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{{trope}}
[[File:Technobabble.png|link=Gunnerkrigg Court
{{quote|'''Sid Phillips:''' No one has ever attempted a double bypass brain transplant before!
'''Buzz Lightyear:''' [[Captain Obvious|I don't believe that man's ever been to medical school.]]
▲{{quote|'''Sid Phillips:''' No one has ever attempted a double bypass brain transplant before!<br />
|''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]]''}}
▲'''Buzz Lightyear:''' [[Captain Obvious|I don't believe that man's ever been to medical school.]]|''[[Toy Story]]''}}
[[Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness|Any impressive- and scientific-sounding]], but ultimately nonsensical utterance.
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Can be used to explain or justify plot developments or simply to add to the genre feel. Comes from the fact that scientific language, despite being meant to allow for easier understanding between scientists, sounds flashy and arcane to the untrained ear.
When technobabble is used to justify a plot development, it is a [[
The difference between jargon and technobabble is that, while jargon may seem incomprehensible to anyone not part of that particular field, it does indeed make sense to anyone familiar with the terms involved, for the simple reason that jargon is meant to allow for clear, unambiguous communication between specialists: if an average computer user says "I can only connect to one network, and even then, I don't have Web or storage," a trained engineer would report this as "User can associate their NIC with only one SSID, and does not seems to be receiving an IP address from the DHCP server." This part also applies to a good degree to non-science fields, where people may not know, for example, what a "1/4 flexible elbow" is, but if you're a plumber or A/C technician, you'd get it right away. Also, notice that technobabble is sometimes [[Truth in Television]], as dishonest technicians sometimes resort to vague, senseless "technical" jargon to make up "serious problems" in the inner workings of a machine and offer to "fix" them for a high price. There is also an element of [[Reality Is Unrealistic]] in the concept of the trope: it is only to be ''expected'', if you really think about it, that like all language scientific jargon will evolve over the course of a few centuries, with new words being coined and existing words changing their meaning. As a result, 24th century scientific lingo would naturally ''sound'' like complete nonsense to someone in the present in much the same way that modern day scientific lingo would no doubt sound to an inventor of the 1700's. The reverse is also true, if earlier science fictions are any guide.
Compare to [[Applied Phlebotinum]] and [[Green Rocks]]. When technobabble contradicts itself, well, [[A Wizard Did It]]. See also [[Blah Blah Blah]] and [[Technology Porn]]. [[Magi Babble]] for the fantasy version of this trope. Often the source of an [[Expospeak Gag]] and [[Layman's Terms]]; may be [[Sophisticated As Hell]]. Particularly ridiculous technobabble may appear to someone with actual expertise as being a technical form of [[Delusions of Eloquence]].
{{examples}}
== Advertising ==
* The latest{{when}} commercials for Verizon FiOS TV/Internet service star a technician explaining the benefits of the service to a curious kid who spotted a weird light in his truck. The boy then ''repeats'' this technobabble to his dad (word for word!) to entice him to get the service.
* Detergents:
** How many times did you see an ad for a laundry detergent with "intelligent molecules"?
** In the UK, there was a TV advert making a big deal over "perborate"
** There's a commercial on in [[Canada]] selling some kind of laundry detergent that boasts about its "acti-lift technology".
* Every commercial for shampoo, face creams, etc that make up any old scientific-sounding mumbo-jumbo to sound like they are terribly advanced and especially effective. [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] in the shampoo commercial that points out "Here's the science bit."
* Recent bottled water ads have been boasting its high pH level. Which is great, until you realize that lye has a pH of 13. (Pure water's pH is 7.)
* Played to death and [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] in ''[[
▲== Anime & Manga ==
{{quote|
▲* Played to death and [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] in ''[[Haruhi Suzumiya (Literature)|Haruhi Suzumiya]]''.
▲{{quote| '''Yuki Nagato:''' A localized, non-corrosive amalgamation of asynchronous space is independently occurring in restricted condition mode.<br />
'''Kyon:''' It almost sounds like you're flipping through a dictionary, pulling out words at random. }}
* ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'' and its derivative works are known for inventing whole new quasiscientific areas (e.g. [[Minovsky Physics]]) together with corresponding
{{quote|
* ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' is also quite infamous for its technobabble, which as with much of the content of this show is meant to be a [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshade]] and a subversion. It doesn't just feature babble about actual technology but about ''meta-physics'' as well, straight down to talking about things like "ego barriers."
** Episode 20 had the best one when Shinji's been absorbed by Unit 01 and they're trying to get him out. Problem is, he doesn't want to come back.
{{quote|
'''Ritsuko:''' Irradiate the wave pattern from all directions... It won't work. The signals are trapped in Klein space.
'''Misato:''' What does that mean?
'''Ritsuko:''' It means we failed. Abort intervention, reverse tangent plug! Return additions to zero.
'''Aoba:''' Destrudo reaction in old area! Pattern sepia!
'''Hyuga:''' A change is confirmed on the core pulse too! + 0.3 confirmed!
'''Ritsuko:''' [[Status Quo Is God|Maintenance of the status quo is top priority]], prevent backflow!
'''Maya:''' + 0.5... 0.8... It's odd, I can't stop it! }}
** Fuyutsuki and Gendo Ikari were experts in "metaphysical biology" (You got philosophy in my science! You got science in my philosophy!) before going military. In other words, the Eva universe had a field of science devoted to things like the Angels even ''before'' the Second Impact.
** One of the most straightforward examples of this trope is in the fact that the MAGI must verify every Angel is "Blood Type BLUE" before the Evas can attack them. The fact that most Angels are several stories tall and shoot laser beams from their mouths isn't enough of a tip-off, apparently.
** Subverted in episode 24 as Kaworu starts rattling off [[Expospeak]] until Shinji interrupts him with "I have no idea what you're talking about!"
** Episode 13 is probably one of the best sources for this, as it focuses less on the pilots and more on the technicians, [[Bridge Bunnies]], and Ritsuko. During the Angel's first attack sequence, we hear all kinds of
{{quote|
'''Makoto Hyūga:''' Ah, not now, they're coming in C-Mode! We can't stop 'em!
