The Quest for Star Treks Shields: Reality vs. Fiction
How Close Are We to Having Shields Like on Star Trek That Can Protect Our Military Ships?
Not even the tiniest bit. We are nowhere near to having a theory for such a thing. We could not possibly be any farther away.
Current State of Energy Barriers
The shields in Star Trek not only deflect or absorb energy from both physical objects and directed energy weapons but also expand to shield nearby vessels and objects without damaging them. Moreover, they can even be shaped in a variety of complex ways and can absorb energy on a massive scale. For example, a single phaser blast from a Galaxy Class starship can destroy an entire mountain range, yet the shields can still take several sustained shots of that type.
Given these capabilities, it is safe to say that we are at least a few hundred years away from having shields like those protecting the Enterprise.
Plasma Window: A Step Closer?
Plasma Window is a promising technology that can be used to shield a small opening with just 1 kW per cm2. To shield an area as large as your mobile phone screen would require 80 kW. This amount of power is roughly equivalent to the maximum output of a small car, suggesting that with some technological advancements and development, this power source could become more efficient and require less power.
Another option may be to develop a more efficient power source. In summary, the plasma window could make significant advancements toward creating energy barriers in a more practical manner.
Towards a Reality of Fictional Technologies
Imagine if Star Trek's energy barriers were the real thing. It would be equally as far away from us as warp travel and matter/energy transporters. All these things are possible in theory, but some theories are a bit more of a stretch than others. However, all of them rely on having staggering amounts of energy available.
In the Star Trek universe, this energy comes from controlled matter/antimatter reactions, which is also theoretically possible. However, the production of antimatter in the first place is extremely complex and energy-expensive, making it highly impractical. Creating enough antimatter to sustain such a reaction is far beyond our current capabilities.
Even if you solve the issue of producing antimatter, there still remain the challenges of controlling and channeling all that energy. In the in-universe technology, this control is implemented through dilithium crystals, a substance we have yet to discover or replicate in the real world.
So, solving the issues of creating antimatter and controlling its reaction with matter is a critical step toward making these technologies a reality. Once this is accomplished, we will be a lot closer to having shields like the ones seen on Star Trek.
In conclusion, while the idea of energy barriers like those in Star Trek seems far-fetched, advancements in technology, such as the plasma window, bring us closer to making these concepts a reality. The energy barrier scenario is as much a product of imagination as it is a goal worth pursuing, but it is clear that we still have a long way to go.