# Tell me about Star Trek **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 6, 2013, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254 "2013-06-06T00:49:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/61 "2013-06-06T19:47:04Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I agree, several of the Holodeck ST:TNG episodes are worth a look. My faves: “11001001” (Riker finds his dream girl in a jazz club), “Hollow Pursuits” (Barclay, a crewman, spends juuuuust a bit too much time on the Holodeck), “A Matter of Perspective” (using a Holodeck to solve a crime), “Booby Trap” (the Holodeck as an engineering brainstorming tool) and “Ship in a Bottle” (the last and best of the Data/Moriarty episodes IMHO - some great twists and turns). No love for “A Fist Full of Datas”? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/62 "2013-06-06T19:52:26Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > No love for “A Fist Full of Datas”? That one is right up there with Star Trek V. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/63 "2013-06-06T19:52:41Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > No love for “A Fist Full of Datas”? That was just a little over the top for me (Data with boobs? _Really?_), but it has its moments. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/64 "2013-06-06T19:54:27Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > Is this thing on? > > \*tap \*tap \*tap Sorry. I took too long in writing my post and should’ve acknowledged your link re: “USS.” :: bows to **mlees** :: ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/65 "2013-06-06T20:21:30Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Sorry. I took too long in writing my post and should’ve acknowledged your link re: “USS.” > > :: bows to **mlees** :: Oooh! Thanks! :: returns bow :: ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/66 "2013-06-06T20:48:41Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > It’s also a very important episode in the pantheon of “incredible scientific breakthroughs that would have immense repercussions if it happened in real life yet is never pursued any further” that trek fans love to discuss. So, you don’t think Moriarty’s creation influenced Dr. Louis Zimmerman’s research into the EMH or Felix the programmer’s creation of Vic Fontaine, which were also self-aware autonomous holograms? ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/67 "2013-06-06T20:59:24Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > So, you don’t think Moriarty’s creation influenced Dr. Louis Zimmerman’s research into the EMH or Felix the programmer’s creation of Vic Fontaine, which were also self-aware autonomous holograms? Sorry, I got a little confused as to the Moriarti timeline. The big picture I was referencing was how he essentially willed himself into existence. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/68 "2013-06-06T21:27:57Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > Sorry, I got a little confused as to the Moriarti timeline. The big picture I was referencing was how he essentially willed himself into existence. Moriarty? He became sentient after Geordi was a bit too specific in his instructions to the computer. In other words, he was the product of a holodeck … glitch? Gremlin? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/69 "2013-06-06T21:29:17Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > Sorry, I got a little confused as to the Moriarti timeline. The big picture I was referencing was how he essentially willed himself into existence. It’s no problem and I don’t think the Doctor’s or Vic’s relation to Moriarty’s existence is fully canon. I think it’s logical to fanwank that their existence does stem from Moriarty’s, however. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/70 "2013-06-06T21:34:52Z")
Not sentience. The episode where he walked out of the holodeck. That’s a hell of a glitch. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/71 "2013-06-06T21:50:02Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > Not sentience. The episode where he walked out of the holodeck. That’s a hell of a glitch. I guess it’s a spoiler (for a 20 year old episode) but he never walks out of the real holodeck. Just into a holodeck extension that looks like the Enterprise. He uses it to trick Picard and Data into thinking he somehow made himself corporeal. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/72 "2013-06-06T22:11:27Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > Not sentience. The episode where he walked out of the holodeck. That’s a hell of a glitch. The Doctor from Voyager couldn’t leave the Sickbay or the holodecks initially until Voyager obtained the mobile emitter from the 29th century. And Vic Fontaine couldn’t leave the holosuite on DS9. Their lack of mobility doesn’t preclude their being sentient. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/73 "2013-06-06T22:48:40Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Moriarty? He became sentient after Geordi was a bit too specific in his instructions to the computer. In other words, he was the product of a holodeck … glitch? Gremlin? :dubious: “Computer, create an opponent that can outwit Data.” or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/74 "2013-06-06T23:57:56Z")
