When we watch Science Fiction movies and television shows, it seems reasonably certain that eventually, somehow, the idea of teleportation will come up somehow. Obviously Star Trek made it famous, but they certainly weren’t the only ones. Most series have played with the concept at some point.
And, if sci-fi writers are to be believed, there are basically four kinds of people when it comes to their first experience with a teleporter.
There are, of course, the rare enthusiasts, who just think it’s the coolest idea ever, and want to try it. I suspect that in real life those people would likely be in a severe minority, when you consider that we are a society who thinks BuckyBalls are too dangerous.
Then there are the moaners; these people will go through a teleporter if they have to, but they are going to let you know just how unhappy they are about it, and complain loudly the entire time.
Those people are followed by the yellers; the people who out-right refuse to use the machine, either because it’s blaspheming against God or the Great Green Arkleseizure, or because they believe their molecules will be scattered all over the universe. Or because they’ve seen Star Trek, and know that the fail rate for the transporter has to be about 85%.
And finally there are the screamers; these are the people who just lose their goddamned minds and freak right the f*** out, panicking beyond all rationality about the idea of teleporting somewhere.
So, presented with a teleporter, which would you be? An enthusiast, a moaner, a yeller or a screamer?
Screamer, yeller, moaner, enthusiast. In that order. Just like your mo…. oh wait.
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Glad to see the joke wasn't too subtle for everyone.
/subtle like a frying pan to the face.
But what if it works like Tesla's machine in The Prestige? If it was that kind I would be a screamer, because the original must be destroyed when you make the copy.
Were it that kind of teleport, one would probably become a cold, reclusive, doppelganger-killing depressed person. With Scarlett Johansson to warm one's bed.
Just think though. If we didn't destroy the original, there could be Scarlett Johanssons for EVERYONE!
Your plan. It wins.
I, like Commanderette Zircon, would be an enthusiast.
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I think Galaxy Quest covered all the bases:
You've got the great scream.
The pig is inside out. And it exploded.
And then there's Tony Shalhoub: "Ah, that was a hell of a thing."
I enjoy violent turbulence in small aircraft, so I think I'm probably in the Enthusiast camp (provided the machine is not being operated by a mouth-breathing expert from super-crashy British Rail). Anyway, just make it fun!
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At first I was going to say "depends on safety margin", but if we're talking about a technology that's at least as safe as driving, I'd fall into the enthusiast camp. The only way I might not be is if it was one of those gifts-bestowed-by-aliens that we're not allowed to understand. Wait, no. I would still be an enthusiast then. I'd be working on reverse engineering it.
It's got to be better than flying, so I'm all for it!
Better than flying??? Have you been aloft lately?
Beats the hell out of commuting…
But I always wondered, if you are being disassembled and reassembled, couldn't this be used as a means of filtering illness and disease?
Couldn't it be used to insert explosive/foreign devices into peoples hearts/stomachs ect… Yah this could get messy…
"And leave my fifteen year-old son's 'Winona Forever' tattoo behind, too."
Trek's transporters had "Bio-filters" and stored memory of what each person
was like before they beamed down. Yet people still got sick….
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Or…
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