What are your controversial Star Trek opinions?

[Jayson1]

That was the most 60's episode of "TOS" IMO. Nothing screams 60's more than that episode.

 

[fireproof78]

And TMP was extremely 70s.

 

[Jayson1]

And TMP was extremely 70s.

I don't know. Other Bones love for Disco dancing the movie feels very early 80's to me in style. But the dialogue in that movie is mostly timeless IMO. JUst very Trekan because it is a very philosophical movie. It's actually the most pure Trek movie out of all of them, even if it's not as fun as the rest of them.

 

[fireproof78]

I don't know. Other Bones love for Disco dancing the movie feels very early 80's to me in style. But the dialogue in that movie is mostly timeless IMO. JUst very Trekan because it is a very philosophical movie. It's actually the most pure Trek movie out of all of them, even if it's not as fun as the rest of them.

"My wits. As in frightened out of, Admiral."

It's nice that wits is still a term used in the future.

I don't even know what to think about "Pure Trek" comment. Like, that tells me pure Trek is full and the dialogue doesn't really pop out to me as anything memorable.

 

[Jayson1]

Don't people still use wits today? To me that feels like a word that might stand the test of time. Shit and Fuck are others. Those cusses seem to have lasting power.

 

[fireproof78]

Don't people still use wits today? To me that feels like a word that might stand the test of time. Shit and Fuck are others. Those cusses seem to have lasting power.

Starting back in 1600s or so I would expect that.

I haven't heard wits except from myself and I know I like old slang. It's pretty wizard.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

"Pink skin" and "peta'q" are the only Trek-specific terms I can think of offhand, but those are both from aliens, not humans. Usually when sci-fi tries to come up with new or future slang, it comes off pretty cringeworthy. Firefly did it well though. Farscape kinda straddled the line, but they had the excuse of it being completely alien to us.

"We reach." That's slang.

 

[Jayson1]

"We reach" might be my favorite use of slang in all of Trek. Well being called Herbert as well but that is because it's just funny.

 

[137th Gebirg]

Captain Dunsel.

 

[Maurice]

Re BSG the OG, frak sounded fine, whereas felgercarb didn't work at all.

Star Trek's dialog was always a tad formal, even in the 60s, but that's likely because of the paramilitary setting and that "polite" language of the era was more formal overall, though youth culture increasingly exploded that as the 60s progressed. Later Trek's copied the sound of the original so it's always sounded a little antique-y. More recent shows have gone a little too self-reflexively modern-sounding, and it doesn't always work.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Captain Dunsel.

Just coming to post that one, too.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

My last name is Running. It's Norwegian. Trying going through school with that as a last name.

 

[137th Gebirg]

Re BSG the OG, frak sounded fine, whereas felgercarb didn't work at all.

TOS BSG actually had a ton of invented (and re-purposed) terms, in addition to slang, some of which migrated over to the new show (from the BSG Wiki):

Honorifics:
Count – a title of nobility
Lord – a title of nobility
Sire – a title of nobility akin to "Sir," typically ascribed to a civilian of the male gender
Siress – a title of nobility, typically ascribed to a civilian of the female gender

Colloquialisms:
astrum - buttocks
barge lice - disparaging term for prisoners on the Prison Barge
crasoney - disparagement, perhaps akin to "cretin"
equinus' atrum - disparagement, akin to "horse's ass"
felgercarb - expletive, similar to "crap"
frack - expletive, similar to "shit" (really it’s the other thing)
galmonging - an expletive, possibly similar to "asshole" or "God damned"
Hades hole - hell hole; used to describe the Red planet in War of the Gods, Part I
mong-raking - an expletive; after thwarting their attack on Galactica, Cain comments that "those mong-raking Cylons are in a state of shock right now" due to the appearance of Pegasus
plant vapors - a psychoactive drug familiar to the Colonials
pogees - expletive, similar to "shit"
socialator - a sex worker, escort, prostitute

