A Rosetta Stone-like tablet.
The Rosetta Stone was an artifact discovered in Egypt in the 18th century, on which was carved a text in Greek and two dead Egyptian languages. The discovery of this artifact represented a breakthrough in the understanding of the theretofore untranslated Egyptian languages.
Over time, "Rosetta Stone" became a metaphor for any similar object or key that unlocks an unknown language. (DS9 - Mission: Gamma novel: Cathedral; CoE eBook: Ghost)
History[]
In 2155, Hoshi Sato played the role of a Rosetta Stone by deciphering an Antianna message. She was inspired by the idea that "Antianna" was not their name but their message. It led her to understanding the message was a request to join with them. When she agreed, it resulted in a telepathic-like connection with an ancient computer consciousness which had misinterpreted current events as the return of an old enemy. (ENT novel: Rosetta)
Sato created an algorithm for the universal translator to translate a message from the Shisali. By thinking outside the box, she realized the Rosetta Stone keyword was "Not". (ENT - Strange New Worlds 10 short story: "You Are Not in Space")
In 2273, when V'Ger probed Spock's mind while he was on Vulcan, he suspected he was being studied as a Rosetta Stone for both logic and emotion. (TOS novelization: The Motion Picture)
In 2273, a similar artifact to the Rosetta Stone was uncovered on Abaris shortly before the planet's destruction. A floor tile deep within a vast underground chamber had identical text carved in three languages: native hieroglyphs, an unknown language, and the written language of the Sumerians, an ancient Earth culture. (TOS comic: "Aberration on Abaris")
Gillian Taylor jokingly commented to be a living breathing Rosetta Stone for historians of 2291. (TOS comic: "Lost to Eternity")
In 2293, Spock explained to Kirk that the rarity of finds such as the Rosetta Stone and Fabrini Lexicons made them invaluable in archeology. (TOS novel: Best Destiny)
In 2365, Captain Donald Varley of the USS Yamato thought he'd found a Rosetta Stone for the Iconian language with an artifact found on Denius III. Though Varley figured out the location of Iconia, his vessel was infected by a computer virus that ultimately destroyed the ship. (TNG episode: "Contagion")
In 2367, Zelfreetrollan of Jarada provided Jean-Luc Picard with Federation treaty documents drawn up in English and Jaradan. Picard asked Data to confirm the accuracy of their English translation to avoid a war. Data hoped the two papers were a Rosetta Stone, but he was unable to correlate the two documents, which suggested that the Jaradan document either had unexplained syntax or was a random collection of words. (TNG novel: Imbalance)
Other Rosetta Stone artifacts[]
- Abaris tablet
- Denius III artifact
- Fabrini Lexicons
- Taurus Key
- Ylan artifact
Appendices[]
References[]
- TNG episode: "Contagion"
- TOS novelization: The Motion Picture
- TOS novel: Best Destiny
- TOS novel: Unspoken Truth
- TOS comic: "Aberration on Abaris"
- TNG novel: Gulliver's Fugitives
- TNG novel: The Eyes of the Beholders
- TNG novel: Imbalance
- TNG novel: A Fury Scorned
- VOY novel: The Farther Shore
- DS9 - Mission: Gamma novel: Cathedral
- ENT novel: Rosetta
- VAN novel: Reap the Whirlwind
- ENT - Strange New Worlds 10 short story: "You Are Not in Space"
- CoE eBook: Ghost
External links[]
- Rosetta Stone article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- Rosetta Stone article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.