Trek Technology: The sci-fi history of Star Trek technological tropes

PADD/Tablet Computer

In 2011 Apple launched a series of lawsuits against Samsung over their smartphone and tablet computer design, alleging that Samsung had infringed on Apple’s patents with their designs. Samsung argued that Apple’s patents were invalid on the grounds that Apple’s iPad was simply a copy of devices commonly seen in sci-fi, citing Stanley Kubrick’s legendary sci-fi epic 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Star Trek’s PADDs.

This is a principle known as “prior art,” basically you cannot claim a patent or a copyright on something if it already exists, even just conceptually. Usually, science fiction technology cannot be used as prior art, because science fiction technology is basically magic, just because something exists in sci-fi, that doesn’t mean building it is easy; if you make something from sci-fi a reality, then you deserve the credit. But legal experts argued that in this case, what Apple copied was the design and the concept, not the technology, so the tablets seen in sci-fi were valid prior art, and probably even inspired the iPad.

Despite the expert opinion, the judge disallowed that argument. But it’s hard to argue that the concept of a tablet computer wasn’t in the public consciousness before the iPad was unveiled, thanks to sci-fi.

To be fair, we don’t see the tablets in 2001: A Space Odyssey having touchscreen technology, but the Arthur C. Clark book it’s based on, written in 1968, clearly describes surfing the internet on a tablet with a touchscreen

Samsung also attempted to enter into evidence the British 70s sci-fi show The Tomorrow People which featured a fully realised tablet computer. This is how I know that “fondleslab” is a British slang term for a tablet computer. Since I will never unknow this, the next best thing is to try and get Patrick Stewart to say the word “Fondleslab.” This is my life’s mission now.

But Star Trek’s PADDs differ from real-life tablet computers in one really cool and important way, they seem practically disposable, like digital paper. A busy starship captain will have a pile of PADDs sitting on their desk, in the same way a busy real-life person would have a pile of paper on their desk. Tablet computers are a really mundane technology for the 24th century, what we have in real life has probably surpassed what was on Star Trek, and even in the ’90s, PADDs probably weren’t all that impressive as future tech. So Star Trek made them ubiquitous. I imagine that in the Star Trek universe, PADDs are like pens, umbrellas, and sunglasses temporary possessions that one inevitably loses and replaces after a few uses.