A - F | G - P | Q - Z
Genesis Wave
Artificially generated by crew. An energy wave that has the effect of rapidly terraforming planets and nebular matter.
- Movie: The Wrath of Khan; The Search for Spock - The Genesis Device, invented by Carol and David Marcus, was sought by Khan Singh as a weapon to be used to destroy Admiral Kirk and the Enterprise NCC 1701. Ultimately, the device was activated, destroying the USS Reliant, killing Khan, and creating the Genesis Planet from matter in the Mutara Nebula. Because of the unusual properties of the planet, the body of Spock was brought back to life after he'd been killed saving the Enterprise.
Gold-pressed Latinum
Origin unknown. A non-replicatable material, typically pressed into bars, like gold.
- DS9 - The Ferengi use bars of gold-pressed latinum as their currency.
Graviton
Artificially generated by crew. Generated by Voyager. (A real particle according to modern physics.)
- Voyager: The Caretaker - To try and get out of the Caretaker's beam.
- TNG: The Best of Both Worlds - A "heavy graviton beam" was considered and rejected as a weapon against the Borg.
- TNG: Silicon Avatar - Used by Enterprise crew to communicate with the crytalline entity. Used by vengeful doctor to destroy the entity.
- TNG: Hero Worship - Graviton waves destroyed the Veco when it was surveying a region of space. Reacted with all power output by ships and magnified it.
- TNG: The Nth Degree - Barclay used a graviton field to alter subspace to take the ship into Cytherian space.
Holomatter
Artificially generated by crew. A simulation of matter using force field and holo-imaging technology within a chamber known as a "holodeck". Under certain circumstances, holomatter can take on all the recognized features of life forms; however, all holomatter disintegrates when removed from the holodeck.
- TNG: Too numerous to list; also prominent in "ST:Voyager." - Training, recreation and entertainment for the crew. Some medical applications. On board the "Voyager", due to the death of the Chief Medical Officer, a holomatter "doctor" has been designated as the de facto CMO.
Hyperon
Naturally occurring. Hyperons are a class of real particles whose name dates back to the days before quark structure was well known. Leptons (electrons, muons, tau and their associated neutrinos) are "light", Mesons are "medium", and baryons are heavy. When more massive short-lived particles heavier than the proton were produced, they were called hyperons. Some examples are the sigma lambda and cascade. After quark structure was understood, they first three names were kept, but the meaning was changed. Leptons are the same list as originally, but are understood to be fundamental particles with no quark structure. Mesons are quark-anitquark pairs. Baryons are triplets of quarks. The term hyperon is still used, but not so frequently.
- TNG: The Ensigns of Command - Obstacle preventing the use of transporters in the evacuation of a planet ceded to the Sheliak.
Hytritium
Naturally occurring. Only known cure for tricyanate contamination of water supplies. Highly volatile.
- TNG: The Most Toys - Used to explode a shuttlecraft so that Kivas Fajo could kidnap Data without suspicion.
Ilium 629
Naturally occurring. A by-product of the geological decay of dilithium.
- TNG: Pen Pals - Traces of ilium 629 were found on the planet Drema IV, leading to the discovery of unusual dilithium deposits in the planet's mantle. The dilithium transformed the planet's geological heat into mechanical stress, resulting in significant tectonic instabilities that nearly destroyed the planet. The geological instabilities were neutralized by the use of resonator probes launched from orbit.
Infernite
Origin unknown. When mixed with carbrodine, becomes explosive.
- DS9: In the Hands of the Prophets - Used by Neela to destroy Keiko's schoolroom.
Inversion Nebula
Naturally occurring. A nebula composed of plasma strings that is apparently beautiful to look at. Nebulas of this kind do not exist in the Alpha quadrant. They are apparently relatively unstable, requiring an outside influence to stay stable.
- Voyager: Alter Ego - Voyager monitored an inversion nebula for several days observing a number of plasma string flare-ups.
Invidium
Origin unknown. Unknown origin. Used in medical containment fields the previous century. No longer used. Causes adverse reactions with equipment. If brought to -200 Celsius, it becomes inert.
