Phasers. Teleportation. Clothing that never needs to be ironed (or even washed?). These are the amazing technologies of the Enterprise-D as seen on Star Trek: The Next Generation. But the show's 30th anniversary got us to wondering: How would the beloved series be different if it were actually made today?

For clarity's sake, we're not talking about recent advances in theoretical physics that would change the way a sci-fi series would imagine warp drive or time travel. Rather, we're talking about the practical ideas and everyday improvements the show missed. There are a few humorous oversights—technologies the writers didn't envision in 1987 that we have just three decades later.

As PopMech knows full well, it's a tough business predicting the future, and we continue to long for robot friends, antimatter engines, and 3D chess. So it's with geek love and respect that we look into how TNG would be changed if it were looking to the future from 2017 rather than from 1987.