Everyone has their own opinion of “JJTrek” – the recently released Star Trek movies produced by J.J. Abrams. I’ve watched the movies, and I am far from impressed. However, in their own way, these new iterations of the franchise we know and love bring up topics for discussion. After watching Star Trek Into Darkness, and a certain parody YouTube video, I began to consider the merits of the revolutionary technology introduced in the movie: transwarp beaming.
These devices can be used to hurl individuals and objects hundreds – even thousands – of times farther than a regular transporter would be capable of. Essentially, the transwarp transporter allowed instantaneous travel between destinations lightyears away from the start point.
With such an incredible advantage, however, presents a rather unpleasant logistical dilemma. Put simply, it is this: Would we need starships any longer? They have been the means by which the Federation has explored the galaxy, sought peace, and defended against the innumerable alien threats lurking in deep space. With transwarp beaming, journeys that would take days at warp could be achieved in the blink of an eye, without the complications that a starship brings to the equation. Indeed, we have seen defense platforms and drones used by various species and organizations in Star Trek – it stands to reason that the Federation could use these technologies as well. With a hypothetical transwarp beaming device, how much of our standard operations should we keep?
