Since 1966, the “Star Trek” franchise has grown to encompass a dozen TV shows and just as many movies. Throughout its nearly 60 years of existence, there are many common threads that wind their way through every iteration. But beginning in 1990, the series also included something in every series that few have noticed: an inside joke among the many “Trek” writers. It might seem odd, but the number 47 began popping up repeatedly, and it’s all thanks to screenwriter Joe Menosky and a real-life organization called the 47 Society.
The 47 Society began as a kind of tongue-in-cheek project, whereby a group of students at Pomona College in California theorized that the idea that the number 47 occurs in nature more often than any other number. Joe Menosky was a member of this society, and when he began writing for “Star Trek: The Next Generation” in 1990, the number began conspicuously showing up in episode teleplays. And when Menosky moved to “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” and later “Star Trek: Voyager,” the number kept appearing in episodes of those shows.
Decades later, Menosky was brought on board “Star Trek: Discovery,” and suddenly the number began turning up in episodes of the current crop of shows, too. Because it wasn’t just Menosky; Other writers of “Star Trek” have had fun with this little inside joke, putting it into scripts seemingly wherever possible, over the course of decades. So next time you’re watching an episode of “Star Trek” and hear the number 47, it’s probably thanks to Joe Menosky.
Ronald D. Moore revealed the joke in an AOL chat
Joe Menosky began the joke on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” but other writers followed — and Ronald D. Moore was one of them. Moore regularly chatted with fans online in the late ’90s on chat forums, and in one such discussion, an eagle-eyed fan noticed the pervasive use of the digit — which showed up in some of its best episodes — and asked what was up, noting that “There is Outpost 47 or 47 dart wins in a row of O’Brian [sic], PaDD 4747 gets around DS9 too” (via Fandom). Moore’s response was surprisingly direct, though he still answered with his customary wit.
“Joe Menosky started the whole 47 thing,” Moore revealed. “He seems to believe that it is the number that controls the destiny of the universe or is the number of his high school locker, he’s not sure which.” With the joke out in the open, fans got in on the fun, even dropping the number into questions posed to the writing staff. Even writer Brannon Braga joined in, using the screen name ‘BMB4747′ in online forums at the time. Eventually, however, the joke got too big for its own britches, and the writers began backing off. And fans took notice; In an AOL chat with Moore from September of 1997, a fan inquired, “Is it my imagination, or have the random occurrences of ’47’ on ‘DS9’ been on the decrease?” (via Fandom).
Moore’s response was again somewhat surprising, saying, “They’ve been cut down as we’ve kinda tired of this particular inside joke.” However, calling it “this particular joke” suggests that there may be others that fans still haven’t found.