[Burt]

The thing is, I don't believe it does move the atoms. It turns them in to Energy, or if you like a kinda of digital signal. Yes I know that the idea of having the whole human body along with all the DNA and everything else turned in to digital format would take...just a huge amount of computer space. But they seem to be able to do it. I guess they don't use XP. But this is why they have a pattern buffer and matter stream.
Maybe thats why inter-ship beaming can be a problem. The computer has to take you apart, move you in energy form, then put you back together again. If you're sent to another ship or transporter pad, the other ship's computer does almost half the work, i.e putting you back together again. Maybe that uses less energy for us... Doesn't explain why beaming to planets never worries them, though. Cos the same ship is doing all the beaming.....