Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!
As with any good science-fiction, our fascination with Star Trek comes from the combination of real science with fantastic possibilities. When you think of science in the show, disciplines like engineering, astronomy, physics and biology probably spring to mind first. However, the show actually features also a lot of geology.
Halite, better known as common table salt, plays an important role in "The Man Trap," the first episode of Star Trek ever broadcast on September 8, 1966. In this episode a remote outpost on the planet M-113 is infiltrated by a mysterious shape-shifting creature that requires salt to survive, by any means necessary.
More than 125 minerals are mentioned in the Star Trek universe. However, only 23 are real terrestrial minerals and only one mineral, olivine, has been found in extraterrestrial rocks. Curiously quartz, one of the most common minerals on Earth, is almost never mentioned. Perhaps because quartz is often used as a prop for "dilithium crystals." In the Star Trek universe. Dilithium is not only a rare and valued gemstone, known also as "radan", but it is used is in the show's matter-antimatter reactors, standard equipment on board of every spaceship. As its (supposedly) cubic crystal structure can somehow control the flow of antimatter (mentioned in the TOS episode “Elaan of Troyius"), it is needed to provide energy for the faster-than-light-travel warp drive.
Sulfur, saltpeter and carbon, in two crystalline modifications, as coal and as diamond, saved Captain Kirk's life in the episode "Arena". Kirk, transported to a desolate planetoid, is forced into a battle against the reptile-like Gorn, which is protected by an almost indestructible armored skin. Using the sulfur, saltpeter and coal to make gunpowder and pointy diamond-crystals (here the writers made quite a mineralogical blooper, as such a crystal-shape is not to be found in real diamonds) as high-impact projectiles, he finally puts down his adversary.
This blog will explore the use of minerals and rocks in Star Trek - The Original Series, Star Trek - The Next Generation and Voyager, featuring geological reviews of (almost) every episode. There will be also posts dedicated to the real (exo-)geology behind the visited fictional planets and special reviews for the movies. Maybe in future times also other movies or franchise will be included. Stay tuned and if you enjoy this project, comment or may you even leave a tip.
Thanks,
David Bressan.
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