Replication Technology

               In the Star Trek universe, there exists a category of machines dedicated to the duplication of known objects from programmable memory. With no more effort than is needed to speak, one can have almost anything they desire. This replicator, as it was so called within multiple series of the show, was supposedly able to dematerialize matter and then build it up into something new. Medicine, food, industrial parts, and even more were customized and created in almost no time at all.


               The closest operational thing to replication technology in modern society is the 3-D printer, and the comparison is a stretch at best.

                It has been hypothesized that, in the expanse of space, there are particles that exist for only a fraction of a fraction of a second before reverting to a state of energy (traversing Einstein’s mass-energy equivalence formula, or energy equals mass times the speed of light squared). In that small portion of time, energy turns into matter – subatomic particles that may or may not follow the basic laws of physics, but matter still.


              Basic science explains that all physical objects are created from molecules, molecules from atoms, and atoms from subatomic particles. Humanity has already found a way to manipulate the way subatomic particles in atoms chain together, giving them the opportunity to influence the creation of molecules and, therefore, what those molecules can create.


             Theoretically, with enough energy, the creation of a replicator is already possible. More than possible, in fact. There is simply no way to do it efficiently.

                In the Star Trek series, antimatter/matter reactors are commonly used for at least part of the starships’ fuel systems (this is a simplified description of the complex workings of the ships’ power sources, but it will serve its purpose). When matter and antimatter collide, the product of their masses is converted into energy, following the mass-energy equivalence formula.

               Considering that the speed of light is approximately 3.0 x 10⁸ m/s, the energy released by even a “relatively small” amount of antimatter and matter colliding would be large enough to fix the problem of too little energy. However, production is incredibly expensive (an estimated sixty-two trillion dollars for one gram of antihydrogen, according to NASA), incredibly inefficient (current technology could only create about ten nanograms of antimatter per year), and therefore extremely time-consuming.

                Now, imagine a world where the replicator is not only created in bulk, but presented to the public for their own personal use. With the ability to create food, medicine, shelter, and anything else their minds can dream of, what would be the use of currency? What would be the point of mass conflict? In the Star Trek universe, neither of these exist on Earth anymore. Disease has all but been eradicated and world hunger is a thing of the distant past. People are free to do as they wish, when they wish, and most of them spend their extra time improving themselves and their communities. In a world where everyone has everything, what better way is there to spend eternity?

           
              The resources and equipment necessary to produce a replicator may not yet exist, but would the effort invested into creating and acquiring the necessary parts not be worth the reward? By meeting the needs and wants of the entire planet, humanity could once again experience a renaissance of thought, innovation, and creativity expression.


             And when home is a place so familiar, the need to explore what lies beyond has nothing to do but grow.