Kathryn JanewaySep 5, 2023
aeva

Are there any star trek episodes that deal with biological incompatibility with alien computer display color spaces?

I feel like there should be a TNG episode where like Barclay or someone is in a bind on an alien space craft because he can't read a computer screen because the color gamut is entirely UV. The day is saved when Geordie pops by and he can read it just fine with his visor thingy.

Sep 5, 2023 at 7:08amWeb
Show threadpeacememoriesSep 5, 2023
@aeva maybe the aliens never added a second polarization filter to their lcds because either their photoreceptors can detect polarization, or their eyes already polarize light, so all humans see is a white screen? 😅
Show threadLea - NewinSep 5, 2023
@aeva I can't think of any but I remember an episode where the the opposite happened though. There is an episode where they connect to Geordie visor to see more of the colour spectrum.
Show threadNickBellSep 5, 2023
@aeva I'm such a star trek apologist... and yet it always bothers me that star fleet peeps can always just walk up to any alien UI and grok it instantly, like it's just a winamp skin for LCARS.
Show threadNickBellSep 5, 2023
@aeva (or an LCARS skin for Winamp, heh)
Show threadLRSep 5, 2023
@MrBehemo @aeva you will eat your words when one future day we meet aliens and their computers all run windows 95
Show threadaevaSep 5, 2023
@lritter @MrBehemo
Show threadOblomovSep 5, 2023
@aeva there's something similar in the TMI webcomic IIRC
Show threadJohn StrackeSep 5, 2023

@aeva A similar problem: why can they get video communications working with any alien they meet?

I suppose you could handwave it as being a side effect of all the species having the same ancestry (which itself is a massive handwave to apologize for the existence of Spock).

Show threadJen FizzbuzzSep 5, 2023
@aeva not quite the same, but "Heart of Gold" did have Geordi's visor on the viewscreen and everyone was confused with the spectrum.
Show threadAlessandra SierraSep 5, 2023
@aeva not exactly color space but there was that DS9 episode where they’re on a Dominion ship and the displays give humans a headache
Show threadClaraSep 5, 2023
@aeva so, I don't know about color spaces, but I know in one of the books, there's an anecdote about how Spock is talking in a super high pitch to communicate with another Vulcan because he knows it's above the frequency range that humans can hear.
Show threadClaraSep 5, 2023
@aeva there's also an episode of Discovery that they have Saru looking at the view port because he has a greater ability to see fine details when they were already at maximum zoom.
Show threadaethervisionSep 5, 2023
@aeva Oddly enough, if anyone can read UV, it’s Barclay because he’s definitely on the spectrum.
Show threadCatsSep 5, 2023
@aeva There's a whole season of Discovery devoted to figuring out how to make first contact with a species that communicates exclusively through math and aerosolized emotion because they're accidentally spitting blackholes throughout the galaxy and we need to tell them to stop