Was just thinking about this while taking a boring regular shower with water. A sonic shower just vibrates at high intensity to pulverize dirt and knock it from your body; but what about oils and lipids and all that other stuff that makes you stinky?
On a side note, I realized that the only time any dental care is brought up, it’s with the ferengi. The race with quite possibly the worst teeth in the galaxy are the only ones seen using cleaning utensils on them.
With some of the transporter specific jargon heard throughout the shows, I suspect it’s possible, but would take some modifications to the targeting scanners to separate the crud from the person. Like how they separated Tuvok and Neelix from each other in Tuvix.
Tuvix was exceuted!
I’m familiar with enough transportation duplication accidents, where it seems entirely plausible to duplicate people. They just don’t do it for politeness? For Tuvix I think they should have tried to duplicate him, and then murder one of the duplicates. Then you have three crew members
I just can’t imagine section 31, not taking the opportunity to duplicate diplomats, and high ranking officials, when they get transported, and then torturing the duplicate for information…
If you have transporters a lot of problems become super easy
Schlock Mercenary is a webcomic that actually handles that exact situation regarding the duplicates for torture information. It can be considered a Space Opera like star trek, but with mercenaries.
Using transporters for hygiene makes me think, close air support and enemy fire ought to be easier to apart. Risky move.
All the duplications I know of were freak accidents that only happened because of some outside interference. A plasma storm, a spatial anomaly, an influx of chronitons… They barely even understand the cause half the time, and they’re not trying to recreate it because they already have pretty good cloning technology that they don’t need to use a transporter in a weird storm where they have the potential to be vaporized by lightning.
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Transporter_duplicate
It seems like startrek lore has settled on multiple containment beams will duplicate people. It’s referenced multiple times. :) Even intentionally done under battlefield conditions… best Halloween party ever