An Analysis of Dithium

[Lucky]

Dilithium

Captain's log, Stardate 42695.3. We are the first manned vessel to enter the Selcundi Drema sector. Unmanned probes have recorded unusual levels of geological activity in all five planetary systems. I am hoping the Enterprise will find the answer to this enigma.

[Bridge]

DATA: Commander, I've been reviewing the unmanned probe scans. At some point during the last one hundred and fifty years, the fifth planet of Selcundi Drema has shattered, forming an asteroid belt. 

RIKER: I'd call that geological instability. 

WORF: Is there any indication that this is the work of an unknown intelligence? 

RIKER: This is geology, not malevolence. These planets live fast and die hard. The question is, why?

Planets are shattering, turning it into asteroid belts for seemingly no reason do to dilithium deposits it seems. Such an event would require a vast input of energy.

[Bridge]

RIKER: The first long range reading. Magnification ten to the sixth. 

PICARD: Quite impressive. 
http://tng.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/ ... als028.jpg(The planet is glowing red and black, like a huge ball of lava) 

RIKER: And deadly. The last unmanned probe showed a thriving ecosystem. Now there's nothing.

Here we have diltihium returning a M-class planet to a molten state.

[Observation lounge]

RIKER: We found the reason for the geological instability. 

PICARD: Excellent. 

DAVIES: We would have missed it if Ensign Crusher hadn't requested an ico-gram, but he did, and 

WESLEY: Drema Four has the largest deposit of dilithium ore ever recorded. It's also laid down in a very unusual pattern. The crystals are growing to form perfectly aligned lattices. 

HILDEBRANDT: The ore is forming generator strata. 

ALANS: Which creates a piezoelectric effect. 

PICARD: In plain English, you're saying the dilithium is causing the geological catastrophe. 

ALANS: Right, the crystals take the natural radiant heat of the planet 

HILDEBRANDT: Focus it, and turn it into mechanical energy. 

ALANS: Which increases tectonic stresses 

HILDEBRANDT: That tear the planet apart. 

DAVIES: And then the crystals break down, which is why we found all these traces of illium 629. 

PICARD: So that takes care of the why. Now, what can you do? 

WESLEY: That is going to take a little more work. 

PICARD: Can you reverse the process? 

WESLEY: We think so. 

PICARD: No. No theories, no half answers. Yes or no? 

HILDEBRANDT: We'll get to work on it. 

(Wesley and his team leave) 

RIKER: Sir, Data's out there right now, monitoring the conditions on Drema Four. The situation's become pretty desperate for his friend. He's calculated the safest location on the planet's surface. You can guess why. 

PICARD: We're just keep getting deeper and deeper in, aren't we? 

RIKER: She's going to die. They're all going to die. 

PICARD: Unless. 

RIKER: Yes. Unless. 

PICARD: All right, you can tell Commander Data he has my permission to contact his friend and conduct her to a safer location. Number One, you know where we are now? 

RIKER: Sir? 

(Picard makes an 'up to our necks' gesture)

The Dilithium was entering a generator state, and that would imply that when exposed to the proper stimuli Dilithium releases far more energy then is put into it.

Warp Cores

[Dala's ship]

DALA: And finally, our Bridge. 

VARN: Is this a typical Federation vessel?

DALA: Well, the Delta Flyer may look a little worn, that's only because she's been through so much. This ship has helped fend off the Borg, the Hirogen, Species 8472. 

VARN: Most of your technology is outdated. 

DALA: Show him the mothership, Mister Chakotay. 

ZAR: USS Voyager. Intrepid class, fifteen decks of the most advanced technology you'll find anywhere. Dilithium powered warp engines, integrated bio-neural circuitry, holodecks. 

VARN: Is this a typical Federation vessel? 

DALA: Every ship in the fleet is built to exacting standards but I'd be lying if I told you I didn't think Voyager was exceptional. As her Captain, I'm not entirely objective. I'm sure you feel the same way about your ship. 

VARN: It is my home. 

DALA: I'm glad to hear you say that Mister Varn, because that's exactly what the Federation is. A home for an extended family who share resources and come to one another's aid in time of need.

Here we have Varn(an experienced if gullible spacer) finding nothing odd about having a dilithium powered warp drive.

[Bridge]

OFFICER: Captain, there's a power surge in their reactor. 

REED: He's overloading his dilithium matrix. He'll destroy their ship. 

SOONG: Let me talk to him. (Hoshi opens the channel) Malik. Malik, it's Father.

As we can see the dilithium is the threat rather then the anti-matter much like drive.

TORRES: It's too late. I have to eject the core. 

PARIS: Here? We'll never survive the blast. Neither will anyone else within a million kilometres.

Here we have the warp core of the Delts Flyer about to breach. The threat is seemingly caused by the dilithium matrix because there should no longer be any anti-matter left in the warpcore once it has been ejected from the ship.

From the above we can conclude several things
1. Star Fleet and Klingon vessels are powered by a Dilithium Matrix
2.Dilithium seems to draw power from some external location.

The Crater At The End of Obsession

KIRK: Antimatter seems our only possibility. 

