William Shatner: 'Star Trek' Tech Is 'Not That Far-Fetched'
William Shatner: 'Star Trek' Tech Is 'Not That Far-Fetched'
WASHINGTON — William Shatner knows a thing or two about sci-fi tech. The 85-year-old actor is best known for his portrayal of the fictional Captain James Kirk, the courageous and willful leader of the starship Enterprise from the original "Star Trek" TV series.
The show, which debuted in 1966, exposed audiences to spaceships, intergalactic space travel and a bevy of high-tech, futuristic gadgets. Now, nearly 50 years after the show came on the air, some "Star Trek" technologies exist in real life — everything from automatic doors to cell phones. But, even though humans aren't zooming to distant worlds at warp speed, or using a "transporter" to teleport between two locations, Shatner says some of the series' most out-of-this-world tech may not always be so out of reach.
"It's not that far-fetched," Shatner told an audience on April 22 here at the Smithsonian magazine's fourth annual "Future Is Here" festival. [Science Fact of Fiction? The Plausibility of 10 Sci-Fi Concepts]
Fact from fiction
There are several examples of how real-life inventions took cues from "Star Trek." For instance, the communicator that Captain Kirk uses to talk to his crew is essentially a crude version of today's cellphones; the USS Enterprise's communications officer, Nyota Uhura, uses a futuristic-looking earpiece that today would fit right in with contemporary Bluetooth-enabled options; and the automatic sliding doors seen on the starship Enterprise must have seemed revolutionary at the time, but are now so ubiquitous most people likely take them for granted. The design of the starship's command center, or bridge, was even studied by real-life researchers, Shatner said.
"The Navy did come in and look at some of the ergonomics of the bridge, and apparently copied it," he said. "A captain of a vessel not too long ago [said] some of the bridge stuff on his ship was designed after what our designers had [done]."
Yet, with other concepts from the show — faster-than-light travel, teleportation and time travel — the gulf between science and science fiction seems to be as wide today as it was 50 years ago.
Conceptually, teleporting a human being from one room to another is thought to be impossible, but on an atomic scale, researchers have made significant strides in the bizarre world of quantum teleportation.
"Although a lot of the concepts in science fiction are absurd to our Newtonian minds, anything is possible because of the new language of quantum physics," Shatner said.
Quantum physics describes the strange set of rules that govern the behavior of subatomic particles, including why particles can exist in more than one place at the same time. Quantum teleportation relies on so-called "quantum entanglement," in which particles can interact and become linked so that an action performed on one instantaneously influences the other, even if they are far apart.
Quantum teleportation experiments do not dabble with matter, but rather they aim to beam photons (particles of light that have no mass) between two locations. (In other words, these experiments aren't teleporting humans anywhere, but the findings are valuable for advances in quantum computing.)
In 2015, physicists set a new distance record in quantum teleportation, beaming photons 63 miles (102 kilometers) across fiber optics, or four times farther than had been previously demonstrated.
Now what?
"So, where does that leave us?" Shatner said. "Can you transport all the molecules in a human being? Apparently, it's impossible. Can you transport a replica of that person? [It's] possible, but the amount of computer energy and space is overwhelming. There's so much that we imagine in science fiction that is so delightful to think about."
Time travel is similarly a mystery, though Shatner said people are likely familiar with the sci-fi narrative that involves characters traveling through a wormhole "where time and space is curved," creating a shortcut between two locations in space or time. But, wormholes are hypothetical features, and so far, they have not been proven to exist. [The 7 Silliest Time Travel Concepts in Science Fiction]
And though faster-than-light travel has been popularized in both the "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" franchises, Albert Einstein's theory of special relativity says nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, which is 186,282 miles per second (299,792 kilometers per second) in a vacuum.
Still, Shatner said it's fun to mull over these concepts, and science fiction should always serve as a way to stoke people's imaginations. And from his perspective (at least when it comes to Hollywood), the future is an exciting place.
"Transporting is where it's at," he joked.
