Copyright 2015 by Bradley Davidson

 

Stardate

by Bradley Davidson

 

            “Spock! What is that?”

            “It appears, Captain, to be a space ship.”

            “Right.  Thanks, Spock.  Magnify!” the Captain continued.

            The big screen on the bridge brought closer the seeming piece of space dust.

            “And according to the markings on it, this is an early Earth space explorer which went missing last century when it wandered into the ‘Void’”, Spock added.  “It is the original Intrepid.”

            “Interesting,” the Captain muttered. 

            “Sensors indicate there are no life signs, but the early atomic reactor is maintaining some power to the computer core.” Spock added.

            “Excellent!” exclaimed the Captain.  “Let’s download its logs and find out what happened to this space wanderer.”

            “There may be a problem, Captain.”  Spock continued.  “We can download the contents of its computer core, but we won’t be able to read or decipher it.”

            Ah, how’s that, again?”  The Captain queried.

            “We won’t be able to read any of the files, Captain.”

            “And,… why?” the Captain curiously and cautiously asked?

            ”Obsolete software and file formats, Captain.”

            “Say what, Spock?”

            Our systems cannot open or read files from over 100 years ago.  They are obsolete.”

            “Spock!”.’ the Captain continued with some degree of disbelief.  “We download and decipher data from alien ships all the time.  Why is it we don’t have the technology to read our own files?”

            “Early software developers, in their haste to create the biggest and best computer applications, failed to make them reverse compatible.  If data were not upgraded at the time of a new release, they became obsolete.”  Spock explained.

            “That’s ridiculous, Spock.”  Let’s just create some programs that will convert the files.”

            “Early treaties with the Microsoft Empire strictly forbids creating third party software that would do that.”

            “You mean all those logs, the Captains’ logs, full of information, and insight not to mention wit and humor, are lost forever.”

            “It would seem that way, sir.”

            “And even my logs, those inspired pieces of literature, may someday be unreadable?”

            “Unless fail safes are enacted.” Spock added.

            “Scotty!” the captain shouted.  “Get some software engineers working on this database.”  We’ve got to find out what happened to that ship.”  The Captain turns to Spock and continues, “We are the Enterprise, Spock.  Except for the Prime Directive, we sometimes bend the rules, navigate around the treaties.  And we’ve sometimes stretched the Prime Directive, too.”

            “Often, Captain.  We’ve broken the Prime Objective often.”

            “Captain!”  Scotty shouts out.  “I’m giving her all I can but these files are not only obsolete, but encrypted and corrupt.”

            “Let me know when you have it done, Scotty.”

            “Aye, Captain.”

            “The Captain turns to the chief medical officer.  “Bones!  See what you can do with the medical files.”

            “For God’s sake, Jim, I’m a doctor, not a software engineer.”

            “Right.” The Captain sighed.

            “In the meantime, could someone manufacture, replicate or just go fetch me a pen and paper?  I’ve got a log to write.”

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