- TNG: Hollow Pursuits - It was in spread into the ship when a broken seal on the Michelaks' medical sample container. Laforge said, "Duffy and O'Brien picked up the broken canister and became contaminated." It affected the magnetic capacitors on the anti- matter injector and an un-named component in the transporter.
Iogenic Particles
Artificially generated by crew. Has characteristic 'magnetic flux density'
- TNG: Power Play - Used to create a containment field for the 'spirits' of alien escapees of a penal colony when they attempted to possess the crew.
Ion
Naturally occurring. An atom or group of atoms that carries a positive or negative electric charge.
- TOS: Spock's Brain - Used to propel the space ship that carried descendants of an advanced civilization who boarded the Enterprise and stole Spock's brain. Scotty marveled at its design at first sight, saying that "they could teach us a thing or two."
Ionic Pulse
Artificially generated by crew. Presumably, a bunch of charged atoms.
- Movie: Generations - An ionic pulse generated by the navigational deflector was used to trigger the cloaking device of L'ursa and B'etor's ship so their shields would drop and the Enterprise could destroy them.
Iridium
Naturally occurring. A heavy element of the platinum group.
- TOS: Requiem for Methesulah - The iridium rendered the Ritalin inert and therefore unusable in combating an epidemic that the crew was trying to prevent on another planet (see Ritalin.)
Isoboromine
Naturally occurring. A neurotransmitter in Trills which maintains the link between symbiont and host. If its level gets too low, the symbiont must be removed or it will die.
- DS9: Equilibrium - Dax had a low isoboromine count from the hallucinations of Joran Dax.
Jakmanite
Naturally occurring. Like invidium, jakmanite cannot be detected by internal sensors. Exists in oxygen environment, and like invidium, can alter advanced structures like glass.
- TNG: Hollow Pursuits - Duffy ruled jakmanite out as a possible cause of the problems experienced by the Enterprise crew.
Jevonite
Naturally occuring. Valuable gemstone found on Cardassia.
- TNG: Chain of Command Part II - Ancient jevonite artifacts found on Cardassia were sold or stolen by the army to finance the war effort.
Kayolane
Artificially generated by aliens. A sedative.
- TNG: Identity Crisis - Beverly inoculates Leijten with kayolane after the latter's blood chemistry changes and after she exhibits strange behavior.
Kedion
Naturally occuring. Resets positronic matrices.
- TNG: Descent, Part 2 - Used by Commander La Forge and Captain Picard to reboot Data's ethical program after Lore disabled it.
Kelbonite
Naturally occuring. Refractory metal found in caves of Melona IV.
- TNG: Silicon Avatar - Data thought the presence of kelbonite and fistrium prevented the Crystilline Entity from scanning caves.
Ketracel White
Artificially generated by aliens. A vital, isogenic enzyme needed for the survival of the Jem'Hadar. The enzyme can only be provided by the Founders, and currently cannot be reproduced by the Federation. The Founders engineered the Jem'Hadar's addiction to this enzyme to ensure their loyalty to the Dominion.
- DS9: The Abandoned - Bashir is unable to reproduce the enzyme for the Jem'Hadar boy.
- DS9: Hippocratic Oath - Goran'Agar has succeeded in fighting his addiction for the enzyme and surviving. The Vorta are established as administrators of ketracel white for the Jem'Hadar.
- DS9: To the Death - Weyoun (a Vorta) administrates the enzyme to First Omet'iklan and the other Jem'Hadar before an upcoming battle with Dominion Rebels.
- DS9: The Die is Cast - Enabrum Tain notes that the destruction of the Founders and their homeworld means that the Jem'Hadar will be cut off from their only source of ketracel white, thus leading to the collapse of the Dominion. Unfortunately, Tain and his armada walk into a trap as the Founders have abandoned their homeworld, and his armada is ambushed by Jem'Hadar warships.