William Shatner Claims Star Trek Technology Is "Not That Far-Fetched"
Star Trek is known for predicting and inspiring real-life technologies, from the everyday tech like the cellphone and Siri to Holodeck-esque advancements in virtual reality. Now, Captain Kirk himself is weighing in on the science behind the iconic sci-fi franchise, and claims that none of the tech seen on the show is completely out of reach.
"It's not that far-fetched," Shatner said on a panel at the Smithsonian magazine's "Future Is Here" festival (via EW). "Although a lot of the concepts in science fiction are absurd to our Newtonian minds, anything is possible because of the new language of quantum physics."
He used the example of the Enterprise itself, which hasn't exactly come to fruition complete with a warp drive, but served as the inspiration for bonafide military vessels:
"The Navy did come in and look at some of the ergonomics of the bridge, and apparently copied it," he said. "A captain of a vessel not too long ago [said] some of the bridge stuff on his ship was designed after what our designers had [done]."
"Can you transport all the molecules in a human being? Apparently, it's impossible. Can you transport a replica of that person? Possible, but the amount of computer energy and space is overwhelming," Shatner said.
Scientists are already able to teleport quantum information, but many researchers are dubious that we'll ever be able to teleport a living organism without killing it (some philosophers have gone so far as to say the Transporter is a "suicide box"). But some theorists are optimistic that one day we'll be able to say "Beam me up, Scotty" and mean it, so we should at least remain open to the idea. And at the very least, Star Trek will continue to inspire real-life scientific curiosity and innovation, as seen in the most recent NASA initiative for young engineers.
William Shatner: We're closer than ever to actually having Star Trek technology
Star Trek
It may seem fanciful to imagine a world in which you can actually say, “Beam me up, Scotty,” and be transported through a pillar of light, but according to William Shatner, a world full of the sci-fi technology we saw in Star Trek is “not that far-fetched.”
During a panel on the plausibility of science fiction concepts at Smithsonian magazine’s “Future Is Here” festival Friday, the former Captain Kirk addressed the audience about how much of the technology from his late-’60s Star Trek series is not as out-of-this-world as it once seemed.
“It’s not that far-fetched,” Shatner said. “Although a lot of the concepts in science fiction are absurd to our Newtonian minds, anything is possible because of the new language of quantum physics.”
Certainly, some of the tech shown in the original Star Trek series has already entered our everyday lives in the 50 years since premiering. Back in 1966, Kirk’s communicator, Uhura’s bluetooth, and even the Enterprise’s automatic sliding doors seemed revolutionary, but now the prevalance of smartphones and automatic doors make these pieces of technology seem archaic. According to Shatner, the military has even based some of their vessels on the Enterprise’s design.
“The Navy did come in and look at some of the ergonomics of the bridge, and apparently copied it,” he said. “A captain of a vessel not too long ago [said] some of the bridge stuff on his ship was designed after what our designers had [done].”
But what about one of the show’s most ambitious technological mainstays: teleportation. Of course, we don’t currently have a technology that allows human beings to transport themselves instantaneously through space, but Shatner seems hopeful that science is making advances in that realm of research.
“Can you transport all the molecules in a human being? Apparently, it’s impossible. Can you transport a replica of that person? Possible, but the amount of computer energy and space is overwhelming,” Shatner explained.
Technologically speaking, we’re still not done exploring the final frontier just yet.
William Shatner: ‘Star Trek’ Tech Is ‘Not That Far-Fetched’
WASHINGTON — William Shatner is aware of a factor or two about sci-fi tech. The 85-year-old actor is finest recognized for his portrayal of the fictional Captain James Kirk, the brave and willful chief of the starship Enterprise from the unique “Star Trek” TV sequence.