'''Shigeru Aoba:''' We've got to unfreeze the barrier! Open a decoy entry!
'''Technician:''' Decoy entry has been avoided!
'''Shigeru:''' T minus 18 seconds 'til trace completed.
'''Technician 2:''' Spreading barrier.
'''Technician:''' Barrier has been penetrated!
'''Shigeru:''' Open a second false entry!
'''Technician:''' Opening another false entry!
'''Makoto:''' No human's capable of this!
'''Shigeru:''' Trace completed! The hackers are in this building! It's under B-Wing...
* ''[[Tenchi Muyo!]]'': Subverted in the infamous "Mihoshi's Fairy Tale" episode of the original [[OVA
* ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]'' gets some in the second half with the bio-computer. The only person who can understand a word of it is Leeron, and then only half. The show doesn't even try taking it seriously-generally, the ultra-dense technobabble spouted by the bio-computer is either ignored or boils down to "All this I'm saying doesn't really even matter because [[Beyond the Impossible|you're just going to break physics anyway]], you jackasses."
* ''[[
* In ''[[Liar Game]]'', Akiyama uses this in the prelims to the fourth round to explain how he can tell who is "Infected" and who is "Normal".
* ''[[
{{quote|
* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' referred to Kaiba doing a "quantum analysis" of his and Yugi's first duel. Because subatomic particles are so relevant to the world of card advantage.
* ''[[Guilty Crown]]'' takes after ''Evangelion'' in that it uses a lot of biology-themed
* In the ''[[
▲== Fanfiction ==
* The narrator had to explain what happened to [[Spice Girls|Melanie C]] while looking for her in ''[http://fav.me/dd7ow55 Case of the Missing Technology]''.
▲* In the ''[[Firefly (TV)|Firefly]]'' fanfic ''[[Forward (Fanfic)|Forward]]'', Kaylee actually uses technobabble to scare off a group of suspicious federal marshals who are poking around the ship's engine room, by warning them that poking or moving anything will result in a horrific death via painful-sounding technobabble. They eventually back off and leave.
== Films ==
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* ''[[Jurassic Park]]'' went to town with this.
* ''[[Primer]]'' elevated this to an art ([[True Art Is Incomprehensible|it won the grand jury prize at Sundance]]). About 90% of the movie involved people having impenetrable conversations to each other.
** ''[[Primer]]'' is something of a [[Deconstructed Trope|deconstruction]]. The two leads talk in this technobabble that wouldn't be out of place in ''[[
* Terrible 90's family film Invisible Dad features a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rdsAvwFqiA kid who spouts out techno-talk that is obviously inaccurate,] in an example of this trope being used to disguise incompetence of the writer. Despite this, the kid also seems to think being able to plug things into the right slots is impressive.
* ''[[Event Horizon]]'' gives us this memorable exchange:
{{quote|
'''Miller:''' ''(exasperated)'' "Layman's terms"?...
'''Cooper:''' Fuck "layman's terms", ''do you speak English?!'' }}
** Weir then uses a convenient piece of (''very attractive'') paper to physically demonstrate folding two points of space
*** It was nice to give Hermann Weyl a [[Shout-Out]]. Technobabble doesn't usually mention the name of a real mathematician. In fact, the Weyl tensor is a description of spacetime curvature used in general relativity, so its mention is entirely appropriate (even if what comes before and after it is impossible).
* The infamous "flux capacitor" from ''[[Back to The Future]]''. A capacitor is a circuit component that maintains a voltage through a charge differential: most simply, two plates of metal seperated at a small distance by an electrical insulator. Flux is the integral of a vector field over a surface. No amount of [[Fan Wank]] could possibly reconcile the two concepts.
** Actually, there's no need for excessive [[Fan Wank]]: doctor Brown works within exotic areas of science and is making up some terms. Flux capacitor is apparently not an electrical capacitor, but a device to somehow accumulate a flux of something, e.g. tachyons (doctor might not know what exactly), and then, like an electrical capacitor, release them in one moment in a purposeful way.
* ''Sev Trek: Puss in Boots'' (an Australian CGI spoof of ''[[Star Trek:
* ''[[Red Dawn]]''. Colonel Tanner lays out a plan to attack a Cuban base using military terminology like "flanking manoeuvre" and "grazing fire on this defilade". Unfortunately none of the guerrillas, a group of civilian [[Child Soldiers]], can understand what he's going on about, so he just mutters "[[I Need a Freaking Drink]]" and starts over.
**For the record a "defilade" is a position on the reverse slope of a hill (I.E. there is a hill or bend in terrain between your guys and theirs). "Grazing fire" is fire that is below 2 meters (in other words [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|a bit above the grass]] and usually forward). As opposed to plunging fire which is fired in an arc and "plunges" downward on the target (figure out the difference by playing with a lawn hose). And enfilade fire (fire from the flank which hopefully will [[One-Hit Polykill|hit more than one enemy]] by drilling down the length of his position). A flanking manoevre is "going toward his side". In other words all it means (if used properly in the movie of course) is, "keep their heads down while some of us can get round" which they always do in Westerns as well as war movies for good reason.
* ''Airport'': Capt. Vernon Demerest, played by Dean Martin, stops a know-it-all kid from broadcasting the fact that the plane is turning around: "You have a young navigator here! Well, I'll tell you son... Due to a Cetcil wind, Dystor's vectored us into a 360-tarson of slow air traffic. Now we'll maintain this Borden hold until we get the Forta Magnus clearance from Melnics."
* ''[[I, Robot (
* The 2009 ''[[Star Trek (
{{quote|
"Cramps." }}
::And Sulu gets confused when Captain Pike ''doesn't'' use technobabble:
{{quote|
'''Sulu:''' Uh, no... I'll figure it out, I'm just...
'''Spock:''' Have you disengaged the external inertial dampener? }}
* The ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' films have some of the best techno-babble ever. They lampshade it occasionally with the mayor remarking, "Does anybody here speak English?" or with Venkman's "important safety tip" line.
