This is topic Bloody Boiling Hell. in forum Starships & Technology at Flare Sci-Fi Forums.


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Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
 
Enterprise wasn't on tonight for me. So I don't get to tease you in advance with Pre-E tech tidbits, and I'll probably be a week behind y'all from now on.

Curse you, Hand of Fate!

Mark
 


Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
 
From what I gather online, A-Channel decided to spontaneously show Enteprise an hour early.
 
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
 
You're kidding? They do that kind of thing? It's a wonder you guys get to see anything. 8)

BTW, I loved seeing, on my MPEG copy of "Broken Bow" as shown on A-Channel, scrolling ads for JAG, premiering that evening at 9. I was really looking forward to it after the 6th repetition. . .
 


Posted by Michael_T (Member # 144) on :
 
Ouch...
 
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
 
An hour earlier? Those weren't the Enterprise End credits we were waiting through just before the Psi factor rerun. Th' Hell?

MPEG, eh? Well, I may just have to find the equivalent for this week's episode - it's not like I can wait till Sunday for the SPACE Channel broadcast..

Mark
 


Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
 
Spoilers for "Terra Nova"

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Technology didn't seem to be as big a presence in this episode. What we did see appeared to be fairly consistent with what Enterprise has shown so far.

It looks like the transporters are really underpowered and limited. They couldn't use it to beam Reed out of the cavern, but it's looks like Tucker could tweak the sensor resolution enough to beam down some stun grenades. My impression, though, was that the caverns weren't too far underground. It's just that the strata was dense (anyone else have a differing impression?).

For handheld tech, I just realized that T'Pol is using a Vulcan hand scanner instead of the Earth scanners that Reed and Archer were carrying. Also, it looks like humans were still using projectile weapons by 2067 (Ryan arrived at this date for the launch of the Costenoga). Reed could easily identify the Novans' rifles as MK-33 or MK-34's, and he had the unfortunate pleasure of having a bullet in his leg. As for our regular phase pistols, it looks like the beam can be narrowed enough to create a cutting beam. Archer used his pistol to saw through a massive tree trunk.

We've also gotten to see the crew actually use the turbolifts. They don't have the twisting handle that TOS turbolifts had to control them, but they aren't operated on voice commands either. Archer just pushed a button near the door and the lift started moving. Also, it doesn't look like the greenish panel on the back wall of the cab lights up to show that the lift is moving.
 


Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
 
I've got an interesting question regarding the tech in "Terra Nova":

How did the cave-dwelling colonists maintain their supply of bullets for their handheld machine guns for seventy-five years?
 


Posted by OnToMars (Member # 621) on :
 
hehe.

Dan, you are the man.
 


Posted by Ryan McReynolds (Member # 28) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by MinutiaeMan:
How did the cave-dwelling colonists maintain their supply of bullets for their handheld machine guns for seventy-five years?

How do we know they had to? Maybe the guns have been in boxes for seventy years, they spied the away team and whipped them out, as they've been instructed by the elders to do when the evil humans return.
 


Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
Somehow I don't think they've had a lot of targets to spend their ammo on ...
 
Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
 
I havent seen the ep yet, but were they fighting with each other? or maybe they just had a lot of ammo, and hadnt used much
 
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
 
I suppose it does depend on how often they were used.

However, those were still machine guns. They were spewing out bullets at a pretty fast rate. Somehow I don't think that (1) the colonists coult maintain that rate of fire, and (2) that the guns could actually HOLD that big of an ammo clip (or whatever you call it).

Remember that the colonists were out there for seventy-five years. That's a long time to maintain an ammo supply under any conditions.
 


Posted by Raw Cadet (Member # 725) on :
 
An English teacher of mine made his own bullets for his pistols; can the same be done for machine guns?
 
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
 
Well, in theory, sure. I mean, someone has to make them in the first place, right?

Of course, we didn't exactly see a lathe down there.

But, as others have mentioned, what else would they be shooting at? Hunting alien armadillo things probably doesn't require automatic weapons.
 


Posted by Woodside Kid (Member # 699) on :
 
quote:
How do we know they had to? Maybe the guns have been in boxes for
seventy years, they spied the away team and whipped them out, as they've
been instructed by the elders to do when the evil humans return.

Interesting. So, when you're dying of radiation poisoning and so on, you're going to take time out to teach your 5 year old how to maintain and shoot a machine gun. Makes sense to me.

