OK, color me way behind on pop culture. I was just reading this thread, and seeing all the Panda references. Obviously, it means sex. Or glimpses of tushie. Or something.
Where/when did this reference start? Why ‘panda’ ?
Thanks
And, yes, I did google and search before asking. Just try getting a meaningful hit on “panda sex star trek”. 
It is unique to the SDMB. It is shorthand for “pandering”, originated in a Star Trek thread. (I’ve only seen it used in Enterprise threads, but I’m new.)
I’d bet the thread you linked is to an Enterprise thread. But the board is too slow to open it up right now. Hope this submits…
Yah, I was wondering if it was a Star Trek/Enterprise thing, but so many folks seemed to understand the joke I was wondering about the origin…?
Not to toot my own horn, but, well…
I started it.
It came from this post:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=2626314#post2626314
I, myself, don’t use it that often partly because I don’t tend to participate in Enterprise discussions as much as I used to and partly because, well, I’ve never felt the necessity to use it as often as it has been used.
Nevertheless, I do find it both humorous and quite nice that the phrase has taken off like it has. I just meant it as a cute little bit for a silly little post. Who knew?
Tanks for the pointer, Enderw24. I’ll try to parse more threads and grok the phrase s’more.
Do you think it (Panda) now means what you intended at the time? It seems to now mean “gratuitous glimpse of Tit” or somesuch…? The original intent seems closer to Deus Ex Machina or somesuch.
tanks==Thanks. argh.
I wasn’t around when panda was first used but in the year I’ve been around, it, much like a lot of other Trek Doper in-jokes has taken on a life all its own. You almost need a universal translator (or a Naked Hoshi) to wade through some of our threads.
Panda?
yes please!!!
In a way, I think it’s actually shrunk from its original meaning but not by much, really. My original definition of panda was doing “something completely nonsensical for the sake of pandering to some portion of the audience.”
Sex for the sake of sex does fit that definition. Nevertheless, that’s all the “panda” is being used for rather than anything pandering in nature. Sex scenes are clearly the most obvious and most visible form of pandering so it doesn’t surprise me that “panda” is being exclusively used for that meaning.
But, in all fairness really, when is the glimpse of a tit gratuitous? I, for one, find it to be a necessary component of all television episodes and part of this complete breakfast.
OK, that sorta clears it up: an inside-sdmb inside-enterprise joke. Thanks very much for the clue-age.
On preview: ** Enderw24**. thanks much for the clarification. I couldn’t stand living in a world where breakfast is not complete.
(Aside: I’d also like to know how the heck I can get up to speed on the new Trek – I didn’t receive UPN for some time, so I missed early Enterprise episodes. Tonight I saw the “raiijin” episode as my first exposure. My reaction is…WTF? When did ‘Trek’ become a serial? Who are all these species? What is with the Alien Council Plotting Earth’s Doom subplot ? And the reference to them killing 7M earth-folk? Is there a Faq for latecomers like me? Thanks very much.)
( And why all the Hoshi == sex jokes? Or am I misinterpreting…?)
squeegee – I think the producers of Enterprise are trying to boost the ratings for the show, as the second season kind of weak, especially in the middle. They decided to take the show in a new direction in the third season, and launched this “Xindi” story arc in the second season finale, where the Earth is attacked by an alien probe for reasons unknown. Millions are killed.
After some investigating, it is found that those responsible are the “Xindi”, a species living in the Strange And Mysterious[sup]TM[/sup] Nekrit Expanse, a place where most ships fear to tread.
So season 3 is largely about their mission to head into the Expanse and find the Xindi. Some of the season 3 episodes are less-related stories, and some will likely be major stories to Further the Xindi Plot. But that is the story arc that is supposed to be tying things together this season. You jumped in (episode 4 – Raijin) on a major “Further the Xindi Story Arc” episode. (Although they tricked us, as the previews made it look like it was going to be an All-Panda Epsiode ;)).
As for Hoshi… well, some folks just think she’s a major hottie babe. Especially Tars Tarkas, who rabidly drools over her whenever possible. Perhaps I’ll nudge her in the morning, wake her up, and ask her how she feels about him… 
MMMmmmm… Hooooosshi…
Don’t forget the Time Travel™ angle! It was Future Guy who told Quantum about the Xindi.
Future Guy told Quantum that the Xindi found out Earthers destroy them some 500 years in the future (which is Past for Future Guy) and they set off on a campaign to Kill the Earthers!
Why does everyone forget the Time Travel™ part of this arc? Time Travel™ was instrumental to ENT since the first epeisode.
<nit> Delphic Expanse, not Nekrit. </nit>
Also, squeegee, feel free to turn this thread into an Enterprise FAQ of your own. We tend to be all over the place in our threads that new comers are often confused… for example, this is at least the sixth or seventh thread asking what panda is in the time I’ve been here.
Plus, most of us will use any excuse to talk Trek. If you don’t believe me, use the search function and type in “Enterprise Spoilers” and look at all the 200+ post threads that come up.
Oh, and Monstre forgot to mention the infamous Topless Hoshi episode wherein Hoshi somehow winds up without her uniform on. I’ve never seen the episode (and that is one of my life’s biggest regrets) but Tars sent me screenshots.
They’re nice.
Ack – dammit! That was the one in Voyager, wasn’t it? I’m getting my Expanses all mixed up.
And NCB, I wasn’t forgetting the Time Travel aspect – was just trying to be brief without scaring squeegee away or confusing him. I mean for goshsakes… Future Guy? Pregnant Trip? Temporal Cold War? pre-Kirk Ferenghi and Borg appearances? pre-Kirk holodecks? Defeating Klingon warriors with wimpy Ring Of Fire? Crabby Vulcans? The Unga-Bunga Virus? I could mention all these, but I won’t. 
On the other hand, there’s Topless Hoshi, Decon Gel, Snot Shrapnel Bombs. Life can be good.
How’re crabby Vulcans any different than the kind we’ve been watching for the past thirty-seven years?
Well, it’s just that Time Travel™ is one of the very foundation stones for the whole ENT series, that’s all.
I’d like to see a bouncing nekkid Cutler, yes I would.
Chef is an Androgum!
A pressing need for prophylactics during Pon Farr?
Was the time-travel character really named “Future Guy” ? Tell me they didn’t really call him that on the show!
And, jeez - how can they introduce all this back story and a dozen new species, etc., and it’s all somehow forgotten by the time of TOS?
Or maybe Time Travel Guy’s visit changed the future, so now in this series, TOS TNG, etc never happened. 
I guess I need to get up to speed. I’ve set the quantum flux tachyon buffered Tivo to Record Mode for Sunday’s rerun.
Aesiron: Naked Hoshi? :eek:
Darn, my google search is just turning up a buncha stupid celebrity spam cites. 