In the Star Trek universe, why is cloaking technology so rare?

The ST universe predominantly only depicts two main races with cloaking technology: the Romulans and Klingons. In universe, the Klingons originally got the technology from the Romulans as part of a treaty.

Therefore, the only races we've really seen that have developed the technology from first principles are the Romulans and the Federation (in TNG:Pegasus) (Particularly as this device was interphasic, making it different to regular cloaking devices as used by the Romulans and Klingons, it seems likely that the technology was independently developed, or at least improved, by Starfleet).

In the DS9 episode Homefront, it's speculated that the Dominion may have recovered a cloaking device from the combined Romulan/Cardassian fleet that attempted to invade the Founders' home world. It was barely even considered that the Dominion may have developed the technology itself, even though the Jem'Hadar have personal cloaking devices, making the possibility that they have developed ship-size cloaks at least plausible.

There are other technologically superior races (such as the Borg) that also don't seem to have ever developed the technology as far as we're aware of.

Given that most major races are more-or-less technologically on a par - warp drives, transporters, phasers/disruptors are ubiquitous for example - in universe, what makes cloaking technology so rare?

Comments

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.

game of thrones - Is Syrio Forel dead?

In the episode 'The Pointy End' (Season 1 Episode 8) when Arya runs from the Lannister guards you hear the sound of a sword being dropped (around 4:56): [embedded content] After that neither Syrio or Ser Meryn Trant is never mentioned or seen in the show again, except when Arya mentions to the Hound that Ser Meryn Trant killed Syrio. Is there any mention in the books that Syrio actually dies?

tolkiens legendarium - Difference between elves and dwarves blacksmithing in the Lord of the Rings

Both the elves and the dwarves were famous for their metal work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but what is the difference between what they made, and which one had the better skill of making amours and swords? Answer James Christopher's answer sums up the second part of your question well, but as to the difference in what they made, a little more detail is needed. Once the Elves learned to forge with steel, the shape of the sword changed, now being able to take on the form of a great broadsword or a light and agile curved sword. Additionally, they took great pride in decorating their swords. As we see in the Lord of the Rings , some swords like Sting had magical properties such as glowing blue when orcs are near. As far as the use of Mithril, lotr.wikia has two contradictory passages: Thus, Elven blades became renowned as great weapons, capable of performing deeds beyond the skill of their handlers and were even more glorious when the use of Mithril was allowed to the Elves. ...

How do Pokemon trainers collect their winnings?

According to Bulbapedia , Prize money is the money that a Trainer pays out at the end of a battle. So we know that the money comes directly from the trainer that just lost, and not some third-party committee or sponsor. But how is this done? It can be easy seeing the random trainers who challenge you along the way wanting to wager and then, after admitting defeat, sticking to their word and handing over their hard-earned pokebucks. Then there are the likes of Team Rocket and Giovanni, who also give money once they lose. This doesn't seem like something people in a criminal organization would willingly do. From this it appears that trainers have no say in whether or not they cough up the dough after losing, but I can't find anything on how exactly the funds are transferred from loser to winner. So how do Pokemon trainers receive their winnings?

Blog

Search This Blog