125
votes
They ARE Klingons, and it's a long story... What's the story?
IN-Universe - As Worf said, it's something not discussed with non-Klingons.
OUT of Universe - To summarize, it's a very meta in-joke.
In the original series, they had a limited budget, and makeup ...
- 13k
122
votes
Accepted
They ARE Klingons, and it's a long story... What's the story?
Viral Mutation
This apparent discrepancy was explained in Star Trek Enterprise. Long story short, Klingons experimented with genetic mutation to make themselves stronger, much like what was ...
- 5,405
108
votes
Accepted
How does Quark attract customers to his bar given that the drinks and food can be gotten free from a replicator?
In the UK, you can easily get three or four beers in a supermarket for the price of one drink in a pub. Yet people still buy beer in pubs.
Presumably Quark's business survives the way any other bar ...
- 36.7k
97
votes
Accepted
Have Star Trek actors commented on why they didn't work more after Star Trek?
The pattern here doesn't seem that unusual for the cast of a successful television show not to ever get another high-profile role; there are far more TV actors than TV roles to go around. In fact, ...
- 103k
76
votes
How can 1000 divided into 5 give 250?
Nahsk isn't the brightest star in the sky. The original screenplay describes him thusly
Nahsk is the "muscle" of this duo, and a bit slower than his brother.
and offers the following stage ...
- 667k
73
votes
What are all the jokes on the DS9 Promenade Directory?
Amphitheater
Andorian Fast Food
Bajoran Consulate
Bajoran Customs
Banzai Institute
Reference to The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Berman’s Dilithium Supply
Possible ...
68
votes
Accepted
Why was the Federation able to operate Deep Space Nine with very few major hiccups?
Things didn't "continue to work" — major systems were unresponsive, offline, plain broken, or inscrutable when Starfleet arrived
From the first episode, "Emissary":
O'BRIEN: I'd ...
- 110k
66
votes
How come Ferengi starships work?
Rule of acquisition #125:
You can't make a deal if you're dead.
Surely, no self-respecting Ferengi would break rule #3, but note the wording: "Never spend more than you have to". Certainly, you ...
- 1,853
66
votes
Accepted
If a Ferengi woman is forbidden to speak with a stranger, how is she going to fall in love and meet her future husband?
Falling in love and marrying was not considered typical for a Ferengi
From Memory Alpha:
Marriage, like everything else in Ferengi culture, was a business contract, signed between the prospective ...
- 7,191
63
votes
Why does Captain Kirk wear green in the DS9 episode Trials and Tribble-ations?
The Command Tunics in TOS Were Actually Green
The costume designer for TOS was Bill Theiss:
William Ware Theiss - the designer of all the Starfleet uniforms and alien costumes seen in the 79 ...
- 661
63
votes
Does same-species racism exist in Star Trek?
There was "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield,” a remarkably unsubtle clunker of an episode, in spite of its worthy message.
SPOILER-NOT-SPOILER: The pair above is the mirror image of the other, i.e., ...
- 25k
61
votes
Accepted
Why was the Klingon Chancellor not constantly challenged to duels?
The scene involves Worf, because the other Klingons at the table wouldn't say it, call out Gowron for his bad leadership. Gowron does not take it well.
Gowron: If you were a true Klingon, I'd kill ...
- 21.1k
60
votes
What's the story behind the mugs in Deep Space Nine and Babylon 5?
I believe this style is a no-spill mug for ships in heavy seas. That would mean both shows drew inspiration from the same real-world precedent.
- 5,226
60
votes
Accepted
What's the story behind the mugs in Deep Space Nine and Babylon 5?
About the mugs
The important thing to note is that in DS9 there are two types of Raktajino mugs:
Hotjo mugs (from Quark's)
This site claims that:
These mugs were made by HighWave and were called ...
- 69k
60
votes
What was the highest rated episode of Star Trek?
You can see the Nielsen ratings for ALL modern Star Trek episodes (TNG, DS9, VOY, and ENT) plotted together on this handy graph from here:
Which confirms Richard's answer (the highest outside of TOS ...
- 134k
59
votes
When does TNG take place in relation to DS9?