SPOCK: An ounce should be sufficient. We can drain it from the ship's engines and transport it to the planet surface in a magnetic vacuum field. 

KIRK: Contact medical stores. I want as much haemoplasm as they can spare in the transporter room in fifteen minutes. 

GARROVICK: Yes, sir. 

MCCOY: I presume you intend to use that haemoplasm to attract the creature? 

KIRK: We must get it to the antimatter. It seems attracted to red blood cells. What better bait could we have? 

SPOCK: There is still one problem, Captain. 

KIRK: The blast, yes. 

SPOCK: Exactly. A matter-antimatter blast will rip away half the planet's atmosphere. If our vessel is in orbit and encounters those shock waves 

KIRK; A chance we'll have to take, Mister Spock. 

SPOCK: Also, we cannot be certain the transporter will operate under those conditions. If a man is beaming up when that hits, we may lose him. 

KIRK: That's exactly why I've decided to set the trap myself. 

SPOCK: Captain, there is so little hemoglobin in my green blood, the creature could not harm me extensively. It therefore seems logical for me to be the one 

KIRK: Negative, Mister Spock. In case this plan fails, I'll need you aboard the ship. In that event, we'll need another plan. 

SPOCK: It will require two men to transport the antimatter unit.

The explosion seems to be as powerful as Spock expected it to be, but the crater on the planet is not glowing.
http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x13h ... hd1356.jpg
We know that Dilithium can transform heat into mechanical energy. The use of Dilithium in the bomb the crew of the Enterprise built would explain the lack of heat.
(The above theory ignores the possibility of the Tritainium on the planet being a factor.)

[Jasonb]

Dilithium

Captain's log, Stardate 42695.3. We are the first manned vessel to enter the Selcundi Drema sector. Unmanned probes have recorded unusual levels of geological activity in all five planetary systems. I am hoping the Enterprise will find the answer to this enigma.

[Bridge]

DATA: Commander, I've been reviewing the unmanned probe scans. At some point during the last one hundred and fifty years, the fifth planet of Selcundi Drema has shattered, forming an asteroid belt. 

RIKER: I'd call that geological instability. 

WORF: Is there any indication that this is the work of an unknown intelligence? 

RIKER: This is geology, not malevolence. These planets live fast and die hard. The question is, why?

Planets are shattering, turning it into asteroid belts for seemingly no reason do to dilithium deposits it seems. Such an event would require a vast input of energy.

[Bridge]

RIKER: The first long range reading. Magnification ten to the sixth. 

PICARD: Quite impressive. 
http://tng.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/ ... als028.jpg(The planet is glowing red and black, like a huge ball of lava) 

RIKER: And deadly. The last unmanned probe showed a thriving ecosystem. Now there's nothing.

Here we have diltihium returning a M-class planet to a molten state.

[Observation lounge]

RIKER: We found the reason for the geological instability. 

PICARD: Excellent. 

DAVIES: We would have missed it if Ensign Crusher hadn't requested an ico-gram, but he did, and 

WESLEY: Drema Four has the largest deposit of dilithium ore ever recorded. It's also laid down in a very unusual pattern. The crystals are growing to form perfectly aligned lattices. 

HILDEBRANDT: The ore is forming generator strata. 

ALANS: Which creates a piezoelectric effect. 

PICARD: In plain English, you're saying the dilithium is causing the geological catastrophe. 

ALANS: Right, the crystals take the natural radiant heat of the planet 

HILDEBRANDT: Focus it, and turn it into mechanical energy. 

ALANS: Which increases tectonic stresses 

HILDEBRANDT: That tear the planet apart. 

DAVIES: And then the crystals break down, which is why we found all these traces of illium 629. 

PICARD: So that takes care of the why. Now, what can you do? 

WESLEY: That is going to take a little more work. 

PICARD: Can you reverse the process? 

WESLEY: We think so. 

PICARD: No. No theories, no half answers. Yes or no? 

HILDEBRANDT: We'll get to work on it. 

(Wesley and his team leave) 

RIKER: Sir, Data's out there right now, monitoring the conditions on Drema Four. The situation's become pretty desperate for his friend. He's calculated the safest location on the planet's surface. You can guess why. 

PICARD: We're just keep getting deeper and deeper in, aren't we? 

RIKER: She's going to die. They're all going to die. 

PICARD: Unless. 

RIKER: Yes. Unless. 

PICARD: All right, you can tell Commander Data he has my permission to contact his friend and conduct her to a safer location. Number One, you know where we are now? 

RIKER: Sir? 

(Picard makes an 'up to our necks' gesture)

The Dilithium was entering a generator state, and that would imply that when exposed to the proper stimuli Dilithium releases far more energy then is put into it.

Warp Cores

[Dala's ship]

DALA: And finally, our Bridge. 

VARN: Is this a typical Federation vessel?

DALA: Well, the Delta Flyer may look a little worn, that's only because she's been through so much. This ship has helped fend off the Borg, the Hirogen, Species 8472. 

VARN: Most of your technology is outdated. 

DALA: Show him the mothership, Mister Chakotay. 

