Throwaway lines that hint at untold stories

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

What are some Star Trek dialogue references that make you wonder, "what's that about?"

I stumbled upon this one from "Tapestry" today: Q claims that assistant astrophysics officer Picard "never lead the away team on Milika Three to save the ambassador".

 

[Kor]

"I studied your victory at Axanar when I was a cadet. In fact it's still required reading at the Academy."



Kor

 

[Shawnster]

BOYCE: What's been on your mind, Chris, the fight on Rigel Seven?
PIKE: Shouldn't it be? My only yeoman and two others dead, seven injured.
BOYCE: Was there anything you personally could have done to prevent it?
PIKE: Oh, I should have smelled trouble when I saw the swords and the armour. Instead of that, I let myself get trapped in that deserted fortress and attacked by one of their warriors.

All we know of the encounter comes from the Talosian illusion.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

The Vulcanian Expedition.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Spock: My father's race was spared the dubious benefits of alcohol.
McCoy: Oh. Now I know why they were conquered.

 

[MAGolding]

BOYCE: What's been on your mind, Chris, the fight on Rigel Seven?
PIKE: Shouldn't it be? My only yeoman and two others dead, seven injured.
BOYCE: Was there anything you personally could have done to prevent it?
PIKE: Oh, I should have smelled trouble when I saw the swords and the armour. Instead of that, I let myself get trapped in that deserted fortress and attacked by one of their warriors.

All we know of the encounter comes from the Talosian illusion.

I went to Star Trek Transcripts "The Cage" and it also says: "My only yeoman..."

The transcript for "The Menagerie, Part I" also says: "My only yeoman..."

But I have my doubts. Perhaps the writer of those transcripts didn't hear correctly. Perhaps Captain Pike actually said: "My own yeoman...".

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I thought it was "My OWN yeoman"...

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Perhaps the writer of those transcripts didn't hear correctly. Perhaps Captain Pike actually said: "My own yeoman...".

I definitely think it's "my own yeoman."

From "The Trouble With Tribbles":

SPOCK: The battle of Donatu V was fought near here 23 solar years ago. Inconclusive.

From "The Corbomite Maneuver":

MCCOY: I'm especially worried about Bailey. Navigator's position's rough enough for a seasoned man.
KIRK: I think he'll cut it.
MCCOY: Oh? How so sure? Because you spotted something you liked in him, something familiar, like yourself say about, oh, eleven years ago?

From "Where No Man Has Gone Before":

MITCHELL: (without looking) Hello, Jim. Hey, you look worried.
KIRK: I've been worried about you ever since that night on Deneb IV.
MITCHELL: Yeah, she was nova, that one.

This reference is especially intriguing if you consider that Mitchell's ESPer report states that he carried on a telepathic communication with the natives of Deneb IV.

And from the same episode:

MITCHELL: My friend James Kirk. remember those rodent things on Dimorus? The poisoned darts they threw? I took one meant for you.
KIRK: And almost died. I remember.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Chakotay describing the Silver Blood Voyager duplicate's adventures, one of which (coincidentally) sounds a lot like the novel Battle Lines.

First contact between Klingons and the Federation as told in the episode "First Contact". Totally different to what we saw in "Broken Bow" (or even "The Vulcan Hello"), this version led to decades of war and the creation of the Prime Directive.

Picard's rant about the Borg assimilating entire worlds and the Federation falling back time and again, from the movie First Contact.

 

[thribs]

The Vulcan Hello was about the Vulcans first contact with the Klingons.
The Enterprise novels go into how the Prime Directive came to be. It’s rather interesting to as at the start, Archer was against the idea of the Prime Directive until some incident causes a lot of death on a planet and changes side, angering his friend Shran.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Oh, oh, I got one!

In "Death Wish", Quinn's reference to the "New Era" of the continuum. I always wondered what that meant.

 

[johnnybear]

Kirk being already familiar with both Koloth and Kang might be an indication that they had locked horns before and Koloth was going to be a regular adversary in season two before the changes! Thank the stars for that, it would have been too comedial for me!
JB

 

[Greg Cox]

Shinzon having fought for the Romulans.

And speaking of the Romulans, the commander in "Balance of Terror" laments that he's spent his whole career fighting wars on behalf of the Empire. Against whom? Clearly, not the Federation at that point, since the episode makes it clear that there's been little or no contact between the Federation and the Romulans for a century or two.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

SCOTT: How long were you stationed on the planet, Doctor?
MCCOY: Only a few months. We found them totally uninterested in medical aid or hospitals. They believe only the strong should survive.

I presume McCoy and the other doctors who were on the mission spent more time scouting plants and minerals for potential applications elsewhere than acquiring knowledge from the natives, then.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

Shinzon having fought for the Romulans.

And speaking of the Romulans, the commander in "Balance of Terror" laments that he's spent his whole career fighting wars on behalf of the Empire. Against whom? Clearly, not the Federation at that point, since the episode makes it clear that there's been littler or not contact between the Federation and the Romulans for a century or two.

The Klingons, perhaps? Aside from that brief period in which they traded technology, the Klingons and Romulans were at each other’s throats. I’ve always assumed their rivalry led to the spilling of large amounts of magenta and green blood.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

The urban legends of Cyrus Ramsey and George Webb.

 

[Greg Cox]

"Assignment: Earth." Spock's line about Seven and Roberta having many interesting adventures ahead of them practically promises years of spin-off stories that, alas, were never told . . ..

 

[johnnybear]

SCOTT: How long were you stationed on the planet, Doctor?
MCCOY: Only a few months. We found them totally uninterested in medical aid or hospitals. They believe only the strong should survive.

I presume McCoy and the other doctors who were on the mission spent more time scouting plants and minerals for potential applications elsewhere than acquiring knowledge from the natives, then.

I used to retcon McCoy's time on Capella as being set during the Klingon incursion of Organia! I mean the good Doctor was absent during that show and he is clearly wearing the uniform as seen in the first two seasons!
JB

 

[johnnybear]

Shinzon having fought for the Romulans.

And speaking of the Romulans, the commander in "Balance of Terror" laments that he's spent his whole career fighting wars on behalf of the Empire. Against whom? Clearly, not the Federation at that point, since the episode makes it clear that there's been little or no contact between the Federation and the Romulans for a century or two.

The Reman rebels? Other inhabitants of the Romulan Empire who were unhappy with the laws governing them? We know that Romulan space contained many other planets as seen in The Way to Eden and a few TNG episodes as well!
JB

 

[JirinPanthosa]

There are lots of throwaway lines about Data’s childhood that point to a very interesting story to be told.