Seriously, though, the machine guns do raise a problem, in that there didn't seem anything down in the caves that indicated the level of technology needed to maintain the guns in working order. The Novans were similar to the kids in Mad Max 3 in terms of technical sophistication.
Given the appearance of the colony, I had the impression that the final collapse of the society happened relatively quickly, and there simply wouldnt have been enough time to teach the kids how to do such a complicated task, to say nothing of manufacturing ammunition to the tolerances necessary for an automatic weapon.
 


Posted by Woodside Kid (Member # 699) on :
 
quote:
How do we know they had to? Maybe the guns have been in boxes for
seventy years, they spied the away team and whipped them out, as they've
been instructed by the elders to do when the evil humans return.

Interesting. So, when you're dying of radiation poisoning and so on, you're going to take time out to teach your 5 year old how to maintain and shoot a machine gun. Makes sense to me.

Seriously, though, the machine guns do raise a problem, in that there didn't seem anything down in the caves that indicated the level of technology needed to maintain the guns in working order. The Novans were similar to the kids in Mad Max 3 in terms of technical sophistication.
Given the appearance of the colony, I had the impression that the final collapse of the society happened relatively quickly, and there simply wouldnt have been enough time to teach the kids how to do such a complicated task, to say nothing of manufacturing ammunition to the tolerances necessary for an automatic weapon.
 


Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
 
They had all the ammunition in boxes and never used it till enterprise arrived

and to teach someone to use a gun?
'this is the thing you pull and this is the end you point at the thing you want to die' -- Homer
 


Posted by Woodside Kid (Member # 699) on :
 
What about how to clean it after you use it? Or how to clear it if it jams? Or how to keep it in working order in a dirty, damp environment (like a cave)?

Besides, ever try firing a machine gun on full automatic? Unless you've been trained, it's damned hard to keep your aim on target. I don't think the kids and grandkids of the survivors would be able to hit a bull in the ass with a barn door unless they'd been practicing, and then you're back with the maintenance question again.
 


Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
They only hit Reed by luck -- they were spraying those weapons around.
 
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
 
I'd be willing to bet that the Novans' weapons were kept locked up for until the Enterprise crew came down. The one that Reed was initially chasing didn't seem to be armed. In fact, it took a good while for an armed Novan to appear. Reed and Archer come into the big chamber, and they are distracted by the two Novans hiding on the ledge. Then the armed Novan comes out and is stunned by Archer. Look back to the ledge and the two that were there are gone. This looks to me like it was a setup to give the Novans time to get their weapons.

It looks to me that the Novans weren't all that experienced with their weapons. They were just sorta aiming in the general direction they wanted to shoot in and pressed the trigger. Looking at the impact of the bullets against the cavern walls makes it seem to me that they were struggling with some kickback or that they weren't used to keeping the gun steady while running. And I agree with Jeff. It looks like Reed was only taken out by luck (or ricochet).

[ October 28, 2001: Message edited by: Siegfried ]


 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
quote:
And I agree with Mark

Mark?!
 


Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
 
Oops... Sorry about that Jeff. I was just quickly skimming through the thread and misread "Malnurtured Snay" for "Mark Nguyen." You are correct, it was you who said that and not Mark.

Just a little starving for recognition, are you?
 


Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
Well, first Omega thinks I'm Red Admiral, then you think I'm Mark Nguyen. I'm going to have to smack some people around here, methinks.
 
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
 
You and what army? And, no, an army of LEGO men doesn't count.
 
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
 
"Well, first Omega thinks I'm Red Admiral, then you think I'm Mark Nguyen. I'm going to have to smack some people around here, methinks."

A bit rich coming from the man who spent several months insisting that I was gay.
 


Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
I didn't insist on it. And, yes, I was under that impression ... but as I recall, I was under that impression because of something you said. Like, "I'm gay".

Besides, it's not like there's a box that shows up "Gay/Straight" when someone posts. I mean, my fucking name shows up on every post I make. Much harder to mistake one person for someone else.

PsyLiam -- Gay
Malnurtured Snay -- Deer Killer Extraordinare

[ October 28, 2001: Message edited by: Malnurtured Snay ]


 
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
 
Wait a second, Liam's not gay? Damn it! My entire world has now collapsed!
 
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
 
So, waitasec. I'm *still* me, and I'm *still* straight, right?

Mark

[ October 28, 2001: Message edited by: Mark Nguyen ]


 
Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
 
I was wondering... am i gay?
 
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
 
In the end, we're all gay.

Ducks, runs, and hides to avoid the onslaught of groans and thrown objects at the bad pun.
 




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