Talking “Darmok,” Memes, and Word Nerds with WBUR’s Endless Thread

In spring 2018, I attended my first ACES conference. One of the sessions I attended was Sea Chapman’s presentation on constructed languages, where a discussion about the infamous Star Trek episode “Darmok” and internet memes inspired me to write an article all about it for Twin Cities Geek: “How Star Trek: The Next Generation Predicted Meme Culture.”

In fall 2021, I got an email out of the blue from a producer with Endless Thread, a podcast from Boston NPR affiliate WBUR. The podcast was doing a series all about memes, and he wanted to know whether I’d talk to them briefly about “Darmok” and that conference experience as a jumping-off point for one of the episodes. My immediate response was to suggest they talk instead to Sea or to James Harbeck and Gretchen McCulloch, the people I interviewed for the article, but they weren’t looking for an expert—just someone to share their history with the episode.

The podcast episode, which mainly focuses on the intersection of memes and music, came out earlier this month. Listen to it on the WBUR website.