Trek Tech:

First, I'd like to warmly recommend the 'Star Trek: Next Gen INTERACTIVE TECHNICAL MANUAL for a cool VR tour of the Enterprise D, complete with all the technical details you could ever dream of, and they could ever dream up!

Okay, now, here's what this section has to offer:

	The fun side Cool okudagrams The serious aspect Modern science vs. technobabble

If you think technical manuals are boring to no end and that only geeks can be serious about actually buying them, not to mention reading them; if you consider technobabble to be an easy plot cop-out for the writers, as well as an alien headache-inducing language; and if most of all, you love having a good laugh seeing it abused by critics, you're going to love this!

An Okudagram is a display of the type invented by Michael Okuda (Star Trek's resourceful technical adviser- the real Scotty) for the Starfleet ships' consoles. Very cool and tech-looking! I've collected a few, along with other tecchie pics, ship blueprints etc.; you can see them here (and use them the way you want).

'Normal' people (aka non-Trekkers) generally ridicule Trek science as being wholly impossible, crappy kiddie stuff only retarded freaks can believe. They are, of course, wrong. Specialised consultants have seen to it that the show has a sound scientific basis, and have kept even the more debatable items consistent throughout its run.
As I'm not quite what you would call an astrophysicist, or even a physicist for short (to tell you the truth, I'm a Biology student), I'm really not qualified to go into the finer details of quantum mechanics, for example; so I've simply collected a variety of links where you can get reliable information about the scientific principles underlying (or sometimes undermining) the technology of the future as seen by Gene Roddenberry (or should I say Michael Okuda?). See below.

When 20th century* science slowly catches up on the speculative engineering of the world of Star Trek.
*the 21st century is really going to mess up my titles, that's the real millenium bug!

• Quantum Teleportation has become a reality, so beam over to the New Scientist's website to read all about the latest breakthrough in quantum mechanics: we have transporter technology! (Well, not quite, but it's a step in the right direction)

Here are a couple of other links to serious pages about Star Trek's science and technology:

• What NASA scientists think
• Relativity and the warp drive
• A physics university student discusses ST
• An impressive Trek Science FAQ database
• dnx.com/people/jsball/Star_Trek/

New Scientist, a serious british scientific magazine, hosts an entire section on Star Trek science led by Lauwrence Krauss, the author of 'The Physics of Sar Trek'.

	NewScientist, The Physics of Star Trek : main page
	Direct links to a few specific subjects: The warp drive Transporter technology Deflector shields Interactive Q & A

And finally, here's a newsgroup for discussing Trek Tech online

Regarding hologram technology, things are looking up! (coming soon)
(It's the matter replication part that's going to be the real problem- the part that gives holograms substance)

Holodecks soon to replace movie theaters? Not bloody likely. Holographic projections in the movie theaters instead of films, on the other hand...

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