Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual

I love Gene Roddenberry’s “Star Trek” TV series and get my philosophy lessons from it! I am a fan of the series. 

I feel it is easy to discuss major political problems or get some understanding of philosophical questions when you place it in a distant galaxy, and make the stakeholders as an alien species – away from the familiar “Earth” we are not clouded by our inherent biases. 

I was excited to open this parcel. It is of a used copy, in good condition, of the book “Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual“, signed by the authors – Rick Sternbach & Michael Okuda. I bought it recently from a used books store (Powells) in the USA and had it shipped to India, the cost was $29 ($13 for shipping).

As an engineer and science enthusiast, watching the episodes I always wonder what it will be if the technologies in the show actually do exist and how will be working? This manual helps with that thinking. It expands on the “fictional” technologies and gives it some engineering perspective. Reading about the Warp drive, Replicator, Holodecks, Transporter makes me realise why I love a good Science Fiction – it is because, in our core, we humans are dreamers, we imagine of a better tomorrow and go about creating it.