Tag: The Science of Star Trek

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Trekking Through Compliance

Trekking Through Compliance: The Science of Star Trek TOS: The Tricorder’s Legacy in Modern Diagnostic Medicine

Welcome to Trekking Through Compliance. We recently finished Season 8, where we reviewed all 79 episodes from Star Trek-the Original Series (TOS) for compliance, ethics and leadership lessons. This year we had additional analysis from Timothy and Fiona, two AI generated voices which added yet another perspective. I had so much fun this Season I decided to extend it by adding episodes on the science of and science issues from Star Trek TOS. I am joined in this exploration by my good friend Dr. Ben Locwin, a healthcare futurist and astrophysicist, who brings a scientific perspective to the discussion of Star Trek’s technology. In each episode we use one or more TOS episodes to introduce topics such as warp drive, wormholes, phasers, the practice of medicine. In the second episode in this series, we look at the practice of medicine. It is ton of fun and I know you will enjoy it.

Locwin views the tricorder as more than just an iconic Star Trek gadget, it was a powerful inspiration for people working in healthcare and science. He believes it helped physicians, nurses, and support staff imagine a future where diagnosis is faster, more accurate, and more precise. While he notes that a true tricorder-like device faces real scientific limits, he sees its legacy in modern advances such as pharmacogenomics, transdermal patches, augmented reality, and medical 3D printing. For Locwin, the tricorder’s greatest influence is that it helped push medicine toward personalized, data and AI-driven care that is shaping the future of healthcare.

Highlights

  • Media Inspiration for Future Diagnostic Medicine
  • Wavelengths Beneath Skin in Diagnostic Instruments
  • Precision Medicine for Fast and Slow Metabolizers

Resources:

⁠⁠Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weinstein⁠⁠

⁠⁠MissionLogPodcast.com⁠⁠

⁠⁠Memory Alpha

Ben Locwin on LinkedIn

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Trekking Through Compliance

Trekking Through Compliance: The Science of Star Trek TOS: Wormholes: Real Gravity Behind Fictional Time Travel

Welcome to Trekking Through Compliance. We recently finished Season 8, where we reviewed all 79 episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) for compliance, ethics, and leadership lessons. This year, we added analysis from Timothy and Fiona, two AI-generated voices that brought another perspective. I had so much fun this season that I decided to extend it with episodes on the science and science issues in Star Trek TOS. I am joined in this exploration by my good friend Dr. Ben Locwin, a healthcare futurist and astrophysicist, who brings a scientific perspective to the discussion of Star Trek’s technology. In each episode, we use one or more TOS episodes to introduce topics such as warp drive, wormholes, phasers, and medical practice. In the second episode in this series, we look at wormholes. It’s a ton of fun, and I know you will enjoy it.

Locwin explains that black holes are incredibly dense objects with gravity so strong that not even light can escape, and that this extreme gravity can slow time through time dilation. Locwin also points to experiments from NASA and the Air Force that support Einstein’s predictions, showing that time moves more slowly at higher speeds and in stronger gravitational fields. While he discusses wormholes and other theoretical possibilities, he emphasizes that real physics suggests time travel into the past is unlikely because nature may protect itself from paradoxes.

Highlights:

  • Solar Slingshot Whisks Enterprise Back to 1960s
  • Black hole event horizon and time slowing
  • Wormholes needing negative mass

Resources:

⁠⁠Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weinstein⁠⁠

⁠⁠MissionLogPodcast.com⁠⁠

⁠⁠Memory Alpha

Ben Locwin on LinkedIn

Categories
Trekking Through Compliance

Trekking Through Compliance: The Science of Star Trek TOS: Phasers and the Blooming Problem

Welcome to Trekking Through Compliance. We recently finished Season 8, where we reviewed all 79 episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) for compliance, ethics, and leadership lessons. This year we had additional analysis from Timothy and Fiona, two AI-generated voices that added yet another perspective. I had so much fun this season that I decided to extend it by adding episodes on the science and science issues from Star Trek TOS. I am joined in this exploration by my good friend Dr. Ben Locwin, a healthcare futurist and astrophysicist, who brings a scientific perspective to the discussion of Star Trek’s technology. In each episode, we use one or more TOS episodes to introduce topics such as warp drive, wormholes, phasers, and medical practice. In the first episode in this series, we discuss phasers. It is a ton of fun, and I know you will enjoy it.

Locwin explains that the biggest challenge is atmospheric physics: a powerful beam must travel through air, which can ionize into hot plasma and scatter or absorb its energy before it reaches a target. He argues that this “blooming” effect makes handheld phaser-like weapons far less practical than science fiction suggests, which is why real-world efforts focus more on laser-resistant materials, moving surfaces, and lower-power dazzlers. Overall, Locwin sees Star Trek phasers as entertaining but ultimately “junk science” when compared with the limits imposed by real physics.

Key highlights:

  • Phaser mishandling, rifle, and stun settings
  • Plasma Blooming in High-Power Beam Weapons
  • Infrared phasers and the blooming problem

Resources:

⁠⁠Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weinstein⁠⁠

⁠⁠MissionLogPodcast.com⁠⁠

⁠⁠Memory Alpha

Ben Locwin on LinkedIn