I have heard them use the term 'Boomer(s)' in reference to the one Ensign on board the Enterprise. (I'm only on Episode 7, I haven't gotten everyone's name down yet). I'm not surprised if they mentioned it in the first episode or something and I just missed it. But since I'm on the 'first watch' streak, I don't want to go back and re-watch them just yet I think they're referring to a younger generation of people. Similar to how we refer to the baby boomers of a previous generation now, the 'boomers' they refer to are a the first generation of people who are growing up with space travel, living and visiting new worlds, etc. as common place things, and living aboard a starship is just as common as living on earth! This is my guess anyways, would love to hear for sure though! *PS, don't forget, I have not yet seen this series and have worked very hard not to ruin any of it until I could watch them all, so you can very easily spoil things for me. Please, try not to thanks
Re: Boomers... Well, sort of, but not really. The idea was that they were the people who "boomed" into space--or rather, their ancestors were. Remember, the ships were handed down in the family. And ugh, Baby Boomers.
Re: Boomers... You didn't miss anything, you haven't gotten there yet. But it isn't that big of a spoiler. Your original guess is close. The Boomers or Space Boomers were the first generation to man the long haul cargo ships spending most of their lives aboard. Because of this, it isn't uncommon for the crew of a cargo ship to be made up of mostly the family that owns the ship. And yes, Travis left the cargo ship he grew up on to take the helm of Enterprise.
Re: Boomers... I believe the relevant historic precedent is the ``boomers'' who pushed for the (white) settlement of the Oklahoma territory in the decade before its official opening to non-Indian residents.
Re: Boomers... The random ensign is Travis Mayweather who serves as the pilot. In universe, the term "boomers" seems to apply to kids who grew up in space with their families hauling freight. The ships were handed down from parents to offspring as part of an ongoing family business. OT, as a certified "baby boomer" (67 at present), I have a vested interest in the term as used in our universe. Gettin' old is fun!
Re: Boomers... Argument with OU fan re: term from 2002. TLDR: term unpreferred. But whatever. A better interpretation is that all the early ships exploded, thus "boomer". Makes for more fun.
An evil part of me always thinks it's because Mayweather was Enterprise's "Boomer" character but that's probably cause I grew up on old Battlestar Galactica episodes.
Re: Boomers... "Sooners" were people who entered the Unassigned Lands before they were opened for settlement. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sooners
Re: Boomers... … and the Sooners were there as much as a decade after the Boomers, as mentioned, and as the Wikipedia link about Boomers (Oklahoma settlers) explained.
Well... we could talk about that time Travis, Trip, and Reed walk into the boomer bar, and Major Hayes is sitting in the corner looking lonely.