star trek technobabble rap

Technobabble

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Technobabble was a term for an explanation for a complicated situation concerning technology or technical or scientific details.

In 2369 , Q goaded the senior staff of Deep Space 9 , who had been unable to find the cause of a crippling power drain on the station , by saying " Picard and his lackeys would have solved all this technobabble hours ago. " ( DS9 : " Q-Less ")

Also that year, William T. Riker concocted several technobabble terms to confuse Ferengi invaders on USS Enterprise -D . ( TNG : " Rascals ")

In 2372 , when Tom Paris and Neelix were together in a shuttlecraft descending to the surface of " Planet Hell ", Neelix said he was unimpressed by the technobabble spouting from Tom's mouth as he completed the shuttle's log. He was under the mistaken impression that Paris was trying to impress him, whereas he was only trying to leave an accurate recording behind. ( VOY : " Parturition ")

• 1.1 Background information
• 1.2 Apocrypha
• 1.3 External links

Appendices [ ]

Background information [ ].

Technobabble (also known as Treknobabble) is a moniker describing the pseudo-scientific terminology of Star Trek .

On Star Trek: The Next Generation , some of the actors dubbed it "Piller-filler" after executive producer Michael Piller . ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 252) According to Piller, the latter term originated with Brent Spiner , whose character of Data gave many technobabble speeches. Writers would frequently write "(TECH)" in draft scripts "as a sort of cry for help" to the science advisor André Bormanis , who would then come up with appropriate terminology. [1] [2] [3]

The scene in " Rascals " where Riker confuses the Ferengi Morta with gibberish technology (such as the firomactal drive and isopalavial interface ) was added by uncredited co-writer Ronald D. Moore as his "salute to technobabble". ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 224))

Ira Steven Behr enjoyed Q's line about technobabble in "Q-Less", commenting " it was a line we wrote with great glee, because at that point we hated the goddamned technobabble. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p 45) Beginning in Season 3 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , the DS9 writers made a conscious effort to reduce the amount of technobabble in scripts. ( AOL chat , 1997 )

Some critics have dismissed the reliance on technobabble, which is frequently used as a deus ex machina . [4] However, others have noted positively that certain fictional Star Trek technology, such as the Heisenberg compensator , at least attempt to plausibly address a real world scientific limitation to making science fiction a reality. [5] [6]

In commentary for " Parallels " included on the DVD Star Trek: Fan Collective - Alternate Realities and later on the TNG Season 7 Blu-ray release, writer Brannon Braga discussed his use of technobabble within the episode. While he felt that the explanation as why Worf shifted realities came off well, he was less-than-pleased with the solution for returning him, citing Wesley Crusher 's line that "We could scan the quantum fissure using a subspace differential pulse " as a piece of technobabble that didn't work well and which he didn't really understand. Despite this, he felt that the rest of the episode worked well enough that it could be gotten away with.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Sky's the Limit - The Eclipse of Star Trek: The Next Generation - "Umbra" from of the TNG Season 7 Blu-ray release, writer and producer Naren Shankar describes that a friend of him once sent him what he called "a Star Trek technobabble generator," which was like Mad Libs . It generated a perfectly usable line of dialogue for the show. The tool became institutionalized on the show, originally created as a "ridiculous typed-up document" but put back together with the Star Trek font . Two years after Shankar left the series, he returned to the office to visit and discovered the document there being used by the writers to write dialogue.

In another featurette, "The Motley Crew," from the Star Trek: Picard DVD and Blu-ray , Patrick Stewart notes that Brent Spiner and LeVar Burton had to use a lot of technobabble and came to hate it whenever he would say to them " Mr. Data , Mr. La Forge , analyze." He notes that on Picard , it was Michelle Hurd as Raffaela Musiker who filled this role and he hopes that they never bring it to him because he wouldn't be able to compete with the brilliance of those actors.

Apocrypha [ ]

In the novel The Siege , Benjamin Sisko told Jadzia Dax that her explanation of the subspace compression affecting the Bajoran wormhole sounded like technobabble.

External links [ ]

• Technobabble at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Technobabble at Wikipedia
• Treknobabble at Wikipedia
• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

This TikTok rap about Star Trek beverages is chock-full of deep cuts!

By michael atkins-prescott | jun 26, 2023.

Tiktok is the home to all these wonderful random sparks of creativity so a rap about Star Trek beverages was bound to happen sooner or later.

When Star Trek: Lower Decks was first announced, the idea of a Star Trek comedy seemed like a strange and bold decision that I, for one, couldn’t quite wrap my head around. But two seasons into Lower Decks, the idea seems like a no-brainer. An almost 60-year old sci-fi franchise will have had its fair share of silliness, which is a part of its appeal. Fans approach the show with a loving sense of humour, appreciating its flaws, even when it’s downright stupid. If Lower Decks had never been made, fans would’ve filled the gap, providing Star Trek comedy that belies a real affection for the show, such as this Tiktok rap about Star Trek beverages.