- DS9: A Time to Stand - Weyoun tells Dukat that supplies of Ketracel White are needed. Sisko and company are assigned in a Jem'Hadar Warship to destroy a vital Ketracel White Depot. A ship ahead of them beams down 110 empty canisters, and receives 110 full canisters of Ketracel White. Sisko's ship beams down 84 empty canisters (all fit with time bombs) to destroy the depot.
- DS9: Behind the Lines - Due to an increasingly short supply of ketracel white, Damar secretly proposed poisoning the remaining supply before it ran out and the Jem'Hadar ran amok.
Kinoplasmic Radiation
Origin unknown. Lt. Barclay tells the holodoc that his headaches are due to "kinoplasmic radiation oxidizing your brain cells."
Kironide
Artificially generated by aliens. Induces telekinetic powers.
- TOS: Plato's Stepchildren - Platonians used it to hold Enterprise crew captive and force them to perform for their amusement. McCoy synthesized the chemical so crew could escape.
Koranium
Origin unknown. Subspace element used in Klingon warp drives.
- DS9: Blood Oath - Mentioned briefly as being a part of warp drive in the injectors.
Kreeger Waves
Artificially generated by aliens. Nature unknown. Eats holes in walls and decks; destroys space station.
- TNG: A Matter of Perspective - An attempt is made to fashion a weapon out of a generator of these waves.
Lepton
Naturally occuring. - particle "activity" increased prior to the wormhole reappearing and shifting its position.
- TNG: "The Price" - Geordi's visor detected the "activity".
Lucrovexitrin
Origin unknown. Highly toxic; alters molecular structure when it comes in contact with glass. Exists in a Nitrogen-Oxygen atmosphere.
- TNG: Hollow Pursuits - Ruled out by Wesley Crusher as being the cause of the injectors failing, "Selgnineam and lucrovexitrin are highly toxic."
Magneton
Artificially generated by crew. In real life, a quanta of the mangetic dipole moment of a particle. In short, it's a measurement (like inches or liters), not a particle, though the name is used for one in Star Trek.
- Voyager: Cathexis - Used to scan the ship for the disembodied aliens and crew.
- DS9: Hippocratic Oath - Picked up by O'Brien while in the Gamma quadrant, leading to the discovery of a crashed Jem'Hadar ship.
Meranium
Artificially generated by aliens. A metal alloy. Its melting point is 2014 degrees Fahrenheit.
- TNG: The Vengeance Factor - The away team fired their phasers into the meranium alloy, causing a smoke screen.
Merculite
Artificially generated by aliens. An explosive material used in out-of-date rockets which are no match for Federation weaponry.
- TNG: Suddenly Human - Captain Endar threatened to use them against the Enterprise if Picard did not release his adopted son, Jono. Riker remarked, "shades of Gulliver."
- TNG: Heart of Glory - The Klingons who had stolen the ship "Batris" used merculite rockets to destroy a pursuing Klingon ship.
Meson
Naturally occuring. - particle "activity" increased prior to the wormhole reappearing and shifting its position.
- TNG: The Price - Geordi's visor detected the "activity".
Metaphasic Shield
Artificially generated by crew. A subspace technology which involves generating metaphasic properties - results in a low intensity, non-propulsive subspace field similar to a warp field.
- TNG: Suspicions - Developed by Ferengi scientist Dr. Reygar to encapsulate a vessel from the extreme radiation and heat generated by stars. This allowed the Shuttlecraft Justman to enter the star Veytan's corona.
- TNG: Descent Part II - Allowed the Enterprise to enter the corona of a star to save the damaged ship from be destroyed by a Borg ship.
Metrion
Artificially generated by aliens. High levels of exposure can infect a humanoid with nitremia, a blood disease that causes its victims' cells to undergo fission.
- Voyager: Jetrel - The Hakonians used a "Metrion Cascade" to conquer Rynax, a Talaxian moon.
Muon
Naturally occuring. Short-lived subatomic particle classified as a lepton.
