this post was submitted on 22 Jan 2024
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No it doesn't. People always think that even though Geordie explains it perfectly well in the episode where Riker gets duplicated.
In the universe of Star Trek, matter and energy are interchangeable.
"But that's not physically possible..." someone ALWAYS says, so I'll cut you off right there.
It's FICTION, and in the FICTION of Star Trek it's always been possible from the very first episode.
Your atoms are ripped apart and converted to energy, the store in a confinement beam to prevent them scattering all over the place and mixing in with the ambient energy. A pattern is sent along with that confinement beam; basically instructions on how to convert the energy back into matter and put it together. Think of it like sending a jigsaw to someone along with a picture of how it's supposed to look.
When Riker was cloned, it's because Geordi initiated a second confinement beam, thinking he would need it. But he didn't so he terminated it. The beam, however, bounced off the atmosphere. So we have a second confinement beam, and a second pattern, but no "Riker" matter. So it used the ambient energy to recreate the pattern.
That's just how it is. That's how it's always worked. The "That's not actually possible crowd" just need to deal with it.
Yeesh.
Now maybe this isn't a part of the fiction, but being turned into energy sounds a lot like dying. Now I don't believe in souls, but do they exist in the fiction?
Yes, in TNG there are numerous encounters with souls.
So your getting killed then revived at your destination. Edit considering the debate in our existence is it possible that there are people in the star Trek universe that refuse to use transporters for the same reason we are having this debate. They'd probably be the star Trek equivalent of the Amish.
Atoms aren't consciousness though. Matter is energy. However, your consciousness exists in a non-corporeal sense. There isn't a glob of atoms somewhere in your brain where the continuum of consciousness resides. They didn't explain that on TNG.
Actually yes, there really is. Memories are just connections between neurons and synapses firing in an individuals brain. Emotions are just chemicals and hormones secreted from the pineal gland and regulated by the hypothalamus as part of your bodies endocrine system.
There is no such thing as a "soul", or even of some magical idea of spiritual consciousness. Everything we are, every memory, thought, emotion, phobia, personality trait, intelligence....is all biological.
We've known that for decades by this point.
None of this is actually settled science at all though, is it? Not enough to be talking about it with such certainty anyway.