Which reality has more advanced technology in the Star Trek universe, prime or alternate? It seems that the prime universe has more advanced technology in terms of sensors etc, but alternate pushes development of weapons etc, and has leaps in technology such as transwarp beaming.
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3At which point in history?– ValorumCommented Jul 20, 2016 at 21:24
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Well kick era, since that when the timeline split.– Thales of MarsCommented Jul 20, 2016 at 21:25
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4Improved special effects. :-)– HellionCommented Jul 20, 2016 at 21:32
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2Bigger budget. HD cameras.– ValorumCommented Jul 20, 2016 at 21:37
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1I'm tempted to close as a dupe of this; scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/97593/…– ValorumCommented Jul 20, 2016 at 21:39
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3 Answers
The Reboot universe
The universe seen in the Reboot timeline of Star Trek has more advanced technology than the same time period in the Prime timeline. This is due to Starfleet's exposure to the Narada, the Romulan vessel from the late 24th Century whose incursion into the 23rd Century had created the divergence between the two timelines.
From director J.J. Abrams himself:
The idea of the story is that at the beginning of the film something happens that changes the course of history. They cross paths with this futuristic ship, and it changes everything that would've been the classic series Trek fans are familiar with... One could argue that, based on the readings they got from the [Romulan] ship that showed up, it inspired ideas and technology that wouldn't have advanced otherwise... On the one hand, you could answer the question by saying that history got a boost, an adjustment, from this moment at the beginning of the film...
(Source)
I'd say the alternate (JJ) universe is more technologically advanced. Think about how long Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller) was working with Kahn (Benedict Cumberbatch) while he was attempting to start that war with the Klingons. We don't know how long that partnership was going before "Into Darkness". At the very least, long enough to build the USS Vengeance (dreadnaught class). That ship was considerably more advanced than Kirk's Enterprise in the same universe, much less the prime universe Enterprise.
In an online post, Bob Orci, the writer of the first two Star Trek (reboot) films not only confirmed that the tech was indeed more advanced but he also confirmed why.
Q. I'll take any fanboy throwaway reference as to why the tech in this timeline is so advanced compared to the original TOS timeline, and how Nero blowing up the Kelvin changed that. Any explanation that works within the confines of Nero traveling back in time would do. Thanks a lot.
Orci: Certainly one would expect that the fleeing shuttles carrying survivors would also carry whatever telemetry was recorded by the Kelvin in its final moments ( like an airplanes BLACK BOX). Imagine the wealth of information that Starfleet was exposed to from scans of the Narada.
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Watched Beyond today, I see what's you mean. I like JJ's take on more mechanical systems, which we don't see in the prime universe. Having engineering being all cosy, and pressing a few buttons to reconfigure something isn't very realistic Commented Aug 1, 2016 at 18:10