Many people are of the opinion that the Apple patents that downed the Samsung Android phones are plainly silly, but there is nothing like satire to bring the point home. What if, in the future, Apple still held the same patents and pressed its legal rights - where would Star Trek and the Enterprise be then?  Watch the video and cringe.

It is arguable that all the Apple lawsuit has done is to make clear that the patent system is broken and using a jury in a technical case is a bad idea - oh and point out that Samsung phones are a more advanced iPhone for less money. But it could also be the death knell for the Enterprise.

To show you what how it all plays out, the guys who do HAL9000_ on Twitter  have made a video,  "The Enterprise encounters a Romulan Warbird shortly after receiving a court order from Apple's lawyers."

Credit:  http://twitter.com/HAL9000_

OK, the accents could be a bit more realistic, but my guess is that if they were then the video would be taken down all the quicker. As the makers state in a hopeful note:

"All video taken from Season 5 of Star Trek: The Next Generation and is the copyright of Paramount Pictures. Please note that as a parody/mash up its use it covered by Fair Use."

Watch the video while you can.