- TNG: The Next Phase - The power feed to the Romulan vessel was altered by the Romulans to build up in the Enterprise's engine core. This would lead to a catastrophic explosion that would destroy the Enterprise.
Nadion
Artificially generated by crew. Berman and Okuda's _TNG_Technical_Manual_ identifies "nadion" particles as the output produced by phasers.
- Voyager: Time and Again; TNG Technical Manual - Janeway closes a "temporal rift" artificially generated by the crew by firing her phaser at it. (Torres identifies the "nadion particle feedback" as the reason why the fissure is closing.)
- TNG: The Mind's Eye - Particle pulse (rapid nadion pulse) gauged by Data and LaForge while verifying origin of Type III phaser rifle, later determined to be Romulan in origin, in Main Engineering.
Nanites
Artificially generated by crew. Micro-robots that are bred for specific tasks; able in some instances to reproduce to collectively form a consciousness.
- TNG: - Part of Wesley's science experiment that got loose and eventually developed into an advanced civilization.
- TNG: - Beverly Crusher thought that a destructive breed could be introduced into the Borg collective.
Neodilithium
Naturally occuring. A different form of dilithium.
- Voyager: Threshold - It was used to take Tom Paris to warp ten, after which he turned into a giant salamander.
Neurogenic Field
Naturally occuring. A resident 'field' that forms by a person's brain as part of the thought process. Each person's pattern varies depending on their current thought.
- Voyager: Waking Moments - Aliens formed a "collective unconsciousness" by amplifying their neurogenic field and that of the Voyager crew while they slept. Seven of Nine stated that their collective dream was like the Borg consciousness. This was evident to the Doctor in the waking world as every crew member's neurogenic field pattern was identical.
Neutrino
Artificially generated by crew. Real particle with no charge, until recently thought to have no mass.
- TNG: The Enemy - Used as a distress beacon.
- TNG: The Game - Wesley has to calibrate a sensing device that uses them. He ignores the device, to flirt with the crewmember that is helping him, at which point she says, "Your neutrinos are drifting."
- DS9: All - "Increased neutrino emissions", always said shortly before something comes through the wormhole.
- TNG: A Matter of Honor - Used to destroy hull-eating space bacteria endangering *Enterprise* and Klingon ship with Riker in crew.
- DS9: Rivals - The owner of the other bar/casino had machines to create good or bad luck. Dax traced all the bad luck happening everywhere on the station by noticing that the ratio between the two types of neutrino spins was not 1:1. The other casino/bar had 98% of all its neutrinos going in one spin, since it had the objects changing the probability.
Neutron Radiation
Naturally occuring. Neutrons are neutral particles which, along with protons, are constituents of atomic nuclei. Neutrons not contained within a nucleus have a half-life of about 15 minutes.
- Movie: Star Trek VI - The improved Bird-of-Prey gave off a surge of neutron radiation just before it fired a photon torpedo.
Neutronium
Naturally occuring. Matter composed of densely-packed neutrons, held together by gravity. The material neutron stars are made of.
- TOS: The Doomsday Machine - The Doomsday Machine's hull was composed of neutronium (which incidentally would have made it far too massive to ever be able to move).
TOS: Piece of the Action - One of the gangsters upon being beamed up to the Enterprise was mad enough to chew it.
- TNG: Relics - The outer hull of the Dyson sphere was made of neutronium.
Nitrium
Naturally occuring. A metal used in an important alloy commonly found in starships. The alloy is used for computers, replicators, stabilizers, ventilators, power transfer conduits, dilithium chamber walls, and life support systems.
- TNG: The Cost of Living - Nitrium parasites started feeding on the ship's systems after the Enterprise destroyed their nitrium-rich asteroid. The parasites digested much of the Enterprise's nitrium into slime before Data lured them back onto the asteroids of the Peloris Field.
Nucleogenic
Naturally occuring. Dust or other particles which attract water vapor, causing rain or other precipitation to form.
- Voyager: The Caretaker - The Ocampa homeworld's atmosphere didn't have any, which accounted for its desolate condition.
