Talk: Unnamed tools and technology

Forum:Unnamed tools

A few days ago, archivist 63.144.166.5 added information about the "sensor device carried by Spock" in the teaser to "The Naked Time", stating that it was a modified Nuclear-Chicago Model 2586 "Cutie Pie" radiation detector. I visually confirmed this and added this reference. Since then, two more episodes have been identified as featuring this prop ("The Enemy Within" and "Obsession")

Question: Is there already an "unnamed devices" article or category under which this prop could be referenced; if not, is one necessary. There are many such unidentified set pieces that have been used through the years. Is a catalogue of these Feinbergers and greeblies either warranted or desired?-- GNDN 23:20, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

Howard family candle

The candle was unnamed, never referred to by anything more specific then "candle", but deserves a bit more then just be a line on candle since it uniquely can be used to connect with Ronan. Hence, this belongs on unnamed tools. -- Capricorn (talk) 12:55, April 22, 2015 (UTC)

I'm on the fence with this one. Although you are technically correct in what you say I'm kind of inclined to apply a little common sense here. Although the candle was never officially named as such, it was a candle that was in use by the Howard family and therefore for the simplicity's sake (and to prevent another "unknown entry") I don't see why it can't just be called that. --| TrekFan ^{Open a channel} 16:27, April 22, 2015 (UTC)

If it's a tool that is unnamed then for consistency's sake it belongs on unknown technology. I don't really see any more choice then there is when dealing with a planet or alien without a canon or other permitted name. I do admit the candle has significance beyond that, as a heirloom or a cultural object or whatever. But honestly I'm pretty nebulous as to why we should have an article on some knickknack just because it was particularly prominently featured, especially if it wasn't given any name beyond "that candle". Where does that end, do you give an article to that penis rock that Kirk was yielding so memorably in What Are Little Girls Made Of? There's no framework, because basically we're just not in the business of giving individual articles to nameless one-off props. The article is pretty nice and well-rounded, but really if it wasn't technomagical then it should probably have only deserved a paragraph at Candle. -- Capricorn (talk) 18:27, April 22, 2015 (UTC) Sorry for all the snark, I'm pretty tired -- Capricorn (talk) 18:28, April 22, 2015 (UTC)

I agree with Capricorn and performed the merge. Tom (talk) 11:12, July 31, 2015 (UTC)

Split suggestion for weapons

This already has spun of subpages specializing in Unnamed medical tools and Unnamed musical instruments). Given that it's a long page with loads of weapons, I think Unnamed weapons would be a no-brainer candidate for a further split. In fact, some weapons have already been spun of on an ad-hoc basis: we have Ennis and Nol-Ennis weapons, Klingon blade weapons, and Reman blade weapons.
I think Klingon blade weapons is such a long article that it would probably be more logical to keep that one separate (a subpage of the proposed subpage if you will), but as for the others I think the better way to order things would be to just have one page listing all unnamed weapons, with weapons from this page + Ennis/Nol-Ennis and Romulan ones. -- Capricorn (talk) 13:07, December 19, 2016 (UTC)

Makes sense. Split. --LauraCC (talk) 15:47, December 31, 2016 (UTC)

Support --| TrekFan ^{Open a channel} 02:49, February 3, 2018 (UTC)

Why don't we just start by creating individual technology pages (a "tool" = "technology" after all) for the people/group/organization the items belong to, essentially like it were when they were given their own generic "species+item" page names before they were merged here to be split off elsewhere, once again. Example:

• Taresian cutlery
• Taresian mood enhancer device
• Taresian weapon sticks

= Taresian technology, etc. --Alan (talk) 11:57, October 2, 2018 (UTC)

It's an approach that ought to scale better, which is no small thing, but it seems like either all species should get a page which will result in a lot of short and somewhat pointless feeling pages, or only species with multiple technologies should, which I suspect will barely relieve this page. Also, I think if this is done, Unnamed engineering tools, Unnamed medical tools and Unnamed musical instruments, sensible and well-functioning as they might be, should be dissolved and their entries folded into the new system. If that's not done, then you'll end up with two competing and utterly incompatible systems of logic as to what goes where, which is bound to add confusion. That's not to say I'm opposed to this idea though, I'm just offering my thoughts on it. -- Capricorn (talk) 13:38, October 5, 2018 (UTC)

Keep in mind the that whole redirect project will eventually play into this equation too. So every item will theoretically be given it's own (for internal use only-type) link, therefore chasing this stuff around wouldn't be much of a problem.

The thing I like most about going by species/planet, however it were to be implemented, is that we would essentially be keeping cultures or products from the same objective source together, rather than to jump to each one of those pages you listed to see this item or that item from a single culture. Which is more specific, a single species or a mishmash of random tools/technology?

Both methods have their merits, but personally globalizing information rather than compartmentalizing it, especially in the case of scores of unnamed items that are under a huge topic umbrella onto one page, seems rather inefficient, leaving the alternative of producing smaller pages, at only the cost of more articles – which would be no different anyway than if they were named items, which evidently produces the oxymoron that a short named article vs. a short unnamed article = suddenly not pointless? --Alan (talk) 14:04, October 5, 2018 (UTC)

The unnamed musical instruments we might see someone playing on Picard's Enterprise, for instance, which while being apparently alien (nothing that exists IRL), we can't pin down which race they originate from, would still go on the unnamed musical instruments page. --LauraCC (talk) 16:14, October 6, 2018 (UTC)

And quite frankly, "a lot of short and somewhat pointless feeling pages", regardless of now the article is named, that factor is based entirely on the amount of available content to write an article about, not the nomenclature of said article. This type of naming practice has worked well for ages when it comes to unnamed starships, species, homeworlds, etc.; this is just refocusing the scope of that practice. --Alan (talk) 15:56, July 17, 2019 (UTC)

Or re my last post, should they be "Unnamed USS-Enterprise-D tools and technology"? --LauraCC (talk) 13:26, 31 August 2022 (UTC)

Angel I execution device

This should go in Unnamed tools and technology, assuming it doesn't have a better name. --LauraCC (talk) 18:19, July 21, 2017 (UTC)

Agreed -- Capricorn (talk) 06:10, July 24, 2017 (UTC)

Support --| TrekFan ^{Open a channel} 02:59, February 3, 2018 (UTC)

I think Angel I technology is a more unique, or at least, individualized approach at maintaining some self identifiy to their technology without throwing it on an already massive page of mixed races and cultures' technologies. If it were a starship, we'd call it an "Angel I starship" without hesitation. --Alan (talk) 11:53, October 2, 2018 (UTC)

Fair enough. Do we have any examples of their unique technology other than this killing device? --LauraCC (talk) 16:39, October 2, 2018 (UTC)

Excelent question -- Capricorn (talk) 20:18, August 1, 2019 (UTC)

Neelix's kitchen appliances

I think there should be a section for Neelix's kitchen appliances. Who's with me? - VaderFan01 (talk) 21:59, 8 January 2021 (UTC)

Or just "Unnamed culinary tools"? --LauraCC (talk) 23:36, 6 August 2023 (UTC)

Sulu's console-destroying device

In Star Trek III during the breakout scene, Sulu destroys a control panel with a stick like device which he takes from his jacket pocket. It's never explained what it is or what it does.