Where the name came from:
Darmok and Jilad at Tenagra
Yes, it is an obscure reference to a Star Trek: Next Generation episode. And you might want to click on the link if you aren't familiar with the story. Then again, if you never saw the episode, the origin of this rocket name won't even be remotely humorous. You probably won't think it is very amusing even if you have seen it... but this is the story:
I occasionally check the statistics on this web site, which provides information like bandwidth used, hits per day, which pages are viewed most often, who is linking to our website, and who might be stealing our bandwidth. One day I discovered that an Arabic-language discussion board had linked to a photo on our site: Burl finkelstein's Phoenix Missile taking off on an N2000.
Click [HERE!] to see an archived copy of the Arabic discussion board. Scroll down to find the rocket photo. The scroll bar is on the LEFT of the page. The page has been trimmed down quite a bit from it's original, and only the few entries before and after the one with Burl's rocket photo are still there -- but you get the idea.
Because we have been contacted in the past by mysterious residents of the middle-east with dubious intentions, I was initially alarmed; but then the frequent use of emoticons like :-P and ;-) made me doubt that I was looking at serious Jihadi propaganda.
The next step, of course, was to razz Burl about it, via email. I copied my brothers and a few friends.
Rick took this a step further and submitted the text to an on-line translation website and he emailed the following translation:
A sweetness ....Wsh became my remoteness ?
And cockroaches ( Zhiyi at some people : D ) Shoufoua I the claim Shaef developed and reached Wshmkht : p ...She you come here ....Wayne O quarter ?
Ashoufkm Labtoua in the council :
And two dimensions Doukhtoua Bint Al Noukhzh's Wsh in you ? ( no consolation of the ladies ) : D ...Bint Al Noukhzh Oukhiti : and Allah that I as if I Ashouf Srsourk and he is Mouti its leg quickly and
He became spreading the slow movement because a man the land and a man have touched him no, and he is stopped on the terrible Halshkl until for breaking up the last breaths ( no consolation of the cockroaches : D )
Zkrtini by a play ( the married ) Shirin's day they ( Soursar ) says our love : D
He returned I and solidarity with the deceased the cockroach she gained in it Halmrtheh ..
Say you your tongue was perfect its safety
As for you O assistant father and Mashari's father they left about you Al Kamri Walgms Al Hmr ..I that Gay water on the twist Halzin Ybi evacuates your cars and saw him with thousands of cauterization
This, of course, is complete gibberish. The translation failure reminded me of the Star Trek episode. So my email reply was:
Darmok and Jilad at Tenagra. Unzani, his fist closed!
So that's the story. Such as it is.
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