From: colombo@bronco.fnal.gov
Subject: Re: A theory on whizzing stars...
Organization: Fermilab Computing Division
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 20:18:53 GMT

In article <1992Aug27.004431.13405@u.washington.edu>, mcclaine@milton.u.washington.edu (Robert Casey) writes:
> In article <1992Aug25.112925.1@bronco.fnal.gov> colombo@bronco.fnal.gov writes:
>>Why does the E (in the opening credits) disappear in a flash of light?
>>Later, you can *see* it cruising at FTL speed, with a little blue
>>(I think?) shifting at the back even though its coming towards you?
>>The flash when going to FTL speed kinda reminds me of SW, but they
>>never tried to show you what it looked like at FTL speed.
>>
>>I don't by the streaking stars either, for one thing, they are red
>>AND blue shifted all the time (at FTL speed). The big E may have warp
>>coils, but the starts don't, so how can you even see them when you
>>are travelling FTL?  Doesn't the Einstein thought experiment (the
>>subway train) explain that it would be dark all around you and that
>>the only light would be coming from a point in front of you?
>>
> 
> 	Boy, you guys sure ask the tricky questions!  I am not sure
> 	if I can even come up with a reasonable excuse for these occurrences.
> 	I am not even sure the SFX guys thought about it much.
> 
> 	The light flash could be due to a phenomenon similar to a sonic boom,
> 	only this time instead of a sonic explosion, we have a photonic one
> 	as the starship crosses the light speed barrier.

How come you NEVER see the flash DURING the show, only in the beginning?

> 
> 	As for the blue and red shifting, this may not necessarily happen
> 	if the warp field encloses a portion of time-space that moves
> 	with the ship, just as a car with the windows rolled up carries
> 	its atmosphere with it.  Therefore, the stretched ("smeared")
> 	light of the star radiates off of the transparent layer of the 
> 	warp field and passes to the ship with little shifting because, for
> 	the most part, the starship is not moving at a very high velocity with
> 	respect to a majority of the components of the warp field.  You
> 	do see a slight color shift, but only a minor amount.  However, 
> 	it may be possible that the starship would see a point of no light
> 	directly aft, since the light is trying to chase the ships direction
> 	of travel.
> 
> 

So how come you see the same streaks of light going AWAY from the
big E (on the rare occasion when they display the aft view)?

And don't tell me that the computer displays this for the occupants as
the outside view shown to the omnipotent viewer streaks the same way.

I think it looks a bit more like a Classical Mechanics view, not SR.
Don't get me wrong, I like the show, but the techy stuff is a little off.

-- 
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