Talk:The Next Phase (episode)

Ghost-Paradox
Where does the Information about the Ghost-Paradox come from? Although it makes sense, I wasn't able to find any further information about this particular term anywhere else.
 * I disagree that there is even a paradox here, because they explicitly state they are not ghosts, but "phased" in a different molecular state so that they "have no substance". Therefore, since they are not ghosts, I don't think the paradox (if it exists) applies here.--71.213.95.25 18:39, 27 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Read the article on what "ghost-paradox" means. It is not restricted to ghosts. --OuroborosCobra talk 18:42, 27 March 2007 (UTC)


 * This episode also suffers from one of the most frequently made mistakes in science fiction, the Ghost-paradox. If La Forge and Ro are out of phase with the universe, and can pass through matter, then why don't they sink through the Enterprise bulkheads? And since air would pass through their lungs, rather than be absorbed by their lungs, why don't they suffocate? Furthermore, since light would interact with neither Ro's eyes nor La Forge's VISOR, they would both be blind, and would not be able to see their surroundings, which they were able to do throughout the episode. (Not to mention the number of tables they absent-mindedly touched or chairs they sat in without thinking...)


 * It reads to me like nothing but a big ole nitpick, which I thought was against the rules around here. Which is why I'm removing it AndroidFan 18:49, 9 January 2008 (UTC)


 * This episode suffers from the we-don't-know-if-we're-dead-but-if-this-were-not-tv-we-would-soon-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom-so-we-would-know-we-were-alive paradox. Crude, perhaps, but undebatable and irresistible to point out.--24.213.177.161 01:53, 9 July 2008 (UTC)


 * Except that you have no idea what the effect of being out of phase would have on the digestive tract. --OuroborosCobra talk 01:58, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Being out of phase really messes it up, trust me on that


 * Actually,the most blatant problem is that they can walk on the floor. If they can walk on the floor like there is normal gravity,that has very specific implications. Gravity pulls down on them with a force m*g where g is the acceleration due to gravity and m is their mass. The floor must therefore be pushing up on them with a normal force m*g or they would sink through it. This implies that the surface of the floor interacts with them just as it does with us. The floor of course is slightly flexible. When a normal person steps on it,it creates vibrations. Their foot steps should ALSO create vibrations. If they don't sink through the floor,then they MUST create foot steps when walking. Even if they were "out of phase" in a multidimensional sort of way,they would still. Consider a drumhead,with a 1 one dimensional being on its surface. Our stringlander lives on a line on the 2 dimensional surface. If he plucks the string by stamping his one dimensional foot,the oscillations are not confined to the string but instead the entire drum head oscillates. I would refer to this as the "Selective Interaction Paradox".     Additionally they must be in thermal equilibrium with their environment. That means they radiate as much heat as they absorb. (This should be immediately apparent to Jordi,who is an engineer.) That means that if you put your hand "on" someone,as in near the surface of their skin,or move through someone they should feel warmth. (as an example,if I touch your hand,you feel warm to the touch,even though our hands are both the same temperature because the heat transfer out of your hand is reduced compared to that of the air in that spot. This must be the case because if it was not,then very bad things would happen. If they are not absorbing heat and not radiating heat,then they overheat and die from the heat generated by their metabolism. If they are not absorbing heat but are radiating heat then they rapidly freeze to death as they wont be able to generate enough heat.

In other words if Jordi wants to signal people that he needs help,he just needs to interpose his body into someone,stamp on the floor or step on a scale.

AnonymousPhysicist

No connection, no reason
I removed this:


 * There is no known relation between the episode title and Star Trek: Phase II.

If there's no known relation... why are we mentioning it? --The reverend 00:41, 8 November 2006 (UTC)


 * The name itself is a relation. They both include "Phase". The note explains that the writers and producers did not intend anything by that, or for them to have anything to do with each other. There are other instances where the writers did intend a relationship, or were paying homage. --OuroborosCobra talk |undefined  00:44, 8 November 2006 (UTC)


 * Sorry, but I believe User:The reverend is clearly right here. What crazy idea is it to add a background note to all pairs articles that have no relation, just because the use the same word of the english language? Somehow, the logic of that escapes me at the moment. -- Cid Highwind 01:31, 8 November 2006 (UTC)
 * Reading what I wrote is making my brain hurt. Sorry about that momentary insanity. --OuroborosCobra talk 04:27, 8 November 2006 (UTC)


 * "Not to be confused with"s or "See also"s are good for similar titles.