ZAR: USS Voyager. Intrepid class, fifteen decks of the most advanced technology you'll find anywhere. Dilithium powered warp engines, integrated bio-neural circuitry, holodecks. 

VARN: Is this a typical Federation vessel? 

DALA: Every ship in the fleet is built to exacting standards but I'd be lying if I told you I didn't think Voyager was exceptional. As her Captain, I'm not entirely objective. I'm sure you feel the same way about your ship. 

VARN: It is my home. 

DALA: I'm glad to hear you say that Mister Varn, because that's exactly what the Federation is. A home for an extended family who share resources and come to one another's aid in time of need.

Here we have Varn(an experienced if gullible spacer) finding nothing odd about having a dilithium powered warp drive.

[Bridge]

OFFICER: Captain, there's a power surge in their reactor. 

REED: He's overloading his dilithium matrix. He'll destroy their ship. 

SOONG: Let me talk to him. (Hoshi opens the channel) Malik. Malik, it's Father.

As we can see the dilithium is the threat rather then the anti-matter much like drive.

TORRES: It's too late. I have to eject the core. 

PARIS: Here? We'll never survive the blast. Neither will anyone else within a million kilometres.

Here we have the warp core of the Delts Flyer about to breach. The threat is seemingly caused by the dilithium matrix because there should no longer be any anti-matter left in the warpcore once it has been ejected from the ship.

From the above we can conclude several things
1. Star Fleet and Klingon vessels are powered by a Dilithium Matrix
2.Dilithium seems to draw power from some external location.

The Crater At The End of Obsession

KIRK: Antimatter seems our only possibility. 

SPOCK: An ounce should be sufficient. We can drain it from the ship's engines and transport it to the planet surface in a magnetic vacuum field. 

KIRK: Contact medical stores. I want as much haemoplasm as they can spare in the transporter room in fifteen minutes. 

GARROVICK: Yes, sir. 

MCCOY: I presume you intend to use that haemoplasm to attract the creature? 

KIRK: We must get it to the antimatter. It seems attracted to red blood cells. What better bait could we have? 

SPOCK: There is still one problem, Captain. 

KIRK: The blast, yes. 

SPOCK: Exactly. A matter-antimatter blast will rip away half the planet's atmosphere. If our vessel is in orbit and encounters those shock waves 

KIRK; A chance we'll have to take, Mister Spock. 

SPOCK: Also, we cannot be certain the transporter will operate under those conditions. If a man is beaming up when that hits, we may lose him. 

KIRK: That's exactly why I've decided to set the trap myself. 

SPOCK: Captain, there is so little hemoglobin in my green blood, the creature could not harm me extensively. It therefore seems logical for me to be the one 

KIRK: Negative, Mister Spock. In case this plan fails, I'll need you aboard the ship. In that event, we'll need another plan. 

SPOCK: It will require two men to transport the antimatter unit.

The explosion seems to be as powerful as Spock expected it to be, but the crater on the planet is not glowing.
http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x13h ... hd1356.jpg
We know that Dilithium can transform heat into mechanical energy. The use of Dilithium in the bomb the crew of the Enterprise built would explain the lack of heat.
(The above theory ignores the possibility of the Tritainium on the planet being a factor.)

Possible cold life form took must the blast incoulding must heat.

[Mike DiCenso]

The explosion seems to be as powerful as Spock expected it to be, but the crater on the planet is not glowing.
http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x13h ... hd1356.jpg
We know that Dilithium can transform heat into mechanical energy. The use of Dilithium in the bomb the crew of the Enterprise built would explain the lack of heat.
(The above theory ignores the possibility of the Tritainium on the planet being a factor.)

The last shot of the ship leaving orbit may or may not be immediately after the final scene of Kirk and Garrovick walking out of the transporter room together. In fact, even though the Enterprise need to rendezvous with the Yorktown they may have taken a few hours to check out the ship and repair any damage from the blast, which should have by all rights stripped away a good chunk of the crust down to the mantle, leaving it exposed and glowing... unless Tycho IV had an usually thick crust.

Also, the tritainium was not on that planet, but another one 1,000 light years distant, so that cannot be used here.
-Mike

[Lucky]

The explosion seems to be as powerful as Spock expected it to be, but the crater on the planet is not glowing.
http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x13h ... hd1356.jpg
We know that Dilithium can transform heat into mechanical energy. The use of Dilithium in the bomb the crew of the Enterprise built would explain the lack of heat.
(The above theory ignores the possibility of the Tritainium on the planet being a factor.)

The last shot of the ship leaving orbit may or may not be immediately after the final scene of Kirk and Garrovick walking out of the transporter room together. In fact, even though the Enterprise need to rendezvous with the Yorktown they may have taken a few hours to check out the ship and repair any damage from the blast, which should have by all rights stripped away a good chunk of the crust down to the mantle, leaving it exposed and glowing... unless Tycho IV had an usually thick crust.

Also, the tritainium was not on that planet, but another one 1,000 light years distant, so that cannot be used here.
-Mike

Thank you for pointing out my mistake.