According the excellent chroniclers at [Memory Alpha](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/United_Federation_of_Planets), the United Federation of Planets was established in 2161 CE by United Earth, Vulcan, Andorian Empire, and Tellar. It eventually grew to include more than a thousand planets and about 150 member worlds, a volume spanning around 8,000 light years. ETA: Non sequitur alert! I was replying to the subthread before. Should always refresh before posting. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/75 "2013-06-07T01:17:29Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > “Computer, create an opponent that can outwit Data.” or something like that. “Capable of defeating Data,” I think was the phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/76 "2013-06-07T01:31:08Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > Ok, wait. What does the USS of the USS Enterprise stand for, if not United States Ship? Also, like I said, I skipped the holodeck episode where Data is Sherlock. Is that going to keep coming up? Should I watch it? Or can I just keep skipping the holodeck ones? Not sure if they ever specified what the USS stood for, but given that it was decided upon in the early days of the series I can’t help but figure it _was_ probably just ‘United States Ship’ or maybe ‘United Star Ship’. One thing I do know is that the reg number prefix, the NCC in NCC-1701 etc., does \*\*\*not \*\*\*stand for anything. Matt Jeffries, who designed the original Enterprise, just took the ‘NC’ designation from American civil aircraft, an added an extra ‘C’ to make it ‘futuristic’. Don’t let any fanboy try to convince you otherwise. As for the Data-Sherlock Holmes-holodeck episode, while it certainly helped start the now incredibly cliched _‘holodeck goes haywire and almost kills everybody’_ meme, that particular episode is actually quite good. And the subsequent episode where Moriarity is accidentally ‘restarted’ and tries to take over the ship is even better. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/77 "2013-06-07T02:07:14Z")
To the OP: Search “Star Trek” in thread titles here. Read until your head explodes. Every Trek thread somehow gets hijacked, minor or major. I think it’s due to a temporal anomaly. ---
**Author:** ![turtlescanfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@turtlescanfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turtlescanfly)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/78 "2013-06-07T02:52:40Z")
RE: Klingons… it was revealed in “Yesterday’s Enterprise” (S5 episode, I think) that the Klingons were allies of the Federation because a Federation starship (the Enterprise 1701-C, the immediate predecessor to the featured starship in TNG) came to the rescue of a Klingon outpost that was being attacked by Romulans. Since the Klingons valued honor so highly, this was a turning point in Federation/Klingon relations. One of the series best episodes IMHO. Also, I seem to recall that it was established in one episode or another that one requirement of a planet joining the Federation was that they had to have one single unified planetary government… can’t remember enough to cite a specific episode, does anyone else know what I’m talking about? The gist of the plot was that a planet wanted to join but the Federation uncovered the fact that there was still some civil disorder of some kind going on so they weren’t accepted. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/79 "2013-06-07T02:54:04Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that your child is a human, yes? Worf’s a Klingon. Language acquisition and retention would almost certainly work differently for him than it would for us. Since Klingons are humanoid and at approximately the same level of physiological development as Terrans, I see no compelling reason why this should be so. Other than their preference for speaking English when they’re alone together ( :rolleyes: ), their language abilities appear to differ little from ours. > [@](#): > > Also, while a universal translator would make it harder for a child to learn a new language, the _invention_ of a universal translator implies an understanding of linguistics as advanced as their understanding of warp physics. Who knows what sorts of teaching methods, devices, or even pharmaceuticals they’ve developed to aid in learning new languages? > > Hell, the translator itself would be an incredibly powerful learning tool. Just set it so it translates everything your child hears into Spanish, and you have at-home immersion learning, and you don’t even have to speak the language yourself. The best pharmaceutical for learning languages is alcohol, since it lowers your inhibitions and you’re less afraid of making mistakes. 🙂 As for linguistics being comparable to warp physics, I think the whole business of assembling a “matrix” after hearing a few snatches of an alien language is a bunch of malarkey. The Universal Translator in TOS sensed brainwaves and only identified concepts it could recognize; it then provided the necessary grammar, and Kirk himself admitted it was not 100% efficient. The thought of somehow embedding a system like this into a humanoid’s nervous system to the point where they’re no longer even conscious of it boggles the mind. For it to work _both ways_ is an even farther stretch. It’s actually easier to believe that (a) most aliens in contact with the Federation have at least some knowledge of Earth Basic or (b) the “infinite universe, infinite possibilities” concept is true, and English is the native language of other alien civilizations. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254/80 "2013-06-07T03:06:30Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Not sure if they ever specified what the USS stood for, but given that it was decided upon in the early days of the series I can’t help but figure it _was_ probably just ‘United States Ship’ or maybe ‘United Star Ship’. One thing I do know is that the reg number prefix, the NCC in NCC-1701 etc., does \*\*\*not \*\*\*stand for anything. Matt Jeffries, who designed the original Enterprise, just took the ‘NC’ designation from American civil aircraft, an added an extra ‘C’ to make it ‘futuristic’. Don’t let any fanboy try to convince you otherwise. I don’t have my copy of the original series format handy, nor do I recall exactly how Captain Pike referred to the _Enterprise_ in “The Cage” or “The Menagerie.” However, I do remember from _ **The Making of Star Trek** _ that NBC was nervous about the “United Space Ship” designation before the series went on the air and wanted it changed to “United States Spaceship” (or “Ship”), just as they were nervous about showing a multinational, multiracial crew (remember, this was 1964–66). According to the original ST Tech Manual, the “NCC” stood for “Naval Construction Contract,” though its origins were indeed in US civil aviation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-star-trek/660254.md?page=5)