[gurps] Sub Trek

[Classified TS/BBR]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Onno Meyer" <Onno.Meyer at gmx.de>
To: "The GURPSnet mailing list" <gurpsnet-l at sjgames.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 13, 2008 10:56 PM
Subject: Re: [gurps] Sub Trek


> Tom replied to Jay who replied to me:
>
>> >> The SeaQuest episodes had the look and feel of an
>> >> underwater Star
>> >> Trek - you have one ship, supposedly one of many but we
>> >> don't get
>> >> to see the rest of the fleet, doing a mixture of
>> >> scientific, diplomatic
>> >> and combat missions.
>>
>> seaquest DSV was a protype
>
> The biggest and best, but not the only ship of the UEO, right?
>
>> I agree, there could of been some unexplained technology that the ship 
>> had
>> to deal with the deep ocean pressures like star trek warp drive?
>
This would be the bioshell (or whatever it was called) that armoured the 
vessel.

> There are basically two ways to deal with pressure:
> (1) Live under pressure and adapt the body to it.
> (2) Use a pressure-proof hull and keep the internal pressure normal.
>
> Option (1) runs into biological limits once you want to go deep, or
> change depth quickly, unless you do fairly drastic changes. GURPS
> Bio-Tech talks about it (at least G3E Bio-Tech does, my new one is
> on loan to a friend). The wonder tech could be gengineered
> symbiotes or nanites in the body to patch cells and manage the
> pressure changes.
>
> Option (2) can be made to work, witness the Bathyscape or Alvin,
> but it makes it impossible to go out in unarmored suits. The wonder
> tech would be simply strong but lightweight materials for all subs
> and their subcraft. TL8 or TL9 advanced armor might do the job.
>
> Option (2) sounds better to me, if you accept that below a certain
> depth all EVA is in armored suits.
& this is actually how it was handled, with the exception of the Dolphin(s), 
Michael DeLuise's character [the guy with the gill implants]  & some 
Genetically Engineered "Sea People" in the episode where Cmdr Ford was 
testing a Diving Hardsuit for excessive depths.