Morse Code 'CQ' Call in Star Trek: "The Space Seed"

Star Trek is famous for its technical faux pas repertoire, but the writers did manage to get in some impressively accurate scenes once in a while as well. Melanie and I were watching "The Space Seed" last night when a familiar dah-dit-dah-dit   dah-dah-dit-dah (CQ) began playing in the opening scene (hear it in the video clip below). 'CQ' is the general broadcast by an operator searching for conversation. Accompanying it is one of the few times where Mr. Spock gets something wrong even though his assessment of the situation is 'logical.' Captain Kirk couldn't help poking fun at him. In this episode from the 1967 television series, the notorious Khan is introduced. He does not reemerge until 1982 in "The Wrath of Khan." The old boy Ricardo Montalban aged quite a bit in those ensuing 15 years.

I have always liked the Captain James Tiberius Kirk character because he was portrayed as a man of virtue: moral, fair, brave, compassionate, loyal, selfless, ethical, principled. He was a good role model for boys (and men). Don't get me started on the weenie-fied, fault-filled, self-doubting, emotionally challenged men that seem to dominate today's shows.

'CQ' broadcast in "The Space Seed"  (© CBS, 1967, Fair Use option exercised)

Posted on  September 10, 2014