Wikipedia shows the dates of the series as follows:
2364 TNG s1
2365 TNG s2
2366 TNG s3
2367 TNG s4
2368 TNG s5
2369 TNG s6 DS9 s1
2370 TNG s7 DS9 s2
2371 ...
- 2,478
56
votes
Accepted
Why does Deep Space Nine spin?
According to the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Technical Manual the rotation was driven by four factors:
To control the rotation imparted by the processes of docking and undocking spaceships.
To ...
- 667k
54
votes
Why was the Klingon Chancellor not constantly challenged to duels?
The Klingon Bird of Prey Owners' Workshop Manual gives a pretty decent overview of how and why a Klingon can reasonably challenge their superior. In short, a challenge can only be offered under ...
- 667k
52
votes
Accepted
How come Ferengi starships work?
It's a common misconception that the Ferengi revere those who swindle others to maximize profits. The truth is, at once, simpler and more complex: the Ferengi only really care about maximizing profits,...
- 3,148
52
votes
Accepted
Why didn't the Federation ever replace the Cardassian systems with their own on Deep Space Nine?
There are a few reasons we can intuit.
DS9 isn't a Federation starbase, it's technically Bajoran. Starfleet was focused on getting it to work, and only replaced the essential systems. They weren't ...
- 4,949
51
votes
Accepted
Why was Benjamin Sisko given command of DS9 given that he has a foul temper with poor emotional control?
Following the death of his wife during the battle of Wolf 359, Sisko was on the verge of leaving Starfleet. We clearly see the trauma he was grappling with during his interactions with Picard. Before ...
50
votes
Accepted
What was the highest rated episode of Star Trek?
The series premiere for TOS (The Man Trap) opened with a Nielsen rating of 25.2 (albeit facing dramatically less competition than future shows). This is a figure that would never again be matched by ...
- 667k
50
votes
Accepted
Did Chief O'Brien go to Starfleet Academy?
Yes and No. From memory alpha, referencing the Trials and Tribble-ations mentioned in the question:
Julian Bashir once remarked that O'Brien had attended Starfleet Academy in "Trials and Tribble-...
- 6,213
50
votes
Accepted
Why are all the doors on Ferenginar (the Ferengi home world) far shorter than the average Ferengi?
The original script describes them thusly;
There are no windows, but there are a few doors leading to other parts
of the building. The doors are low and tunnel-like and even Ferengi
have to ...
- 667k
48
votes
Accepted
What plans were there for Star Trek: DS9 or Voyager movies?
No plans for DS9 or Voyager films were ever revealed publicly
There is no evidence that any of the major creative staff behind the TNG-DS9-Voyager era — Rick Berman, Brannon Braga, Michael ...
- 110k
46
votes
Accepted
Has anyone been beamed into the future or past in Star Trek?
Yes, it happened both by accident and on purpose
By accident
The two-part episode DS9: Past Tense.
During a transporter accident above Earth in the USS Defiant caused by
chroniton particles, Benjamin ...
- 7,191
45
votes
If the Dominion rule using their Jem'Hadar troops, why is their life expectancy so low?
The Dominion does not, in fact, own the entire Gamma Quadrant. Source is Ronald D. Moore, cited in memory alpha:
"The Dominion does not own the entire Gamma Quadrant. We had explored the GQ for two ...
- 2,252
42
votes
Accepted
Why weren't civilians evacuated before the fleet at Wolf 359 engaged the borg?
I would take a little different approach and go a couple lines down from the quote used in the other answer.
Star Trek TNG "Best of Both Worlds Part 2":
HANSON [on monitor]: In less than twenty ...
- 14.8k
41
votes
Accepted
In which (if any) Star Trek episodes does that show’s captain not appear?
For future reference, Memory Alpha has categories that can help with this kind of query; they're grouped together as "Regular cast non-appearances".
Using the resources there, it seems there ...
- 2,102
40
votes
Accepted
Why don't starships use holodecks as living quarters?
It isn't because of power. If the crew's quarters were decorated with holodeck technology, the hologram would only be generated while the crewman is actually using his quarters.
If the crewman was on ...
- 1,691
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible