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The franchise as a whole:
- Space...the final frontier...
- "To boldly X where no Y has X'ed... before!"
- Live long and prosper. And the V-sign that goes with it.
- Q got bored and decided to go troll ponies! explanationJohn de Lancie plays both Q and Discord in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, causing fans of the latter series (and often fans of both shows) to make jokes about Discord and Q being one and the same.
- Everyone is Jeffrey Combs.Explanation The sheer number of roles played by Combs in the franchise, including no less than four recurring roles — Brunt and Weyoun (once in the same episode, even!), Shran and AGIMUS — has led to a recurring joke in the fandom that everyone in the Trek franchise is played by him. As is everyone not in the Trek franchise. I am Jeffrey Combs. So are you.
TOS
- The famous line "Beam Me Up, Scotty!" is never said in any of Star Trek canon but quickly became associated with the show.*The closest the franchise ever came to saying the line, was once in the animated series where Kirk says "Beam us up, Scotty" in one episode, and then again in Star Trek IV when in one scene, he says "Scotty, beam me up".
- And this meme comes with extra mutation, since Scotty, the chief engineer, didn't do a heck of a lot of beaming people up. You'd think "beamer upper guy" was his job in life, but as an engineer, he was usually down in engineering making sure nothing exploded when readings were off the scale. The mystery isn't why people forget where in the sentence his name appeared, but the fact that they remember it above and beyond his actual job and the guy whose job it actually was to be the beamer-upper guy. (Lt. Kyle, who didn't even merit a first name.)
- Worth pointing out though that Scott was the second officer, third in command behind the commanding officer (Captain Kirk) and the first officer (Mr. Spock). Since he was often left in command of the Enterprise while Kirk and his right hand Mr. Spock were on a landing party mission, Kirk often communicated with Scotty while he was in the command chair, including requests for retrieval ("beam up").
- The deadliest thing in the universe is a Red Shirt. explanationSecurity and Engineering departments on the Enterprise wore red shirts. The security guys tended to be cannon fodder whenever an episode required somebody to die. It became a meme that wearing a red shirt meant guarenteed death. This one has become so universal that it named the trope, although the original series had minor members of other departments die too, and shirt colors switched around in sequel series.
- "It's X, Jim, but not as we know it".
- "(It's worse than that!) He's dead, Jim."
- "Dammit, man/Jim! I'm a doctor, not a meme!"
- "Da-da DA DA DA DA DA da-da DA DA..." explanationFight music, especially when Kirk and Spock fight on Vulcan when Spock goes into heat
- I cannae do it Cap'n! I doon't have the power!
- I CANNAE BREAK THE LAWS OF PHYSICS!
- "Brain and brain! WHAT IS BRAIN?"
- "That is illogical, Captain."
- There's Klingons on the starboard bow!
- We Come in Peace — Shoot to Kill note Attributed to Kirk in The Firm's song "Star Trekkin'". Did he ever actually say it?
TNG
- Let us state (rather loudly) for the record that THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!
- "I am [character name] of Borg." Followed by some character-appropriate variation on the phrase "You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile." The identification of the Borg with Microsoft was a common Web meme in the mid-1990s.
- "I am Pentium of Borg. Accuracy is irrelevant. You will be approximated."
- This is a Borg. This is drugs. This is a Borg on drugs: "Resilience is floor tile. Wanna be simulated?"
- "I am Homer of Borg. Resistance is futile. Prepare to be ... oooh, doughnuts."
- Memes are irrelevant.
- "Shut up, Wesley!" ExplanationA famous line from the early episode "Datalore" where Picard cuts off Wesley as he's piecing together that Lore is impersonating Data. While in context it wasnt intended as a jab at the character, it quickly morphed into one for the fanbase due to just how reviled of a character Wesley became. Even Wil Wheaton got on the fun on occasion, though in later years he's gotten sick of the line and autoblocked anyone on his Twitter who quoted it to him, even in jest.
