Treknobable in simming

[Valdivia]

Reverse the polarity! Focus a tachyon beam on the metaphasic resonator! Expand our warp bubble around the meteor! Use the deflector to create a gamma pulse! 

All these sentences might sound familiar. Not because you have heard them before, but they have a certain feeling. A certain Star Trek feeling. These are the kind of things a Starfleet officer might try to solve a problem in any of our favourite series. And, from the viewpoint of 21st century Real World, they make no sense. 

Which is not bad. In the amount of years from here to Star Trek, science and technology are bound to have evolved a lot. Otherwise, they would not be flying through the stars. But, for us, all those principles and technologies sound like babble. Technological babble. Star Trek technological babble. Which has been surprisingly nicknamed ‘Treknobabble’.

And here we are now, simming characters into the Star Trek world. So the question is necessary, how much Treknobabble do you use while simming? And how much do you think we should be using?

This is a new post in our category Simming Questions. Here we will be asking questions about our community, our characters and our writing, and how you interact with it all.
 

[+ Trellis Vondaryan]

I almost completely avoid it. Partly because Trellis is in Intelligence so the need for it hasn't arisen (yet) and partly because I'm not very good at using it anyway.

[Blake]

Literally the most I'll ever use Treknobabble - mainly because while I'm well-versed in Star Trek and playing an engineer, writing long paragraphs involving Trek science involves many a hour-long journey into the depths of Memory Alpha.

[+ Salkath]

I'm a sucker for treknobabble. Trot it out every chance I get. But, I've learned from my favoritist scientist ever, John Valdivia, to try and ground it in real world science or established canon science as much as possible. It needs to flow and have a sense of believability, or else even a professed abuser of treknobabble like me can admit that it would stretch credulity and decorum. 

Edited June 16, 2016 by Maxwell Traenor
Darn autocorrect!

[Sal Taybrim]

I'm a depends.  Like Traenor, I agree - treknobabble should be grounded in reality.

 

I tend to also ground mine firmly in canon.  Because, heck, I have an excellent memory and I've been watching this show since I was 5.  Gotta put them skills to use some how...

[Valdivia]

Wow, thanks Traenor *blushes*

As he said, I always try to keep technobabble (which I use, but basically the things already apperared in Trek) to something reasonably coherent with what we know of science.

That being said, those of you who say you are not good at it, in a pinch, ask google for "technobable generator" and you'll have hours and hours of fun and ideas!

 

[Scudder]

I'm wondering if other counselors are using technobabble*? 'Cause I think they totally should. This counselor is guilty!

To paraphrase Valdivia, neuroscience [and psychology and psychiatry] are bound to have evolved a lot -- and I imagine they may have [must have?] merged into a unified science, as more of the brain, mind, and consciousness became understood.

It's been fun for me to look at what brain science is happening today and project that into the future. So I've played with a little technobabble, extrapolated from emerging technology today, and the bits of brain equipment we've seen in Sickbays and such. Really, there's not enough canon toys for counselors to poke around brains with, and I wanted more. 

*I'd never heard of "treknobabble" and I find it hard to say!

[Hannibal Parker]

I use technobabble seldomly, as I am a Marine...but there has been a time or two it has come in handy. I am more often using military terms more than anything. Memory Alpha and Beta are your friends...

[Ayiana Sevo]

Absolutely! As a scientist, Ayiana finds herself talking technical mumbo-jumbo on a regular basis. Explaining how something works is something I find fun and often put into sims. In real-life, I'm always fascinated by how a sci-fi technology or science might work.