Also, it’s catchy as heck!

I am old enough to remember a time when such a fan project would’ve most likely disappeared without a trace. A piece of fanfiction buried in the Archive Of Our Own servers or a fan film, made with great difficulty, passed around at conventions on VHS. But in a world where devices in our pockets give us access to production capabilities only once dreamed of by regular people, and where those same devices can beam our creations around the world, the breadth and variety of fan projects is staggering.

And of course, rapping about Star Trek beverages is the sort of silliness that could only be an expression of affection for the show.

"@reinaofthecid Replying to @thatnickpowersguy Star Trek has the best beverages #startrek #trekkie #startrekthenextgeneration #tng #ds9 #startrekdiscovery ♬ original sound – Reina del Cid"

She gets some real deep cuts in there, like the fact that Borg can’t metabolise synthehol, so Seven of Nine gets drunk on it, like it’s real alcohol. But what marks this TikToker as a real fan is that she’s focussed almost exclusively on one era . Every fan can appreciate every era and every series, but we all have that one era or one series that’s a bit more special to us than the others. Either it was the one that was on air when we were in our formative years, or it’s the first one we discovered. Including Star Trek: Enterprise, more than the original series might seem like a strange decision, but the heart wants what it wants, and her heart is in Enterprise, apparently.

Though she did miss a trick by not getting “ …it’s green ” in there somewhere. Although the beat being made by Data inserting isolinear chips really fast is a nice touch.

She also did one about technobabble , which mined that fantastical/mundane juxtaposition, for laughs in a very Lower Decks-esque way, and includes another deep-cut reference to Enterprise.

"@reinaofthecid Replying to @bluebirdabsurd engineering dispatch #2 from the Enterprise #startrek #tng #technobabble #lowerdecks #startrekthenextgeneration #trekkie Beat by @Kato On The Track ♬ original sound – Reina del Cid"

dark. Next. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine audibook narrated by Andrew Robinson arrives this summer

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7 best star trek characters at speaking techno babble.

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10 Best Star Trek Quotes Of 2023

Best star trek: voyager episode of each main character, do star trek's uniforms change for different environments.

• Spock delivers accurate, jargon-filled lines in TOS & Abrams films, making him a technobabble master of Star Trek.
• Data's positronic brain in TNG allows for speedy technobabble delivery, often solving problems on the Enterprise-D.
• O'Brien of TNG & DS9 excels in technobabble delivery, making complex technology sound conversational and relatable.

Star Trek 's dialogue is often riddled with technobabble, and certain characters have mastered the delivery of this science jargon more than others. The term technobabble refers to the language used to describe the science and technology of Star Trek's far future and how that technology works. While some of the technobabble is at least somewhat based on real contemporary science, much of it only makes sense within the context of the Star Trek universe. As Starfleet engineers and operations officers deliver these complex lines, they often have to provide clarification for their less science-minded colleagues.

Technobabble is not unique to Star Trek , as many other science fiction television shows and movies create their own technological terms, but the phenomenon is most associated with the Star Trek franchise . From phase inverters to tachyon beams to EM radiation, a lot of technobabble includes actual scientific terms and principles. Most Star Trek shows have employed a science consultant who ensures that the majority of the science has its roots in reality, although sometimes things fall more into the fiction category of science fiction. Regardless, Star Trek wouldn't be Star Trek without a healthy dose of technobabble and there's something undeniably endearing about the sometimes nonsensical jargon.

From passionate speeches to sarcastic quips, Star Trek developed some great quotes and memorable dialogue in 2023.

7 Spock (Leonard Nimoy, Zachary Quinto, Ethan Peck)

Star trek: the original series, j.j. abrams' star trek movies, star trek: strange new worlds, star trek: the original series.

Although Star Trek: The Original Series did not contain as much technobabble as later Star Trek series, Spock was the character who delivered many of the most jargon-filled lines. As the Science Officer on the USS Enterprise , Spock provided his Captains, Christoper Pike (Jeffrey Hunter, Anson Mount) and James T. Kirk (William Shatner) with accurate and objective explanations for the various problems and anomalies the ship encountered. Still, TOS tended to keep things simple and did not always provide technical explanations for the solutions Spock or Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) came up with.

Always the logical Vulcan, Spock would often provide exact figures and detailed responses in the name of accuracy. Every version of Spock has had this trait, although the Spock of J.J. Abrams's Star Trek films was a more emotional version of the character. Star Trek (2009) and its two sequels focused more on action than technical lingo, but again, when a technobabble line was required it was often Spock delivering it. Ethan Peck's Lt. Spock has his fair share of technobabble lines, too, and he even got to sing some of them in the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds musical episode.

