# Please Identify This Quote (Trek?) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 29, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identify-this-quote-trek/548467 "2010-07-29T16:19:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![thwartme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@thwartme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thwartme)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identify-this-quote-trek/548467/1 "2010-07-29T16:19:42Z")
“Television is an outmoded form of entertainment that did not last long into the 21st century” My friend and I - both ~40 - recall the line above from some show we watched in our younger days. We can’t remember what show it came from, although there seems a decent chance it was Star Trek. Sound familiar to anyone else? It’s almost certainly paraphrased, possible quite heavily. I thought it was Spock, but I’ve looked through a few likely episodes - Bread & Circuses, Assignment Earth, Tomorrow Is Yesterday - and it’s not in there. Any help would be much appreciated. It’s just nagging at us, y’know? Thanks, thwartme ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identify-this-quote-trek/548467/2 "2010-07-29T16:43:39Z")
> [@thwartme](#): > > “Television is an outmoded form of entertainment that did not last long into the 21st century” > > My friend and I - both ~40 - recall the line above from some show we watched in our younger days. We can’t remember what show it came from, although there seems a decent chance it was Star Trek. > > Sound familiar to anyone else? > > It’s almost certainly paraphrased, possible quite heavily. I thought it was Spock, but I’ve looked through a few likely episodes - Bread & Circuses, Assignment Earth, Tomorrow Is Yesterday - and it’s not in there. > > Any help would be much appreciated. It’s just nagging at us, y’know? > > Thanks, > thwartme I am sure it was Data on TNG who said this and based on the subject matter, I would guess the episode he said it in was “The Neutral Zone” (the one with the frozen 20th century people) but I couldn’t turn up the quote in a quick search. ---
**Author:** ![Drygon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@Drygon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drygon)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identify-this-quote-trek/548467/3 "2010-07-29T16:47:36Z")
I think it might be [The Neutral Zone](http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/The_Neutral_Zone_%28episode%29) from TNG. That was the episode where several people from the 20th century were cryogenically frozen and revived by the Enterprise crew. One of the revived guys asked about TVs and Data said something much like your quote. This, of course, was not from when you were a kid, but it’s the only Trek episode I can think of that mentions TV. ---
**Author:** ![thwartme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@thwartme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thwartme)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identify-this-quote-trek/548467/4 "2010-07-29T16:51:15Z")
Nice one Quimby. A [transcript](http://www.st-minutiae.com/academy/literature329/126.txt) of that episode shows the following… > [@](#): > > SONNY > Wrong? Only that your computer here fixed just about the best martini I have ever had. (with a nod to Data) I just might get to like this place. Let’s see if the Braves are on. How do you turn on this here teevee? > > RIKER > Teevee? > > SONNY > Yeah, boob-tube… you know. I’d like to find out how the Braves are doin’ after all this time. Probably still finding ways to lose. > > DATA > (to Riker) Oh – I think he means television, sir. > > SONNY > Or maybe catch up on the soaps. > > DATA > (to Sonny) That particular form of entertainment did not last much beyond the year Two Thousand Forty. So now the question is… did my mind warp the quote that much, or is there yet another thing I’m remembering… Thanks! thwartme ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identify-this-quote-trek/548467/5 "2010-07-29T17:39:24Z")
I don’t know if it’s amazing or pathetic that I can quote a line from that episode: _Sonny_: Why don’t you and me find us a couple of low-milage pit woofies and help 'em build a memory? ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identify-this-quote-trek/548467/6 "2010-07-29T19:08:50Z")
I always wondered if Ralph’s company inadvertently created cyborgs, which would become the Borgs of the 24th century.