If the cast of "Star Trek: Discovery" is any indication, the future will be dominated by iPhones.
I had a chance to interview eight of the main cast members of the upcoming show last month, and asked each the same three questions:
Which phone do you use?
What's your favorite piece of technology?
What technology from the Star Trek universe would you like to see in the real world?
Many of the answers were obvious. For instance, six of the eight cast members used iPhones, with both Sonequa Martin-Green, who plays lead character Michael Burnham, and Michelle Yeoh, who plays Captain Philippa Georgiou, both referring their phones as their favorite piece of technology.
Others were more surprising. Doug Jones, who plays the Kelpian Lt. Saru, and Shazad Latif, who plays Lt. Ash Tyler, both confessed that they don't use smartphones. It appeared to be a revelation to both of them, since they high-fived each other after giving their answers.
Jones uses a Samsung phone with a slide-out keyboard, while Latif uses an Alcatel flip phone (he has another one back at home in the UK).
"I don't want the world in my pocket all day long," Jones said.
Shakespeare in VR
The cast's answers diverged when asked about their favorite real-world tech. The answers ranged from obvious -- Anthony Rapp (Lt. Paul Stamets) called out his PlayStation 4, while Jones, Latif and Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), named their iPads -- to surprising and thoughtful answers.
Jason Isaacs, who plays Captain Gabriel Lorca, and is known for villainous roles like Lucius Malfoy in the "Harry Potter" film franchise, geeked out over 3D-printed headphone tips called Snugs (he even stopped the interview to dig through his backpack to show me).
"These things would stay in during a tsunami or an attack by the Klingons," Issacs said, making it clear he has no vested interest in hawking the headphone tips.Â
Mary Chieffo, who plays the Klingon battle commander L'Rell, is into virtual reality and is working on a live adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Othello" in VR.
"I hope it will create a visceral response from the audience," she said.
Beats airport security
Both Martin-Green and Rapp want to see a real-life tricorder, so you'll be able to scan objects and different landscapes. Just give Google and Apple a few years, and it'll essentially be there on your phone.
Latif thought with his stomach, and wanted a food replicator, while Chieffo would want to see a holodeck come to life.
But the most popular answer was the transporter.
"I'd want to go to Mars today," Cruz said.
"I wouldn't mind being able to beam up and down and save all that time I spend on public transport," Isaacs said.Â
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