The present, which debuted in 1966, uncovered audiences to spaceships, intergalactic house journey and a bevy of high-tech, futuristic devices. Now, practically 50 years after the present got here on the air, some “Star Trek” applied sciences exist in actual life — every part from computerized doorways to cell telephones. However, regardless that people aren’t zooming to distant worlds at warp pace, or utilizing a “transporter” to teleport between two areas, Shatner says a number of the sequence’ most out-of-this-world tech might not at all times be so out of attain.
“It isn’t that far-fetched,” Shatner advised an viewers on April 22 right here on the Smithsonian journal’s fourth annual “Future Is Right here” pageant. [Science Fact of Fiction? The Plausibility of 10 Sci-Fi Concepts]
Reality from fiction
There are a number of examples of how real-life innovations took cues from “Star Trek.” For example, the communicator that Captain Kirk makes use of to speak to his crew is basically a crude model of right now’s cellphones; the united statesEnterprise’s communications officer, Nyota Uhura, makes use of a futuristic-looking earpiece that at present would match proper in with up to date Bluetooth-enabled choices; and the automated sliding doorways seen on the starship Enterprise should have appeared revolutionary on the time, however are actually so ubiquitous most individuals possible take them without any consideration. The design of the starship’s command heart, or bridge, was even studied by real-life researchers, Shatner mentioned.
“The Navy did are available and have a look at among the ergonomics of the bridge, and apparently copied it,” he stated. “A captain of a vessel not too way back [said] among the bridge stuff on his ship was designed after what our designers had [done].”
But, with different ideas from the present — faster-than-light journey, teleportation and time journey — the gulf between science and science fiction appears to be as large at the moment because it was 50 years in the past.
Conceptually, teleporting a human being from one room to a different is considered not possible, however on an atomic scale, researchers have made vital strides within the weird world of quantum teleportation.
“Though a variety of the ideas in science fiction are absurd to our Newtonian minds, something is feasible due to the brand new language of quantum physics,” Shatner stated.
Quantum physics describes the unusual algorithm that govern the conduct of subatomic particles, together with why particles can exist in multiple place on the similar time. Quantum teleportation depends on so-called “quantum entanglement,” wherein particles can work together and change into linked in order that an motion carried out on one instantaneously influences the opposite, even when they’re far aside.
Quantum teleportation experiments don’t dabble with matter, however moderately they intention to beam photons (particles of sunshine that don’t have any mass) between two places. (In different phrases, these experiments aren’t teleporting people wherever, however the findings are invaluable for advances in quantum computing.)
In 2015, physicists set a brand new distance report in quantum teleportation, beaming photons 63 miles (102 kilometers) throughout fiber optics, or 4 occasions farther than had been beforehand demonstrated.
Now what?
“So, the place does that go away us?” Shatner mentioned. “Are you able to transport all of the molecules in a human being? Apparently, it is unimaginable. Are you able to transport a duplicate of that individual? [It’s] attainable, however the quantity of laptop vitality and house is overwhelming. There’s a lot that we think about in science fiction that’s so pleasant to consider.”
Time journey is equally a thriller, although Shatner mentioned individuals are seemingly aware of the sci-fi narrative that includes characters touring via a wormhole “the place time and area is curved,” making a shortcut between two areas in house or time. However, wormholes are hypothetical options, and to date, they haven’t been confirmed to exist. [The 7 Silliest Time Travel Concepts in Science Fiction]
And although faster-than-light journey has been popularized in each the “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” franchises, Albert Einstein’s idea of particular relativity suggests says nothing can journey sooner than the velocity of sunshine, which is 186,282 miles per second (299,792 kilometers per second) in a vacuum.
Nonetheless, Shatner mentioned it is enjoyable to mull over these ideas, and science fiction ought to all the time function a strategy to stoke individuals’s imaginations. And from his perspective (a minimum of on the subject of Hollywood), the longer term is an thrilling place.
“Transporting is the place it is at,” he joked.
William Shatner: "Star Trek" technology is not that far-fetched
WASHINGTON --William Shatner knows a thing or two about sci-fi tech. The 85-year-old actor is best known for his portrayal of the fictional Captain James Kirk, the courageous and willful leader of the starship Enterprise from the original "Star Trek" TV series.