{{quote|
* In ''[[The Wizard of Oz (
* If the Technobabble of ''[[The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension|Buckaroo Bonzai]]'' wasn't ludicrous enough, it became moreso in context of the ludicrous non-technobabble dialog and character names. [[Special Effects Failure|But the special effects]] [[Sarcasm Mode|more than made up for it]].
* ''[[And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird]]'', about kids making a fully sentient robot, has a lot of technobabble.
* This is how [[Iron Man|Tony Stark]] and [[The Incredible Hulk|Bruce Banner]] first start to bond during ''[[The Avengers (
{{quote|
'''Tony''': Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect.
'''Bruce''': Well, if he can do that, he can achieve heavy-ion fusion at any reactor on the planet.
'''Tony''': Finally someone else who speaks English.
'''Steve''':(mumbling to himself) Was that what just happened? }}
== Jokes ==
* An old electrical engineering joke is a fictional device called the "Turboencabulator". Here's a portion of its description:
{{quote|
** This was actually made into a video: "[
*** [https://web.archive.org/web/20130107080034/http://www.break.com/index/understanding-the-turbo-encabulator.html Here's another one.]
** The French equivalent of this would be the sketch "[http://pierredac.free.fr/schmil.htm Le Schmilblick]" by humorist Pierre Dac.
* On [[Steve Martin]]'s ''Let's Get Small'' album, he announces that he's written a joke for the plumbers in the audience:
{{quote|
<nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Beat]]]
"Were the plumbers supposed to be here this show?" }}
== Literature ==
* ''[[The
** "And that's his sofa, is it?"
** Also played with in the first book and radio series:
{{quote|
"Where did you learn a stunt like that Trillian?"
"Going ‘round Hyde Park Corner on a moped." }}
* Legitimate
* [[Isaac Asimov]]'s resubliminated Thiotimoline. Essentially, he wrote a short story which was one long piece of technobabble, as a parody of a paper as might be found in any peer-reviewed scientific journal.
** What makes it especially amusing is that it's actually a ''perfect'' imitation of a peer-reviewed science paper, since Asimov wrote it as a warm-up exercise for getting back into academics. The only thing about it that marks it as a parody is that it's about a chemical substance that behaves in a completely impossible manner (specifically, a type of carbon molecule that is so soluble that it begins to dissolve ''before'' you pour water on it because it's so dense that some of its bonds get crowded out of normal three-dimensional space and ''into the future'').
* Lampshaded in ''[[Thursday Next|Lost in a Good Book]]'':
{{quote|
'''Wilbur:''' We're in a ''what?''
'''Thursday:''' We're in a pseudoscientific technobabble.
'''Wilbur:''' Ah! One of ''those''. }}
** Further lampshaded in ''One Of Our Thursdays Is Missing'', which reveals that any technological object in the Bookworld more advanced than a toaster is built by
* The Head of the Alchemists' Guild speaks like this in the ''[[
** Also seen with the Smoking GNU in ''[[
* One of [[
* Parodied in Alan Dean Foster's ''[[Spellsinger]]'' series, where wizards incorporate technical terms from science and engineering into their arcane rituals. Lampshaded in that Jon-Tom immediately spots the connection, but turtle wizard Clothahump merely comments that the wizards in his (our) world must simply use comparable formulae for their spells.
* The titular ''[[Bastard Operator From Hell]]'' is a master of coming up with what an informed reader can tell is nonsense, but which the boss will consider to be very impressive.
** The BOFH also uses a technobabble overload to force lusers into Dummy Mode, where [[Bavarian Fire Drill|they will do whatever he tells them]] without thinking about it.
* [[
* In the classical novel by Alessandro Manzoni "The Betrothed" it is used by don Abbondio, a clergyman. He's just trying to find an excuse to convince the young Renzo to postpone his marriage (he has been threatened by the henchmen of a local noble to do that) and starts sprouting nonsense in Latin to impress him. Renzo, although, doesn't fall for it and just roars "Enough of your Latinorum!".
* Copious amounts can be found in ''Deep Storm'', although half the time it's simplified by Dr. Crane's [[Parrot Exposition|exposition parroting]].
* The [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]] combines this with [[Hold Your Hippogriffs]]. Constantly. A joke about lightbulbs becomes one about stormtroopers changing glowpanels. (And for the record, it just takes one blonde to change a glowpanel, but he doesn't even have to touch it.)
* Lampshaded by Q in the Star Trek book ''[[
{{quote|
* [[Aubrey
* [[L. Sprague de Camp]]'s [[Historical Fiction]] novel ''The Arrows of Hercules'', set around 399 B.C., has a passage of Techno Babble used to convince a [[Pointy-Haired Boss]] to not interfere with the two inventors. [[The Emperor's New Clothes|He isn't willing to admit that what he heard made no sense to him]], so he says, "I see what you mean. Funny I never thought of that." and lets them get on with their work. Part of the humor is that almost all the "jargon" is words de Camp's modern readers won't consider even remotely technical:
{{Quote|The trouble with the pivoted model is that in the hootnanny position, the gadget interferes with the thingamajig, and that throws the doohickey out of line. The only way to prevent this is to parallax the gimmick, and ''that'' keeps the thingumbob from equalizing. So whichever way we approach the problem, the result is always the same: it doesn't work. You follow me, don't you, sir?}}
* Popular in all incarnations of ''[[Star Trek]] except for the original series''.<ref>If only the sequel shows had kept this part of the original series' writers' guide:{{quote|''The less you use, the better. we limit complex terminology as much as possible, use it only where necessary to maintain the flavor of the show and encourage believability.''
▲== Live Action TV ==
''IMPORTANT: The writer must know what he means when he uses science of projected science terminology. A scattergun confusion of meaningless phrases only detracts from believability.''
** Scripts for ''[[Star Trek:
** [[Lampshaded]] in the following exchange from the ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' episode "Battle Lines":
{{quote|
'''
'''
'''O'Brien:''' Mm-hmm.