Ganeral Jargon:
agro - agriculture
ambrosa - an expensive alcoholic intoxicant
auto-control - auto-pilot
bio-pulse line - an unspecified body function, possibly an emotional state
boraton - a liquid that extinguishes fires
breather - a breathing mask, or a life support system supplying air
bureautician - bureaucrat, politician
carbide - a likely term for carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide
centura - possibly an expression related to percentages
Chief Opposer - a prosecuting attorney in a trial
chronometer - a time keeping device, essentially a watch
computape - a video recording
crawlon - a spider
comline - a communication channel between ships
cubit - a form of coined currency
daggit - a domesticated canine, e.g. dog
death stone - tombstone
drone - a term for a robot
ducat - a ticket
ducket - a type of prepaid voucher used on the shuttle
flight slumber - unintentionally sleeping while flying a craft
fumarello - a small cigar
furlon - a furlough, or short leave of absence
geogram - a diagram
glaiders - coined currency on Equellus
grog - an intoxicating beverage, likely similar to beer
Homemade Buzzer - a version of "moonshine" on Equellus
hovermobile - form of ground transportation that can be hot-wired
ion field - a stellar phenomenon, which can cause scanner echoes
ion vapors - likely term referring to the trail of a turbo engine
isoldin - a type of intravenous fluid given to patients
leisuron - a vacation or leave of absence, similar to a furlon
lextrium - a fuel used by the Eastern Alliance destroyer
life pod - a life support bed used in Galactica's life center
lupus - a wolf-like animal
mega star - a large star
mega sun - a star; the Nomen come from the "land of the mega sun"
med tech - a medical technician, such as a nurse or orderly
meteor fire - meteor storm
modocker - an unknown term, likely of endearment
mushies - a food
nightflyer - an owl-like creature on Equellus that hootsost Warrior")
officiator - someone who oversees a triad game
Orion hasher - something that is black and blue;
oviner - a rancher
pluton - a radioactive material whose radiation breaks down food
pods - a Cylon outpost
primaries - basic food groups
Protector - a defense attorney in a tribunal
protein - another type of food
protest - the equivalent of saying "objection" in a Colonial Tribunal
pulse scrambled code - secure method of communication used by the Colonial Fleet
pyramid - a card game, similar to poker
quadrant - region of space
scorpius - scorpion
sector - region of space or planet
sleep period - bedtime
seal - marriage
sickbed - term for bed rest when one is recovering from an illness
skybus - a type of starship
solium - a type of fuel
solonite - an explosive used in demolitions
spacedrome - a planet-based space port
star speed - a speed which is used by Eastern Alliance
telecom - internal communications phone aboard Galactica
tinhead - epithet used to describe Cylons
tribunal - a Colonial court hearing
turbo - Warrior slang for their Viper's high-velocity booster engines
turboflush - a toilet
turboram thruster - a type of engine or thruster
turboshower - a shower
travelator - a travel agent
triad - a contact sport, similar to football or basketball
tylium - a highly combustible fuel
vertical supporter - a pillar or support beam structure
wardaggit - "war dog"

Technology:
gyro capacitors
transmit tek
zonar modules - component of a Viper's stabilizer system
laser controller
otron extension
point diverters
proton activator - component of a Viper's weapon system
proton energizer - a type of weapon on an Eastern Alliance destroyer
scanner - interchangeable term for a computer monitor and television set
tape coder - a voice recording device

Military Jargon:
flash inspection - an inspection of military assets that is performed without prior notice by a superior officer
four-point peel off - a maneuver performed with a group of four
free flight jump - an infantry parachute landing, having jumped out of a shuttle
life station relief - sick call
maximum G-climb - a maneuver done near a celestial body, which may cause the pilot to blackout
stand alert - Colonial term for "attention"
stripped and moduled - a consequence of severe infractions in military law, likely similar to being stripped of one's rank and thrown in hack
Warrior - an all-purpose term for Colonial soldier and Viper pilot

Sayings:
By your command - a typical Cylon response to an order
By your leave - a Colonial response to an order
clear as the Nubian sun - a saying, similar to "as clear as day"
daggit drivel - a term used to describe someone's lies, similar to "garbage" or "bullshit"
For the glory of Caprica - saying used by the Colonials, particularly those from Caprica
Go rust yourself - Colonial equivalent to "go fuck yourself," typically used towards Cylons
laser in their side - analogue to "thorn in their side"
like a daggit on a sunspot - fidgety

