"Tea. Earl Grey. Hot." Did Picard really need to say it?

[Plecostomus]

It's a security protocol he worked out with Worf. If he orders anything other than Tea... Earl Grey... Hot the security system activates and troops storm the Ready Room.

[Praetor]

If he had presets, everyone would just get confused.

Picard would be having a talk with Riker in the ready room, and would casually stroll to the replicator.

R:"So I turned down another promotion this week--"
P:"Number One."
R:"Sir?"
P:"I was talking to the replicator. I was ordering my tea."
R:"Well, why didn't you just tell it what you wanted, instead of having a numbered preset?"
P:"Because a numbered preset is easier."
R:"But then we would still be talking about my rejected promotion, and you wouldn't have had to explain it to me."
P:"Would you like to be demoted to Number Two?"

[Darth_Pinche]

Were bookmarks as a concept around in 1987 when the show started? The perceptions of computers at the time I think were much different than they are now. It agree that the line was a reflection of who Picard was. Did any of the other characters order in a similar manner?

[davidant32]

I remember Janeway often said "Coffee. Black." and Tom Paris yelled at the replicator about just wanting plain, hot tomato soup (after the replicator asked him a million questions specifying said soup) in an early VOY episode

[Alidar Jarok]

True Trek Fan wrote:

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I think Tea. Earl Grey. Hot is a very Americans thing to say. Everyone in the rest of the world when ordering tea knows it is severed hot, Americans presume it is cold and have to specify if they want it hot. Kinda strange as the rest of the tea drinking world always serves tea hot. Living in Canada I always find it amusing when an American orders tea in a restaurant, as a former waiter I enjoyed the look on our southern neighbours faces when I brought them the tea as they were always shocked it is served hot. Here as in England and much of the world if you want an Iced Tea you have to specifically order it in that way. So for myself whenever I hear Picard using the catch phrase, I assume only an American writer could have come up with something like that.

Most people north of Virginia expect ordering tea will give them a hot drink (Iced Tea is the cold drink).

Tea, Earl Grey, Hot is 4 syllables. That's not that hard to say, so I don't see the need to program something in.

[davidant32]

At least the computer is smart enough to figure out what "hot" means. Sometimes, iirc, the characters would have to specify a temperature

[Alidar Jarok]

Yeah, that was the height of user unfriendliness. I haven't a clue how hot my coffee or tea is normally.

[Mirror_Barclay]

Plecostomus wrote:

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It's a security protocol he worked out with Worf. If he orders anything other than Tea... Earl Grey... Hot the security system activates and troops storm the Ready Room.

I think you have it! lol

[TheSeeker]

davidant32 wrote:

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At least the computer is smart enough to figure out what "hot" means. Sometimes, iirc, the characters would have to specify a temperature

Well if it's the first time you order something then I can see all the questions. For something as routine as your morning coffee and tea I don't think it's unreasonable that the computer would just start serving up the same thing every time based on your order history.

Of course as Darth_Pinche has pointed out this may gave been a case of not being able to predict future technology back in '87.

[WillsBabe]

Darth_Pinche wrote:

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Were bookmarks as a concept around in 1987 when the show started?

I don't think so. I was still working in DOS. Although we did have speed dials on phones, so the concept was more or less there to be extrapolated from.

Darth_Pinche wrote:

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Did any of the other characters order in a similar manner?

Troi just asks for "hot chocolate" and Beverly asks for "lemon tea".

[john titor]

Picard had lots of unusual tics like saying make it so and come whenever anyone wanted to enter his readyroom.

[JustKate]

Cakes488 wrote:

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Same thing in America. I've never ever heard of anybody ordering TEA and someone getting confused that it's not supposed to be hot. I waitressed years ago and when someone asked for tea I never said would you like that tea hot or cold? When we want cold tea we say iced-tea. We always say iced-tea on this side on the pond...always! The only thing we may ask about the ice tea is if it's sweetened or not. Can I get an Amen from my fellow Americans on this very very important issue.

You may get one from me. I order tea quite a lot, actually (I loathe coffee, and I like soft drinks only every now and then), and if I want iced tea, I say "iced tea." If I want hot tea, I'll just say "tea" or perhaps "a cup of tea." Sometimes I then get asked if I want it hot or iced, but not usually, and thus far, nobody's assumed that my request for "tea" meant iced tea. Could happen, but it hasn't happened so far.

[Triskelion]

Perhaps it's a courtesy for whomever would be in command. As early as the first season we saw Geordi in the ready room in command, I believe it was Arsenal of Freedom. It would be a faux pas if someone ordered tea and got Picard's blend. So in a way it's an acknowledgment of Picard's fealty to Starfleet.

[Praetor]

Picard is precise and commanding. He has need for no courtesy towards any simple food slot!

What he wants: Tea.
What kind he wants: Earl Grey.
How he wants it: Hot.

"So shall it be written, so shall it be done. Et cetera, et cetera..."

(Oops, wrong bald guy...)

But it's also still possible TPTB might have even briefly considered 'presets' akin to radio presets of the time, and just as quickly discarded them for precise and commanding.

[davidant32]

Honestly, if he didn't say it outloud, more of the audience would've wondered "what happened, he just walked to the replicator and it magically knew his order/read his mind?" esp after we've seen crew members verbally order from the replicator on numerous occasions

it's part of the fun/magic of having a replicator -- your wish is its command