'''
'''O'Brien:''' I'll let you know as soon as I finish making one.}}
** Another ''Deep Space Nine'' episode, "Q-Less", plays it more blatantly. As they're busily attempting to solve the cause of repeating (and intensifying) power drains and graviton bursts, [[A God Am I|Q]] is harassing the crew, and pops in with the statement, "Picard and his lackeys would've solved all this technobabble hours ago!"
** Parodied on ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'' "Message in a Bottle".
{{quote|
'''EMH2:''' Doctor, some... thing just went off line.
'''EMH:''' ... Specifically?
'''EMH2:''' The secondary gyrodyne relays in the propulsion field intermatrix have depolarised.
'''EMH:''' ''(rolling eyes)'' In English!
'''EMH2:''' I'm just reading what it says here!
*** For all its overuse of technobabble generally, ''Voyager'' did manage to have fun with this at times. From the season 3 finale:
{{quote|
'''Janeway''': A "skeletal lock"?
'''B'elanna''': You know, lock on to the mineral concentration in their bones.
'''Janeway''': ... I didn't know you could do that.
'''B'elanna''': I... came up with it just now.
****That could just as easily have resulted in [[Nightmare Fuel|their bones being yanked out of their bodies]], come to think of it.
** And then, there is the episode "Rascals", where Riker plays with this trope in a very interesting way. He reads verbatim from the [[Real Life]] ''TNG Technical Manual'' to distract a hostile Ferengi while he secretly taps out a coded message. Just watch [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTUVPd-tyQY this clip] from 2:00 onwards.
*** The [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwu2C91YMT4 same episode] also has examples of "archeology babble" and "biology babble" in the beginning.
** The TNG episode "Where No One Has Gone Before" involves Kosinski, a warp drive "expert" who applies nonsensical adjustments (Riker describes his paper as gibberish) to the warp engines of star ships; they only appear to work because his "assistant" is secretly a Traveller who in some way manipulates warp fields with his mind. It is clear from the start that Kosinski does not know what he is talking about because he mostly brags about his excellence instead of speaking fluid technobabble. When he does attempt technobabble, his audience appears unimpressed (and are utterly baffled, at first, that the in-universe gibberish he's spouting seems to work anyway).
** Lampshaded and parodied in all incarnations by the Trek-themed Voltaire filk "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v{{=}}y2v6rXs5J9M U.S.S. Make Shit Up]".
** ''TNG'' also loved to use the "inverse tachyon pulse" routed through the "main deflector dish" which managed to do completely contradictory things like work as a sensor and be an unstoppable death ray.
** Humorously Lampshaded and subverted in the ''TNG'' episode "Clues", where Data, [[Beware the Honest Ones|trying to lie through his teeth for the safety of the ship]], tries to use technobabble to explain away why some moss growth proved [[Year Inside, Hour Outside|the crew was out for far longer than the couple of seconds he claims they were]]. After he left, Picard asked Geordi if he believed the explanation; turns out, he didn't, and was even shocked that Data would try to bluff them like that.
** Funnily enough, this was [[Early Installment Weirdness|usually avoided]] in ''[[Star Trek:
*** The episode "Shore Leave" inverted this trope, when Sulu started to describe to Kirk how a 20th-century pistol worked. (He didn't have time to finish.)
*** In its first two or three seasons, TNG also avoided technobabble. It didn't turn into the quantum-phase-modulating-fest we all know and love until two things happened: (1) Gene Roddenberry stepped down, and (2) the ''Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual'' was published, which contained more technobabble than you could shake a 9-Cochrane warp nacelle at.
* ''[[Andromeda]]'' actually averts this most of the time, using particles, materials and weapons that exist in "hard" sci-fi, with the exception of the Slipstream Drive and the Energy Beings in later episodes.
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** Once O'Neill moves to Washington, Carter gets to ramble on a bit more than she's used to. The episode "Ripple Effect" has an impressive technobabble monologue that lasts at least 45 seconds during which a few characters glance at Daniel who just shakes his head as if to say "No, you aren't supposed to understand what she's saying, don't worry about it."
*** Inverted wonderfully with
{{quote|
'''Carter:''' "No, Daniel, you're right. You can't actually see it. Not the singularity itself. It's so massive not even light can escape it. But during the eclipse we should be able to see matter spiralling towards it."
'''O'Neill:''' "Actually, it's called the Accretion Disk."
'''Daniel:''' "Well, I guess it's easy to understand why the local population would be afraid of something like that...what did you just say?" (stunned)
'''O'Neill:''' "It's just an astronomical term."
'''Carter:''' "You didn't think the Colonel had a telescope on his roof just to look at the neighbors, did you?"
'''O'Neill''' (to Teal'c after the two had walked ahead): "Not initially." }}
** In the [[Groundhog Day Loop|time loop episode]] "Window of Opportunity," after a few loops it is O'Neill's use of technobabble that helps convince Carter and Hammond that he knows what's going on.
{{quote|
'''Carter:''' Well sir, when was the last time you heard Colonel O'Neill use terms like "subspace field" and "geomagnetic storm?"
'''Hammond:''' Good point.
'''Carter:''' And he actually used them correctly...for the most part. }}
* Parodied in ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'' episode 38 Minutes when Kavanagh states that they "Can't rule out a catastrophic feedback in the drive manifold!" Doctor Weir replies with "Without the technobabble please"
* Used in ''[[
** Also subverted in ''Ariel'' - Simon teaches Mal, Zoe and Jayne some scripted medical jargon (with difficulty) to [[Bavarian Fire Drill|get them into a hospital]]. When it turns out they don't need it, Jayne decides to spout it anyway rather than let [[Book Dumb|his efforts go to waste]].
* ''[[Doctor Who]]'' practically invented modern technobabble; to give every example would take years. In "The Girl in the Fireplace," the Doctor calls something a "spacio-spatial temporal hyperlink". He then admits he just made the term up because he didn't want to say "magic door".
