tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-190858632009-12-09T22:11:18.625-05:00Ruminations on various aspects of the Star Trek universe<br>alien races, technology, random thoughts . . .G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-55087368688022449142009-05-15T23:59:00.006-04:002009-05-16T00:41:42.012-04:00

I finally saw the new Star Trek movie tonight. While I take time to collect my thoughts on the new film as a whole let me comment on one little aspect of it - matters of translation.Interestingly the credits mention a Romulan and Vulcan Language Supervisor (or Consultant or some such title). However after my first viewing of the film I have to say I didn't notice any Vulcan being spoken, and I

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-65360279763278390862009-04-28T22:53:00.009-04:002009-05-06T16:58:35.604-04:00

Drex Files tipped me off to a great CSI episode, "A Space Oddity." (Considering that blog's much wider readership you probably got the tip too. Old news. Old News . . .)I've long been a fan of CSI and it's various incarnations, but recently have fallen out of the habit of watching it. But that clip motivated me to catch the episode onDemand. If you're a fan of CSI, Star Trek, or both it's an

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-84394266480696172402009-04-07T06:09:00.004-04:002009-04-07T06:18:28.964-04:00

"Busy?""Uhura is busy, I am monitoring . . ."- McCoy and Spock in Star Trek IV: The Voyage HomeBusy, monitoring busy, space-time anomalies - suffice it to say I have had very little time to give attention to my blog lately. Fortunately others have had time to give it some attention. It is perhaps embarrassing to say that after more than four years I have only just now received my very first

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-45888839241150997462009-02-02T20:56:00.006-05:002009-02-15T21:44:47.314-05:00

In the past I've commented at length on the plausibility of the Drayan, a species the ages in reverse in the episode "Innocence" (VOY). Recently Earthweek featured an article on an 'immortal' jellyfish called turritopsis nutricula. As explained below this little animal is not just biologically immortal, but is actually capable of reverse aging. Turritopsis nutricula - That is the scientific name

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-11684149352208184562008-12-13T18:03:00.006-05:002009-02-08T21:20:50.689-05:00

To update an older discussion - I came across one more glimpse of Utopia Planitia that predates the Voyager episode "Relativity." In the seventh season TNG episode, "Parallels" there is an image of Utopia Planitia taken by the Argus Array (see the image in the lower right of the display). Admittedly this is the Utopia Planitia from a parallel universe, but "our" Worf didn't identify any major

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-74959908678303868912008-12-07T14:39:00.009-05:002009-02-15T01:16:08.134-05:00

I'm definitely not the first to say it, but watching Deep Space Nine now, it's amazing to see how stories about toppled regimes, provisional governments, terrorists and freedom fighters, political and religious corruption have become even more meaningful now than when they were first written. I thought something similar about the socio-economic issues dealt with in "Past Tense." Re-watching this

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-14303265894566007042008-10-10T23:14:00.008-04:002009-02-27T16:17:14.469-05:00

Tuvok and Neelix have been the obvious odd couple on the ship since Neelix first tried to hug "Mister Vulcan" in the pilot episode. "Riddles" may be the strongest and most touching episode in the Tuvok-Neelix arc. Here the true depth of their friendship is established. Really, it is probably this episode which carries the emotional weight of Tuvok's "dance" for Neelix when he departs at the end

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-25684318772441956282008-08-14T13:38:00.008-04:002009-05-16T00:40:25.900-04:00

“The Devil in the Dark” is basically the early prototype for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Of course, “The Devil in the Dark” doesn’t have time travel or all of the fish-out-of-water gags of the movie, but at the core these are both stories about communication—and of the conflict that can grow out of a lack of communication. In his book, I Am Spock, Leonard Nimoy makes a direct link between his

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-11463209012523513272008-08-05T15:06:00.006-04:002008-09-05T20:39:33.443-04:00

Reflecting on the role of translation in the Star Trek movies brings us to Star Trek: Insurrection. Now in this film, translation plays no role whatsoever, and therein lies the problem.One of the difficulties of this movie is explaining the revelation that the Son'a are really the Ba'ku. This raises a lot of questions about where they got their ships, how they have represented themselves as an

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-12041410751441569452008-05-10T22:56:00.013-04:002008-08-05T15:40:53.964-04:00

While Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country wove issues of translation and communication into the story, in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home issues of translation and communication are the story. More than any of the other movies, and more than all but maybe a handful of episodes, the drama of this story grows directly out of the complexities of communicating with alien life-forms.In his book I Am

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-61800932499935187852008-04-18T23:20:00.008-04:002008-05-11T00:18:13.495-04:00

Let us take a moment to revisit the idea of scanning brain activity to guide the translation process. I suggested that the UT may be able to detect thought patterns that correspond to certain categories of words - such as nouns, verbs, or specific kinds of nouns (people, animals, food, numbers). I recently came across an interesting book that indicates that the human brain actually does work that

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-57492902703487308552008-02-06T15:53:00.001-05:002008-04-19T00:09:15.568-04:00

“Little Green Men” (DS9) gives us insight into the Ferengi Universal Translator, and in the process illustrates some of the logistical problems with any such device. According to this episode, Ferengi have their UTs implanted in their ears. This echoes the Babel Fish of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. (There’s a slightly more serious, in-ear device in the Michael Crichton novel Timeline,

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-18271145308838973702008-02-03T00:37:00.001-05:002009-05-15T23:59:10.269-04:00

