Is ChatGPT a Nerd?

While watching the first episode of Season 3 of Star Trek Picard I became confused as to which particular Enterprise they were referring to. Rather than search for a Star Trek website to dig around in I posed the following question to ChatGPT. The exchange below is what followed.

What I would like to know is where did the final sentence come from? Was that something added by the programmers just for fun or was that the result of the AI process of simply (not simply actually, it’s very complex) following one phrase with the most likely next phrase for a given exchange. The AI can’t have consciousness (can it?) so it’s can’t know what final phrase is appropriate for the situation, and it can’t have a sense of humour, but even so, it’s most uncanny.

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?User

“Please list the complete series of star trek enterprise ships detailing their classifications and the tv series they featured within. Please make the list in order of the star trek timeline rather than the order of broadcast.”

?

ChatGPT

“Certainly! Below is a list of the Starfleet ships named Enterprise in the Star Trek universe, presented in chronological order according to the Star Trek timeline, along with their classifications and the TV series or films they prominently featured in:

?

1. NX-01

??- Classification: NX-class

??- Featured in: Star Trek: Enterprise

??- Timeline: 22nd century (2151-2161)

??- The first Earth starship capable of reaching warp 5. It played a pivotal role in the formation of the United Federation of Planets.

??

2. NCC-1701

??- Classification: Constitution-class

??- Featured in: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: Discovery (time travel episodes), and the first three Star Trek films.

??- Timeline: Mid-23rd century (2245-2285)

??- The most iconic starship, under the command of Captains James T. Kirk and Christopher Pike, known for its five-year mission of exploration.

??

3. NCC-1701-A

??- Classification: Constitution-class (refit)

??- Featured in: Star Trek films IV through VI.

??- Timeline: Late 23rd century (2286-2293)

??- Commissioned after the destruction of the original NCC-1701, primarily under the command of Captain James T. Kirk.

??

4. NCC-1701-B

??- Classification: Excelsior-class

??- Featured in: Star Trek Generations (film)

??- Timeline: Late 23rd century (2293)

??- Known for the tragic incident involving the disappearance of Captain James T. Kirk.

??

5. NCC-1701-C

??- Classification: Ambassador-class

??- Featured in: Star Trek: The Next Generation ("Yesterday's Enterprise")

??- Timeline: 24th century (2332-2344)

??- This ship is famous for its disappearance during a battle at Narendra III, an act that solidified relations between the Federation and the Klingon Empire.

??

6. NCC-1701-D

??- Classification: Galaxy-class

??- Featured in: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek Generations (film)

??- Timeline: 24th century (2364-2371)

??- Under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, it was a flagship of the Federation and known for its diverse and significant diplomatic, exploratory, and combat missions.

??

7. NCC-1701-E

??- Classification: Sovereign-class

??- Featured in: Star Trek films VII through X.

??- Timeline: Late 24th century (2372-)

??- Also commanded by Jean-Luc Picard, it played crucial roles in defending the Federation against the Borg and the Reman threat.

??

8. NCC-1701-J

??- Classification: Universe-class (mentioned in some sources, not visually confirmed in canon)

??- Featured in: Star Trek: Enterprise ("Azati Prime")

??- Timeline: 26th century

??- Mentioned briefly in a time-travel episode, indicating the enduring legacy of the Enterprise name far into the future.

This list reflects the primary starships named Enterprise within the main Star Trek canon, excluding alternate realities and timelines (such as the Kelvin timeline from the reboot films) for clarity and conciseness.”

?

User

“Perfect. Thank you.” <I always like to be polite to AIs in case they end up ruling over us one day.>

??

Chat GPT

"You're welcome! If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask. Live long and prosper!"

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Special thanks to David Grant for the use of his Enterprose D image used under the Creative Commons license.