substance known to exist. If not properly disposed of, it may destroy subspace and render warp travel impossible. In Star Trek: Voyager , during the episode The Omega Directive, Voyager encounters Omega particles and Captain Janeway must comply with the Omega Directive and destroy the particles. Later in the episode, they spontaneously stabilize for a brief moment before they are destroyed.

Other

Red matter is a red liquid material introduced in Star Trek (the 2009 film) that is able to create a black hole when not properly contained. Spock attempts to use it to stop a massive supernova, but the resulting black hole causes his own ship and a Romulan mining vessel to travel back in time. Later in the film, the antagonist Nero uses it to destroy the planet Vulcan. Shortly after, the future Spock's ship containing the red matter is used to destroy Nero's Romulan mining vessel.

Fictional substances within Star Trek

Corbomite was named by Captain Kirk in a bluff in "The Corbomite Maneuver" as a material and a device that prevents attack, because if any destructive energy touches the vessel, a reverse reaction of equal strength is created, destroying the attacker. This bluff was also used in "The Deadly Years" to escape the Romulans.

Archerite was named by Commander Shran also in a bluff in "Proving Ground" as a material that his ship was looking to mine, during an encounter at the test site of the Xindi planet killer weapon.

See also

Related Research Articles

Technology in <i>Star Trek</i> Overview of the technology available in the fictional universe of Star Trek

The fictional technology in Star Trek has borrowed many ideas from the scientific world. Episodes often contain technologies named after or inspired by real-world scientific concepts, such as tachyon beams, baryon sweeps, quantum slipstream drives, and photon torpedoes. Some of the technologies created for the Star Trek universe were done so out of financial necessity. For instance, the transporter was created because the limited budget of Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) in the 1960s did not allow expensive shots of spaceships landing on planets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romulan</span> Extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek franchise

The Romulans are an extraterrestrial race in the American science fiction franchise Star Trek. They first appeared in the series Star Trek (1966–1969). They have appeared in most subsequent Star Trek releases, including The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds, and Lower Decks. They appear in the Star Trek feature films Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) and Star Trek (2009). They also appear in various other spin-off media, including books, comics, toys and games.

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In the fictional universe of Star Trek, the Prime Directive is a guiding principle of Starfleet that prohibits its members from interfering with the natural development of alien civilizations. Its stated aim is to protect unprepared civilizations from the danger of starship crews introducing advanced technology, knowledge, and values before they are ready. Since its introduction in the first season of the original Star Trek series, the directive has featured in many Star Trek episodes as part of a moral question over how best to establish diplomatic relations with new alien worlds.

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<i>Star Trek: Armada</i> 2000 video game

Star Trek: Armada is a real-time strategy video game for Microsoft Windows developed and published in 2000 by Activision. The game's look and feel is based primarily on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and features a few of its main characters and ships. Playable factions include the United Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire, the Romulan Star Empire and the Borg. The game received mixed to positive reviews and was noted for being one of the better Star Trek games to be made. A sequel, Star Trek: Armada II, was released on November 16, 2001.

"The Search" is the 47th and 48th episode of the science fiction television show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

This article discusses the fictional timeline of the Star Trek franchise. The franchise is primarily set in the future, ranging from the mid-22nd century to the late 24th century, with the third season of Star Trek: Discovery jumping forward to the 32nd century. However the franchise has also outlined a fictional future history of Earth prior to this, and, primarily through time travel plots, explored both past and further-future settings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mudd's Women</span> 6th episode of the 1st season of Star Trek: The Original Series

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"Elaan of Troyius" is the thirteenth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. Written and directed by John Meredyth Lucas, it was first broadcast on December 20, 1968.

<i>Star Trek: The Role Playing Game</i> Tabletop science fiction role-playing game

Star Trek: The Role Playing Game is a role-playing game set in the fictional Star Trek universe published by FASA Corporation from 1982 to 1989.

"The Alternative Factor" is the twenty-seventh episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. Written by Don Ingalls and directed by Gerd Oswald, it first aired on March 30, 1967.

"Phage" is the 5th episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. The episode originally aired on February 6, 1995, on the UPN network, and was directed by Winrich Kolbe. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet and Maquis crew of the starship USS Voyager after they are stranded in the Delta Quadrant far from the rest of the Federation.

<i>Star Trek: Legacy</i> Video game based on the Star Trek series

Star Trek: Legacy is a 2006 real-time tactics space combat video game for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 developed by Mad Doc Software and published by Bethesda Softworks in association with CBS Paramount Television and CBS Consumer Products. Originally slated for release in the fall of 2006 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Star Trek, the Windows version was not released in North America until December 5, 2006, and the Xbox 360 version until December 15. In Europe, both the PC version and the Xbox 360 version were released on December 22, 2006.

<i>Star Trek: Encounters</i> 2006 video game

Star Trek: Encounters is a video game set in the Star Trek fictional universe, which was released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2. The game was developed by Scottish studio 4J Studios for Bethesda Softworks and Ubisoft (EU).

In the Star Trek fictional universe, dilithium is an invented material that serves as a controlling agent in the matter-antimatter reactors. In the original series, dilithium crystals were rare and could not be replicated, making the search for them a recurring plot element. According to a periodic table shown during a Next Generation episode, it has the atomic number 87, and the chemical symbol Dt.

"The Time Trap" is the twelfth episode of the first season of the American animated science fiction television series Star Trek. It first aired in the NBC Saturday morning lineup on November 24, 1973, and was written by American actress and screenwriter Joyce Perry.

<i>Star Trek: The Rebel Universe</i> 1987 video game

Star Trek: The Rebel Universe is an action-adventure computer game published by Firebird Software in Europe and Simon & Schuster Interactive in America. It was originally released for the Atari ST in 1987, and was followed the next year with versions for the Commodore 64 and DOS.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Star Trek:

References

  1. ↑ "Metal "Glass" Window Panes Made in Germany". Popular Mechanics . Hearst Magazines. January 1933.
  2. ↑ Tom Scheve (2008-07-29). "How Transparent Aluminum Armor Works". How Stuff Works. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  3. ↑ Sean Ragan (17 January 2012). "Transparent Aluminum". Make . Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  4. ↑ US 4520116 "Transparent aluminum oxynitride and method of manufacture."
  5. ↑ Staff writers (27 July 2009). "Transparent aluminum is 'new state of matter'". PhysOrg. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  6. ↑ Ralf Röhlsberger; et al. (2012). "Electromagnetically induced transparency with resonant nuclei in a cavity". Nature. 482 (7384): 199–203. Bibcode:2012Natur.482..199R. doi:10.1038/nature10741. PMID   22318603. S2CID   205227374.. 9 February 2012.
  7. ↑ Cientistas fazem ferro ficar transparente, FAPESP (in Portuguese)
  8. ↑ Krauss, Lawrence M. (1997). Beyond Star Trek:Physics from Alien Invasions to the End of Time . New York: Basic Books. p.  124. ISBN   978-0-465-00637-3.
  9. ↑ "The Voyager Transcripts - Mortal Coil". www.chakoteya.net.
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