Random Thoughts, Observations, and Questions.

[Wade]

Um...wouldn't a civilization far advanced in the Star Trek universe use a construction method of some sort of energy to matter? Why would it bother with harvesting planets and asteroids to construct a Dyson Sphere?

The energy could be from the star or many stars or from a black hole or from a generator/power plant; or even some other technology we can't imagine. .

The matter created could be self replicating nanites that are the basis of the construction; or even some other technology we can't imagine.
Maybe they harvested the theoretical dark matter and converted it to regular matter. Only a tiny fraction of the overall amount of dark matter in this galaxy would be needed even for a Dyson Sphere.

Maybe they used some process that we can't imagine.

Maybe the builders of a particular Dyson Sphere are Trancended and "placed" it there for their "pets" or for study.

I think that if a civilization is advanced enough to construct a Dyson Sphere and stay powerful then a much lesser civilization most likely would not be able to unwelcomly encounter it. As the lesser civilization approched the borders of the advanced civilization they might be met by ships, barriers, or transporters. The entire advanced civilization might even be cloaked and/or phased.

-Wade

[AgentZero]

energy to matter conversion is totally imba!

[Wade]

What's "imba"?

How can we know what science will reveal thousands or even millions of years from now? Just over a hundred years ago our science told us it was impossible or not worth the cost for much of our current technology.

Much of what we now have as science and technology could not even be imagined by earlier generations. Much of what was imagined has developed. We can currently imagine much, including energy/matter conversion.

All matter is just organized energy.

(Besides, I stated, "in the Star Trek universe" where there is energy/matter conversion.)

-Wade

[AgentZero]

Wade said:
What's "imba"?

If you spent more time on #spaceempires, you'd know such things. You'd also know strange, disturbing and frightening things that would keep you up at night. But hey, everything has it's price!

[Arkcon]

Wade said:
Um...wouldn't a civilization far advanced in the Star Trek universe use a construction method of some sort of energy to matter? Why would it bother with harvesting planets and asteroids to construct a Dyson Sphere?

Well yeah, there is that whole point of view. The whole "ethics of a Dyson sphere" was just a train of thought from Picard, as he tried to understand the stellar fragment on a collision course and the Dyson sphere "dodging" it.