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** [[Steven Moffat]] expressly hates technobabble, on the basis that only anoraks would enjoy watching it.
** Also subverted in several Fourth Doctor episodes, primarily focusing on the reason for the change in dimensions inside the TARDIS. Usually goes something like this:
{{quote|
"Because it's dimensionally transcendental."
"What does that mean?"
"[[Shaped Like Itself|It means that it's bigger inside than out.]]" }}
** Lampshaded also in a number of Third Doctor episodes: Jon Pertwee had trouble dealing with technical talk of any sort, so eventually the writers threw in the towel and had ''everything'' come out "Reverse the polarity" (albeit not '[[Beam Me Up, Scotty|of the neutron flow]]').
*** Well, except for [[Doctor Who/Recap/S9
** Also this from The Doctor's Wife:
{{quote|
** Phillip Hinchcliffe called it ''bafflegab.''
* "The scransoms above your head are now ready to flange. Please unfasten your safety belts and press the emergency photoscamps on the back of the seats behind you." John Cleese is [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRRDDn5Akvc a great pilot.]
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** Baltar had previously used reams of technobabble on Tigh to demonstrate his fake Amazing Cylon Detector. Lucky that his hapless victim turned out to be a real Cylon. Ironically, the equally-technobabbly but functional detector later built by Baltar is currently considered fake.
** Ronald D. Moore has gone on record several times saying that he hates using technobabble. In fact, the avoidance level is so high that it takes four seasons to show the Galactica's engine room. Most of the basic tech remains a [[Black Box]].
**
** That said, some of ''BG''{{'}}s aversion to technobabble goes a little bit too far to the point where sometimes you just don't know how anything works, and it ends up becoming more [[A Wizard Did It]]. Especially when it comes to suddenly moving through vast reaches of space with no explanation (and no, I'm not talking about the FTL drive).
** It really came back to bite them when the writers actually came up with a real scientific explanation for why stem cells from the human/Cylon hybrid Hera would cure cancer. Moore was worried that it would just ''sound'' like gibberish, and the final episode largely glosses over why it works (something about some blood cells being square while others are hexagonal, as far as we can tell). And the end result was many viewers upset that such a huge game-changing moment was given no real explanation.
* Very common in ''[[
** An episode in the third season of the series involved Nina Myers transmitting a virus code via cell phone to the headquarters of CTU, and the rest of the episode is dedicated to fix it, by having Chloe O'Brien stating nonsensical technobabble. The creators (Joel Surnow and Howard Gordon) even admitted they made all the tech dialogue up on the spot when they shot the episode.
** In another episode, some (cod-) programming is done on the fly and the code appears on the screen. A screenshot is at http://www.technovelty.org/humor/24.html, where forum users note that the code almost makes sense but despite the emergency of the situation Edgar Stiles still found time to embed comments in it. That's dedication to good programming practice, that is.
** In fact, the technobabble is so complicated in 24 that numerous actors gave up trying to learn particularly tricky, technobabble-filled lines, and instead read off sticky notes that were pasted on their screen.
* The [[Korean Drama|Korean Medical Series]] ''[[Sign]]'' theme is forensic scientists and medical examiners, so any reasonable [[CSI]]-esque term is used.
* If technobabble is used in ''[[
** Episode "Stasis Leak": The Cat asks "What is it?" when confronted with a doorway into the past. Rimmer and Lister both blurt out technobabble of varying thicknesses before The Cat simply replies, "Oh! A Magic Door! Why didn't you say so?"
* Generous helpings of technobabble are prevalent in every episode of the Sci-Fi Channel series ''[[Eureka]]'', where the down-to-earth Sheriff Carter often finds himself bewildered by the advanced thinking of virtually everyone else in the town of super-geniuses where he resides. This often leads to scenes in which other characters rattle off long, pseudo-scientific explanations of things before having to stop and translate everything into layman's terms for Carter. Carter often [[Lampshade Hanging|hangs a lampshade]] on the situation by wondering aloud why no one ever starts with the explanation that makes sense.
* ''[[
{{quote|
'''Jack:''' I'm using satellite tracking data to determine the intra-trajectory of the meteorite.
'''Toshiko:''' He means he's trying to find out where it's come from.
'''Jack:''' Hey! Sometimes a little technobabble is good for the soul. }}
* Anytime Angela's doing her job on ''[[Bones]]'', expect prolific amounts of this. And all of it will be made-up. Which is, itself, an inversion, as she's the artist in a cast of geeks.
** Invoked deliberately by Brennan in "Proof in the Pudding", bordering on a [[Wall of Blather]] in order to convince a [[The Men in Black|Secret Service agent (?)]] to allow an [[Who Shot JFK?|"experiment"]] involving firearms.
* In ''[[The Weird Al Show]],'' The Hooded Avenger uses technobabble to explain why Hanson taking flash photography of giant Harvey will make him go back to his normal size.
{{quote|
* Two characters in ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'' were devoted to
** Billy stopped using technobabble in season 2. Apparently none of the new Rangers could understand him. But they still have [[The Smart Guy]] use it regularly.
* ''[[NCIS]]'': [[Perky Goth]] Abby frequently has to shoot out ten-syllable words without the slightest break in her speech. During an interview, Pauley Perrette said that just ''learning'' all the words is the hardest part about playing Abby. Then we have Timothy McGee...
* Subverted on ''[[30 Rock
* The ''[[
{{quote|
'''Chiana:''' "Spare me the
** Like most other things in ''[[
== Newspaper Comics ==
Line 264:
== Radio ==
* Parodied on ''[[Nebulous]]'':
{{quote|
'''Nebulous:''' Honestly, McQuasar, which part of anti-veritaneous actuality inversion don't you understand? }}
== Tabletop Games ==
* The ''[[
** The technobabble column itself came in three parts: the part prefix (Primary/Hydraulic/etc), the part (Stabilizer/Vent/Feed/etc) and what happened to it (Cracked/Jammed/Exploded/etc) requiring three rolls to describe what went wrong when all anyone wants to know is the fourth, which is what it means.
