It thankfully stops short of “meat”:

Such animated characters are composed of solid matter arranged by transporter-based replicators and manipulated by highly articulated computer-driven tractor beams. The results are exceptionally realistic “puppets,” which exhibit behaviors almost exactly like those of living beings, depending on software limits.

Objects created on the Holodeck that are pure holographic images cannot be removed from the Holodeck, even if they appear to possess physical reality because of the focused forcebeam imagery. Objects created by replicator matter conversion do have physical reality and can indeed be removed from the Holodeck, even though they will no longer be under computer control.

Obviously, there is an inconsistency here, as we saw that later holographic characters could not be removed from the holodeck, and therefore must not have been replicated.

I don’t think so - I’ve never been able to find it.

That isn’t actually stated anywhere, but…it kind of has to be true in order for latinum to work.

The Technical Manual explanation is not that replicators create matter out of pure energy - they are a type of transporter that dematerializes raw material and rematerializes it to match a molecular pattern. They are “matter-energy converters” only in the sense that the stream of particles during the materialization process could be called an energy stream.

These replicator system headends are located on Deck 12 in the Saucer Module [of the Enterprise-D] and on Deck 34 in the Engineering Section. These systems operate by using a phase-transition coil chamber in which a measured quantity of raw material is dematerialized in a manner similar to that of a standard transporter.

Instead of using a molecular imaging scanner to determine the patterns of the raw stock, however, a quantum geometry transformational matrix field is used to modify the matter stream to conform to a digitally stored molecular pattern matrix. The matter stream is then routed through a network of waveguide conduits that direct the signal to a replicator terminal at which the desired article is materialized within another phase transition chamber.

Yeah…I think a lot of that will depend on what the actual plot of the thing is, and they’ve been keeping a surprisingly tight lid on that.

The covert mission to destroy Cardassian weapons that Starfleet Intelligence sent Picard, Crusher, and Worf on in “Chain of Command” was probably illegal, but I never hear people complaining about it.

Yeah, I only really thought of them because (a) the Memory Alpha page for “Exoskeleton” mentioned them, and (b) people have been comparing Zeph here to the Borg since images first came out.

Disregarding the Borg, I can’t think of any others.

Zeph has moved into my head, and he’s not moving out.

Star Trek has certainly never shied away from “fun and silly” before. I think it’s good to have different flavours available.

As long as I enjoy this thing, it should be enough for me.

The questions are pretty good. One thing that they didn’t include is the spectre of people choosing MAID due to deficiencies in the health care system, rather than the medical condition itself. I had to write that one in.

You don’t have to lower the requirements - you just have to make it easier and more affordable to pass local competency exams and get a license.

So sad, yet so delicious.

I don’t want to get too excited in this time of contraction in the entertainment industry, but it’s exciting that they’re opening the door to this era.

If I remember correctly, it’s somewhat controversial amongst family farmers who want to leave the farm to their children, so the Cons may think it plays well to their base from that angle.

The presence of a young Rachel Garrett seems to suggest it (she was likely born around 2300, so the movie could take place around 2330).

I don’t know if we’ll see any actual maroons, though - I think they’re operating outside of the Federation.

quick get Sam Witwer on the phone

the Discovery-era

Well, this seems poised to be set sometime after “The Undiscovered Country,” which is actually one of the more interesting aspects for me.

He handles himself well, but it’s light on policy. The closest he comes is saying something about how Canadians deserve a carbon tax that puts the burden on big companies, and not on the people. This would seem to suggest he would make some changes there.

Maybe, but he didn’t have anything to do with this carbon tax, and his Jon Stewart interview seemed to hint that he feels some changes might be in order there.

My plan is to go in expecting a goofy action movie, and hopefully I’ll find at least parts of it more compelling than that.

I’ve always felt that the Georgiou character is potentially interesting, and I liked her Discovery send-off. Of the “new” characters, Alok sounds interesting, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they do with Garrett.

I’m giving myself 50/50 odds of enjoying it.