14-17 How Star Trek TNG's Tech Stayed (Almost) Scientifically Accurate

What happens when your sci-fi franchise is also a part-time science think tank? This week, Rick Sternbach returns to The Trek Files to discuss a set of internal memos he and Michael Okuda sent to the TNG production team, an essential peek behind the curtain at how plausible science and week-to-week TV production collided during the Berman era.

These "tech notes" weren't just background noise. They helped shape the direction of key episodes, lent credibility to futuristic concepts like nanotechnology and AI, and quietly preserved Trek's internal logic. From computer core comparisons to white dwarf fragments, Rick walks us through how the art department helped make the 24th century feel real and even got a line read by Scotty.

Whether you're a longtime fan of the TNG Technical Manual or just someone who geeks out over starship systems, this one's for you.

Documents and Additional References:

• Technical Memo: "Evolution" – notes on nanotechnology, AI behavior, and micro-replication systems in TNG S3E1

• Technical Memo: "Hollow Pursuits" – science commentary and plausible extrapolations for the episode's holodeck failure storyline

• Technical Memo: "The Most Toys" – suggestions on transporter physics and energy beam effects

• Naren Shankar (science advisor and writer, TNG Seasons 3–7)

• Joan Pearce (continuity consultant, Roddenberry-era Star Trek)

The Trek Files Season 14 on Memory Alpha

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