Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 exptools 1/6/84; site ihnss.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!ihnss!knudsen From: knudsen@ihnss.UUCP Newsgroups: net.startrek Subject: Re: Enterprise destruct, antimatter Message-ID: <2177@ihnss.UUCP> Date: Mon, 6-Aug-84 13:35:15 EDT Article-I.D.: ihnss.2177 Posted: Mon Aug 6 13:35:15 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 8-Aug-84 08:05:44 EDT Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL Lines: 19 Yes, trwba!mnw is right -- the movie destruct sequence blew up only the saucer command hull, leaving the engine hull & pods for the atmosphere. In the novelization, the antimatter and matter do mix as part of the plan, making a mini-nova that outshines the Genesis sun for a few seconds. (Amazingly, there is still stuff left to re-enter as a spectacular meteor shower in the novel also). But the explosion should have been bigger -- in some TV episode Scotty said you'd get a pretty good super-nova bang if you mixed all the fuel at once, and the comic book of ST:TMP had the Eprise crew fixing to blow up Vger that way (what a tummy ache!). So, yes, ST-III has an inconsistency here. Let's just say that the fuel tanks must have been pretty low -- after all, the Big E would hardly have been refueld at Space Doclk, being slated for scrapping. One "consistent" error -- why did the Eprise re-enter Genesis atmosphere after destruct? Why, for the same reason that Star Trek vessels ALWAYS spiral into decaying orbits when their engines break down/blow up! "Are ye tryin' ta say that in the 20th century, they kept satellites in orbit without usin' any power?" Yes Scotty we do it all the time. mike k