THE STAR TREK SCRIPT COMPUTER

Back in the 1970s, a piece of Star Trek paraphernalia gained some popularity among the Trekkies of that particular time period: it was a hardcopy print, a poster, called the "Star Trek Computer".

This was not actually a computer, but rather a detailed flowchart. By following the branchings of the flowchart, the reader generated a random script for a Star Trek episode. Like an early version of those "Choose Your Own Adventure"(TM) books. From the moment I first acquired that poster / flowcart, I always thought this would be an amusing exercise to automate on a computer. Now, thanks to the magic of PHP, not only can I do so, but I can also share it with you!

The randomly generated script which will follow, has been taken completely from the 1970s poster, as have the small patches of artwork which accompany it. (Okay, actually I slipped in two small anacronisms from about the 1990s period of Trek.) Sometimes the stories don't make a lot of logistical sense... but neither did the series. I'm just imitating the flowchart on the poster precisely. In order to simulate the thrill of discovery -- from looking across the flowchart and choosing various branches -- there is a slight delay as each plot point reveals itself. Do not adjust your set. Everything is under control.

 

To begin the STAR TREK SCRIPT COMPUTER, you must pay homage to the old days of FORTRAN and BASIC by submitting a "Random Number Seed" between 1 and 100 (inclusive).

(If you come back to this page and enter the same "Random Number Seed", you will get a generally similar branch of the flowchart, but the amusing little details will be shuffled. If you enter a much larger or smaller "Random Number Seed", you will get a completely different branch of the flowchart / script / story. Hours of fun!)

 

Random Number Seed (1 to 100):

You also get to choose: Who is the focus of the story?

 

 The original Star Trek Computer poster lists the following credits. (I do not intend to infringe on anyone's Intellectual Property, neither Gene Roddenberry, Paramount / Desilu Studios, nor the people who created this delightful poster. I claim no rights of ownership of anything involved here and I'm receiving no compensation for these images. However, as near as I can tell, this item has been out of print for more than 20 years. I know, because I've tried to find newer copies.) On the left is the attribution information from the original poster.

 

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