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Does Star Trek: The Next Generation feature technology discovered by Kirk's generation?


Are there in universe references to technologies utilized in the Star Trek TNG series that were discovered during Star Trek TOS? For instance, android tech? Norman 1 from the "I, Mudd" episode should have been a treasure trove of data.


Norman Spock gathering data?


Data


Norman X?




Answer



No, there is no sign of any of the technologies that Kirk discovered on his legendary voyages. These missing technologies are the elephant in the room in any discussion of post-Kirk Star Trek. Consider that V'ger was at least the eleventh machine intelligence Kirk encountered. Others include:



  1. Norman and his cohort -- I, Mudd

  2. M5 -- The Ultimate Computer

  3. Vaal -- The Apple

  4. Roger Corby's androids -- What Are Little Girls Made Of?

  5. Nomad -- The Changeling

  6. Landru -- The Return of the Archons

  7. The Oracle -- For The World Is Hollow and I Have Touched The Sky


  8. Losira's computer -- That Which Survives

  9. The Guardian of Forever -- The City on the Edge of Forever

  10. Flint's androids -- Requiem For Methuselah


Leaving aside the cybernetics breakthroughs and unlimited time travel possibilities, Kirk also discovered substances that amplify psi abilities (Plato's Stepchildren), accelerate time (Wink of an Eye), and turn crones into beautiful women (Mudd's Women). There was a truth machine (Court Martial). There was the Kelvan technology, including their superfast warp drive and human-to-styrofoam-to-human encoding (By Any Other Name). There was the IQ boosting "Teacher" technology of the Eymorgs (Spock's Brain). Just Flint's bag of tricks --- cybernetics, miniaturization, stasis, instantaneous transport (Requiem For Methuselah) --- could have jump-started whole industries.


If we are to accept that these events are part of the Star Trek canon, then the conspicuous absence of all these technologies in the 24th century Federation must be by design. My favorite pet theory is that there is some sort of technology police like Larry Niven's ARM that quietly squirrels away the dangerous knowledge to keep it from destabilizing society. There is some support for this theory to be found in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "The Omega Directive", where Kirk-era information about warp-destroying omega particles was shown to be suppressed by Starfleet.


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