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From: rjnoe@ihlts.UUCP (Roger Noe @ N41:48.5, W88:07.2)
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Re: The Enemy Within
Message-ID: <365@ihlts.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 16-Feb-84 10:30:53 EST
Article-I.D.: ihlts.365
Posted: Thu Feb 16 10:30:53 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 17-Feb-84 03:13:27 EST
References: <5453@uiucdcs.UUCP> <282@oliveb.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 28

>>	Sulu and some others are on a planet on which the
>> temperature is dropping and the transporter is out (I think this is the
>> episode where Kirk is split/duplicated).  The problem they face is how
>> to get Sulu and party off the planet before they freeze to death.  The
>> obvious sollution is to send a shuttle down for them.  The Enterprise
>> seems to carry several but there is no mention of them.  Not even a "if
>> only the shuttle was working".  The writer of that script seems never
>> to have heard of shuttles.

Of *course* the writer hadn't heard of shuttles!  "The Enemy Within" was
made well before the idea was added to Star Trek.

>>	Another option not considered was using the
>> ships phasers.  Sulu uses up his phaser warming rocks which they huddle
>> around.  The ships phasers could be used to heat an area up-wind giving
>> at least some relief from the cold.  Feats of greater precision were
>> done with the phasers on other shows.  Also why didn't Sulu use his
>> phaser to hollow out a cave as was done on other shows.

Changing the weather of a planet with which one is not very familiar would
probably be a VERY tricky business.  Warming up a rock or two is something
different.  We also have no indication that ship's phasers have a "heat"
setting, as do hand phasers.  Hand phasers are clearly not powerful enough
to hollow a cave out of rock.  Remember the "laser cannon" in "The Cage"?
It used ship's power while on the planet but only did a small job of
blasting away rock, just barely enough for a small cave for a few people.
--
	Roger Noe		ihnp4!ihlts!rjnoe