Nucleonic Particle
Artificially generated by crew. Could refer to the nucleus of atoms?
- Voyager: State of Flux - Used to detect damage to a Kazon ship at long range -- the damage was later found to have been produced when a stolen Federation replicator exploded. Kim says something like "I am reading nucleonic particle fluctuations from their ship."
Nucleonic Radiation
Naturally occuring/artificially generated by crew. Something found in lifeforms.
- Voyager: The Cloud - Used to make a suture to seal up the punctured nebula creature.
Omega
Artificially generated by aliens. In the present, an unstable, artificially generated particle that can serve as a virtually inexhaustible power source. The only drawback is that it reacts violently with subspace, making warp travel in the affected area impossible. Thus, after failed federation experiments, it is ordered that it be destroyed by any Starfleet ship that encounters it. Even at the expense of abandoning the prime directive. It is thought that they were once naturally occuring, and may have supplied the energy to initiate the Big Bang. It is also known by the Borg as "Particle 010" and is kind of worshipped by them as "perfection".
See the Memory Alpha article.
- Voyager: The Omega Directive - As Voyager cruises along, the Omega symbol is suddenly displayed on all monitors as the computer detects omega, and tells Janeway that the omega directive is now in effect. Some aliens are messing with omega and their experiment has already destroyed subspace in their local system. Voyager then swoops in to destroy omega, even though it means violating the prime directive. Seven builds a containment unit to temporarily hold omega, and just before it is destroyed, manages to do the impossible, and stabilizes it. Seven later says that as she looked at the stabilized particles, for 3.2 seconds she saw "perfection". Thus, she apparently has had her first religious experience. All logs concerning this matter were encrypted.
Omicron
Naturally occuring. Created by Space Nebula Creature, used in "circulatory" system.
- Voyager: The Cloud - Thought to be a substitute for anti-matter for the warp drives, as well as fuel for the replicators.
- DS9: Shadow Play - Emitted by holographic generator. The projections/people were "made of" them.
- Voyager: Nemesis - Chakotay was conducting a survey mission to a planet with a high concentration of omicron particles in the atmosphere when his shuttle came under attack.
Particle Signature
Naturally occuring. A characteristic unique to each universe.
- TNG: Parallels - Used to prove that Worf was indeed in an alternate universe and find the correct universe to return him to.
Pergium
Naturally occuring. Used to regenerate environmental controls filters.
- Voyager: Fair Trade - Janeway listed "pergium" as one of the needs that Voyager was to barter for. Submitted with other requests to the space station's manager.
- TOS: Devil in the Dark - The crew beams down to a planet that mines pergium for the Federation, to investigate the recent deaths of several pergium miners.
Phospholipid Fibers
Naturally occuring. In real life, phospholipids are fatty acids with phosphate groups attached. They are small and naturally occur only as liposomes and bilayer sheets, and as monolayer spheres called micelles. But they never form "fibers." Phospholipid bilayers are what cell membranes are mostly made of.
- Voyager: The Cloud - Torres gave this as a possible identification for the blue material found on the hull.
Photochronic
Origin unknown.
- TNG: Descent - Used to fuse Borg nanocortical fibers.
Photonic Energy
Naturally occuring. Emitted from the surface of a protostar. A fancy name for light.
- Voyager: Heroes and Demons - The life form that used the holodeck to kidnap crew members was made up of photonic energy.
Plasma
Naturally occuring. A very hot, ionized gas. The atoms in plasma have enough kinetic energy that the electrons are torn from their nuclei, ionizing the gas.
- Movie: Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country - Plasma emissions were used to detect a cloaked Klingon Bird of Prey.
Polaric Ion
Artificially generated by aliens. Used as a power generation system.
- Voyager: Time and Again - Used as a very UNSTABLE power generation system which the Voyager crew has to prevent from exploding.
Polaron
Artificially generated by crew. Exists in the real world. In condensed matter physics, a polaron is a type of mobile crystal defect consisting of an electron coupled to an induced lattice polarization.
- Voyager: State of Flux - Used to detect a hidden Kazon ship.
