Yeah -- it only detected unicorns.
What does the "tri" mean in tricorder?
- Thread starter Duane
- Start date
Yeah -- it only detected unicorns.
I thought one of the functions of a tricorder was to somehow measure time. It was a pretty murky explanation when I read it (forgot the reference).
This seemed to be what Spock was saying in "Errands of Mercy" when he said the buildings hadn't changed ".. as far back as my tricorder can register."
This seemed to be what Spock was saying in "Errands of Mercy" when he said the buildings hadn't changed ".. as far back as my tricorder can register."
^^That line in "Errand of Mercy" was pretty sloppy writing, but I assume it meant that Spock was determining the age of the structures by things like radioactive decay, erosion, the surrounding geology, that sort of thing.
And it only worked once!
ST V.
It slices, dices and chops.
Not in tribology, though. Or in tribunal.
And never mind that since this is a device, its name is most probably a brand name, concoted for marketability, or a nickname chosen by the users, rather than a scientifically rigorous logical description of the device's function. Just like an IPod isn't a device resting on one I-beam leg, despite appearances, a tricorder need not feature three of anything, least of all "cords".
Timo Saloniemi
This has to do with the evolving role of the tricorder over time. Early on in the show the Tricorder was often carried by the Yeoman (often on a landing party) to record SOUND/VIDEO/SENSOR DATA (three things=hence, tricorder) but as the show evolved it became a handy tool for Spock to carry and could seemingly do anything including be a portable computer to multi-function scanner. This is why Janice is very often seen carrying a tricorder around. Also, this is why Yoeman Mears in Galileo Seven is specifically shown carrying one-she is there to record key aspects of the trip.
Of course, it would be nice to think that Rand et al. were skilled operators of a multi-function scanner rather than just a pair of legs for a dictaphone. And we can think so if we really want; after all, Mears wouldn't really have been needed for purely secretarial duties when the shuttle already must have a flight recorder and when there was not going to be any leg work involved in the mission...
Certainly it would be nice to think that the tricorder makes a detailed visual and auditory recording of a mission, though. Those would be so handy, and the absence of dedicated cameras and microphones inexplicable and inexcusable otherwise.
Timo Saloniemi
Certainly it would be nice to think that the tricorder makes a detailed visual and auditory recording of a mission, though. Those would be so handy, and the absence of dedicated cameras and microphones inexplicable and inexcusable otherwise.
Timo Saloniemi
Because it does try to replicate the look of a scientific instrument, even if it doesn't do anything.
don't you mean..."don't 'beat the egg inside the eggshell' him on,"?
the "tri" in tricorder meant whatever the script that week needed it to mean.
It was used as communication at least once, they set it as an emergency beacon.
The gorn were also able to lock onto tricorder signals and convert the little contraption into a bomb.
Why would a paramiltary, government organization use a brand name? Are they selling them to teenagers? Besides, the mystery has already been answered, and it does, indeed, stem from the three primary functions of the recorder -- er, tricorder.Timo said:
Not in tribology, though. Or in tribunal.
And never mind that since this is a device, its name is most probably a brand name, concoted for marketability, or a nickname chosen by the users, rather than a scientifically rigorous logical description of the device's function. Just like an IPod isn't a device resting on one I-beam leg, despite appearances, a tricorder need not feature three of anything, least of all "cords".
Timo Saloniemi
""Bicorder" sounds sick and wrong, so "Tricorder" it is."
Tricorder sounds sick, wrong, and evil. Goes with the miniskits.
Tricorder sounds sick, wrong, and evil. Goes with the miniskits.
Uh, yes, they are, quite literally. The target group is 18-25 for the most part.
Which is why we today have "Hummers" (M-998 HMMWV) and "Vipers" (F-16 Fighting Falcon) and a myriad of military objects whose user-adopted name is not suited for printing in a public forum. I'm willing to bet (in the fictional realm I don't stand the chance of losing!) that "phaser" is also a military nickname for something much more officious.
Not canonically, though. And we've so far only agreed on two, I think?
Timo Saloniemi
Gee whiz, folks... a tricorder is a device for moving the plot forward, nothing more. It's designed to do whatever the script writer needs it to do that week. It's the magic box that solves the problem-of-the-week if you wave it around long enough. The "tri" in tricorder means "Try and write your way out of that conundrum, guy."
Not a bad explanation for what the writer may have to go through.
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