Timeline for Why does Data have to use a computer in Star Trek?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
12 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 23, 2022 at 17:33 | comment | added | Sovereign Inquiry | I'm smelling more 47 references here... | |
| May 16, 2019 at 19:38 | comment | added | Andrey | I think you really hit the nail on the head as part of your answer. Data can already go faster and he does not.There is no reason to introduce more technology to go even faster. | |
| Aug 12, 2014 at 15:51 | comment | added | user11521 | @Einer Yes, it's crazy. Tuvok (Voyager's Chief of Security) effectively had a two charcacter password (Tuvok Pi Alpha)! The only character that was ever shown to have a decently secure password was (surprise surprise) Data, in the episode where he set a ridiculously long security key when hijacking the ship to go find his father. | |
| Aug 12, 2014 at 3:53 | comment | added | mechalynx | I agree with this answer strongly, I just want to add an idea. Even if Data had a permanent wireless interface to the computer (which he should, at least an on-demand one on his side), he wouldn't have to just sit there. There's tons of tasks to be done without the computer (away missions, tricorder analysis, manual repairs) and since Data has limits, they couldn't make him a permanent pilot or anything. Add some security protocols and you're set. It just takes a bit of imagination and asking someone technically knowledgeable to come up with an in-universe explanation, if you're a writer. | |
| Aug 11, 2014 at 14:55 | comment | added | user | @MatthewWalton In VOY Investigations, Hogan at one point uses (in engineering) Engineering Authorization Omega-4-7, which is later repeated by Neelix and accepted by the computer as valid. If voiceprint identification was also used, why Neelix would be allowed to use a general engineering authorization code is beyond me (in fact, you could argue about why he'd be allowed in Engineering in the first place, but let's forget about that for now). Of course, possibly there P=NP too. | |
| Aug 11, 2014 at 14:46 | comment | added | Rob Grant | @MatthewWalton - you think that's weird? I just went to this thread and saw the last reply was yours! Hi from South Africa! | |
| Aug 11, 2014 at 14:28 | comment | added | Matthew Walton | True. Most of the weird stuff in Trek is about writers not thinking things through though. Why is the a DS9 episode where Bashir is in trouble for leaving his dress uniform behind when he transferred there? Can't he just replicate another one? Etc etc. You'd expect anybody on the command staff to be more or less perpetually tracked and authorised by the computer. Maybe the codes aren't for authorisation but as an 'I really mean this' check. | |
| Aug 11, 2014 at 14:12 | comment | added | Einer | Maybe they are one-time-codes, but still: If it's just about a voiceprint analysis, well he could just say "Hi, I'm Jean Luc Picard, and I like my Earl Grey hot. Start auto-destruct!" No need to recite a four-character code. | |
| Aug 11, 2014 at 14:07 | comment | added | Matthew Walton | I always assumed those vocal authorisation codes are backed up by the not-at-all-infallible voiceprint analysis. Otherwise someone could just listen in and use Picard's code whenever they wanted. | |
| Aug 11, 2014 at 14:01 | comment | added | Einer | I think that star-fleet programmers have not the slightest idea of network security at all is an in-canon fact. Almost every random species can tap into their computers, every junior lieutenant can alter logs. But the users are worse: Picards code for authorizing auto-destruct is "Picard-4-7-Alpha-Tango". That's 4 characters! That's insane! You cant expect users like that to deal with decent security measures... | |
| Aug 11, 2014 at 13:39 | review | First posts | |||
| Aug 11, 2014 at 13:50 | |||||
| Aug 11, 2014 at 13:38 | history | answered | Matthew Walton | CC BY-SA 3.0 |