Star Trek is one of the most beloved science fiction franchises in the history of the genre, but that doesn't mean everything about it is perfect. In fact, there are some details that are absolutely absurd, including and especially one that was nothing more than a running joke throughout the book. Star Trekthere are many iterations. But, in recent Star Trek installment, this specific detail gets a clever correction that actually makes sense.
In Star Trek #26 by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Angel Hernandez, Data's psychopathic android duplicate named Lore has detonated a bomb at the center of all reality, one that will extinguish all life in all universes. Captain Sisko and his crew of the USS Theseus narrowly escape the destruction of their universe, slipping through time to an alternate past, where they encounter variants of Captain Kirk and his crew of the USS Enterprise.
After their ships came face to face, the two captains decided to gather their crews together as they decided what to do next. While Sisko and Kirk discussed solutions to this cosmic problem, other members of their crews had casual conversations and even pointed out some differences between their ships. In fact, a crew member even points out that this version of the USS Enterprise has floors that seem slippery, to which the person he is talking to responds: “What would you like it to be, rug?”.
Star Trek Offers a Brilliant Reason Why Its Ships Have Carpet
Star Trek has been famous for years for having carpeted floors on its starships
From the beginning of the franchise and until the end The next generation, Star Trek starships (specifically the USS Enterprise) had interior carpeting. This admittedly kitschy design choice is the hilarious product of a bygone era where people thought shag carpeting was the pinnacle of interior design. However, kitsch or not, the carpet inside the ships makes a lot of sense.
The biggest concern raised regarding the floors of this USS Enterprise is that they felt slippery, and given the amount of space battles these ships are involved in, that's a valid concern. With ships being hit by enemy fire or taking evasive action quickly, having floors with some traction would be preferable to shiny metal floors regardless of aesthetics, and carpet certainly provides traction. It's a fun justification for this silly '60s design, but it actually makes sense.
This Star Trek Comic Isn't the Only Time Carpet Floors Have Been Explained
Star Trek: Lower Decks has its own hilarious explanation for starship rugs
As mentioned earlier, Star TrekThe interior carpeting of their ships has been the butt of many jokes throughout the franchise, including in the animated comedy series Star Trek: Lower Decks. In episode 5 of season 4, some characters (who are quite intoxicated) enter a starship and one of them says: “Oh, I love your Starfleet carpet. It's perfect for fainting."According to Star Trek: Lower Decksthe rug is made to 'swoon', which is actually another practical use for the bizarre interior design choice.
While Star Trek: Lower Decks offered a valid reason for the starship carpet, which was definitely more of a joke pointing out the absurdity of such a design. However, in this Star Trek comics, fans actually have a solid reason for there to be carpeting on some starships, giving this absurd detail a very clever solution.