In The Original Series in the 60s, people had no idea what the future would look like or what technology would look like. In one of the early episodes, they had a paper print out machine on the bridge that looked like a fax machine, which was considered futuristic in the 1960s.
Like the example of the Enterprise fax machine, what technology or system do you think are we displaying in the current Star Trek shows that will show how dated we will become in the future?
Single Use Padds:
My headcanon has been that many of those PADDs are 1-time use read only devices that can’t have the data copied, transferred, altered or deleted. When they’re done, they just get resynthesized. They could be for classified data, secure reports, and so on. If it’s just reading a couple duty shift reports, they are the small simple PADDs with scroll buttons. Intelligence reports on the sector, would have different levels of interactive bottoms on the sides. Potential prototype vessel upgrades, more space, more interactive features, and so on.
Alternate interpretation: Starfleet’s mobile device UI isn’t great for managing multiple documents that you quickly switch between. Everyone defaults to using multiple PADDs because they’re not going to see a major revision of LCARS anytime soon.
(Also, they’re free and easily obtained, just go to a replicator.)
I just realized the logistical support nightmare that would be. It has to support written language and cultural context for all Federation species without breaking UI/UX. It would also have to produce legible output for all those different vision systems, which could run the gamut of what’s “visible” light frequencies, contrast, brightness, and suitable magnification. Once your software engineering dream-team solves all that, you don’t change it. Ever. My head canon here is that LCARS is ugly and clunky, but is a compromise that everyone can manage to suffer through.
I find it amusing that a console featuring tangible buttons and lights with fixed positions, as seen on the original Enterprise, might actually be the better answer here.
Which would explain why TOS-era ships used those everywhere. Until they had LCARS and the matching display tech it was just easier to have everyone remember button positions.
Or it could just be a total misunderstanding of technology
Look at the size of those bevels
Bezels…?
Auto correct is dumb
Yeah, bezels. It was autocorrect, totally.
Maybe they get as annoyed as I do about fingerprints on the screen surface.
Hey, we’re getting there lol. If you count things like RFID tags (which have circuitry and microcontrollers embedded), we have plenty of disposable, single-use tech.
There is definitely lots of single use tech in use today, but I’m more referring to IPAD/Tablet like things that seem to be single use in Trek shows.
I don’t think they’re single use like you’d throw them away or anything. I think they use multiple PADDs so they can hold and interact and look at multiple documents at the same time.
In a post scarcity setting, it makes sense. Sometimes I like having multiple paper documents in front of me, and that feels like the equivalent.
Pretty sure they used single use PADDs to bridge the meaning of paperwork to the digital age.
What for example screams being busy more? A bunch paper stacks/PADDs or just a single PADD?