Star Trek Tech: Why Elon Musk's Tesla Is Like Voyager's Delta Flyer
The Tesla, Like Captain Janeway's Super Borg Shuttle, Breaks & Then Makes The Rules
Elon Musk is always on the move. He keeps all of us busy wondering what he’s up to as he continues to change the world. Both the press and the curious public keep on wondering: What’s his next move? He continues to make tumultuous waves like a starship riding the kinetic energy of a space based soliton wave. His ever growing popular Tesla electric car intrigues us like an Earth based starship - highly advanced, energy efficient and capable of dazzling even the most jaded tech enthusiast.
He hasn’t armed his Tesla marvel with phasers, tractor beams or photon torpedoes yet - but here’s hoping more of the dazzling Star Trek tech will appear.
Musk may behave like a maverick akin to the Prime Directive bucking Captain Kirk, but his Tesla seems much more at home being compared to the Captain Janeway warp powered jewel - The Delta Flyer.
Delta Quadrant Dwelling
After Voyager landed in the Delta Quadrant - stranded courtesy of the mysterious alien being known as The Caretaker - a whole new space neighborhood had to be explored by Janeway’s Starfleet crew. They were stranded thousands of light years from home, having only the friendly alien duo of Neelix and Kes to help guide them through this uncharged region of space.
Eventually, the Intrepid Class starship encountered the Borg, the infamous race of cyborgs intent on absorbing tech, cultures and knowhow of nearly every race they manage to conquer. During their less than friendly alliance, one of their Drones found herself adrift on Voyager. Now cut off from the collective, Seven Of Nine (Jeri Ryan) would have to assimilate a new lifestyle - one which demanded her interaction in very human ways, quite different from her time in the Borg collective.
Although Voyager itself remained a formidable presence in both tech and performance, Lt. Paris felt a new vehicle was needed to support his crew’s main starship. It would take the basic Starfleet design specs and merge them with Borg technology.,
Enter An Earth Based Delta Flyer From Elon Musk
Elon Musk may not be a legendary Starfleet engineer like Scotty or Geordi, but his Tesla looks like it could have come straight out of Earth’s future design. Not only is the Tesla one of the most advanced cars ever constructed, but much like Voyager’s nifty, high powered Delta Flyer, it’s more intelligent, maneuverable and reliable than most any standard Starfleet conveyance. Thank you, Borg ingenuity!
Tesla is becoming the go to vehicle for those who want the newest, most reliable tech, the power efficiency of an electric car and the intelligent capability of self driving - known as Tesla Autopilot - plus many other features simply not found in so many other standard or even mundane vehicles. One thing the Voyager crew never called their Delta Flyer was standard and nobody who drives the Tesla could ever call it run of the mill or common.
Although Tesla is considered a vehicle with an intuitive control interface, the complexity of the cars has given rise to those offering assistance to new Tesla owners. One such company, Drivyn, is quickly becoming one of the best known of these advisory organizations. Expert drivers and enthusiasts known as Drivyn Advisors act much like a Starfleet crew of professionals to mentor new Tesla drivers. I’d say even Starship pilots such as Mr. Sulu on his Enterprise or Lt. Paris would be proud of that kind of skilled guidance.
Revolutionary vehicles like Elon Musk’s Tesla will continue to change our concept of what’s possible with Earth based road vehicles. When first released, the Tesla wasn’t an instant hit. Now, it’s become the gold standard for all-electric vehicles. It’s broken the standard, old rules, and now it’s helping to efficiently make them. By the time our own real Starfleet matures, and we pilot craft such as the Delta Flyer, the Tesla will be looked back on as one of the real technological pioneers,.