The world we've seen in the films and Star Trek is the world of the distant future. And while we're still waiting for warp drives and transporters, some of the technology featured in the beloved Star Trek has already become a reality. Here are some examples of technologies that have literally left the pages (and screen) of Star Trek.
Cell Phones
One of the most notable technologies we've seen in the original 1966 TV series is the communicator. He was taken by all crew members on visiting missions, and all the Starfleet officer had to do was open the gold lid and speak into the device for instant communication with remote crew members, scattered around the planet or aboard an orbital ship. At a time when phones were still tied to walls with wires, this idea seemed cool and futuristic.
The GetSmart TV show, which aired on television around the same time, experimented with phones hidden in various places in clothing, from shoes to glasses. Luckily for us, communicator-style cell phones won out. Talking to a sneaker? No thanks. While we've moved from clamshell phones to sleeker, smarter phones, and abandoned chatter in favor of texting, the concept of communicating over long distances wirelessly has remained the same.
Tablets
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Today, tablets are much more powerful than the tablets used in a variety of Star Trek shows and films.
The paper in the series was completely archaic. Instead of using dead trees, almost all information was transmitted and recorded digitally, just as we do today. Their versions of tablets were PADDs, tablet-like devices that were used to read reports, books, and a variety of other information, including floor plans and diagnostics. Unlike our tablets, they didn't store as much information (in some episodes, as you might recall, characters took a lot of PADDs for one appointment or appointment) and were not the most versatile commodity - like the Kindle compared to the iPad.
Smart watch
Star Trek: The Motion Picture was terrible in every way. Theme, plot, costumes … The only ray of light in the dark kingdom is the sudden appearance of wearable devices in the style of Apple Watch, which appeared on the wrists of characters as part of their form.
As with the communicator, this idea was not first thought up for Star Trek. Dick Tracy had a distinctive smartwatch back in 1946. But in Star Trek: The Movie, smartwatches have become part of everyday life, not a special device for police detectives.
Wireless headphones
Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, a communications officer, seemed inseparable from her earpiece, through which she received all sorts of information on a wide variety of frequencies. And although the action took place in the future, the inspiration for this device was clearly found in the past. Telephone operators have been using headsets for decades, long before Star Trek debuted in 1966.
But Uhura's device was special: completely wireless and transmitted sound to her ear like Bluetooth devices of today.
Virtual assistants
Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri, and other computers today can understand commands spoken in common language.
At the time the first episode of Star Trek came out, computers were massive machines that couldn't do much (at least by our current standards). The Enterprise's crew could simply talk to the air and ask a question to computers, and then instantly receive the desired answer. Many people today have the same opportunity, thanks to the fact that Siri or Cortana works on their phones. None of them will yet compare with the level of the Medjel Barrett-Roddenberry computer, but soon this threshold will be crossed.
Video calls
Nowadays you won't surprise anyone with a video call.
In Star Trek, video calls also happened quite often. Captains could see opponents and allies face to face, even while standing on different starships or planets. Using video calls, Star Trek has brought technology to the world that has been dreamed of for years, and even inspired its creation in the real world. The first commercial Picturephone I appeared in 1964 but did not burn out. Today, video calls are no longer something new.
From Skype to Facetime to more professional software, video messaging or real-time video calling is no longer a surprise. While these services have not replaced phone calls or text messages, they are still often used to communicate with relatives, hold conferences and simply keep in touch with friends.
ILYA KHEL
