Skip to main content

star trek - Is there any adverse effect from consuming a diet of replicated food?


Replicators are used ubiquitously throughout the Star Trek universe to produce any material that the user desires - notably food and drink. On a starship, the crew's entire diet would consist of replicated food matter.



However, replicated matter is known for having innate flaws. This is why rare materials and living intelligent creatures cannot be stored and replicated at a whim - the matter involved is too complex. Yet in all matter, including that which is replicated for consumption, these atomic errors persist.


Has there ever been an instance of or suggestion that a diet of replicated food and drink may have an adverse effect on a person?



Answer



The short answer is no.


Nutrition :


Regarding the composition of replicated food, the TNG Technical Manual (considered to be a fully canon reference guide) specifically states that food replicators are capable of producing food molecules at sufficiently high fidelity to provide all needed sustenance with no adverse effects:



"As with all transporter-based replication systems, the food replicators operate at molecular resolution. Because of this, there are significant numbers of single-bit errors in the resulting replicated materials. These errors are not nutritionally significant (although some individuals do claim to be able to taste differences in certain dishes), but certain types of Altarian spices have shown a tendency to become mildly toxic when replicated, so their use is avoided in replicated dishes."



Miles O'Brien (a transporter and replicator specialist) casts scorn on his mother's prejudice that replicated food doesn't provide the same high quality nutrition:




KEIKO: She cooked?


O'BRIEN: She didn't believe in a replicator. She thought real food was more nutritious.


KEIKO: She handled real meat? She touched it and cut it?


O'BRIEN: Yeah, like a master chef. She was fantastic. Of course, I'll have to use the replicator, but I'll make something special for you tonight. You'll love it, I promise. - TNG : The Wounded



If anything (as we see in @Tritium21's answer) it's actually the opposite. The replicator allows you to artificially control the levels of fat, sugar and protein in your food and will actively resist you trying to make something damaging to your health:



TROI : And computer, I'd like a real chocolate sundae.


COMPUTER : Define "real" in context, please.



TROI : Real... not one of your perfectly synthesized, ingeniously enhanced imitations... real chocolate ice cream, real whipped cream...


COMPUTER : This unit is programmed to provide sources of nutritional value. Your request does not fall within current guidelines. - TNG : The Price




It's not uncommon for characters to disparage the taste of replicated food, but there's no indication in either the TV show or the other canon materials (writer's guides, technical manuals, etc) to suggest that replicated matter is actually bad for you.



WILDMAN: I thought you didn't use replicated vegetables when you're cooking. Always fresh, organic, from the airponic bay.


NEELIX: Well, the yields have been a little low lately. Normally, I would never dream of using synthesised veggies. - Voy : Deadlock



and




EDDINGTON: Replicator entree number one oh three. Curried chicken and rice with a side order of carrots. Or at least that's what they want us to believe. But you and I both know what we're really eating. Replicated protein molecules and textured carbohydrates.
SISKO: It's not that bad.


EDDINGTON: It may look like chicken, but it still tastes like replicated protein molecules to me.


SISKO: If you don't want it, don't eat it. - DS9: Blaze of Glory



and



JOSEPH [on monitor]: Whatever you do during the day is your business. But at dinner time, you better get yourself down to New Orleans. No son of mine is going to eat that replicated slop Starfleet calls food. Not if I have anything to say about it. - DS9: Homefront




and



SEYETIK:...Which reminds me, wait till you taste the food my wife has created for you. None of that replicated nonsense you're used to. No, every dish was prepared entirely by Nidell's own sweet hands. - Second Sight



and



SISKO: Maybe you need a vacation.


LEYTON: Mmm. Somehow replicated coffee never tastes this good. I'm afraid I owe you an apology, Ben. - Paradise Lost



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

harry potter - Do the Kwikspell courses work?

In Harry Potter we are introduced to Kwikspell course in The Chamber of Secrets (and never hear about it again). We see Filch taking courses, presumably by mail. The descriptions of Kwikspell make me think it is for people who are weak in magic (kind of like how Neville was supposed to be when he was younger), but had magic in them nonetheless. However, Ron's comments later in the chapter make it sound like it is mainly for Squibs to learn magic. However, it is strongly implied through out all the books that Squibs are essentially Muggles, and will never be able to do magic. How then is a Kwikspell course supposed to work? Do we have any information to know if it works at all? Is it a scam? An answer from any level of canon is welcome. Answer Kwikspell courses are (probably) useful to some wizards, but not to squibs. The Kwikspell course literature comes with two testimonials. Madam Z. Nettles of Topsham writes: ‘I had no memory for incantations and my potions were a family joke...
Post a Comment
Read more

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

star trek - Warning regarding forward saucer section in Nemesis?

In Star Trek: Nemesis , just before the Enterprise rams into the Scimitar, Picard sends a text message from his captain's chair arm pad to Troi — who is manning the helm in lieu of the crewman who was just blown out through what was once the view screen — indicating that she should put full impulse on standby. (Literally, if you watch the scene closely, Troi's console prefaces the order with "TXT MSG" !) My question is: Did Picard also somehow warn crew members in the forward saucer section about what was about to happen? The ramming of the Scimitar was a heat of the moment decision. Considering that he also resorted to calling the auto-destruct sequence shortly after (which ended up being offline), he probably was of the mindset that any losses would be acceptable in order to hault Shinzon's march to Earth. Still, I'm curious. Answer The original script indicates that he called for the crew to " brace for impact ". Whether that call (or the comma...
Post a Comment
Read more

star wars - What "exactly" happens when someone turns to the Dark Side?

When I saw the original Star Wars saga as a kid, the concept of the Dark Side imprinted in me was quite simple. You did a bad thing, so you're a bad person so you go to the Dark Side and keep doing bad things. Now, obviously this doesn't hold true in reality. In my mind it is perfectly reasonable for Luke to kill the Emperor and Vader and then just flee the Death Star and rejoin the Alliance. After all they are at war, those are enemy officers that have captured him and are taunting him by threatening with death of all loved ones and the whole operation was intended to kill the Emperor anyway. The same would hold true for Anakin. He could have killed Mace Windu to save the Chancellor and Padme but that doesn't mean he's going to then go mad and kill all Jedis including children. It doesn't add up from a merely psychological point of view. He had a set of objectives and that made him want to keep the Chancellor alive (quite valid by the way, Mace Windu is quite clums...
Post a Comment
Read more