TOS technobabble...

[Warped9]

In Star Trek Continues' first episode, "Pilgrim Of Eternity," we get Sulu spouting off a sample of technobable in the vein of TNG/DS9/VOY/ENT technical writing.

It stood out like a sore thumb. And thankfully we've heard nothing like it since...so far.

But it got me thinking about what technobabble we did get in TOS. Precious little that I can recall.

Can anyone cite an example(s) of TOS technobabble?

 

[Marsden]

The only one I can ever remember is Mr. Spock's thouroghly detailed orders to Mr. Kyle, (confused looking at that) about how to escape from Apollo's hand, and I don't wonder if STC dropped that in because of it's being a contination of that episode as well.

Take these equations to the nuclear electronics lab. I want them to work on the problem of negating the force field in selected areas. That might be done by generating a strong pinpoint charge of M-rays on some of these selected wave lengths and tying them in with the combined output of all our engines.

And that's still pretty tame compared what came later.

 

[Kor]

^ Yes I think that such dialog is not nearly as bad as the technobabble in the later series. Other than the specific mention of M-rays, it stayed just vague enough that it sounded like it might be something real. (I hope that makes sense)

I think it's more unrealistic when they go on and on and namedrop a whole bunch of nonexistent particles and fields.

Kor

 

[Jose Tyler]

TOS technobabble was always tame. Here's all I can think of:

Catspaw:

CHEKOV: It was that electrical field we set up, Mister DeSalle, that dent you wanted. It's not much, but it is a start.
DESALLE: Keep it up, Mister Chekov. Channel the entire output of reactors one, two, and three into the relay stations. Whatever it is, it's starting to weaken.

That Which Survives
SPOCK: Computer read-out.
COMPUTER: Comparison analysis complete.
SPOCK: Continue.
COMPUTER: Transporter factor M7 reassembled outphase point zero zero zero nine.

 

[Green Shirt]

It reminds me something I read once in one of the Trek books. There was a situation where someone on the staff claimed a writer had a lengthy sequence where Kirk was giving an order using highly technical terms. They crossed out the section and replaced it with two words -- "reverse course". I don't remember where I read it, but it was a while back.

 

[Wingsley]

The only one I can ever remember is Mr. Spock's thouroghly detailed orders to Mr. Kyle, (confused looking at that) about how to escape from Apollo's hand, and I don't wonder if STC dropped that in because of it's being a contination of that episode as well.

Take these equations to the nuclear electronics lab. I want them to work on the problem of negating the force field in selected areas. That might be done by generating a strong pinpoint charge of M-rays on some of these selected wave lengths and tying them in with the combined output of all our engines.

And that's still pretty tame compared what came later.

I agree. And this was the first TOS scene that came to mind when I began reading this thread.

 

[Ssosmcin]

The real difference is, later technobabble was used to solve the problems of the week. On the original series, it was usually a sprinkling here and there. That's why the opening in Generations always feels off when Scotty talks about "a torpedo blast using a resonance burst from the main deflector dish." Old School Trek kept it to John and Mary Jane Regularperson could follow it.

 

[Wingsley]

Here's one of the ultimate scenes from the teaser to "The Galileo Seven":

MEARS: Readings normal. Acceleration normal. Phase one separation normal.

SPOCK: Position?

LATIMER: Three point seven. Sir, I...

SPOCK: Make up your mind please, Mister Latimer.

LATIMER: Sir, this indicator's gone crazy.

BOMA: That's to be expected, Mister Spock. Quasars are extremely disruptive. Just how much, we don't know.

SPOCK: Considerably, Mister Boma.

MEARS: Mister Spock, radiation is increasing.

SPOCK: Stop forward momentum, Mister Latimer.

LATIMER: I can't, sir. Nothing happens.

SPOCK: Galileo to Enterprise. Galileo to Enterprise. Come in, please.

BOMA: Ionic interference, Mister Spock.

MCCOY: We're being drawn right into it.

SPOCK: Galileo to Enterprise. Galileo to Enterprise. We are out of control, being pulled directly into the heart of Murasaki three one two. Being hit by violent radiation on outer hull. Course three point two five

...and a short time later in the same teaser, there was this...

(Kirk switches on Spock's science computer)
COMPUTER: Negative ionic concentration one point six four times ten to the ninth power metres, Radiation wave length three hundred seventy angstroms. Harmonics upward along entire spectrum.

FERRIS: What is it, Captain?

KIRK: That thing out there has ionized this complete sector. None of our instruments work. At least four complete solar systems in the immediate vicinity. And out there somewhere, a twenty four foot shuttlecraft, off course, out of control. Finding a needle in a haystack would be child's play.

...and later, in the first act, in the Galileo again...

MCCOY: What happened?

BOMA: I can't be sure, but I'd say that, the magnetic potential of the effect was (McCoy gives him a tissue for his nose bleed) Thank you. Was such that, as we gathered speed, it was multiplied geometrically. And we were simply shot into the centre of the effect. Like a projectile.

 

[Shawnster]

TOS didn't have much in the way of technobabble, nor did it have a magic deflector dish that could be reconfigured to save the day.

