Entertainment
How Star Trek’s Most Famous Technology Became A Nightmare
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
In Star Trek, the most famous technology isn’t the awe-inspiring starships or the game-changing replicators. No, the most famous tech is the transporter. It’s the ultimate sci-fi idea because, at the press of a button, you disappear from one spot and reappear somewhere else. This futuristic technology became so synonymous with Star Trek that it spawned a famous phrase that was never even said on The Original Series: “Beam me up, Scotty!” However, this cool technology was a real boogeyman in the first episode of the TOS prequel series Enterprise.
In the Enterprise premiere episode “Broken Bow,” the transporter is a new and relatively fearsome technology. The producers thought that it would humorously subvert our expectations by showing Star Trek characters who are genuinely spooked by the franchise’s most famous technology. However, the producers learned to fear the transporter for entirely different reasons: thanks to a major complication, the scene of Archer beaming up became the most difficult shot in an episode with over 300 effects shots.
Scream Me Up, Scotty
In the Enterprise premiere episode “Broken Bow,” characters like Archer and Tucker are wary of the transporter, which is (in the 22nd century) relatively new technology. Once you watch enough Star Trek, you’ll know those fears are well-founded. On a bad day, the transporter can melt your body, split you into twins, merge you with someone else, turn you into a child, or send you to an evil Mirror Universe. On a good day, the core technology still involves vaporizing your original self and reassembling your body and mind in a new location. It’s freaky to the extreme, which is why Dr. McCoy never trusted the transporter.
In the first episode of Enterprise, the crew of the titular ship is similarly fearful of this new technology. Nonetheless, Tucker uses it to rescue Archer from certain death in one of the coolest moments of the entire episode. However, director James L. Conway found this scene more frustrating than cool. That’s because the effects team setting up the transporter effect had to work with the live footage of Archer running from his Suliban pursuer. As you might imagine, this is far more difficult than a normal beaming sequence, which used blue screens to make things easier for themselves.
Your Atoms: Scrambled Or Over Easy?
Unfortunately, Conway had not used any blue screens when filming Archer’s exciting run-and-gun fight with his pursuer. On the special features for the Enterprise Season 1 Blu-ray, Visual Effects Supervisor Ronald B. Moore (not to be confused with Trek writer and producer Ronald D. Moore) admitted that his team “took so much time setting up that shot” precisely because it “took a lot of time to make it work right.” Even though it was “simply a transporter,” Moore told (as mentioned in the introduction to “Flying Starships”) Archer actor Scott Bakula that the transporter was the most difficult shot out of more than 300 effects shots.
Franchise executive producer Rick Berman was exceedingly pleased with “Broken Bow,” but he and writer Brannon Braga later agreed that they jumped the gun (or should that be phase pistol?) by introducing transporter technology so quickly. Nonetheless, this introduction ripped the Band-Aid off by giving them the most difficult transporter shot in Star Trek history. After that, no special effect could challenge them ever again. Plus, Ronald B. Moore and his team deserve special credit for pulling it off. Not only did they execute a dramatic and awesome-looking effects shot, but they did something that once seemed impossible: they made the transporter seem cool again!
Entertainment
Memorial Day is the perfect time to buy a robot lawn mower — steep discounts on top models are live now
The best Memorial Day robot lawn mower deals at a glance:
Some people love to mow the lawn. Others, especially those with allergies, would be thrilled to never touch a lawn mower again. If you fall into the second camp, there’s a great solution. Hiring a robot lawn mower means there’s an on-demand solution that’s ready and willing to mow at any time.
Much like robot vacuums that we rely on indoors, a robot lawn mower maps your yard and sets off to mow according to your desired schedule. Since Memorial Day is nearly here and backyard hangs on are on the agenda, check out these robot lawn mower deals at Amazon.
Best overall deal
$2,946.98
at Amazon
$3,499.99
Save $553.01
Why we like it
Dreame makes some of Mashable’s favorite robot vacuums, so it only makes sense the brand is producing some of the best robot lawn mowers. The Dreame A3 AWD Pro Robot Lawn Mower is designed to tackle grass that covers up to 1.25 acres with a width that measures 15.8 inches for efficient mowing. This model uses 360-degree LiDAR binocular AI vision to help with navigation and obstacle avoidance for over 300 common items it might encounter in the yard.
In rush mode, the Dreame can cover 0.2 acres per hour and it can maneuver over curbs, roots, or stepping stones that measure up to 2.2 inches tall without getting stuck.
Today’s on-page coupon brings the price of the Dreame A3 AWD Pro Robot Lawn Mower down to $2,946.98, and Amazon is throwing in a free Dreame robot lawn mower garage which helps protect the robot from harsh sun and rain. The garage ordinarily sells for $299.99, which makes this Memorial Day deal just that much sweeter.
