# Quick, Worf, the Plant People are attacking! Use the Floral Disruptor!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-worf-the-plant-people-are-attacking-use-the-floral-disruptor/605705>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [December 10, 2011, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-worf-the-plant-people-are-attacking-use-the-floral-disruptor/605705 "2011-12-10T04:42:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-worf-the-plant-people-are-attacking-use-the-floral-disruptor/605705/1 "2011-12-10T04:42:42Z")

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I was looking through the 2012 Department of Defense Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) listings, and found a request for a **Floral Disruptor** :

> [@](#):
>
> AF121-207 TITLE: Floral Disruptor - Directed Energy Weed Abatement and Prevention Tool
> 
> TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes
> 
> OBJECTIVE: Develop a device that uses directed energy technology to prevent and abate unwanted plants (weeds)
> 
> in areas that require control or defoliation. The purpose of this system will be the removal of unwanted plants and
> 
> keep seeds from germinating.

They seem to be looking for a Laser Weed Whacker, but I guess “ **Floral Disruptor** ” sounds way cooler and more Star Trek-y.  
Other people have noticed the – well – florid language:

> **[WANTED: Klingon Weed Disruptor](https://amancalleddada.blogspot.com/2011/11/wanted-klingon-weed-disruptor.html)**
>
> Parenting humor, parenting fail, parody

[http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/11/ray-guns-vs-weed/](http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/11/ray-guns-vs-weed/)

[http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/tag/weed/](http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/tag/weed/)

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**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-worf-the-plant-people-are-attacking-use-the-floral-disruptor/605705/2 "2011-12-10T07:49:08Z")

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Some years ago I was at WorldCon in Chicago. During the costume contest/display there were a couple of folks who portrayed Klingons from the “Mirror/Mirror” universe. So, if Federation folks on the other side are nasty, what would the Klingons be like?

They were part of the crew of the Imperial Floral Ship _Dimples_, and their outfits, while standard Klingon in cut and design, were pink and purple.

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**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-worf-the-plant-people-are-attacking-use-the-floral-disruptor/605705/3 "2011-12-10T17:58:14Z")

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“Set phasers on defoliate!”

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**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-worf-the-plant-people-are-attacking-use-the-floral-disruptor/605705/4 "2011-12-11T02:26:49Z")

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> [@CalMeacham](#):
>
> They seem to be looking for a Laser Weed Whacker, but I guess “ **Floral Disruptor** ” sounds way cooler and more Star Trek-y.

Is it too late to trademark “Chloroblast-er”

For you non sciency types its in reference to chloroplasts, the organelle in plants that derives energy from sunlight.

> **[Chloroplast](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chloroplast)**
>
> A chloroplast (/ˈklɔːrəˌplæst, -plɑːst/) is a type of organelle known as a plastid that conducts photosynthesis mostly in plant and algal cells. Chloroplasts have a high concentration of chlorophyll pigments which capture the energy from sunlight and convert it to chemical energy and release oxygen. The chemical energy created is then used to make sugar and other organic molecules from carbon dioxide in a process called the Calvin cycle. Chloroplasts carry out a number of other functions, i