The technobabble goes against a basic concept that Roddenberry wanted for his show. He stated that good television will show you what is happening, not explain to you what is happening. In westerns, for example, Roddenberry said that Matt Dillon didn't explain how the six-shooter worked. He pulled his gun out and shot. He wanted TOS to be like that.

No, I don't have the source.

It seems that TNG and all TV in general has gotten away from this. TNG went above and beyond to explain how this worked or that worked, despite that it was all made up. All the CSI shows go to great lengths to explain every step of the process. If it wasn't for explaining the steps, the shows would be 15 minutes long.

 

[Marsden]

Here's one of the ultimate scenes from the teaser to "The Galileo Seven":

MEARS: Readings normal. Acceleration normal. Phase one separation normal.

SPOCK: Position?

LATIMER: Three point seven. Sir, I...

SPOCK: Make up your mind please, Mister Latimer.

LATIMER: Sir, this indicator's gone crazy.

BOMA: That's to be expected, Mister Spock. Quasars are extremely disruptive. Just how much, we don't know.

SPOCK: Considerably, Mister Boma.

MEARS: Mister Spock, radiation is increasing.

SPOCK: Stop forward momentum, Mister Latimer.

LATIMER: I can't, sir. Nothing happens.

SPOCK: Galileo to Enterprise. Galileo to Enterprise. Come in, please.

BOMA: Ionic interference, Mister Spock.

MCCOY: We're being drawn right into it.

SPOCK: Galileo to Enterprise. Galileo to Enterprise. We are out of control, being pulled directly into the heart of Murasaki three one two. Being hit by violent radiation on outer hull. Course three point two five

...and a short time later in the same teaser, there was this...

(Kirk switches on Spock's science computer)
COMPUTER: Negative ionic concentration one point six four times ten to the ninth power metres, Radiation wave length three hundred seventy angstroms. Harmonics upward along entire spectrum.

FERRIS: What is it, Captain?

KIRK: That thing out there has ionized this complete sector. None of our instruments work. At least four complete solar systems in the immediate vicinity. And out there somewhere, a twenty four foot shuttlecraft, off course, out of control. Finding a needle in a haystack would be child's play.

...and later, in the first act, in the Galileo again...

MCCOY: What happened?

BOMA: I can't be sure, but I'd say that, the magnetic potential of the effect was (McCoy gives him a tissue for his nose bleed) Thank you. Was such that, as we gathered speed, it was multiplied geometrically. And we were simply shot into the centre of the effect. Like a projectile.

Good catch. Maybe I didn't think of that one because even though there is some jargon it seems pretty understandable and/or Kirk immediately blurts out a meaning anyone could understand.

 

[Duncan MacLeod]

Shawnster and Green Star both of your sources are Steven Whitfield's The Making of Star Trek.

 

[Kor]

TOS didn't have much in the way of technobabble, nor did it have a magic deflector dish that could be reconfigured to save the day.

The technobabble goes against a basic concept that Roddenberry wanted for his show. He stated that good television will show you what is happening, not explain to you what is happening. In westerns, for example, Roddenberry said that Matt Dillon didn't explain how the six-shooter worked. He pulled his gun out and shot. He wanted TOS to be like that.

No, I don't have the source.

It seems that TNG and all TV in general has gotten away from this. TNG went above and beyond to explain how this worked or that worked, despite that it was all made up. All the CSI shows go to great lengths to explain every step of the process. If it wasn't for explaining the steps, the shows would be 15 minutes long.

It's been a long time since my college TV production classes, but I think it's a basic principal in filmmaking that stuff should be shown visually when possible, instead of explained in lengthy dialog or even with written titles on the screen.

CSI seems to be trying to add realism with all of its explanation, and if it's all truly based on real forensic science, then that could be pretty cool and interesting. The difference with later Trek technobabble is that the crisis of the week always ends up being solved by magical, nonexistent science and button-pushing, instead of with real problem-solving.

Kor

 

[Anwar]

TOS had the opposite problem of technobabble: Whereas the later series used technobabble to explain things, TOS barely ever explained anything aside from "The tech just does what it does, don't bother asking how it works because you'll never get an answer".

It's like the difference between TNG Holodeck stories and TOS. In TNG they use the Holodeck to explain things like being in a Western, in TOS they just find "Gangster World" or "Roman World" or "Andy Griffith World".

Or they use Godlike beings to create everything they need for a plot like that.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Would the following dialogue from "That Which Survives" count?

SPOCK: Computer read-out.
COMPUTER: Comparison analysis complete.
SPOCK: Continue.
COMPUTER: Transporter factor M7 reassembled outphase point zero zero zero nine.

SPOCK [OC]: You were correct in your feel. The Enterprise was put through a molecular transporter and reassembled slightly out of phase. Reverse polarity should seal the incision.

 

[Trimm]

I think the real problem for later Trek vs. TOS is WHY they were using technobabble. In most of the TOS examples above, the technobabble is a solution to or explanation of a relatively simple dramatic problem. Whereas in the spinoffs, the dramatic problems were often technobabble in nature themselves, and thus required more technobabble as a solution.