Best deal for smaller yards
$849
at Amazon
$1,099
Save $250
Why we like it
Covering an area of up to 0.25 acres, the Segway Navimow i110N Robot Lawn Mower is more than happy to take over the task of keeping the lawn trimmed this summer. It can mow as quietly as 58 decibels while identifying and avoiding over 150 types of obstacles. Plus, it’s designed to handle multiple zones in your yard. You’ll be able to set zones like the front yard, back yard, and side areas while indicating an ideal schedule to mow each area. In addition to using the Segway app, you can also set up voice control of the robot lawn mower.
Select the desired heigh of the grass between 2 and 3.6 inches, and the Segway Navimow will take care of the rest. It’ll take about 120 minutes for the Navimow i110N to get a full recharge. As a unique feature, the Segway has a new doodle feature that allows you to write messages in the lawn.
Mashable Deals
Best deal for fast recharging
$1,399
at Amazon
$1,799.99
Save $400.99
Why we like it
Just in time for Memorial Day, the Sunseeker S4 LiDAR Robot Lawn Mower is 22% off at Amazon, shaving $400.99 off the list price. This Sunseeker model can mow yards up to 0.25 acres and navigate sloes that measure up to 42 degrees. You’re able to set up to five mowing zones with the Sunseeker S4 and select mowing heights for each zone between 1.6 and 3.2 inches.
When it comes time to recharge, the Sunseeker takes just 90 minutes to get back to 100% and ready to mow again. It also has a smart rain sensor and will return to base should the weather turn soggy.
Entertainment
New Microsoft Defender exploits discovered. How to protect yourself
Microsoft has identified some nasty exploits that could affect your Windows machine if you let them.
Bleeping Computer reported on the exploits, which are specific vulnerabilities in Windows Defender, the built-in anti-malware software in Windows. The company has detailed reports on its security website for both vulnerabilities. While it can be a bit difficult for a layperson to understand what’s going on from those reports, the main thing to know is that vulnerable Windows machines can be subjected to denial-of-service attacks using these exploits.
The good news is that Microsoft has already revealed these exploits, and a fix is in the pipeline. If you have automatic updates for Defender turned on, it should have installed the Malware Protection Engine versions 1.1.26040.8 and 4.18.26040.7 to address these exploits.
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Bleeping Computer also included a helpful set of instructions for making sure these updates are turned on:
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Open Windows Security
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Select “Virus and threat protection”
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Click “Protection Updates” and then “Check for updates”
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Select “Settings” and then “About”
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Check the Anti-malware Client version number and make sure it matches the two numbers above
Hopefully, everything is properly set up, and your machine is good to go.
Topics
Cybersecurity
Microsoft
Entertainment
Spotifys new Reserved feature could make concert ticketing less miserable
These days, scoring concert tickets can feel like entering a digital Hunger Games. Fans log on the second tickets go on sale, only to watch seats disappear instantly — many of them seemingly snapped up by scalpers and resellers before actual fans ever get a chance.
Now, Spotify wants to change that by rewarding the people who stream the most.
Today, May 21, the streaming platform announced Reserved by Spotify, a new ticketing initiative aimed at helping dedicated fans access concert tickets before they go on sale to the general public. The program is launching for Premium subscribers in the U.S. who are 18 or older.
Credit: Spotify
The idea is simple: Instead of forcing fans to battle through chaotic on-sale queues or complete elaborate fan-verification games, Spotify will identify an artist’s most dedicated listeners through streaming activity and reserve tickets specifically for them. Eligible fans will receive a purchase window before the public on-sale begins, with up to two tickets held in their name.
Importantly, Spotify says the reserved tickets will not include additional Spotify service fees.
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The company says the number of fans selected — and the number of tickets available — will vary depending on the artist, tour, and market. But Spotify says allocations are intended to be substantial and to scale with an artist’s fanbase.
Credit: Spotify
The move reflects the growing importance of superfans to the music industry, where artists and platforms alike are increasingly trying to reward the fans who engage most deeply. In recent years, fandom has become one of the most powerful forces shaping touring, chart performance, and even marketing strategies, particularly in pop and K-pop spaces where highly organized fan communities already treat streaming like participation.
Reserved by Spotify also expands the company’s broader ambitions in live music. Spotify says it has already driven more than $1.5 billion in ticket sales through its platform via partnerships with more than 40 ticketing companies, alongside features like Concerts Near You and Venue Search.
The bigger question, though, is whether programs like this can meaningfully combat the frustrations fans increasingly associate with modern ticket-buying in the U.S. As ticket prices continue to climb and resale markets remain difficult to control, many fans have grown cynical about whether fair access to concerts is even possible anymore.
Spotify is betting that listening history — not luck — might be the closest thing to a solution.
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