Hey did you steal that from Star Trek? A science fiction author’s frustration.

A would-be science fiction author who won’t be named asked me ”Doesn’t it worry you that you stole an idea from StarTrek?”

Shocked and dismayed, I said: ”I didn’t.”

Won’t be named: “But don’t they use tachyons to power their ships?”

Me: “No the Enterprise was powered by a matter/anti-matter reaction which creates a plasma in the dilithium crystals.”

Won’t be named: “I am pretty sure I heard the word ‘tachyon’ on Star Trek.”Me. “Oh, well sure they used tachyons on different episodes, but they didn’t come up with tachyons. The theory has been around since the 60′s at least and the idea is even older.”

Won’t be named was probably bored at this point, but I continued talking. After all, my integrity as an author was at stake!

“A tachyon is a hypothetical particle that can go faster than the speed of light. Of course nearly all sci-fi authors look into prevailing theories and then add fiction to make them work… but the tachyons don’t power the Revelation, they create a field in order for it to move out of space time…”

I almost geeked out about why I chose this theory, but the would-be author who won’t be named’s eyes glazed over. “So what you are saying is I need to sound science-y.”

So I’m not sure if I am more frustrated because ….

1) this would-be science fiction author thought the writers of StarTrek came up with tachyons

or

2) Because they thought the Enterprise was powered by them.

or

3) Because they had no idea what a Tachyon was and I used it in Other Systems because it sounds so “science-y.”