I hope I can conclude the terminology section this week before the Christmas break.
I don’t know what else I can say that I didn’t already say in part one and part two of this section of the writer’s guide. It’s a long one, though not as long as the cast. So to pad out the homepage, here’s…this.
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There’s a sequel but I’m going to save that if there’s a part 4 of this subseries. So let’s see if we can finish this today. Continuing where we left off in the guide…
COMPUTER
The logical scientific extension of a somewhat bulty and limited computer of our own 20th century. Deep in the heart of the vessel are rows upon ros of “computer banks”, in effect a giant electronic brain which runs our vessel, setting course on command, automatically maintaining it, operated the “life-support systems” which include atmosphere and gravity, warn and take action against unexpected dangers and so on.
We joke now that our smartphones have more storage and processing power than the computers of the 1960s, usually bringing up the computers that got us to the moon. Imagine today’s computer technology used in a computer that size. It would have more processing power and storage space than you’d ever need, but you aren’t flying a starship across the galaxy. Even with the alteration in history for World War III in the 1990s (glad we missed that one) those computers should still be more powerful than what we have now and at that size could play the greatest video game ever…if video games existed in the Star Trek universe outside of that one lame one with the disks. Just another piece of media dead in Star Trek, like movies, audio dramas, and rock ‘n roll music.
Also, the computer banks of the U.S.S. Enterprise literally hold the entire body of recorded knowledge of the human race. The ship’s computers can be connected into any intercom station or viewing screen and will (verbally or visually) analyze practically any known information in a matter of seconds. However, Mr. Spock’s bridge position connects most directly and completely with the ship’s computers.
Imagine if Santa Claus had one of those. You have to speak to it to get it to work, though. No keyboards, no mice, as Mr. Scott once demonstrated. Apparently we lost that technology…somehow. The next segment is “computer voice”, but all we get from that is how it only speaks factual and can interrupt a proceeding to correct information like that annoying person who has to correct you all the time. So the computer voice is an uber geek?
BEARINGS AND HEADINGS
Obviously space know no north or south: directions are in three planes rather than two. Our system for giving a heading, bearing, or direction is, for example: “unidentified object heading on a bearing of 37 Mark 211”. Or the command: “Turn to a heading of 112 Mark 14”.
And like Stardates, these terms are useless in determining anything for the audience. It’s just there to show the crew knows where they’re going and what’s after them from what direction. That’s not the only form of real words turned technobabble. Check out the long section on measurements.
MEASUREMENTS
We use the metric system for most close and small measurements, such as distance of another vessel lying alongside, its size, etc. For long measurements, such as distance between stars, we use light year measurements. For example, the closest star to Earth is Proxima Centauri, which is 4.2 light years away. Other stars in our galaxy are hundreds or thousands of light years away.
The next part is capitalized AND underlined, so they must consider it very important for the writers.
NOTE: THE WRITER NEED NOT TROUBLE HIMSELF WITH COMPUTIGN OR STUDYING SUCH TERMS–WE HAVE EXCELLENT TECHNICAL ADVISORS WHO REVIEW ALL SCRIPTS.
This does give the writers working on a weekly show time to focus on the story, and let the advisors adjust the measurements. It’s not the most important bit of science they’ll be tapping. I could see a scriptwriter have a character say “yada yada parsecs away”, and the advisor just replaces “yada yaya” with a number that fits or at least sounds like it fits to the viewer’s satisfaction.
For those who are interested, the term PARSEC is also used in measuring vast distances–Parsec is 3.26 light years, or 19.2 trillion miles–206,265 times the radius of Earth’s orbit. (Parallax of one second).
However, the writer should keep in mind that the audience often needs more understandable measurements and we often vary the above statements such as: “That alien ship is more than a mile in diameter!” Or, “That ship is a million miles away and we’re still being probed by it’s sensors!” Generally, we use the more precise scientific measuring terms in giving and answering bridge command, go to less scientific, but more understandable, “audience terminology” in exclamations and in private conversations. Present-day example–the weapons control officers of a modern-day naval vessel will always be very precise in giving aiming order, but might remark conversationally to the man next to him. “They’re still a mile out of range.”
I guess that’s an attempt to make them seem normal, using more relaxed terms. It does add to the the metric versus the usual US measuring system, Star Trek being a US show. Then again, Gerry Anderson assumed someday that the UK would drive on the right side of the road like many other countries, and they only added decimals to their currency two years before I was born. Measurements are conversation my math scores say I am not qualified to get into.
