if the replicator can take stuff and turn it into energy (see that rant after… year of hell? with the stopwatch.) why the fuck did they never just find an empty system somewhere with some rocks floating around and scoop them up for the replicators to “recylcle”?
I think it would take much more energy to grow the food they need than to just replicate it. That said, if I was stuck for 7 years in space, fresh fruits and vegetables would be the cheapest form of therapy.
one thing I never understood.
if the replicator can take stuff and turn it into energy (see that rant after… year of hell? with the stopwatch.) why the fuck did they never just find an empty system somewhere with some rocks floating around and scoop them up for the replicators to “recylcle”?
They run on energy, and they didn’t have a place to refuel, so they had to ration their energy use.
Because plot contrivance is a Star Trek writer’s prime directive
I remember they babbling about some reason (preserving their deuterium reserves, I think). But it’s not one that makes sense.
I think it would take much more energy to grow the food they need than to just replicate it. That said, if I was stuck for 7 years in space, fresh fruits and vegetables would be the cheapest form of therapy.
If they needed more energy to grow food than to replicate it, replication would be so dirt-cheap that nothing would make any sense.