[NAHTMMM]

Originally Posted by Nate the Great

So I'm watching a Trek clip where a character's luggage consists of a single hexagonal box the size of a duffel bag (I think we saw it on screen in that binary number episode). The only actual luggage we see is one uniform and a PADD...


PNQ: What is realistic luggage for a junior officer on a starship?


It occurs to me that the uniform is unnecessary, the replicator can make a new one and your precise measurements would be part of your computer profile that follows you as you transfer ship to ship (replicator presets, preferred decorations, etc.). And let's assume that you only need one PADD that is only used as a netbook equivalent: most of it is just an Internet access device, very little onboard storage required.


So what else? Presumably any religious or cultural decorations would be shipped via cargo pod and beamed into your quarters. Maybe I could understand taking one physical book with you in your luggage, but no more. A small selection of nonreplicable snacks? I don't know.


How much gold pressed latinum would a junior officer be expected to carry with them? For that matter...


PNQ: If uniforms don't have pockets, how do Starfleet officers carry their latinum?


I mean, do Ferengi only insist on hard currency for transactions with other Ferengi? How often did we see Starfleet officers on DS9 handle latinum, other than Dax during Dabo games, of course.

I think some decorations would be more than decorations. Something your parents gave you before you shipped out. A delicate statuette that you don't trust anyone but yourself to carry. It's interesting to consider how people might treat unique items in a world where anyone can just replicate an exact Mona Lisa.

The uniforms could also be designed to be "broken in" like a baseball glove. I think they're supposed to keep you warm when it's cold and cool when it's hot, while looking like fabric you'd wear today, so we're clearly into technology indistinguishable from magic. We can't say how such technology would be implemented. Maybe the fabric adapts to your specific body temperature over time, to optimize comfort. Might simply need to be worn for a while to get microscopic burrs to either close on each other or get abraded off. I don't know.