The Future . . . Is it Really Here?

From my point of view, yes, the future has come. Recently, I have thought of many ways that many of the things we see in Star Trek and Star Wars and many other beloved science fiction franchises could possibly become a reality. Below is what I have come up with.

Universal Translator

As nice of an idea as a Universal Translator is, it just doesn't seem that such a thing could work, because there is no universal standard for a certain sound. Some languages have sounds that have no equivalent in any other language. Theoretically, a Universal Translator is an impossibility.

Transporters

Transporters really aren't too far in the future. We already have many less powerful versions invented, and almost everyone had at least on of these inventions. You may be surprised to hear that this technology is not recent. In fact it was created in the late 1800s. The technology is the phone, the television, and later, the computer.

All of these inventions use a form of transmitting, whether it be sounds, or whether it be electrons. From these technologies, we can possibly create transporters, taking it one step up from a computer, which transmits electrons and sound, so that it could also transmit protons and neutrons. From here, the transporter should be relatively easy.

Light-Speed Travel

Light-speed travel appears in almost every science fiction franchise. It is deemed the ultimate form of travel. You may be surprised to know that light-speed travel may already exist.

Let's look at the Big Bang theory. According to the theory, there was a sudden burst of light, causing the small universe to rapidly expand. If we assume that the Big Bang is fact, than we have the secrets to light-speed travel.

To travel at light-speed, we merely have to install particle colliders on to starships. But not just any; ones like the one at CERN, a massive scientific facility in Switzerland, which are home to many scientific breakthroughs daily. There is a problem though; CERN's particle collider spans all the way to France and then back again. How do we fit something this large on a tiny starship?

For this answer, we turn to the body. The large intestines are incredibly long, yet, because they are coiled, they take up relatively little space. If we do this with a particle collider, it would consume considerably less space.

Now how can a particle collider cause light-speed travel? When we take the Big Bang into mind, that's all a particle collider is for; to ram particles into one another at velocities faster than most space shuttles in an effort to recreate the Big Bang. This has never happened, but a very interesting substance was found in a particle collider on recent years: antimatter.

I am not going to delve in to the properties of antimatter currently, but I shall later. Antimatter is highly unstable. Anything matter it comes in contact with is automatically destroyed, leaving behind photons, highly concentrated rays of intense light. By creating antimatter in a particle collider, and then letting it come in contact with matter may cause the sort of light that caused the Big Bang, pushing to, and perhaps beyond, the speed of light. These photons may also help to create Genesis.

Genesis

Genesis, for those who may not know, is the creation of matter from nothing. According to Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, to create Genesis, you must reorganize the particles in space to become a habitable form. With photons, assuming the Big Bang theory is true, the particles would move, and hopefully create life.

Mass Energy

Many might say we already have mass energy, and indeed, we may. But do we have the energy needed for powering a full-sized starship? I think not.

Once again, our answer lies with antimatter. Although unstable, antimatter is the most efficient power source in the world, with 100% efficiency. Just one microscopic droplet would be enough to power the city of New York for a full twenty-four hours. The main problem with antimatter as power is its instabilty. If antimatter comes in contact with any form of matter, even air, it autmatically destroys the matter, leaving photons behind. If this problem can be solved, then our need for power is resolved, leaving an abundance behind.

The Death Star

Many scientists have conducted studies on whether or not something such as the Death Star can ever be recreated. They all came to the same conclusion: it's impossible. And indeed it is. But even if it wasn't, why build the Death Star, when we have a planet-destroying weapon that is much more portable, weighing a mere twelve pounds?

The weapon is antimatter. Antimatter is highly destructive, one-fourth of a gram having a blast radius of half of a mile. According to research and math I have done, twelve pounds would be enough to obliterate Earth. Considering the Death Star was the size of a planet, antimatter is the ultimate weapon.

Yet the problem remains; how do you move antimatter? Well, you could put the twelve pounds in a container with magnets which would keep the antimatter exactly centered. That allows the antimatter to leave the particle collider. Then you merely place a rechargeable battery on the container which will take over if the container happens to be taken from its energy source. Eventually, the battery would go dead, releasing the antimatter, causing the end of a planet. Or else you could fire the animatter through space like a torpedoe. Space is a void, so you wouldn't have to worry about an unpredicted explosion. As soon as the antimatter touched the atmosphere, it would explode, destroying that side of Earth. The other side would be left untouched, but because one half was destroyed, the other half would not survive.

So is the future really here? With these technologies, that is for certain a yes. Science-fiction is fiction no longer.