Questions
Why don't Geordi and Ro pass through the floor? How is it that Ro can't slam her hand on Crusher's desk but she can sit in her Nav. chair and touch her console? Wasn't there and ENT episode like this? ThetaOrion
 * None of that was explained in the episode, although there is a bit of discussion about this already above. was similar, but ultimately different. --Alan 15:48, 28 March 2009 (UTC)

Sure, i was watching this episode a 2nd time, and found it odd too. Geordi and Ro wouldn't be able to touch anything (otherwise it would be easy for them to show they were present), however they DO make physical contact with the floor, of course, otherwise they would be just propelled out of the ship (what would in turn kill them). But if they could touch the floor, they could use anything else they were wearing (transmitter, or Geordi's visor, or the disruptor they get from the Romulan) on the floor, to make signs, or at least some noise. but that is a minor aspect, what is relevant is the fact they hadn't materiality with anything EXCEPT the floor, what is very odd. Of course there's a flaw, but that's ok, i can live with that. Actually, any attempt to explain would be pointless, a mere cover up. As i said, it's a flaw but i can live with that.. :P --Kurupaku_Anonymous.


 * Since the cloak was designed to let a ship pass through a planet, it might be only a partial phase, that lets the essentials (harmless radiation, gases) still function, and still allows for gravity (or artificial gravity) to work. The artificial gravity plates in every floor would let them walk around okay (this cloak wasn't designed for people).. It might sound like a reach, that the phasing is "only partial", but keep in mind that when they pass through matter, they still affect it (making chronotons), so obviously they can interact with matter somewhat. Probably prototype versions of the cloak had disastrous tests before these kinks were worked out.


 * The artificial gravity could possible create an energy field of some kind in the decks (and the floors of the shuttlecraft) that phased matter of this type cannot pass through. That doesn't explain the chairs, but at least explains their ability to walk on the decks. --Vern4760 10:10, March 13, 2012 (UTC)

Removed

 * This episode shares some similarities with, which involves a crewmember being rendered invisible and intangiable and encountering alien intruders in a similar state, although most of the episode was later revealed to be a hallucination.

Needs evidence of a deliberate attempt to draw a similarity.--31dot 10:57, April 9, 2010 (UTC)


 * Right before La Forge and Ro transport to get "phased", they switch positions on the transporter pad before they vanish.


 * Nitpick.– Cleanse ( talk 10:29, September 25, 2010 (UTC)

Judy Durand voiceover work?
All of the dialog spoken by Chief Brossmer sounds identical to Judy Durand, the voice of DS9's computer - especially all of the dialog spoken over the comm system. Does anyone know if Durand was tapped for some uncredited voice work? - Aatrek 23:49, April 14, 2012 (UTC)


 * To be honest, I thought it was Judi to begin with (having never seen Judi), but noticed slight differences in timbre and resonance. I'd conclude that this instance was a coincidence, considering that she normally sounds nothing like Judi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jXtjsOMlug —EleanorDavenport (talk) 03:37, February 10, 2013 (UTC)

Quote from TNG:"Pegasus"
Before transporting back to the Enterprise with Commander Riker and the recovered phasecloak device, Admiral Pressman says "Two people and one piece of equipment to beam up." Maybe it's worth a note, hardly seems like a coincidence.


 * Why isn't it a coincidence? It's not like they weren't beaming up two people and a piece of equipment; I don't see what that has to do with this episode, unless you have evidence from the production staff or writers they deliberately wrote the line the same. 31dot (talk) 03:58, February 10, 2013 (UTC)

After some digging, it seems that it most likely is a coincidence. I therefore retract my observation. However, It is a rather interesting coincidence. EleanorDavenport (talk) 07:55, February 11, 2013 (UTC)