CAPTAIN’S LOG
The Captain’s VOICE OVER, a portion of his dictated log which we hear over establishing, silent scenes. We need not see him dictating it, can assume we are hearing portions of a record dictated later. VOICE OVER is rarely used in the TEASER, since it tends to slow down the action there. However, it is almost always used at the beginning of ACT I, recapping and explaining the backstory and situation to that point. At the writer’s discretion, it can open other acts or can be used as a “bridge” within acts, explaining in terse, log-like fashion things that might otherwise require many slow pages in dialog between characters.
So it basically works like narration. I wonder, if this is supposed to be after the fact, we do get logs done on planet, sometimes in the middle of a situation from the way they say the lines. Maybe it’s like the confessionals on some reality competition or group living shows, where the person is alone, discussing their perspective of a certain event in the game. That would be an odd way to write a log entry. Then again, I’ve never even kept a diary/journal.
Most generally, it tells us where we are and what has been going on, and sometimes it suggests the Captain’s stream of consciousness, any fears or doubts he may have at the moment. Keep in mind VOICE OVER itself can become tedious; keep it as short and as much to the point as possible.
I wonder why VOICE OVER is capitalized every time along with other TV terms? One would assume their WRITERS would know how it’s being used. Of course, other characters on occasion handle the log entries in this franchise, not just when they assume acting command but in their personal logs or logs tied to their job. I think Scotty did a few in his chief engineer role as well as in command position. Imagine a whole episode just done in log entries. Probably wouldn’t work in video, but I have an audio drama, Cacophony, that follows an adventure with Sulu as captain of the Excellsior. It’s an incident that, much like the Prime Directive novel I reviewed for Chapter By Chapter, is a potential prime directive blunder that leads to serious problems for a planet. The story is told through log entries, interviews, and with the framing device of those entries being logged for prosperity and trial. It’s a really well done story but it would only work in audio, especially with the role music, subspace radio, and a would-be 1950s DJ play in it. Speaking of…
SUBSPACE RADIO
Lieutenant Uhura, Communications officer, sits at this control station. We use the term “subspace” since it is necessary that communications from Enterprise to its bases are a “space warp” effect with travels at speeds far exceeding even that of the Enterprise. If we did not have such “subspace” or “space warp” communications, obviously the Enterprise could warp off to a base and return faster than a message could be sent there.
I’ve never heard “space warp” mentioned when it comes to subspace, but kudos for realizing how long soundwave take to travel in space. Yes, there is sound in space. You just can’t hear it because there’s no air to react with it, or however the science works.
STARBASE
From past stories we can assume there are seventeen Starfleet Command Centers strategically located throughout our galaxy. Their Commanding Officer usually has the rank of “Commodore.” These bases provide repair, supply, replacement of personnel and so on. They can also be used for shore leave. The STAR TREK FORMAT is to use Starbases with Starbase Commanders only when vital to a story, preferring to keep Kirk and the Enterprise far away and out of touch, so that the dramatic decisions are Kirk’s. When necessary, we can establish our distance from a Starfleet Base is such that it takes hours or even many days for subspace radio messages to be exchanged.
There have been episodes set at Starbases, where Kirk doesn’t assume command of the base but because what’s happening affects his mission or his ship/crew he takes authority of the situation. Not counting starbase takeovers or being destroyed. The closest we got to a show set on a starbase is Deep Space Nine, which was jointly owned by Starfleet and the Bajorans, and people seemed to like that. The Enterprise crew should be the star of their own show, but there could have been at least one episode where Kirk had to deal with not being the guy in charge but still being important. More than likely they’d make the Commodore incompetent and Kirk would have to take over, so probably better they didn’t even try.
STARFLEET AND STARFLEET COMMAND
Naturally, there is a headquarters somewhere, general orders, and a whole command hierarchy. Again, we try to stay away from it as much as possible. The galaxy is incredibly vast, the problems out there are complex, and a Starship must necessarily operate as a semi-autonomous unit. Most of the best drama comes out of Kirk’s lonely decisions. Stay away from petty military politics…it usually comes off as unbelievable in our advanced century. Also keep clear of “space fleet maneuvers,” “government yachts,” and similar Buck Rogers concepts.
My Buck Rogers are limited to the 1970s show, the Dynamite Comics remake, and a random comic strip and audio drama. I haven’t even been able to catch the serials. I don’t remember a lot of that happening. Petty military politics are also rather boring unless you’re something like M*A*S*H*, that was built partly on it and can poke fun at it. Even Beetle Bailey avoided it.
By the way, anyone else notice the odd placement of punctuation marks within apostrophes in this guide? Instead of “space fleet maneuvers” you have “space fleet maneuvers,” and it keeps looking wrong to me.
And so I have not succeeded in finishing this category before Christmas break. In two weeks (barring incidents) we’ll return to hopefully get finished with this before we’re all bored to death of it. Actually we might be finally be done next time and can move to the next and final section of the guide.
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