10 Times Star Trek Didn't Think It Through

2. Transwarp Beaming

Star Trek Into Darkness Khan Beams To Kronos
Paramount Pictures

If perhaps you were wondering why we had mentioned Star Trek Into Darkness specifically when discussing the distance from Earth to Qo'noS, then wonder no more! 

Khan beams from Earth to Qo'noS thanks to a transwarp beaming device. How impressive, ok that's fine, we'll just - 

Excuse me, what? Khan beamed 112 LIGHT YEARS from Earth? This is, at the very least, one of the greatest scientific advancements in Star Trek's history. At worst, it could make all forms of planetary security obsolete - why send a fleet, when one can simply beam an invasion force onto another world?

Planetary shields for everyone! Welcome to the new age of paranoia and fear - Khan just rendered all fleets useless. With the invention of the transwarp beaming device, there was no longer any need for Warp capable ships - why commit resources to a starship when you can simply step onto a transporter pad on Earth and step off on Vulcan? 

As fun as Star Trek Into Darkness is, there are some fairly major questions raised by its inventions. This is a shame - we don't hate this technology at all, we're just bummed it was never developed!

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"