I know I do.
"Pass me the quantum flux regulator, will you?", indeed.
"Pass me the quantum flux regulator, will you?", indeed.
Anybody Actually Like Technobabble?
- Thread starter dtoliaferro
- Start date
I have it on good authority that most of Garret Wang's dialogue was sourced from two big stacks of cards labelled COLUMN A and COLUMN B, and the writers picked one from each at random to create his lines.
Something like this...
Iso
Para
Chrono
COLUMN B
Kinetic
Plasmic
Metric
Phasic
...only much bigger.
Something like this...
COLUMN A
Bio
Iso
Para
Chrono
COLUMN B
Kinetic
Plasmic
Metric
Phasic
...only much bigger.
That.
No. It annoyed the hell out of me on Voyager. They added meaningless babytalk to EVERYTHING. instead of "sensor" it was "tri-cyclic quantum resonance sensor". Instead of "torpedo" it was "trans-phasic" or "chroniton-flux" torpedo.
Worst was "The Swarm". The enemy was immune to phasers. All was doomed. Suddenly, Janeway jumps up and goes "why don't we try BABYTALK TECHNOBABBLING the phasers?". Then the phasers worked. The end.
Fuck that shit!
Worst was "The Swarm". The enemy was immune to phasers. All was doomed. Suddenly, Janeway jumps up and goes "why don't we try BABYTALK TECHNOBABBLING the phasers?". Then the phasers worked. The end.
Fuck that shit!
YARN
Fleet Captain
When...
...it is used to educate about real-world physics and technology.
...it makes an imaginatively plausible extrapolation of real world physics and technology (What if?).
...it isn't a simple MacGuffin.
...it plays by the rules established in that universe (bending, but not breaking).
Science fiction requires a certain amount of techno babble. It's part of how you generate suspension of disbelief. It's the Reece's Peanut Butter cup of understandable or at least plausible facts/theories mixed in with (as far as we presently know) wildly outlandish fantasy. If its science fiction, you need the science, but the science of science fiction is, by definition, unreal -- hence, techno babble not only serves the pragmatic purpose of making it seem real, but is also an inherent aspect of these narrative. Even if you don't go to lengths to explain how stuff works, there is an implied techno-babble that a technician in that world would know.
...it is used to educate about real-world physics and technology.
...it makes an imaginatively plausible extrapolation of real world physics and technology (What if?).
...it isn't a simple MacGuffin.
...it plays by the rules established in that universe (bending, but not breaking).
Science fiction requires a certain amount of techno babble. It's part of how you generate suspension of disbelief. It's the Reece's Peanut Butter cup of understandable or at least plausible facts/theories mixed in with (as far as we presently know) wildly outlandish fantasy. If its science fiction, you need the science, but the science of science fiction is, by definition, unreal -- hence, techno babble not only serves the pragmatic purpose of making it seem real, but is also an inherent aspect of these narrative. Even if you don't go to lengths to explain how stuff works, there is an implied techno-babble that a technician in that world would know.
^
THIS
I am very conscious of the slippery slope of "suspension of disbelief," but there has to be some line which separates what you can automatically accept as truth in any fictional story (moreso with science fiction and fantasy). When technobabble follow's YARN's guidelines, I can accept things happening that are beyond the realm of possibility in "reality" because it involves things that are supposed to be possible in the future. At least as far as Star Trek is concerned, due to the last point in YARN's list. On a show like Doctor Who, where the rules are more flexible, I can swallow more technobabble. However, Trek, since at least TNG has seemed to want to stick with established science, at least when it was convenient to the plot.
THIS
I am very conscious of the slippery slope of "suspension of disbelief," but there has to be some line which separates what you can automatically accept as truth in any fictional story (moreso with science fiction and fantasy). When technobabble follow's YARN's guidelines, I can accept things happening that are beyond the realm of possibility in "reality" because it involves things that are supposed to be possible in the future. At least as far as Star Trek is concerned, due to the last point in YARN's list. On a show like Doctor Who, where the rules are more flexible, I can swallow more technobabble. However, Trek, since at least TNG has seemed to want to stick with established science, at least when it was convenient to the plot.
A little technobabble goes a long way. If anything, it's inefficient for somebody to go into a fully detailed oral report of how something is done. Brevity is much more desired (the captain can read the full report later, IMO).
ENGINEER: The warp coils are in multiphase-lock; we can't generate a stable warp field until we can regulate the plasma flow from the warp core.
(translation: Warp drive is out; it'll take awhile to fix it.)
The captain gets the same idea his ship isn't moving anytime soon with fewer words.
ENGINEER: The warp coils are in multiphase-lock; we can't generate a stable warp field until we can regulate the plasma flow from the warp core.
(translation: Warp drive is out; it'll take awhile to fix it.)
The captain gets the same idea his ship isn't moving anytime soon with fewer words.
^to me that transaltes as two issues
The warp coils have a problem as does the plasma regulator
As the warp coild have nothing to do with the plasma regulator. A regulator controls the flow rate. In that instance the flow rate of warp-plasma. i.e. 0-100%.
So a much simpler line would be along the lines of
"We're unable to goto warp as the plasma regualtors are off line."
Basically the fuel lines been cut. Or if you want to go with the warp coils
"There is a failure in the warp coil synchronisation preventing us from forming a stable warp field"
The warp coils have a problem as does the plasma regulator
As the warp coild have nothing to do with the plasma regulator. A regulator controls the flow rate. In that instance the flow rate of warp-plasma. i.e. 0-100%.
So a much simpler line would be along the lines of
"We're unable to goto warp as the plasma regualtors are off line."
Basically the fuel lines been cut. Or if you want to go with the warp coils
"There is a failure in the warp coil synchronisation preventing us from forming a stable warp field"
Essentially the same thing happens in CSI and House, M.D.
Does anybody have a favorite technobabble line? O'brien and Dax always had some good technobabble to spew.
I was like the line from "Second Sight" where O'Brien nonchantly says he's just made the ship faster by something like .2 warp.