- "You don't deserve to wear that uniform!"ExplanationFrom the episode "The First Duty", when Picard gives Wesley a What the Hell, Hero? when it's discovered he covered up how one of the latter's squadmates was killed.
- "Au contraire, mon capitan! 'Eeees back!"ExplanationFrom the episode "Deja Q", when Q returns, repowered and backed by a mariachi band, after the crew of the Enterprise think he performed a Heroic Sacrifice
- The (metaphor-based) Tamarian language from "Darmok".ExplanationThe mutation often involves substituting description of memes and scenes from other sources in place of the original metaphors to a similar effect. Samples:
- "Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra." TranslationRequesting help or cooperation
- "Temba, his arms wide." TranslationAn item being offered
- "Shaka, when the walls fell." TranslationFailure of any kind
- "Make it so."ExplanationOne of Picard's catchphrases, letting someone know they should perform an action that has been suggested.
- "Engage!"ExplanationAnother one, after a course has been set, telling the helm to move the ship into warp.
- The Picard Song: "Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise..."
- "Mr. Worf? Fire." TO BE CONTINUED...ExplanationThe very infamous last words from the TNG Season 3 finale "The Best of Both Worlds Part 1"
- (Snaps fingers.) "WOOSH!" explanationQ's main action for warping reality was to nonchalantly snap his fingers, often accompanied by a flash of white light and a trademark "woosh" sound.
- "If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross. But it's not for the timid." explanationQ's speech towards Picard at the end of "Q Who"
- A specific shot of Picard, arm extended and face contorted in poetic agony, from the episode "Menage a Troi" has become the "WTF IS THIS SHIT?" image. Saw a resurgance in 2019 with the "Bro! You just posted cringe!" meme using the image.
- Similarly, Picard's Reaction to Q from the episode "Deja Q", has become the internet standard meme image for the Facepalm.
- Gene's vision. ExplanationSome fans can be very, very fickle about what they think is Star Trek, to the point where they will complain that it was going against what they thought was Gene Roddenberry's vision for the series.
Films
- Prime timeline (TOS & TNG movies)
- Star Trek: First Contact:
- "The line must be drawn here! This far, no further!"
- Star Trek: Generations:
- Everything gets delivered on Tuesday.ExplanationIn the Action Prologue Enterprise-B isn't finished when it has to respond to a distress signal, being somehow the only ship in range despite the Sol system being the Federation capital and military headquarters. In order, Kirk, Chekov, and Scotty ask Capt. Harriman for a tractor beam, medical staff, and photon torpedoes, all of which are due to be delivered Tuesday.
- Oh... shit!ExplanationWhen the Enterprise-D's saucer starts to deorbit after the warp drive goes critical, Data, who had an emotion chip installed at the start of the film, gets scared and drops a Precision F-Strike. Considered notable, as the Star Trek films are based on a family-friendly primetime network television series, where the characters generally aren't allowed to swear.
- "Bridge on the Captain!"ExplanationWilliam Shatner said this after filming his Trope Naming death scene.
- Data's "Life forms" song.
- Frequently used as a reaction GIF: "[Said happily] I hate this! It is revolting!" "More?" "Please!"
- Kelvin Timeline (2009, Into Darkness, Beyond)
- "I am Spock." [Beat] "Bullshit."Explanation (spoilers)Prime Spock's introduction and Kelvin!Kirk's blunt response.
- I've got your gun!ExplanationWhen Kirk is trying to get to Pike, he's manhandled by a Romulan. As the Romulan has Kirk in a Neck Lift, he realizes he's saying something, only to realize too late that Kirk has gotten ahold of his weapon.
- I think this page needs more Lens Flare. ExplanationFor some odd reason, 2009 and Into Darkness had copious amounts of lens flare and was quickly mocked.
- Hi, Christopher, I'm Nero.
- From Into Darkness: YOU SHOULD HAVE LET ME SLEEP!!!
- JAAAAAWWWN!
- It has become occasionally popular since the release of Star Trek (2009), to make all references to Ensign Chekov include his... interesting accent. Even on this wery viki.
