StillPaisleyCat ,
@StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website avatar

There are some super rare elements, structures and materials that cannot be replicated.

These unreplicatable ones become the most valuable. Likewise, the value of original or unique sentient-being created artifacts.

Conversely, the value of things that can be replicated is effectively reduced to the energy cost, give or take transportation costs for items that can only be replicated in large industrial replicators.

Energy cost becomes the key value. Not a problem generally, but in a constrained environment like a starship at maximum warp over long periods (e.g., Voyager’s first years in the Delta Quadrant), it can require rationing of replicator usage. (Holodeck had a separate and incompatible power source.)

The most widely known example of an element that can’t be replicated is latinum, which replaced gold as a measure of value. Gold is replicatable but latinum is not.

Other examples include dilithium crystals needed to regulate warp core reactions and benamite crystals needed for the quantum slipstream drive.

Some materials that cannot be replicated in the 23rd century can be otherwise created in the 24th century. The technology progresses through time in-universe.

I believe there was a post or file at the old place that listed all the canonically identified unreplicatable materials. It might be one to bring forward to c/DaystromInstitute. @khaosworks can you weigh in please?

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