The description of Treknobabble in Star Trek

Key Takeaways

• Star Trek maintained scientific accuracy by hiring consultants to review scripts and add technical jargon.
• The jargon added to the script made the show more realistic, even if viewers didn't understand it all.
• Fans and writers alike accepted the jargon as evidence of the show's credibility, coining the term “Treknobabble”.

when star trek Producer Gene Roddenberry was working on it. Star Trek: The Original SeriesHe was well aware of the fine line that science fiction walks between fantasy and reality. He was making a show about exploring the galaxy in giant spaceships years before the first man set foot on the moon. Clearly Roddenberry knew he would be creating a fantasy world. but he wanted star trek It's a fantasy that's as realistic as possible and based on real science.

like Scientific American According to reports, Roddenberry achieved that goal by hiring real scientists to help make his fantasies believable. A physicist named Harvey P. Lynn, Jr. was one of the first scientific consultants. star trek. He reviewed the script. TOS We created the pilot “The Cage” and worked with the writers to make it more accurate. Once the series was finally selected, the producers hired De Forest Research scientists Joan Pearce and Peter Sloman to review all the scripts.

The Language of Scientific Accuracy

Whenever Pearce or Sloman discovered discrepancies with scientific facts, they worked with the writers to find changes to fit the story and maintain accuracy. This often meant adding very technical language to the script, and soon star trek It is notorious for its technical jargon.

Huge amount of jargon TOS At times, it made it difficult for the average viewer to follow. But because it was science fiction, the jargon actually made the show more realistic for viewers. They have accepted that because they are not scientists, they will not understand all the talk about “light years,” “parsecs,” and “nacelles.” Jargon thus had the effect of persuading the viewer that the character knew what he was talking about.

But this commitment to scientific accuracy also had its downsides. Fans who are scientists, academics and researchers began writing their own letters on Twitter. star trek Staff will ask for clarification of specific facts contained in the episode and point out inconsistencies and errors. Despite their annoyance, writers and consultants began to take these letters as evidence that their show was believable enough that people would want to quibble over the details rather than condemn the entire premise as an absurd fantasy.

The birth of Treknobop

When Roddenberry and his creative team began development Star Trek: The Next GenerationThey still strived to maintain the same level of scientific accuracy. TOS. As before, the producers hired consultants to assist the writers with technical work. But the writers have had a lot of trouble walking the line between good science and good science that works for their stories.

Naren Shankar, one of the later scientific consultants. TNG told the authors 50 Year Mission: Next 25 YearsHis occupation includes:

…It wasn't about science, it was about maintaining fake science.
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world.

He went on to say that his previous scientific adviser had been adamant about scientific accuracy and that Shankar had the impression that the writers were irritated by that. So Shankar did what they asked him to do. The idea is to fill your script with jargon that sounds good and isn't so inaccurate as to give up all scientific merit.

In fact, filling in the blanks of the script was literally the way scientific jargon found its way into each episode. When working on the new episode, the writers wrote:[TECH]”Everywhere there was a need for incredibly technical language. From there, scientific advisors filled in the blanks. Actors often received scripts before jargon was added, and whenever “technology” appeared in a line, they said “technology.” Although speaking scenes were regularly rehearsed, Trek actors had to memorize complex jargon the day a scene was set to be shot, but the show's scientific advisors did their best to create a complete language that adhered to at least plausible jargon and concepts. star trek-Certain jargon that persists throughout the entire franchise.

Although the term “technobabble” has not yet entered the collective consciousness. star trekThe franchise has become famous (or perhaps infamous) for its use of technical talk, which is scientific or technical-sounding dialogue that doesn't actually mean anything in the real world. According to Oxford English DictionaryThis term wall street journal 1981, long before the premiere TNG. However, the term has become too associated with: star trek Fans of the show, and later the general public, began using the word “Treknobabble”. Star Trek –Specific technical babble.

The Internet Phenomenon of Treknobabble

As the popularity of the Internet grew, so did the geeks and geeks who loved it. star trek They started making love when they were young. star trek on the internet. in Star Trek –On certain bulletin board systems and later forums, Trekkies discussed, analyzed, complained, and ridiculed Treknobabble.

Now, 30 years later, the Internet is full of Treknobabble Generators, Treknobabble memes, and even Treknobabble raps. good night star trekTreknobabble is now part of the mainstream.

source: Scientific American, 50 Year Mission: Next 25 Years, Oxford English Dictionary