The show, which debuted in 1966, exposed audiences to spaceships, intergalactic space travel and a bevy of high-tech, futuristic gadgets. Now, nearly 50 years after the show came on the air, some "Star Trek" technologies exist in real life -- everything from automatic doors to cell phones. But, even though humans aren't zooming to distant worlds at warp speed, or using a "transporter" to teleport between two locations, Shatner says some of the series' most out-of-this-world tech may not always be so out of reach.
Leonard Nimoy 1931-2015
"It's not that far-fetched," Shatner told an audience on April 22 here at the Smithsonian magazine's fourth annual "Future Is Here" festival. [Science Fact of Fiction? The Plausibility of 10 Sci-Fi Concepts]
Fact from fiction
There are several examples of how real-life inventions took cues from "Star Trek." For instance, the communicator that Captain Kirk uses to talk to his crew is essentially a crude version of today's cellphones; the USS Enterprise's communications officer, Nyota Uhura, uses a futuristic-looking earpiece that today would fit right in with contemporary Bluetooth-enabled options; and the automatic sliding doors seen on the starship Enterprise must have seemed revolutionary at the time, but are now so ubiquitous most people likely take them for granted. The design of the starship's command center, or bridge, was even studied by real-life researchers, Shatner said.
"The Navy did come in and look at some of the ergonomics of the bridge, and apparently copied it," he said. "A captain of a vessel not too long ago [said] some of the bridge stuff on his ship was designed after what our designers had [done]."
Yet, with other concepts from the show -- faster-than-light travel, teleportation and time travel -- the gulf between science and science fiction seems to be as wide today as it was 50 years ago.
Today, you might recognize some of the technology onboard the USS Enterprise, from automatic sliding doors to the Bluetooth-like wireless earpiece worn by communications officer Nyota Uhura.
PARAMOUNT
Conceptually, teleporting a human being from one room to another is thought to be impossible, but on an atomic scale, researchers have made significant strides in the bizarre world of quantum teleportation.
"Although a lot of the concepts in science fiction are absurd to our Newtonian minds, anything is possible because of the new language of quantum physics," Shatner said.
Quantum physics describes the strange set of rules that govern the behavior of subatomic particles, including why particles can exist in more than one place at the same time. Quantum teleportation relies on so-called "quantum entanglement," in which particles can interact and become linked so that an action performed on one instantaneously influences the other, even if they are far apart.
Quantum teleportation experiments do not dabble with matter, but rather they aim to beam photons (particles of light that have no mass) between two locations. (In other words, these experiments aren't teleporting humans anywhere, but the findings are valuable for advances in quantum computing.)
In 2015, physicists set a new distance record in quantum teleportation, beaming photons 63 miles (102 kilometers) across fiber optics, or four times farther than had been previously demonstrated.
Now what?
"So, where does that leave us?" Shatner said. "Can you transport all the molecules in a human being? Apparently, it's impossible. Can you transport a replica of that person? [It's] possible, but the amount of computer energy and space is overwhelming. There's so much that we imagine in science fiction that is so delightful to think about."
Envisioning life in 2000 from a 1900 perspective
Time travel is similarly a mystery, though Shatner said people are likely familiar with the sci-fi narrative that involves characters traveling through a wormhole "where time and space is curved," creating a shortcut between two locations in space or time. But, wormholes are hypothetical features, and so far, they have not been proven to exist. [The 7 Silliest Time Travel Concepts in Science Fiction]
And though faster-than-light travel has been popularized in both the "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" franchises, Albert Einstein's theory of special relativity says nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, which is 186,282 miles per second (299,792 kilometers per second) in a vacuum.
Still, Shatner said it's fun to mull over these concepts, and science fiction should always serve as a way to stoke people's imaginations. And from his perspective (at least when it comes to Hollywood), the future is an exciting place.
"Transporting is where it's at," he joked.
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