Answer: If you're referring to Dress, Combat, etc, then the answer is obvious. If you're referring to green vs gold, then the answer is, "He didn't" - it was always green. The lighting and colour processing method of film back then made the green appear yellow on screen. Although there WERE a couple of green uniforms that were made of different material, one being more reflective than the other, so one always consistently looked yellow on screen, and the other occasionally looked its true green colour. But not often, the lighting AND post-processing had to be perfect to show the green.
Question: It's generally accepted that Warp Drive makes a bubble of space around the vessel and accelerates the outer bubble around the space surrounding the ship. Given the nature of the warp drive enveloping a pocket of space, can the warp drive be used offensively to capture part of another vessel in the space surrounding the Enterprise and use the acceleration to tear the enemy ship apart?
Answer: It's never been stated how far outside the ship the warp field can extend. Excessive use of warp technology can cause subspace rifts, which is why maximum speed in non-emergency situations is Warp 5. So, whether out of impracticability or potentially a criminal act, nobody uses warp fields offensively. Proton Torpedoes travel at warp, but they don't go past Warp 5 either.
This is a TOS thread. There was no Warp 5 speed limit then, and it would be pointless, since warp numbers are completely different speeds for TOS and TNG. In the Technical Manual, it suggests that Warp 9.99 in TOS equates to about 0.9999 in TNG. This would fit with Kirk's assertion that Warp 10 lets them travel back in time, which would be exactly Warp 1 or the speed of light in TNG terms.
Answer: There IS mention in TNG of warp used offensively, albeit not directly. The REAL "Picard Manoeuvre" is not Patrick Stewart tugging at his shirt, it is moving the ship at exactly the speed of light, at precise distances and angles, so that to the enemy, the ship appears to be in multiple places at the same time (since the light is arriving at the enemy's location at precisely the same time from all the different positions the ship was moved to).
Question: Why don't any of the Treks to come use any of the useful things that Enterprise discovers? A psychotricorder can record your memories! Scalosian water speeds up humanoids to the point they can dodge energy beams! A veinful of kironide makes you a powerful telekinetic a few minutes after injection! If Picard, Sisko and Janeway had just read Kirk's logs, the Borg and Dominion wouldn't have had a chance.
Chosen answer: They do use much of the technology, just not the particular items you mention. There are many reasons: perhaps the technology was deemed too dangerous and outlawed (as with the planet Talos), or found impossible to reproduce. The Prime Directive would prohibit them from stealing the technology too, no matter how valuable.
Question: What was the fate of all five series' captains?
Answer: According to on-screen text visible in one episode, Jonathan Archer served as Chief of Staff at Starfleet Command, then was appointed Federation ambassador to Andoria. He then served on the Federation Council, before finally holding the office of Federation President for eight years. According to additional biographical text that ultimately never appeared on-screen (and therefore may not be canon), Archer died peacefully at home in 2245, the day after attending the launch ceremony of the Enterprise NCC-1701. James T. Kirk died on Veridian III in 2371, 78 years after he was believed killed on the Enterprise-B, as seen in Star Trek: Generations (although novels written by William Shatner have resurrected the character for further adventures, these are of uncertain canonicity at best). Jean-Luc Picard remains in command of the Enterprise-E; while a future version has been seen as an ex-Federation Ambassador suffering from the lethal irumodic syndrome, this remains only a possible future. Benjamin Sisko was taken into the Celestial Temple by the Bajoran Prophets; a series of follow-up books reveals that he eventually returns and lives on Bajor with his family, but, as with Kirk, the canonicity of these novels remains unclear. Kathryn Janeway was promoted to Vice Admiral upon Voyager's return from the Delta Quadrant and, when last seen, held a position at Starfleet Command.
Question: How in the world did Hikaru Sulu, whom under all circumstances is Japanese, end up with that last name? Even in the novelization of the Star Trek IV, he meets his great (great.) grandfather named Akira Sulu. (Question is aimed more for a production explanation than a story-based one.)
Answer: Production explanation: Gene Roddenberry took the name Hikaru from the legendary Japanese novel "Tale of Genji" and Sulu from the Sulu Sea, located in Southeast Asia. Roddenberry wanted a universal-Asian name and said, "[Since] the waters of a sea touch all shores," the name Sulu was perfect. Story-based explanation: presumably somewhere in Sulu's family line there was a non-Japanese (probably Filipino) male whose surname was passed on.
Question: Does anyone have an idea how the Klingons - quite human-looking in the original series - have got their forehead furrows for which they are now famous (and easily recognizable)? I've heard rumors so far that the whole issue would be explained in the current 'Enterprise' series, but so far I haven't caught the clue.
Answer: It was discussed in "Enterprise". The Klingons try to make augments (super-klingons), but to do so they used the human augments DNA. This caused the Klingons whom were tested to look partly human (hence the lack of forehead ridges). It then turned into a virus which spread to many of the Klingon population. Causing them to look 'human-like'.
Question: Why do the ship's weapons and hand weapons have different colour effects?
Answer: It most likely represents varying power levels. Think of fire; as its temperature rises, its color changes. Energy weapons are likely similar.
Answer: There's no explanation. It could be that there are a variety of uniforms that personnel can wear, or regulations have changed. Most likely, it was a production choice to make subtle changes to the costumes.
raywest ★