* The Adeptus Mechanicus of ''[[Warhammer
* ''[[
** [[Deconstructed Trope]]/PlayedForDrama in this case; Jabir is described as a disturbing thing to witness and suffer from.
* ''[[Spirit of the Century]]'' allows players to make declarations about scientific facts their characters know which can help in whatever situation they find themselves in. Since ''[[Spirit of the Century]]'' runs on the rules of [[Two-Fisted Tales|pulp narrative]], both players and [[Game Master
* ''[[Paranoia (game)|Paranoia]]'' has a recommendation for the GM about this trope: talk fast. If any of the players ask for clarification, tell them that said information is beyond their security clearance. The ''Paranoia XP'' rulebook also had a table at the back to randomly generate technobabble-esque medication names
* The ''Fudge Factor''
* In ''[[Magic:
▲* The Fudge Factor Article Building A Better Space Ship states "Unless your players are more scientifically adept then usual, don't be afraid to simply take some cool sounding word and putting it in" on names. Their example is a Phased Ion Rifle.
▲* In ''[[Magic the Gathering]]'', a card from the Future Sight set modified how the player assembles contraptions. Contraptions don't exist. You can't assemble them. There are no rules pertaining to 'assembling' or 'contraptions' anywhere in the game.
** This is actually a reference to a past card, Great Wall, which made it possible to block creatures with plainswalk even if you had a plains; at the time, only one creature with plainswalk existed, and even today, with [[Over Nine Thousand|over a hundred thousand cards]], less than twenty have or grant plainswalk.
== Theatre ==
* In ''[[Theater/The Rainmaker|The Rainmaker]]'', Starbuck first tries to explain how he can bring rain in terms of
{{quote|
'''Lizzie''': In other words--bunk!
'''Starbuck''': Lady, you're right! You know why that sounds like bunk? Because it is bunk! Bunk and hokey pokey! And I tell you, I'd be ashamed to use any of those methods! }}
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* ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]''
** Blast Processing.
** Tails has been known to rattle off
* ''[[Mass Effect 2]]''
** A lot of the [[Fan Nickname|Engineer Duo]]'s talks are this. Lampshaded when Engineer Daniels yells at Donnelly for "boring the Commander with tech".
** Even more so would be [[Deadly Doctor|Mordin]] [[Badass Bookworm|Solus]], who combines this with being a [[Motor Mouth]] and a [[Terse Talker]].
* This is done ''once'' in the first ''[[Command
{{quote|
*** This would translate to "It's not carbon, it is ironish, and it kills people." Plus it's at least partly antimatter, even if the positrons are "inconsequent". (At least they're not ''incontinent''; it's so annoying when your sole resource leaves little puddles of antimatter pee everywhere.)
** For ''Command and Conquer 3'', EA took things up a notch and commissioned scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to "provide a white paper describing the biophysics of Tiberium, its atomic structure, its method of transmutation, the form of the radiation that it emits, and the way to harness it for powering machinery and weapons -- giving it the same treatment as would be suitable for a scientific journal article on a real substance." Actually, an [https://web.archive.org/web/20070915051431/http://pc.ign.com/articles/721/721138p1.html interesting read.]
* Dr. Judith Mossman in ''[[Half-Life]] 2'' has the tendency to speak in technobabble which your character is supposed to understand, and likely does. ''You'' however, are not, and likely don't.
** In ''[[Half-Life (
** [[Lampshade Hanging|"You can call it the 'Zero Point Energy Manipulator' if you really want to."]]
** Dr. Kleiner is practically a walking encyclopedia of technobabble when he's busy at work or making public announcements.
* This is an actual Skill in ''[[Guild Wars]]'', which you earn from the technologically advanced civilization of the Asura. It damages and dazed your opponent.
* Similarly, in ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics]]'', Orators have a skill called Mimic Daravon that puts enemies to sleep. Daravon is the person who explains the mechanics of the game in the optional tutorial.
* ''[[
** ''[[
* Mocked by the blueprints of your ship in ''[[Cosmic Osmo]]'', which point out the ''Aero-ether Quanto-particulate Detecto Rings'' and a ''triple-loop Polar Yagi Recepto-Wod,'' among other features.
* The presenter in High Voltage's tech demo for their Quantum3 Engine spoke out so much technobabble, it made the E3 2004 tech demo of Unreal Engine 3 look tame in comparison. Terms include "Camera space RGB gloss maps", "tangent space gloss map", "standard tangent space bump maps", and roughly 20 seconds of showing a feature list of about 100+ features..
* ''[[Portal (
** also, the Aperture Science Material Emancipation Grill. It dissolves all unauthorized material, including, on semi-rare occasions, dental fillings, crowns, tooth enamel, and teeth.
* ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[Terminal Velocity]]'' and its [[Spiritual Successor|spiritual successors]] ''[[Fury
* [[Ratchet and Clank]] lampshades this in the first game, in Metropolis, when the duo enter Big Al's Roboshack. Al babbles for some time, then we get this gem:
{{quote|
== Web Comics ==
* Subverted in ''[[Kid Radd]]'', where the otherwise brilliant [[Mad Scientist]] has a huge blind spot for technobabble. "The sensors are picking up some '''stuff!'''"
* Parody: [https://web.archive.org/web/20120814084728/http://starslip.com/2005/05/25/starslip-number-3/ this] ''[[Starslip Crisis]]'' strip.
* Parodied as well in [http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/1503.html this] ''[[Irregular Webcomic]]'' strip; see also the notes at the bottom.
* ''
* Parodied in ''[[
* ''[[Intragalactic]]'' did a parody of technobabble in a footnote [http://intragalacticcomic.com/2008/11/21/021-magic-2d-space-map/ here]: "It wouldn't seem like you could chart space on a two-dimensional screen like this. Until you remember that at large distances space functions as a flat surface due to the exponentially increasing effects of gravity as we near the Planck time. Subspace anomaly nanoprobes wormhole."
