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Technobabble — the scientific-sounding gibberish that scientist characters spew in every episode of Star Trek — is the dilithium crystal in the warp engine that makes science fiction run. It can get to ridiculous levels. Ron Moore steered clear of it in Battlestar Galactica because his Trek scripts filled up with [INSERT TECH HERE], but ultimately it’s hard to get by without it. Technobabble generally does make sense on a superficial level, since there’s so much speculative science out there that there’s bound to be a field related to whatever the story requires. For better or for worse, take a look at the greatest ways technobabble has been put to use.
[geekovision id=267 title=”Check out all the great technobabble here”]
- Wil Wheaton on how to deliver technobabble
- Sci-fi no longer: Kryptonian data crystals exist thanks to five-dimensional laser techniques
- Look at this year’s selection of Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame inductees
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