Ah, teleporter theorizing! I love it. Quick summary of how the teleporter works: it breaks down your body into its molecules and creates a huge array of that data. It is only that array, that data that is transmitted to or from the ship, not the actual particles themselves. The transporter then reconstructs the object at the destination. How does the teleporter transfer a soul? This is the underlying question of the discussion. For me this isn’t a problem as I don’t believe in a soul thus the question is moot. However, for those who do believe in a soul, it would have to be a physical molecule in order for it to be transferred via the transporter, and since people go through it without losing their soul (from what I’ve observed) we must presume it works and transfers one’s soul. The transporter also asks a question about what we really are. The transporter, by its functionality, says that we are only what we are comprised of, and by its standards since the person/object going in is molecularly identical to the person/object coming out, it would be Kirk and not a copy. However, the transporter has been known to make a copy. The Next Generation SPOILER: Riker has a transporter clone made of him accidentally due to cosmic interference. This is Thomas Riker. The show goes into a few episodes talking about how they were the same but are no longer, etc. They are some of the best episodes in the show, I feel. My final thought is that we are the same person that enters and exits, as I believe we are the sum of our knowledge and experiences in the form of our brain, and as long as the transporter can copy that exactly, I see no reason why it would not be me.