<Teching the tech> Question

[ZappaDanMan]

So I'm still new to all this Trek literature in front of me (read 5 books so far) and had a question for authors (As I'm wondering how prevalent Technobabble is in the books). Do you all have science consultants that you work with to get things (somewhat) accurate with the trek universe? Would you just hand over pieces of your material to them and let them fill in the gaps, if that was the case?

Reason I ask, I was on a star trek movie commentary binge 3 months ago. I remember Berman & Braga stating (I'm pretty sure it was 'Star Trek: Generations' commentary), stating that whenever they need to fill in gaps of science-y stuff, they'd just write in <Tech the tech> or <Teching the tech> into scripts. Then hand it over to specialist consultants to fill it in.


Like say this bit of dialogue from 'TNG: Relics'
(this is just a guess as to how it would appear in scripts, based on what they were saying in the commentary):

Scotty: <Tech> from the main <Tech> to the auxiliary <Tech>.
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: Er, the <Tech> can't withstand that kind of pressure.
Scotty: [laughs] Where'd you... where'd you get that idea?
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: What do you mean, where did I get that idea? It's in the <Teching the tech>.
Scotty: <Teching the tech> on the <Tech>?
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: Yeah.
Scotty: Forget it. I wrote it. A good engineer is always a wee bit conservative, at least on paper. Just bypass the secondary <Tech> and boost the <Tech>. It'll work.


Would turn into this:

Scotty: Shunt the deuterium from the main cryo-pump to the auxiliary tank.
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: Er, the tank can't withstand that kind of pressure.
Scotty: [laughs] Where'd you... where'd you get that idea?
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: What do you mean, where did I get that idea? It's in the impulse engine specifications.
Scotty: Regulation 42/15 - Pressure Variances on the IRC Tank Storage?
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: Yeah.
Scotty: Forget it. I wrote it. A good engineer is always a wee bit conservative, at least on paper. Just bypass the secondary cut-off valve and boost the flow. It'll work.


Thanks for your time,

Cheers

 

[David Mack]

Nope, we have to fill all that stuff in ourselves. When I first started writing Star Trek prose fiction, I knew the technobabble like a second language, and I made use of it. But over time I became less interested in the tech and more invested in the characters; consequently, my use of technobabble in my novels has waned.

Most of us make use of resources such as the TNG or DS9 Technical Manuals, or the Star Trek Encyclopedia, or similar volumes, as shared resources to keep our Trek-tech consistent. When I need advice about real scientific principles or phenomena, I contact Christopher L. Bennett.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I was under the impression that Treknobabble was created thusly:

 

[ZappaDanMan]

Nope, we have to fill all that stuff in ourselves. When I first started writing Star Trek prose fiction, I knew the technobabble like a second language, and I made use of it. But over time I became less interested in the tech and more invested in the characters; consequently, my use of technobabble in my novels has waned.

Most of us make use of resources such as the TNG or DS9 Technical Manuals, or the Star Trek Encyclopedia, or similar volumes, as shared resources to keep our Trek-tech consistent. When I need advice about real scientific principles or phenomena, I contact Christopher L. Bennett.

cheers for the response thanks

That's a funny technobable how-to chart haha

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

I seem to recall (and might have, somewhere in my Frankweiler-esque files) a similar chart, issued decades ago, for constructing a complete TOS script.

 

[Greg Cox]

Hah! I wish we had a crack team of science experts to write our technobabble for us!

Doesn't work that way ....