"We must respond personally. The Universal Translator would be recognized." - Pavel ChekovThere is no doubt that this scene is mostly played for laughs, and seeing Starfleet officers frantically searching through books and speaking Klingon badly is an entertaining sight. But it's problematic if you think it through. At the same time, Chekov's statement highlights a significant issue for the

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-72385830968522844022008-01-09T18:31:00.001-05:002008-01-09T18:42:36.789-05:00

Maybe you've already seen this before. It's the smallest of silly footnotes to my ongoing discussion of the Universal Translator, but I just came across this post about the physical prop used for the UT on Enterprise ("Terra Prime"). Turns out they used a "mineral magnet toilet cleaner."Hey Hoshi, Translate This! (Have Phaser, Will Travel)

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-89678134980043813662007-12-27T20:27:00.000-05:002007-12-27T20:43:02.121-05:00

Well, it started when I saw a sign warning of a "Speed Bump" that I sent over to The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks. So I had a link back to my blog, and the next thing I knew I'm getting traffic from a strange place I had never heard of: Blogshares.It's a fantasy blog stock market. And evidently people are buying "stock" (unnecessary quotation marks or not - you decide) in Star Trek

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-17447588884109216252007-12-16T17:11:00.000-05:002008-02-03T16:59:53.884-05:00

Up to this point we have analyzed the inner workings of the Universal Translator—how pattern analysis and neural analysis might allow the device to work. Now, let’s discuss the outer workings of the device—how users would interact with it.Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country does a nice job of showing translation at work, with out letting it get in the way of the story. In the process there are

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-46987125936568465682007-12-08T00:16:00.000-05:002007-12-27T20:47:21.187-05:00

I think I always considered “True Q” one of the least consequential Q episodes of TNG. Q is most interesting when he is directly facing off with Picard—whether it is something as sweeping and menacing as introducing the Borg (“Q Who?”), or something as quiet and personal as letting Picard revisit his youth (“Tapestry”).Which isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy this episode. It has some great moments:

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-23977630088458709152007-11-17T17:03:00.001-05:002008-12-14T21:07:23.322-05:00

“Metamorphosis” (TOS) gives us another significant detail about how the Universal Translator (UT) functions: it scans brain activity. As far as I know, this concept is not mentioned in any other episode (but please correct me if I’m missing something). The idea that the UT can scan a person’s thoughts might help solve some of the translation problems based on pure pattern recognition and

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-46329439849265277102007-10-04T23:15:00.000-04:002007-11-17T17:29:42.050-05:00

There are a number of episodes of Enterprise (such as “Vox Sola”) that describe the Universal Translator (UT) in terms of analyzing patterns in the spoken word. Few details are given regarding the process, but we can draw some reasonable conclusions. First, let’s start with the easiest task—translating between two known languages. There are already computer systems that can recognize written

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-53309211137573337692007-09-25T08:25:00.000-04:002007-09-26T00:10:37.568-04:00

Somehow, in spite of all my reading of Star Trek reviews, the Star Trek Chronology, and the like, I managed to stay insulated from what happens in "The Mark of Gideon," so I was able to enjoy seeing it without any real expectations - without knowing what was really going on. That alone made it enjoyable, as these days it is increasingly hard to find unfamiliar Trek.The story starts with a great

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-6132238323885111322007-09-21T22:47:00.000-04:002007-09-22T19:32:47.024-04:00

Well, the Bynars stopped by and helped me make some enhancements. Okay, so really I just finally took the time to finish upgrading my blogger account. Beyond the aesthetic change, the newer archiving feature should make it easier to navigate older posts.The article "Where Have all the Star Trek Sites Gone?" over at Ex Astris Scientia was exciting for me to read for the self-serving reason that

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-64640583545064747692007-09-12T17:55:00.009-04:002009-05-16T00:38:20.024-04:00

Index of "Lost in Translation" ArticlesCommunication with Aliens in Star Trek (this page)Verbal Pattern AnalysisScanning Brain ActivityStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country"The Universal Translator Would Be Recognized" Men, Ferengi, Countrymen, Lend Me Your LobesUm . . . Disfluencies and TranslationThere Be Whales Here (Star Trek IV)They Sure Don't Sound Like Son'a to Me (Star Trek: Insurrection

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-13211531223852517202007-08-29T15:08:00.001-04:002008-02-22T17:34:53.669-05:00

As I was re-watching the Xindi arc recently I stumbled upon a nice bit of continuity.As the episode "Exile" begins it seems that Hoshi is hallucinating. Of course, we know she's not crazy. She's being contacted telepathically by an alien named Tarquin. Interestingly, Phlox tells her that for Denobulans, hallucinating is the sign of healthy mind - it's a healthy release for the subconscious. He

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-24140269085270989302007-07-30T17:34:00.000-04:002008-01-17T23:25:52.673-05:00

No, this isn't a discussion of the more sweeping Klingon forehead problem. This is simply a problem with Duras' forehead in the episode "Judgement" (ENT).There is a very strange discrepancy between the flashback sequences where he is on board his ship, and the courtroom scenes. In the flashback sequences his forehead looks normal. The distinctive family ridge that runs around the outside of his

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19085863.post-59209468401007746332007-07-14T22:32:00.001-04:002007-07-18T23:38:46.451-04:00

I can't personally comment on how "I, Mudd" compares to the first episode featuring Harry Mudd, but the comic overtones in this episode seem right on target. Not only is there some great banter between Mudd and Kirk, but the solution to overload the androids involves some all-out silliness that's plain entertaining.(In fact this episode contributes some great footage to the "Python's Camelot

G.C. McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669162282432355416noreply@blogger.com