From: haaser@quince.ssc.gov (Bobby Haaser)
Subject: Re: STIV and the transtator
Organization: SuperConducting Supercollider
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 14:10:32 GMT


 Hello most excellent Trekofantalists,

 Greetings and Felicitations

I must say that is a wonderful observation that I had not explored until
I read your article..

In article <1992Aug13.140244.28755@ctr.columbia.edu>, Charles Laine <Charles_Laine@CCIS.BAYLOR.EDU> writes:
|> 
|> In Star Trek IV, when Chekov attempts his escape from the "nuclear
|> wessel", he leaves behind both his communicator and his phaser.  Now, if
|> you remember in "A Piece of the Action" after McCoy leaves his
|> communicator behind, Spock informs Bones of how damaging that could be. 
|> The communicator contained something called a 'transtator', which Spock
|> said was the key to much of the technology in the late 23rd century.
|> 
|> Could it be that since this equipment was left behind in the 20th
|> century, our military was able to obtain, analyze, redesign, and recreate
|> the 'transtator' in the present time?  This would greatly alter the
|> evolution of technology in the years following the whale-quest.  Perhaps
|> the technology in the 23rd cetnury would not be quite as advanced if
|> Chekov had not left his standard issues behind.   
|> 
|> This is just a thought.  What do you think?
|> 
|> Charles Laine
|> Baylor University

There are 2 possibilities:
However, I have an observation to add

1) >> Niether the communicator nor the were in working condition.
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 If you remember, Spock mentioned the Fission rectors having Toxic
side effects: Which we all today call "harmful radiation". 
Since Uhura&Checkov's photon collector was collecting photons from
the reactor, we know that the shelding was inadequate (also the
red line that must have indicated strong radiation area.

When Uhura beams out, Scotty looses Checkov, probably because
the radiation had damaged his communicator, not because the ship
was running out of power > as far as I know, it takes far less
energy to send a locator signal than it does to light up a 
Klingon Bird of Prey w/ cloaked. Sooo. Checkov's communicator 
was damaged beyond use.

Later after his communicator does not work, Pavel Checkov is 
captured now we find out that his phasor is also damaged.

I do remember the conversation very well, here the part that 
pertains...

As P. Checkov explains shortly to his captors,
  Captor: " Alright, give me the ray-gun"
 Checkov: "Lay on thee flour, or I wieell haf to stunn youu"
  Captor: "Okay!?!?, .. Stun Me..."
 Checkov: "I am very sorry, but "
  Phasor: "^%&^&*&^**&^^&&   ^%^%&^&^&"
 Checkov: " Wp, must bee thee radieation."

 Checkov then throws the phasor at his captor and runs out of the
 room locking the door behind him.

Since these tools are broken beyond use, If they tried to duplicate
it exactly with the same materials, they would get phasors and
communicators that don't work.  I do realise that there are probably
materials in the communicators and the power chargers of the phasors
that we haven't discovered yet,, and I am sure that there are genius's
here or there who could "reverse engineer something", but as another
most excellently pointed out Scotty's quote from the Transparent 
aluminum conversation:

     " How do we know he didn't invent the thing???..."

Anyway, the "reverse engineering" for such complex things would probably
be very slow so they may actually end up beeing the people who invent
the phasor and the ST-communicator types, but after a very long time.


2) The Navy decides that he was a lunatic, and throws away the parts

    "Of couse he a Ruskie but he's a retard or something..."

   or they put it in HANGER-18 or some other unlikely rumored place 
  study in stagnation because no one wants to fund gadgets that 
  don't work from a retarded Soviet spy, when they know that the 
  Soviet Union did not have the technology for them to do what 
  Checkov said they could do...

All Ideas are welcome... they must be assimilated, RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.
Send more.
 Live long and prosper!

-the bobinater
 
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also haaser@phys.udallas.edu