The opening number of Strange New Worlds' "Subspace Rhapsody" includes several characters singing their status report updates, as a clever nod to Star Trek's use of technobabble.

6 Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner)

Star trek: the next generation.

With his android positronic brain, Data could perform mathematical equations and process information much faster than any human. Because of this, Data delivered many of the most technobabble-heavy lines in Star Trek: The Next Generation . As the operations officer of the USS Enterprise-D under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), Data was one of the most essential crew members on the ship. Not only did his superior abilities and resistance to disease save the Enterprise on multiple occasions, but he could also remember and recite massive amounts of information.

Much like Spock, Data also tended to provide extremely accurate answers , providing a time frame down to the second, for example, much to the amusement or annoyance of those around him. Brent Spiner was always great as Data, and he made even the most technobabble-filled lines sound natural (for an android, that is). In TNG season 5, episode 18, "Cause and Effect," for example, the Enterprise got stuck in a time loop. As the crew worked to find a solution, Data posited that: "If the dekyon emission is modulated correctly, it will set up resonances in my positronic subprocessors." He clarifies that this would allow him to send himself a message through the time loops on "a subconscious level."

5 Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton)

Beginning in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2, Geordi La Forge served as the Chief Engineer on the Enterprise-D, and he quickly developed a reputation for being able to solve almost any engineering problem. LeVar Burton's ability to make almost any line of technobabble sound conversational came in handy, as La Forge often had to report on the state of the Enterprise's engines and other systems. Geordi understood the Enterprise-D's engines and systems better than anyone, and it often came down to him and his best friend Data to save the day.

In TNG season 3, episode 7, "The Enemy," Geordi found himself trapped on a dangerous planet with a Romulan named Bochra (John Snyder), and he had to reconfigure his own VISOR to find a way off the planet. As Geordi could not see, he coached Bochra through the process, with lines like: "Make sure the scanner select limiter matches the Visor output range" and "Now, place the neural output pods in contact with the tricorder scanner heads." La Forge made these lines and many others sound perfectly logical.

Although Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) did not often get in on the technobabble, he did once deliver a hilarious string of fake technobabble to confuse Ferengi pirates in TNG season 6, episode 7, "Rascals."

4 Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meany)

Star trek: the next generation, star trek: deep space nine, star trek: deep space nine.

Chief Miles O'Brien may be Star Trek's everyman, but he could deliver technobabble with the best of them. O'Brien served as the transporter chief on Star Trek: The Next Generation before transferring over to become Chief of Operations on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , and both roles often required him to spout complex technological jargon . Very few characters could make a line like the one below sound like a normal conversation, but Chief O'Brien managed to pull it off. When discussing what happened to the away team in DS9 season 3, episode 11, "Past Tense, Part 1," O'Brien says:

The temporal surge we detected was caused by an explosion of a microscopic singularity passing through this solar system. Somehow, the energy emitted by the singularity shifted the chroniton particles in our hull into a high state of temporal polarization.

This line prompts a confused look from Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor), before she asks, "Which means what?" O'Brien clarifies that the transporter beam passed through polarized particles and transported the away team to a different time period. Considering neither time travel nor chroniton particles exist in our world, O'Brien's explanation to Kira was very much appreciated. Throughout his time on DS9 , O'Brien kept the station up and running , often without access to the state-of-the-art technology he was used to on the Enterprise-D.

3 Lt. B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson)

Star trek: voyager, star trek voyager.

Since the USS Voyager was stuck light years away from home, the crew often had to come up with unconventional solutions to any problems they faced. Because of this, Star Trek: Voyager likely contained the most technobabble out of any Star Trek show, and Chief Engineer B'Elanna Torres was often the one delivering the most jargon-filled lines. Still, many members of Voyager's crew often pitched in to help when solving problems, sometimes joining in on the technobabble conversations.

The technobabble on Star Trek: Voyager began early, when the ship got trapped in a singularity in only the series' second episode, "Parallax." The solution to escape involved warp particles and a dekyon beam, as well as rerouteing "the port and starboard plasma flow to the main deflector." Several Voyager officers participated in this particular exchange, including Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), who was also pretty adept at delivering technobabble.

Star Trek: Voyager had many great ensemble episodes, but every main character on the show also got their chance to shine in the spotlight.

2 Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green)

Star trek: discovery.