** Also in ''Muertitos'' by the same author [http://muertitos.comicgenesis.com/d/20080306.html here]: "The trauma has rendered her catatonic, clinically vegetative, and medicine saline doctor viral!"
* Lampshaded, in a typically direct way, in [https://web.archive.org/web/20100114105944/http://www.antiheroforhire.com/d/20081103.html this] ''[[Antihero for Hire]]'' strip.
* Lampshaded in ''[[The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob]]'' when Jean Poule tries to [http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20071204.html explain the experiment which produced Molly.]
** And again when Molly [http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20100713.html tries to explain her newest invention.]
* Lampshade firmly hung in ''[[Keychain of Creation]]'' with the character of Nova, an Alchemical Exalt. Specifically, in her fight with Misho [http://keychain.patternspider.net/archive/koc0148.html here]. Misho's usually the go-to guy for [[Magi Babble]] about [[Magitek]], but Nova's particularly bad about it, especially since her stuff is more "tek" than "magi."
* ''[[Narbonic]]'', which featured such gems as [https://web.archive.org/web/20130615025527/http://www.webcomicsnation.com/users/narbonic/narbonic/httpdocs/011702.jpg this], [https://web.archive.org/web/20130615042625/http://www.webcomicsnation.com/users/narbonic/091703uncounted.jpg this], and [https://web.archive.org/web/20130615033130/http://www.webcomicsnation.com/memberimages/092702.jpg this].
* ''[[
* Lampshaded in [https://web.archive.org/web/20150428205607/http://www.airshipentertainment.com/buckcomic.php?date=20090303 this] ''[[Buck Godot: Zap Gun for Hire]]'' strip. "Ready to begin speaking in technobabble, sir." "Oh shut up, it's just us. Turn it on!"
* Shown in [http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/index.php?date=041204 these] [http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/index.php?date=041205 two] ''[[Bob and George]]'' comics.
** Keep
** They already introduced the trope [http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/010519c a couple of years before], though.
* Lampshaded in [http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff200/fv00164.htm this] ''[[
** Surprisingly, the second example is just Jargon, although it is mixing religion and quantum mechanics, which is always a [[It Seemed Like a Good Idea At
* Lampshaded in [http://wayofthemetagamer.thecomicseries.com/comics/pl/32150 this] [[The Way of the Metagamer]] comic.
* Done hilariously in [http://exterminatusnow.comicgenesis.com/d/20100613.html this] [[Exterminatus Now]]. Even better, the ''multiple'' [[Wall of Text|walls of text]] can be summarized thus:
{{quote|
** And [http://exterminatusnow.comicgenesis.com/d/20100926.html here], where they use some of the more well known ones. Don't miss the labels on the other switches.
* ''[[Far Out There]]'' does this [https://web.archive.org/web/20150313094911/http://faroutthere.smackjeeves.com/comics/1030261/page-111-show-your-work/ all] [https://web.archive.org/web/20150313092153/http://faroutthere.smackjeeves.com/comics/1071120/page-211-and-its-not-just-because-its-angry/ the] [https://web.archive.org/web/20150313092519/http://faroutthere.smackjeeves.com/comics/1071137/page-213-get-on-with-it/ freaking] [https://web.archive.org/web/20150313095443/http://faroutthere.smackjeeves.com/comics/1080531/page-274-and-the-technobabble-flowed-forth/ time], though there's usually at least a little [https://web.archive.org/web/20150313095447/http://faroutthere.smackjeeves.com/comics/1080537/page-279-just-let-them-play-with-their-toys/ lampshading] going on.
* [http://www.sandraandwoo.com/2010/10/28/0212-techno-babble/ Completely inverted] by ''[[
* Technobabble in ''[[
* In ''[[Nip and Tuck]]'', the [[Show Within a Show]] ''Rebel Cry'' features [https://web.archive.org/web/20130312061745/http://www.rhjunior.com/NT/00689.html it, lampshaded.]
* ''[[Goblins]]''. Kin is prone to this, especially hilarious when talking to the dimwitted Minmax.
Line 354 ⟶ 351:
== Web Original ==
* The ''[[Whateley Universe]]'' runs on Technobabble, since it's a universe of mutant superheroes and supervillains, with a [[Cosmic Horror]] backstory. All the major power classifications have their own Technobabble for how they work. There are even rival Technobabble factions: most Psi researchers think that "magic" is just a form of psionics; most magical adepts think that "psi" is just a form of magic; etc.
** One mutant power in particular ''literally'' runs on Technobabble: so-called "devisors" make up a Technobabble explanation on how the piece of wondertech they're building would work, and then impose new physical laws on the device so that it actually does work.
* Used copiously in animated sci-fi epic ''[[Broken Saints]]'', particularly by [[The Smart Guy|computer genius]] Raimi, which makes some of his stints as [[Mr. Exposition]] difficult to follow. Sometimes various field-specific jargon is thrown in just so we know writer Brooke Burgess has [[Shown Their Work|done the research]].
* The writers at ''[[
* ''[[Sailor Moon Abridged]]'', episode 31:
{{quote|
'''Artemis''': I think this bitch is just making shit up now.
'''Amy:''': You guys never listen to me anyway! }}
* ''[[Sci Fi Debris]]'' repeatedly calls these out in his ''[[Star Trek]]'' reviews. He goes one step further in his review of the ''[[Voyager]]'' episode "Prototype", where he explains the method by which Technobabble is created: take two unrelated, scientific-sounding terms, and stick them together. He proceeds to demonstrate it by creating some examples, with captions giving a possible explanation of what the complete term would mean, including:
Line 372 ⟶ 369:
== Western Animation ==
* Excellently parodied in the "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" episode of ''[[
{{quote|
** Also, from "Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch:"
{{quote|
'''Zap Brannigan:''' Spare me your space-age techno-babble, Attila the Hun! }}
** Really, they use (and [[Parody]]) this all the time, in a variety of different ways.
{{quote|
'''[[Genius Ditz|Amy]]:''' ''[[Future Slang|Guh]]!'' Stop patronizing us. }}
* ''[[Code Lyoko]]'' is also chock full of it. Suffice to say it's never a good idea to let Jérémie explain how his newest program works. Or let Aelita answer questions about simple mathematic concepts.
