14. Zero G

Notes

• 14.1

  Obviously the reason for artificial gravity in TV sf is that simulating free fall would be prohibitively expensive. The question is, how do you justify it within the context of the series? Why expend energy and further complicated the engineering of the ship by imposing a synthetic gravity field?

• 14.2

  Stuffed head is one of the symptoms experienced by astronauts in zero gravity: motion sickness, muscular atrophy and decalcification of the bones are better known problems with working in free fall.

• 14.3

  So far as I know I am the first to suggest this as an excuse for artificial gravity. The idea is that if you want to have humanoids freely visit your ship then you need gravity in case they are not evolved to cope without it.

  I have rather boldly imposed an interesting medical condition on one of the canonical Star Trek races; I hope I am not contradicting information published elsewhere!

  I was at one point considering visiting this allergy to free fall on the Vulcans, since they plainly had influence over spacecraft design in 22nd-century Earth. It is also tempting to claim that Klingons’ motion sickness is so extreme as to leave them effectively paralysed, thus explaining their feebleness during the assassination in Star Trek VI.

• 14.4

  While we’re on the subject …

  I quite like Vernor Vinge’s spacefarers, who bob about happily in weightless balloon-homes, working via huds and admiring the video wallpaper: they seem so much more at home in space.

  An animated series has more flexibility than live action, of course, and the French animated series Malo Korrigan (2002) has fairly successful zero-g sequences. So fas as I know this opportunity was never taken in the Star Trek animated series.