Talk:Combadge

Two notes: (1) Is it mentioned in an episode that combadges have an idle mode? I don't think this is supported alone by the fact that officers tap the badges, which doesn't always seem consistent. (2) Don't all modern combadges have a universal translator? -- Mjwilco 23:50, 30 Aug 2004 (CEST)

(1) I never heard it mentioned in an episode if combadges have a idle mode. I found this in the TNG Tech Manual. The canon policy is still unclear on the use of the TNG Tech manual as a reference. (2) I also never heard mentioned that a combadge contains a universal translator. The TNG Tech Manual says it is an sophisticated computer program but not where it is run. A conclusion would be that being a sophisticated program a combadge simply does not have the 'power' to run it, so it might serve as a link to the main computer where the actual program is running. But this is guess work. This is the problem with most of the technical equipment used, in episodes there are only useing it not explaining how it works. Q 19:25, 31 Aug 2004 (CEST)

(2) Considering the vague properties of the universal translator, I don't think we'll ever know. Obviously it must have one built-in, as our stranded heroes have often conversed with new alien species while being stranded from their ship/tricorder/other computer. But that can also be explained as dramatic license. Quanta 7 Jan 2005

The fact that the translator is in the comabage is mentioned on several Technical manuals, but the only strictly canon reference I can think of would be Janeway saying "we have universal translators, which can make us hear your language" or something like that, and pointing to her combadge in "The 37's". - AJHalliwell 03:19, 28 Jul 2005 (UTC)

Yes I remember that the Japanese guy states that everyone is speaking Japanese, and what not, and she does motion to the combadge. Which rules out it bieng the tri-corder, though hwo it ever works makes no sense because it does do a nureal link to each person so i think we will just give it creative leway for the sake of making a show- Kahless 03:51, 28 Jul 2005 (UTC)

Combadge Access

It states that only the wearer of a combadge can use the badge. However this is not true. On serveral episodes another person, often non-starfleet personnel use a combadge to contact help. Often when the wearer of the badge needs medical help. They do not remove the badge from them, they simply use it.

I can't remember the episode, but I can give an example from TNG. A vistor aboard the Enterprise uses the combadge of their tour guide to alert sickbay of a medical emergency when their guide pasted out. <unsigned>

I can't think of this episode, nor many episodes with tour guides... Although, other citations would include when Seska took over the ship, all the Kazon wore the starfleet combadges. So did Verad Dax and his band of mercenaries. So evidence would seem to prove to the contrary. - AJHalliwell 03:19, 28 Jul 2005 (UTC)

In one TNG episode (sadly, I don't remember which) a dead crewman's combadge only becomes usable after the crewman's own hand is used to activate it, circumventing the protection of the integrated 'dermal sensor'. I believe the episode is cited under the combadge or communicator entry in the Star Trek Encyclopedia. 67.150.72.24 23:40, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Tech Manual

I was under the impression that the Tech Manual was not a citeable source -Kahless 03:10, 28 Jul 2005 (UTC)

• So noted, and removed. - AJHalliwell 03:19, 28 Jul 2005 (UTC)
• The tech manual information taken from the page could be cited below the corresponding paragraph in italics or at the bottom of the page in a Background section and did not necessarily need to be removed. --Alan del Beccio 10:36, 28 Jul 2005 (UTC)

"For The Uniform"

I saw "For The Uniform" used as a citation. Didn't O'Brien say that combadges wouldn't work on the Defiant' because of the computer's core being knocked off-line by Eddington's cascade virus? I only bring it up because I just saw that episode on Thursday or Friday and it's still fresh in my mind.

The various Tech Manuals go into more detail on this, but communicators act like a cellphone network -- if the central network fails, the extended transmission capability is off, leaving only the "walkie talkie" option, which is communicator-to-communicator contact, which is limited to shorter ranges, and easily disrupted by warp cores and radiation sources.

Basically, if the ship's computer is off, the communicators are only good for orbital communication, and might be unreliable aboard a space vessel without its own internal network being on. that's why Picard can tap his communicator in the Bynar space and have the computer put him live to Starbase 74, but if you were trapped on a planet with no ship nearby you couldnt call much further than orbit. -- Captain Mike K. Bartel^talk 01:18, 3 Oct 2005 (UTC)

Odo's combage

I was wondering if we shouldn't add sometinh about odo's badge. Is it a real one? When odo shapes to another form, the badge seems to change shape of color like the rest of odo. Sounds like it's not a badge, but part of him, like the uniform. But it's working! When he morphs into a dog, he could hide the badge into his body, but in some instance it's impossible, for instance in vortex, when he turns himself into a drinking glass. --Rami 21:59, 15 February 2006 (UTC)

• I'm pretty sure his badge was always a part of him, obviously excluding when he wasn't a changeling. He has managed to disguise himself as Starfleet cases and equipment before, so he should be able to mimic the circuitry of a comm badge.

I always assumed he had some sort of microchip that he carried in his body for communication, and just created a comm badge around it, but that is only my own speculation. There is nothing in canon giving any answer, so we should leave it a mystery in the article as well. -- Jaz ^talkFile:United Federation of Planets logo.png 19:42, 18 June 2006 (UTC)

Locating crewmembers

At some occasions, it is signified that the computer pinpoints the combadge to locate an officer (for example, when someone removes one's combadge and the computer reports the location of the officer erroneously as the location of the deserted badge; it happened in a DS9 episode). At other occasions, however, the computer seems to locate an individual on a genetic level or something (for example, in TNG episode Identity Crisis, Geordi is mistakenly reported as absent from the ship because a "parasite" has altered his DNA; also, the crew has, at times, asked the computer to locate civilians and other people without Starfleet combadges). Is this issue addressed anywhere? Could we address it? --Liberlogos 03:07, 2 July 2006 (UTC)