Surely, they can just un-replicate it and replenish the replicator protein stocks.
Edit: Thinking about this problem some more, there’s probably a serious issue figuring out what fluids and tissues are safe to un-replicate.
Per the technical manual, the personnel transporters have quark-scale resolution, but the cargo transporters and replicators only have molecular-scale resolution. It would be a gross safety violation to put a living being through anything short of a personnel-rated transporter. Meanwhile any kind of bodily fluid that is emitted is going to have a bunch of still living cells, at least for a while. (I’m not even discussing the gametes here yet). So how do you get the computer to safely and reliably make the determination?
I’m sure I recall them using the cargo transporter at least a few times, but it might be enterprise I’m thinking of? I wonder what resolution they had…
On Lower Decks one of the worst tasks you could be assigned to is cleaning out the jizz traps on the holodeck.
Freeman: “People use it for that?”
Ransom: “Yeah, it’s mostly that.”
Surely, they can just un-replicate it and replenish the replicator protein stocks.
Edit: Thinking about this problem some more, there’s probably a serious issue figuring out what fluids and tissues are safe to un-replicate.
Per the technical manual, the personnel transporters have quark-scale resolution, but the cargo transporters and replicators only have molecular-scale resolution. It would be a gross safety violation to put a living being through anything short of a personnel-rated transporter. Meanwhile any kind of bodily fluid that is emitted is going to have a bunch of still living cells, at least for a while. (I’m not even discussing the gametes here yet). So how do you get the computer to safely and reliably make the determination?
“I’m not trying to replicate babies anymore.” - The Improvised Star Trek
I mean, if the ship is truly self sufficient for long journeys, then this is exactly what they’ve already been doing.
I’m sure I recall them using the cargo transporter at least a few times, but it might be enterprise I’m thinking of? I wonder what resolution they had…
No, that does sound familiar from TNG. I’m sure I remember it too.