4 Ups And 5 Downs For Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 3.4 — A Space Adventure Hour

9. UP — The Many Space Science Of Technobabble

Though out of place, the cold open to A Space Adventure Hour wasn't completely unsuccessful in its aims. It did provide funny satire on one element of Star Trek (and other sci-fi) — technobabble — bane of those who have to learn it, loved and loathed in equal measure by fans. You could almost feel the actor half of director Jonathan Frakes reaching out from across the room.

"We need it [our brain cells], for many science reasons" was about as pointed a line as you could possibly get, read with as many layers of sincerity and deadpan humour by Jess Bush as Adelaide Shaw. "Nuclear lasers" and "photonos beams" were also a nice touch, making about as much sense as the fictional 'real' thing.

In retrospect, there is a certain terminological strangeness to the early episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series in particular. That is, of course, in part because terms were still being invented and re-invented within the confines of a 1960s lexicon. Technobabble's not a science; it's an art.