Replicator A replicator was a device that used transporter technology to dematerialize quantities of matter and then rematerialize that matter in another form . ( ) It was also capable of inverting its function , thus disposing of leftovers and dishes . ( ; ) Items thus disposed of served to fuel the replicator , and would later be reconstituted as other objects . ( ) Replicators were capable of producing something as fresh and tasty as non - replicated foodstuffs , inorganic ally materialized out of patterns used by the transporter s . ( ) Most people found replicated foods and drinks to taste exactly the same as " real " food , although some people claimed to be able to tell the difference . Furthermore , Federation replicators could be programmed to produce foodstuffs of acceptable " nutritional value " . ( ; ) On Starfleet vessels , replicators produced synthehol versions of alcohol ic drinks by default , but they could easily be manually readjusted through their control panel to make real alcohol instead . ( ) In addition to foodstuffs , replicators could be used for replicating machine parts , clothing , or other objects . Although clothing could be replicated for general wear , replicators would not allow non - Starfleet crew members to replicate official Starfleet uniforms . Industrial replicator s could even be used to replicate heavier machine parts . ( ; ; ) Replicators had limits to their functionality . If the object desired contained a certain degree of complexity in its molecular structure , it could not be replicated . ( ) Replicators aboard Starfleet vessels would not produce fatal poison s . ( ) Furthermore , replicators had biofilter s which automatically screened out all contaminants . ( ) On Starfleet installations and starships , if a person in custody was confined to quarters , it was standard policy to disable the replicators that the person had access to in order to ensure that a weapon could not be replicated . ( ; ) Replicators ( along with transporter s and force field s ) were one of the technologies used in holodeck s and holosuite s . ( ) Some alien replication technology was used to create organic material , such as when the D ' Arsay archive created living snakes . The " Allegiance " aliens were also able to create living things , as in the case of Jean - Luc Picard ' s imposter , for which the replicators were even able to recreate the dendritic connections where memory was stored . ( ) While only a genetronic replicator could fully replicate actual organ s for use in medical transplants , ( ) by 2371 , standard Starfleet replicator technology was theoretically capable of creating artificial substitutes for natural organs for use in transplants . However , this required the system to have some understanding of the organs required ; for example , it was impossible to use a replicator to create a set of Talaxian lung s , as Talaxian physiology included a complex series of neural links between the lungs and the rest of the body that replicators were unable to duplicate exactly . ( ) Some citizens of the Federation , such as Robert Picard , refused to use replicators . Picard was opposed to their use and would not allow them on his property . ( ) History and notable uses . One of the first replicators seen by Human s was the one seen by the crew of when they had their ship repaired in a mysterious automated repair station . Until this time , the most comparable technology aboard 22nd century starship s were protein resequencer s , which had limited capabilities compared to later technologies . ( ; ) In the 23rd century , the United Federation of Planets had not yet perfected replicator technology for ships but replicators already existed in industrial sites . Replicator technology was , however , in use by The Assigners , and the Beta 5 computer utilized replicator technology to manufacture several false identity card s for use by Gary Seven . ( ) Starships of this time period were equipped with food synthesizer s . This was a step forward , but did not achieve the quality and sophistication of the 24th century replicator . Replicator technology was not yet employed on starships as late as 2293 . ( ; ) 24th century Federation starships were commonly equipped with replicators because they allowed for a wide variety of foods and beverages to be served to crew members and also allowed for replication of other objects . The selection was limited only by the software and the number of options that had been programmed . ( ; ; ) Captain Jean - Luc Picard beamed down to Delta Rana IV with a portable matter replicator for the Uxbridges in 2366 . ( ) When Beverly Crusher determined a captured Romulan needed ribosome s to survive , she noted that the replicator could not be used due to the complexity of the molecular structure . ( ) As of 2367 , starships were equipped with a replicating center containing several replicator terminals resembling miniature transporter pad s at which crew members could order items . Lieutenant Worf and Lieutenant Commander Data shopped the ' s replicating center for a wedding present for Miles and Keiko O ' Brien . ( ) The " Enterprise " - D ' s replicators were used to provide blankets to a Bajoran refugee camp . ( ) The replicator played a key role in spreading the Ktarian game around the " Enterprise " - D in 2368 . ( ) On the Promenade of the Federation space station Deep Space 9 , the Replimat provided a casual location for inhabitants to enjoy a meal or beverage courtesy of a bank of replicators located along one of its walls . ( ) Replicators in the Delta Quadrant . After the was pulled to the Delta Quadrant in 2371 , an energy crisis occurred several weeks into the journey back to the Alpha Quadrant , and Janeway ordered replicator usage to be rationed in order to conserve power for other key systems . These replicator ration s became a type of currency among its crew . ( ) The Ocampa were provided with food dispensers by the in their underground city on . ( ) Later that year , it became very clear that replicator technology was unknown to the indigenous people of the region around the Ocampan homeworld . The Kazon , in particular , repeatedly tried to obtain this technology , as did other races . Captain Janeway feared that if this technology was acquired by a civilization before it was ready , disastrous consequences could ensue . For this reason , and because of the Prime Directive , Janeway refused to give up this technology at any price . ( ) By 2377 , however , the crew of " Voyager " had shared replicators to help people feed and clothe themselves a number of times . ( ) In contrast , the Ferengi Arridor and used a portable replicator to pass themselves off as the Great Sages of the Takarians . ( ) " In 2374 in the alternate timeline known as the Year of Hell , the replicator system on " Voyager " was heavily damaged by attacks from Krenim warships , forcing the crew to go to emergency ration s . " ( ) In 2377 , " Voyager " acquired technology from a race within that had joined The Alliance which tripled the ship ' s replicator efficiency . ( ) Appendices . Background information . The idea of replicators was unpopular with the writers of " The Next Generation " and " Deep Space Nine " . Ira Steven Behr commented : " " I ' d like to lose the replicators . They ' re my least favorite thing in " Star Trek " . A society that uses replicators is a doomed , finished society . " " ( " " ) Ronald D . Moore added that " " Replicators are the worst thing ever . Destroys storytelling all the time . They mean there ' s no value to anything . Nothing has value in the universe if you can just replicate everything , so all that goes away . Nothing is unique ; if you break something , you can just make another one . If something breaks on the ship , it ' s " Oh , no big deal , Geordie can just go down to engineering and make another doozywhatsit . " Or they go to a planet and that planet needed something : " Oh , hey , let ' s make them what they need ! " We just hated it and tried to forget about it as much as possible . " "