 

[Albertese]

TNG episodes (especially later in the run... and basically all of Voyager) Were often written in the following format:

RIKER:
What if we (tech)? Would that solve the problem?

DATA:
I am afraid not, sir. The (tech) would make that impossible.

LAFORGE:
Yeah, Data, but if we (tech) the (tech) and then we (tech), we just might have a shot!

...and the (tech) spots would be filled in later. It was just filler which added nothing to the scene but time. And usually it would involve meaningless drivel about a deflector array, a starboard power coupling, or some sort of fictional particle or energy form. TOS never really had this conversation, but the later shows wallowed in it. And the few times TOS did venture into it, it was usually just a line or two.

"Galileo Seven" bugs me because all these allegedly experienced scientists seem like they're high school kids on a field trip. They're overly excited at doing their jobs and they keep announcing their findings in a bubbly, juvenile manner. Also, Spock just seems like a dickhead the whole time and it's annoying.

"That Which Survives" is a weird one as so much of what's going on is oddly technical in nature. Off the top of my head I don't know how I'd improve it, but it is a standout show in this regard.

--Alex

 

[Lance]

It reminds me something I read once in one of the Trek books. There was a situation where someone on the staff claimed a writer had a lengthy sequence where Kirk was giving an order using highly technical terms. They crossed out the section and replaced it with two words -- "reverse course". I don't remember where I read it, but it was a while back.

It was definitely a point of difference between TOS and the spin-offs. In fact, I seem to recall that the TOS format bible specifically warns writers against using excessive technobabble.

 

[Wingsley]

"The Galileo Seven", in my opinion, is an underrated ep. Yes, the cheesy King Kong-alikes are hilarious. And the sudden crisis that forces the Galileo to land on Taurus II is never really understood. It's another "ion storm" deal that comes out of nowhere, keeps the Enterprise from finding the Galileo, but strangely never imperils the Enterprise. In the end, the viewer gets it, though. We understand that the quasar-like phenomenon (whatever that is) created some powerful disturbance (like solar flares interfering with radio/TV transmissions or electronics) that isolates the Galileo and forces it to land. It's quirky and weird, but the viewer gets it.

In "That Which Survives", we understand that holo-Losira sabotaged the Enterprise's engines, causing them to rev out of control. This is probably the biggest techno-babble obstacle in all of TOS to overcome:

SPOCK: As I recall the pattern of our fuel flow, there is an access tube leading to the matter-antimatter reaction chamber.

SCOTT: There's a service crawlway, but it's not meant to be used while the integrator operates.

SPOCK: Still, it is there, and it might be possible to shut off the fuel at that point.

SCOTT: What with?! Bare hands?!

SPOCK: A magnetic probe.

SCOTT: Any matter that comes in contact with antimatter triggers the explosion! And I'm not even sure a man can live in the crawlway in the energy stream of the magnetic field that bottles up the antimatter!

SPOCK: I shall try.

SCOTT: You'll be killed, man!

SPOCK: Unless a solution is found quickly, that fate awaits all of us.

SCOTT: Aye. You're right. What have we got to lose? But I'll do it, Mister Spock. I know every millimetre of that system. I'll do whatever has to be done.

SPOCK: Very well, Mister Scott. You spoke of the feel of the ship being wrong.

SCOTT: Aye. It was an emotional statement. I don't expect you to understand it.

SPOCK: I note it, Mister Scott, without necessarily understanding it. I propose to run an analysis through the ship's computers, comparing the present condition of the Enterprise with her ideal condition.

SCOTT: Mister Spock, we don't have time for that!

SPOCK: We have twelve minutes and twenty seven seconds. I suggest you do whatever you can in the service crawlway, while I make the computer study.

Fans are insensitive to the level of technobabble in this particular conversation because there exists a certain level of understanding of how the ship is powered. (Or so the fans assume.) I believe there is a bit of a fog index issue here, where viewers who aren't fans might not like this ep. Still, I think that "That Which Survives" is a good story, even if it is an unusual plot-driven one, with Spock and Scotty geeking out over engine sabotage and Kirk and Sulu sticking their feet in their mouths over a holographic alien hottie that was played by Miss USA 1955. It's never enough to get me to root for Losira (come on! get a good grip on 'im and he'll shut up!) but Lee Meriwether does add to the drama in an engaging way that isn't just about sex.

 

[Warped9]

Some good examples.

And they do seem to show that even when TOS got techie they sprinked it in with a spoon as opposed to troweling it in with a shovel.

 

[Lance]

I think it definitely helps when it sounds like naturalistic dialogue (or, at least, as naturalistic as sixties television allowed). The real problem with the TNG/DS9/VOY era "Treknobabble" is that it didn't sound like things that people would actually say. Real engineers simply don't talk like Geordi does sometimes, at least not unless they're talking to another engineer. When it comes to things like all those conference room scenes where Geordi explains how he and Data are going to save the day, a real engineer would in that situation always put the problem into terms and phrases that a lay-person can understand. I'm surprised more of those scenes didn't feature the other characters looking on in bemused silence. ("I can see that Data and Geordi's lips are moving, but they aren't speaking in any language that I can understand." )