- I like this ship! Y'know, it's exciting!ExplanationWhen an increasingly irate Spock is trying to figure out how Kirk got back on the Enterprise after marooning him on a frozen world, Scotty breaks the tension briefly with the oddball outburst.
- So her first name's Nyota?
- I have no comment on the matter.
- Maximum warp. Punch it!
- FIRE EVERYTHING!
Other
- The Romulan "It's a FAAAAAAKE!" guy from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is pretty memetastic, and a source of narmy goodness, as depicted in this video.
- ATTENTION BAJORAN WORKERS!
- "I'm afraid." "I know..."
- Experience Bij!
- "There's coffee in that nebula!"explanationJaneway's obsession with coffee is firmly established in "The Cloud," in which she orders the ship into a nebula to gain additional energy sources.
- O'Brien Must Suffer.explanationIn Deep Space Nine, Chief O'Brien had approximately one episode per season in which he had A Day in the Limelight. Unfortunately, those episodes often put him in the most unenviable of positions, from having twenty years of life in prison imprinted in his mind to his daughter being displaced in time.
- A screencap◊ of animated Kirk pretending to be surprised (or genuinely surprised with the animation making it look fake) has seen plenty of sarcastic use.
- "Is this what Star Trek has become?!"ExplanationThe first trailer of Star Trek: Lower Decks really riled up the more critical fans of the franchise, complaining that the comedy ruins the entire thing. One complainer actually said the quote in question on a Tweet, thus it became a rallying cry of the other part of the fandom by using the quote while showcasing the franchise's more ridiculous moments.
- Roddy Doyle's Star Trek ExplanationCrossing over Chief O'Brien scenes with quotes from The Commitments, The Snapper, and The Van, and other phrases that Colm Meaney's characters from the films would likely say in a Star Trek scenario.
- "Remember when Star Trek was a smart show?"ExplanationSimilar to the "Is this what Star Trek has become?!" quote above, one complainer got upset over the Lower Decks second season episode "I, Excretus", using the scene of Boimler and Rutherford naked with Boimler spread eagle with his penis censored. Once more, the other part of the fandom mocked this guy by pointing out that Star Trek was incredibly horny, too.
- “You must have Klingon blood”Explanation: A meme that pokes fun at the somewhat Embarrassing Last Name pronunciation of actor Alan Tudyk’s last name and the revelation of Klingons having two of a certain male organ.
- "They stole my apes, Odo!"ExplanationWith the rise of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and non-fungible tokens, or NFTs for short (essentially, art with a certificate of ownership on a blockchain, using similar technology to cryptocurrencies), jokes were made at their expense as a scam that Quark would either try to take part in or become a victim of. The linked video, in particular, pokes fun at one case where an NFT owner's entire collection of "Bored Ape Yacht Club" NFTs were stolen by a hacker, leading to cries for centralization by NFT enthusiasts to protect their assets — something that flies in the face of the idea of blockchain products being decentralized, as Odo points out.
- Pike's Peak.note The hairstyle given to Anson Mount in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a lot bigger than has been previously seen on the character—even Mount's previous appearance on Discovery. The bouffant stands a good few inches above his head and has a distinctive swoosh shape which has proven too tempting for photoshoppers not to edit onto everything—whether it is Wheelchair Pike's head, or Picard's head, or in place of the Paramount+ logo as Ansonmount+.
- Enterprise run on the Borg Cube musical remix.note In Star Trek Picard season 3, the Enterprise-D flies into a super-massive Borg Cube Return of the Jedi-style. Various people have replaced the soundtrack with stuff like Star Wars, Magical Carpet Ride, Sabotage, etc.
- "Are you two friends?" "Yes." "No." ExplanationFrom Voyager Season 3, Episode 14. Used when a group thinks they are in a good relationship with another group, when they really aren't.
- "Humans"Explanation This screencap of a Kazon in Voyager has a striking resemblance to the Ancient Aliens meme◊. Naturally, the internet jumped on it.