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star trek - If replicators allowed humans to stop working, why were replicators shut down in the Voyager?


Replicators have been cited as the invention that allowed humans to stop working for a living. This implies that replicators are cheap and even free because they produce food at super-low cost. So low that humans can stop work. However, if replicators are indeed so low-cost, why were they shut down in the Voyager? Cooking replaced replicators in the Voyager. This implies that replicators are more expensive than manual cooking. If so, how can replicators give humans the luxury to stop working?



Answer



The lack of ready supplies of energy is a constant feature of the first season of Voyager. Limiting the use of secondary systems like the replicators (and their rationing) was a good way of showing this to audiences.




KIM: There's an ancient Chinese curse, Captain. May you live in interesting times. Mealtime is always interesting now that Neelix is in the kitchen.


JANEWAY: We shouldn't judge him too harshly. He is helping us conserve replicator energy.


Voy: The Cloud



and



NEELIX: You're welcome. After all, if you want the crew to begin to accept natural food alternatives instead of futher depleting our energy reserves, you need to encourage them by your own choices, don't you?


JANEWAY: Fine. Give me your even better than coffee substitute.


Voy: The Cloud




Now, you might ask how much energy these systems actually use. We learn in Dark Frontier that their continued functioning equates to entire light-years of travel for a Starfleet vessel.



ERIN: Magnus.


MAGNUS: We have to keep moving. If we take the replicators offline and run environmental systems at half power, we can go another twenty light years before refuelling.


Voy: Dark Frontier



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