Units of Measure:
Time
yahren - unit of time akin to a "year"
quatron - unit of time akin to a "month"
secton - unit of time akin to a "week"
time cycle - unit of time akin to a "day"
centar - unit of time akin to an "hour"
millicenton - unit of time; approx. 10 minutes
centon - a unit of time akin to a "minute"
microcenton/micron - unit of time akin to a "second"

Distance:
parsec - a unit of distance, the Earth measurement being equivalent to 90 million miles
hectar - a unit of distance, the Earth measurement being equivalent to 9 million miles (i.e. 1/10th of a parsec)
sectar - an unspecified measure of distance, interchangeably used as an unspecified measure of time
metric - a unit of distance, the Earth measurement being equivalent to a kilometer
maxim - a unit of distance, the Earth measurement being equivalent to 10 meters
metron - unit of distance of smaller denomination than maxim, the Earth measurement being equivalent to meter

Scientific measurements:
ergon - unspecified unit of radiation
megon - unit of weight, akin to a megaton
radion - unit of energy, akin to a rad
volton - unit of energy, akin to a volt
wavelon - unit of energy, akin to wavelength

The thing that bothered me about DRADIS in NuBSG was that people (including the showrunners) said it stood for, "Direction, RAnge, DIStance". Range and Distance are the same freakin' thing! It should be "Direction, RAnge, DIScrimination", as the DRADIS not only showed where other ships were located and where they were moving relative to , but was also able to discriminate between friendlies and incoming bogies. Always irked the shit out of me when people said that. Especially the showrunners - they should have known better if they just thought about it for a second.

Nerd Soapbox Mode [/off].

 

[Jayson1]

Re BSG the OG, frak sounded fine, whereas felgercarb didn't work at all.

Star Trek's dialog was always a tad formal, even in the 60s, but that's likely because of the paramilitary setting and that "polite" language of the era was more formal overall, though youth culture increasingly exploded that as the 60s progressed. Later Trek's copied the sound of the original so it's always sounded a little antique-y. More recent shows have gone a little too self-reflexively modern-sounding, and it doesn't always work.

I'm glad Ron Moore didn't even try to make felgercarb work. Terrible made up word.

 

[137th Gebirg]

Oh, but he did. He turned into... wait for it...

Toothpaste!

Actual prop from PropWorx auction:

 

[Jayson1]

I forgot about that.

 

[Maurice]

TOS BSG actually had a ton of invented (and re-purposed) terms, in addition to slang, some of which migrated over to the new show (from the BSG Wiki):
parsec - a unit of distance, the Earth measurement being equivalent to 90 million miles

It was stupid when they repurposed words that already had meanings in English, like microns, parsecs, etc., and made up other meanings for them.

 

[137th Gebirg]

It actually had the intended purpose of implying that we were distantly related to the Colonials (13th Tribe) and that time and distance away from the rest of the Tribes of Kobol changed the meanings of certain words. This was also a thing in NuBSG, albeit to a more ridiculous degree, with the existence of Humvees and pencils marked with "Made in China" on the CIC Ops table.

But yes, I agree that using English was a conceit that was more a convenience for the viewing audience than anything of perceived historical accuracy (not unlike any other science fiction show/film with aliens speaking English as a first language), especially since no form of English would ever have existed in the Colonies. I'd like to think they're probably speaking more of a variation of ancient Sanskrit than anything else, if an Earth analogue is ever required.

 

[TheAdmiralty]

But their was a effort in the past to try and avoid some of the obvious stuff. On "TOS" nobody was saying, Far Out and Groovy. Berman era is famous for over stylized speak and that is something I don't want to come back. I just wish they had more of a middle ground. Something that feels modern but is off just a little bit since the setting is the future.

Agree, TOS and the TOS films had the right balance by mostly avoiding slang but also not having everyone sound like a college dissertation. I'm used to it and even I'll start cracking up watching TNG sometimes because some of the turns of phrase sound ridiculous to be using in a casual conversation.

 

[Maurice]

None of it makes a lick of sense, but then that's part and parcel with ancient astronaut nonsense.