- DS9: The Jem'Hadar - A phased polaron beam was used by the Jem'Hadar to penetrate the shields of the USS Odyssey.
- Voyager: Non Sequitur - Harry Kim scanned the time stream with polarons, thus partially causing a distortion of the space-time continuum.
- Voyager: The Swarm - Used by the swarm to interconnect their ships.
- DS9: Armageddon Game - Four polaron emitters were supplied to Capt. Sisko and his strike force for use while infiltrating Klingon Military Headquarters at Tiger Claw to expose the Dominion changeling believed to be masquerading as a senior official in the Klingon government (i.e., Chancellor Gowron). When activated in concert, the emitters would cover 13000 m3 and would force a changeling to revert to a gelatinous state. A changeling impersonating General Martok was later discovered to be the Dominion operative.
- Voyager: Displaced - Torres detected a buildup of polaron particles a few seconds before a member of the crew disappeared. The particles were caused by the Nyrian translocation device.
Positron
Naturally occuring. Real antimatter version of an electron.
- TNG: Encounter at Farpoint through All Good Things - Data's brain is "positronic." The term was originally used in the context of a robot's brain by Isaac Asimov, who (according to his essay, "Cybernetic Organism") used it because the then newly-discovered positron was similar to an electron, but "positronic" sounded more exotic than "electronic."
- DS9: Life Support - "Positronic" brain is used to prolong Vedek Bareil's life.
- TNG: Datalore - The away team mentions that Dr. Soong wanted to make Asimov's dream of a positronic brain a reality. Lore later confirms that this is the nature of his brain and Data's.
- TNG: The Nth Degree - When normal scans prove ineffective against the alien probe, Geordie tells Barclay to "try a positron scan."
Preanimate Matter
Naturally occuring. Matter that is very, very, very, close to being classified as a form of life, but doesn't quite make the grade.
- Movie: The Wrath of Khan - Chekov said this might be responsible for causing an energy flux in one dyno-scanner.
Promethean Quartz
Naturally occuring. Valuable mineral that glows with an internal light.
- DS9: Q-Less - Vash discovered a similar geode resembling Promethean quartz in the Gamma Quadrant and nearly destroyed the station with a graviton field.
Protomatter
Origin unknown. An unstable form of matter used by David Marcus as a short cut in the construction of the Genesis Device.
- Movie: The Wrath of Khan; The Search for Spock - Because of the instability of protomatter, the Genesis Planet began to age geologically at an accelerated rate. The resurrected Spock-child also began to age very rapidly, allowing Spock to regain his katra at about the same age as he was when he "died".
- DS9: Second Sight (?) - Was used in the probe to rejuvenate sun or (scan it). Used from USS Lexington.
Proton
Naturally occuring. Baryon with a virtually infinite life span. Protons occur in all atomic nuclei.
- Voyager: Death Wish - Voyager was "attacked by protons" when Q(uinn) sent the ship back in time, not long after the Big Bang, to evade pursuing Q. Capt. Janeway suggested emitting negative ions to help repel the protons.
Protoplasm
Naturally occuring. Makes up the interior of cells in living matter.
- TOS: The Immunity Syndrome - The giant amoeba had an interior consisting of protoplasm.
Psilocynine
Naturally occuring. A neurotransmitter involved in telepathy.
- TNG: Eye of the Beholder - Deanna Troi's levels of psilocynine were "a little low" after having an empathically induced hallucination.
- TNG: Dark Page - Lwaxana Troi's levels of psilocynine were very high after her work with the Cairn.
Pulse Compression Wave
Artificially generated by crew. Used to increase the power of a phaser blast.
- DS9: Emissary - Used to increase the power of DS9's phasers against Gul Jassad's fleet.
Pyroclastics
Naturally occuring. Rock formed by volcanic activity. A real-life geological term.
- Voyager: Macrocosm - The Doctor beamed down to the Garan mining colony to investigate the virus that had plagued them. In the process of scanning the walls granite and pyroclastics were found.
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