* One of the most famous examples is the line uttered by the Comic Book Guy in ''[[The Simpsons (
{{quote|
* ''[[Megas XLR]]'' has a running gag of having [[Future Badass]] Kiva saying some sort of technobabble, only to have it shrugged off by lazy bum Coop.
{{quote|
'''Coop:''' What do you drink in the future to freshen up?
'''Kiva:''' We drink a balanced electrolytic hydrating fluid.
'''Coop:''' ... That must be some grim future you have! }}
** She's [[Expospeak Gag|describing Gatorade]].
* Alternately played straight and played with in ''[[Teen Titans (
* In one episode of ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'', Supergirl finds herself in the future. Being from a similarly advanced civilization herself, she slips into technobabble (for our ears) at least once.
* In the first episode of the Thanagarian invasion ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'', one of the Thanagarian's suggests to the Martian Manhunter that he wouldn't understand the technology they are using. He replies with a burst of technobabble indicating a deeper understanding of what's going on that she obviously expected.
* In ''[[Dave the Barbarian]]'', this is parodied in an episode in which Dave suggests solving the problem with convenient technobabble. Candy responds that convenient technobabble levels are dangerously low.
* In ''[[Justice League: Crisis
* ''[[Jimmy Two-Shoes]]'' makes a [[Running Gag]] of this. [[Mad Scientist|Heloise]] will often give these explanations for her inventions to [[Dumb Blonde|Jimmy]] and [[Fat Idiot|Beezy]], receiving blank stares. She then deadpans an explanation you'd give a child.
* Also seen in one opening of ''[[
* A [[Bugs Bunny]] cartoon featured this with Marvin's "illudium Q-35 explosive space modulator", to [[Apocalypse How|blow up the earth]] because [[Did Not Do the Research|it obstructs his view of Venus]].
== [[Real Life]] ==
* Essentially every product or idea sold on the basis of the word "quantum", or to put it another way, the entire woo-woo industry. Woo which predates quantum
* Attempts to use technobabble to lend a veneer of plausibility to pseudoscience often have the opposite effect on people who actually know anything about the scientific disciplines being abused. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120306055402/http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2006/08/your_friday_dose_of_woo_just_what_your_w.php One hilarious example]
** Here's a challenge: try to find ''any'' New Agey pseudoscience or fakery which the charlatan behind it at no point ever describes or explains using meaningless misapplications of the words "energy" or "vibration".
* Parodied by the [http://www.dhmo.org/ Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division], who claim that a compound called "[[Kill It with Water|Dihydrogen Monoxide]]" is a dangerous chemical indirectly responsible for cancer, extremely addicting and deadly when accidentally inhaled among other things. This stuff has killed thousands. Although all the terminology used is correct and none of the stated information is false, [[Half Truth|the possible dangers are greatly exaggerated or portrayed from an unusual point of view]]. Anyone with basic knowledge in chemistry quickly realizes that "Dihydrogen Monoxide" is actually {{spoiler|water, ice or steam}}. Although clearly a
* The ICAO Accident Prevention Manual mentions an incident where a private pilot once wrote the authorities asking if he could save money by mixing kerosene with his aircraft fuel. They sent back a letter stating: ''Utilization of motor fuel involves major uncertainties/probabilities respecting shaft output and metal longevity where application pertains to aeronautical internal combustion power plants.'' Pilot's reply: "Thanks for the information. Will start using kerosene next week." Answering by cable this time, the authorities responded: ''Regrettably decision involves uncertainties. Kerosene utilization consequences questionable, with respect to metalloferrous components and power production.'' Cable reply from the pilot: "Thanks again. It will sure cut my fuel bill." Response by telex within the hour: DON'T USE KEROSENE. IT COULD KILL THE ENGINE, AND YOU TOO!
** A great example of why you should avoid [[Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness|uselessly long words]]. (Regrettably decision involves uncertainties -> Actually, we're not sure about that decision.)
Line 410 ⟶ 407:
** Aviation likes to use technobabble, and if you talk to a pilot about their daily flying routines, they will play this trope up to the hilt. For example, a pilot might tell you they need to check the OAT in order to find their Density Altitude in order to turn currently indicated KIAS into a KTAS value, on an E6B, in order to accurately report their ETA to the nearest FIC in order to remain legal based upon guidelines set forth by the ICAO and detailed in the AIM and FARs/CARs. All they're doing is calculating their airspeed in order to see if they'll get to where they want to be in time.
* Many [[Troll|troll posts]] found on various Internet forums have a good dose of this. One of the most famous is the legendary FLAC vs. MP3 copypasta from [[Image Boards|/mu/]]:
{{quote|
I started collecting MP3s in about 2001, and if I try to play any of the tracks I downloaded back then, even the stuff I grabbed at 320kbps, they just sound like crap. The bass is terrible, the midrange...well don't get me started. Some of those albums have degraded down to 32 or even 16kbps. FLAC rips from the same period still sound great, even if they weren't stored correctly, in a cool, dry place. Seriously, stick to FLAC, you may not be able to hear the difference now, but in a year or two, you'll be glad you did. }}
* Physicist Alan Sokal wrote an article in the journal ''Social Text'' that was essentially this, emphasis on "babble". He did so to prove that the humanities division would accept anything.
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20120512161934/http://classic.the-scientist.com/blog/display/55756/ Some guys got a vanity academic journal to accept a paper made up entirely of technobabble generated by a computer, from a university that didn't exist.] The only concern was how soon the submitters were going to pay their fee. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120331070127/http://classic.the-scientist.com/blog/display/55759/ The editor who had supposedly read the paper promptly quit, saying he had never seen the paper in question] and the journal eventually shut down.
* A number of supplements talk about how wonderful it is that they contain DNA. As does every life form on Earth.
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Applied Phlebotinum]]
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