Where Did "Star Trek" Think of 'Ships Having Shields?'

We're not really exploring space, we haven't even finished exploring our solar system. We have ships leaving the solar system for outer space but we wont' be able to contact them, and so we are still not exploring and we won't know what those ships encounter. Space is too vast. We can't get anywhere, it's doubtful that any other species could, either, even if they did exist.

@zzzgeok But why didn't boats have shield-like coverings back when we believed that 'things in the water' were malevolent species?

@Rollo1 Many supposedly scholarly people are trying to contact alien life by broadcasting messages into outer space, to areas well beyond our solar system. I don't think that is such a good idea. If they are able to pick up our signals, and they have the technology to track our signal and possibly even travel to our world. They would be so much more advanced technologically, that they could easily dominate or destroy us. Just because we haven't found life, does not mean it is not out there. I think we as a species would have to be pretty small minded to think we are the only beings alive in the universe when you consider all the planets there are. Not all, but most of the stars we see are suns, surrounded by planets. I'd have to think there are a number of them that support life. Perhaps sentient beings who would like nothing better than to enslave a species like us, who overstepped our reach.

@mythociate "Necessity is the mother of invention!"

@flpoolbum Then 'how did they invent the necessity?'

I'm thinking that--if 'space debris' were the problem--they would have focused on building the hull out of stronger materials. No, I think it's because SOMEBODY invented a plasma-type material that DESTROYED any material it came into contact with; and so they needed to 'fight fire with fire' (using the same type of material to STOP the plasma-material before it touched the ship's hull).

Much of what is science reality today, started as science fiction in the minds of such people as Jules Verne, and other writers and storytellers. I also believe that a mind that looks forward is able to see things that may come to pass. Much of this is pure logic. Another topic explored to quite a degree on Star Trek, by Mr Spock.

@zzzgeok I liked Data's angle on it more. In a way, he (and his brother Lore) were started as NOTHING BUT logic. And STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION was basically the story of 'a robot's journey into human-hood'---wasn't the end of one of the recent STAR TREK movies (the 'next generation' of the pre-reboot) one in which Data became 'fully human' (replaced by a time-traveling, rediscovered version of his hardware) - almost the way Robin Williams' BICENTENNIAL MAN did (by dying)?

@mythociate I think so. Although I must admit I am not as familiar with TNG. Star Trek with Kirk and Bones and Spock were the ones that I followed fairly deep. TNG and the other offshoots like Deep Space 9 were more of just a catch if I can, but no biggie if I missed. Probably more due to the fact of my age. Star Trek launched the coming of age capture of what turned out to be Geekdom, but was cool at the time. I don't know all the episodes by heart or anything, but I was an avid watcher of the program. I guess I turned out to be a Geek around the edges, but not completely geeky. And, yes, I do like to play chess. But I haven't played in a number of years.

I thought of Lensmen and the '53 version of war of the worlds, as well.