As modern technology and scientific understanding have continued to advance, Star Trek's technobabble has also become more solidly based in actual science. Star Trek: Discovery , in particular, has some of the franchise's best technobabble, and Sonequa Martin-Green excels at delivering even the most complicated lines in a believable way. With its fast-paced, more action-oriented approach to storytelling, Burnham often has to come up with solutions on the fly, and Martin-Green can deliver rapid-fire technobabble like no other.

The crew of the USS Discovery is made up of geniuses and experts in their respective fields, and Burnham served in the position of Chief Science Officer for a time. Having been raised on Vulcan and attended the Vulcan Science Academy, Michael has an analytical and logical mind (much like her foster brother, Spock). She began her Starfleet career on the USS Shenzhou as a xenoanthropologist, and her knowledge of alien cultures proved useful on numerous occasions.

1 Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp)

Commander Paul Stamets focused his study on alien fungi, so he has a better understanding of the USS Discovery's spore drive and the mycelial network than anyone. As one of the smartest officers on a ship full of geniuses, Stamets excels at math and science and often comes up with out-of-the-box solutions to the problems Discovery faces. Stamets, Michael Burnham, and Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) regularly bounce ideas off of one another, in dialogue exchanges full of technobabble. Anthony Rapp has a particular gift for delivering those jargon-filled lines and making them sound believable.

After Discovery arrived 900 years in the future in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, the ship's crew faced entirely new sets of problems. Despite being 900 years behind, Stamets and the crew caught on quickly, and their knowledge, experience, and skills helped reinvigorate the Federation of the future. Regardless of whether the science holds up in the real world, Star Trek's technobabble has always depended on internal logic. Technobabble helps make the universe of Star Trek feel a little more realistic and lived in, and makes that ideal version of the future feel a little more possible. And remember, when all else fails, try reversing the polarity of the deflector array and rerouting power from the auxiliary systems to the plasma manifold.

All of these Star Trek shows are streaming on Paramount+.

• Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
• Star Trek: The Original Series (1966)

Star Trek Best Trek

Trek technobabble generator.

It’s fun! It’s fascinating! It’s fast! Now you, too, can develop that special lingo used in many Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes. Simply choose a number from each of the four columns and put together the resulting words. Instant technobabble! For instance, choosing “3 1 2 2” would result in “annular confinement beam.” Or how about “1 2 4 3”? That’s “anaphasic energy being!” Amaze your friends! Impress your relatives! Start sounding just like La Forge and Data today ! –Phil Farrand, The Nitpicker’s Guide for Next Generation Trekkers Volume II , p. 370

• interphasic
• magnascopic
• nueucleonic
• subharmonic
• confinement
• containment
• discriminator

Robert Downey Jr. Rejects Chris Hemsworth’s Thor Criticism and Claim That Marvel Co-Stars Got Cooler Lines: He’s the ‘Most Complex Psyche Out of All Us Avengers’

By Zack Sharf

Digital News Director

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Robert Downey Jr. won’t accept Chris Hemsworth ‘s gripes over Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As part of Hemsworth’s recent Vanity Fair cover story , the Thor star revealed he grew frustrated playing the Asgardian hero across four standalone movies and several more “Avengers” films.

Popular on Variety

“Hemsworth is, in my opinion, the most complex psyche out of all us Avengers,” Downey added. “He’s got wit and gravitas, but also such restraint, fire and gentleness.”

Downey went on to praise Hemsworth and the arc of his performance in Marvel movies “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers Endgame” as “a formidable hat trick.” 

While Marvel has yet to confirm Downey’s Iron Man and Hemsworth’s Thor will return, both actors have expressed interest in putting their superhero costumes back on for the big screen. Hemsworth wants to give Marvel fans the Thor movie they deserve after whiffing on 2022’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” (“I got caught up in the improv and the wackiness, and I became a parody of myself,” the actor said. “I didn’t stick the landing”). Downey, meanwhile, told  Esquire magazine  last month that he’d certainly be open to playing Iron Man again, even if the character died in “Endgame.”

“Happily. It’s too integral a part of my DNA,” Downey said about returning to the MCU. “That role chose me. And look, I always say, ‘Never, ever bet against Kevin Feige.’ It is a losing bet. He’s the house. He will always win.”

“I don’t know how they would do it,” Anthony said. “I don’t know what the road to that would be [laughs].”

Joe added, “I mean we closed that book so it would be up to them to figure out how to reopen it.”

For what it’s worth, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige didn’t appear too interested in bringing Downey’s Iron Man back to the big screen when he spoke to  Vanity Fair  last December.

“We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again,” Feige said at the time about Iron Man’s death. “We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”

However, those comments were made before Downey went public saying he’d be open to putting the Iron Man suit back on. Given Marvel’s recent box office disappointments (including last year’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “The Marvels”), Downey’s return might be more appealing as Iron Man has proven to be box office gold for the studio.

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