List of terms

A list of terms from the Buck Rogers universe.

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

Anachronisms

Words and terms that are anachronistic in the 25th century.

* aspirin: a pain management medication that William "Buck" Rogers asks for during his interrogation by Princess Ardala and Kane; Kane surmises that "aspirin" is a pain medication, and instructs his practitioners to inject him with an anti-pain medication (BR25: "Awakening")

• Funk & Wagnalls: a dictionary and reference book publisher from the 20th century (BR25: "Planet of the Slave Girls")
• o'clock: slang term for a numeric position on an analog clock; Lt. Wrather is confused by Rogers' term as Rogers attempts (in vain) to communicate an incoming threat (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

* "(Won't You Come Home) Bill Bailey," a Dixieland / jazz song performed by many artists in the 20th century, and sung by William "Buck" Rogers on his return trip to Earth following his awakening (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

"My Kind of Town," a song performed by Frank Sinatra and sung by Rogers on his return trip to Earth following his awakening (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

rock and roll: a music genre evolving from the United States circa 1940s and 1950s, consisting of an amalgam of various earlier musical styles gospel, jump blues, w:jazz, oogie woogie, rhythm and blues, and country music; at Princess Ardala's reception, Rogers asks the musical performer if he know this form of music, and vaguely describes it before performing something that has the stylings of disco (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

* boogie: to dance to rock music (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

getting down: intransitive verb meaning to "to perform music or dance effectively and infectiously"; William "Buck" Rogers refers to his dance moves at Princess Ardala's reception party thusly (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

* clipping: a move illegal in American football, defined as "throwing the body across the back of the leg of an eligible receiver or charging or falling into the back of an opponent below the waist after approaching him from behind, provided the opponent is not a runner"; Maj. Duke Danton clips William "Buck" Rogers during a live demonstration of football moves before Earth Defense Directorate cadets (BR25: "Planet of the Slave Girls")

football: an American sport (BR25: "Planet of the Slave Girls")

red-dogging: to carry out a blitz in a football game; Rogers mentions this to Deering when going on the offensive during a faux "pirate" attack (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

"sacking the quarterback": a means of intercepting and tackling an opposing player behind the line of scrimmage; in the Battle of Vistula, Rogers identifies Galen as the "quarterback" to sack, and following the destruction of Galen and his Scorpion fighter, Kaleel's forces fall into disarray despite their overwhelming numbers (BR25: "Planet of the Slave Girls")

tackle: a means of intercepting an opposing player from advancing towards the goal (BR25: "Planet of the Slave Girls")

Present Day

Words, phrases and terms from the 25th century.

* Astrium: a locale, likely a term for interstellar space given the use of the Latin root word "Astrum"; Emperor Draco's formal and complete title includes a reference to his being the "Warlord of Astrium" (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

• food discs: processed foodstuff in disc form (BR25: "Planet of the Slave Girls")
• launch channel: Draconian term for a launching runway and aperture aboard a starship, such a channel is used by small fighters and ships (BR25: "Awakening")
• Holocaust: term used by Terrans to describe the time during and after World War III (BR25: Film, "Awakening", "Testimony of a Traitor")
• mobile service module: mechanized labor, typically along the lines of ambuquads, employed in mundane and monotonous service tasks; Duke Danton asks why he hasn't seen these in the Governor's Statehouse on Vistula, and it is explained to him that the human nomad laborers from the Sea of Stone are more economical (BR25: "Planet of the Slave Girls")
• subspace: a term used in conjunction with communications, superior to radio transmission signals as subspace is capable of transmitting over larger galactic distances (BR25: "Planet of the Slave Girls")
• termination: execution of a person, used as punishment for subjects who commit crimes of great severity, such as high treason and espionage; Rogers receives this sentence by the Computer Council following the discovery of a microtransmitter aboard Ranger 3 (BR25: Film, "Awakening")
• Terran: a person from Earth (BR25: Film, "Awakening")
• translight velocity: a form of light-speed or intense velocity; Maj. Duke Danton tells William "Buck" Rogers he'll launch in a Scorpion fighter at this velocity to avoid the power leech (BR25: "Planet of the Slave Girls")
• vector: a direction or path relative to a ship; e.g. the vector Draconia travels to Earth on is known to be attacked by "pirates" (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

* cordite: a smokeless propellant used in bullets or other projectile weapons, used as a replacement for gunpowder; Rogers claims that the "cordite" in the scoring marks (left by the Draconians that intercepted him) hadn't oxidized yet (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

cryogen: one of four gasses used in suspended animation (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

crystalline: a chemical used by Draconians in conjunction with diogen to revive subjects from suspended animation (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

diogen: a chemical used by Draconians in conjunction with crystalline to revive subjects from suspended animation (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

gold: a rare metal used in Dr. Theopolis' circuitry; Theopolis tells William "Buck" Rogers that the mutants in Anarchia would be interested in its gold circuits for trade on the black market (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

methalon: one of four gasses used in suspended animation (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

pressor agent: a Draconian term for a chemical or contrivance that can be diluted, used in conjunction with revival from suspended animation (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

* Condition 90: a condition issued over Draconia's intercom when first approaching Earth (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

Corridor 10A: referred to in radio chatter as "Corridor 1-0 Able," this is the corridor used by Earth Defense Directorate ships to dock at a hangar bay used by Col. Wilma Deering and William "Buck" Rogers upon Rogers' 500+ year overdue return to Earth (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

Earth Directorate emergency channel: a direct communications line used in emergencies, it is typically directed at the highest ranking person available; preceding Draconia's attack on Earth, Dr. Theopolis summons reinforcements from Earth using this channel (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

microtransmitter: a device capable of recording and transmitting; one such device is planted on Ranger 3 by Kane, in order to track the narrow passage in Earth's defense shield (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

* Delta Section: a monitoring position of the Earth Defense Directorate dealing with monitoring transmissions in lower band frequencies, such as those of 20th century radios; an operative from this section intercepts William "Buck" Rogers's radio communications meant for NASA (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

* quad: slang for ambuquad

* ambuquad: a machine with some level of artificial intelligence, used as servitors; see: Twiki

auto-flight: term for "automatic flight," the ability of a ship to be piloted solely by computer control, without the need of an external entity (i.e. pilot) (BR25: Film, "Awakening")

hologram: technology allowing projections of audio and video in multiple dimension; Emperor Draco communicates to Kane using this system following the commencement of preemptive hostilities against Earth (BR25: Film)

neurosystems transport: a Draconian term used in conjunction with revival from suspended animation (BR25: "Awakening")

retro gravity valve: a device capable of slowing the descent of a craft; after being hit by a power leech, William "Buck" Rogers suggests that Duke Danton use this device, but it was also disabled (BR25: "Planet of the Slave Girls")

stargate: an energy gate capable of transporting smaller crafts between two points (BR25: "Planet of the Slave Girls")

subspace transmitter: a communications device; Wilma Deering has one while she's undercover and it is subsequently discovered by Jolen Quince (BR25: "The Plot to Kill a City, Part I")

space warp: a means of shortening distance between two points, utilized by stargates (BR25: "Planet of the Slave Girls")

* pulsar: a directed energy weapon employed on crafts of the 25th century, both air and ground; a primary weapon employed on both landcrafts and Thunderfighter starfighters, as well as stationary weapons batteries (BR25: "Planet of the Slave Girls", "Return of the Fighting 69th")

power leech: a weapon that either inhibits or drains energy from a craft, thus disabling its intended target; Galen employs the power leech against Duke Danton's Thunderfighter over the Sea of Stone, thus forcing the craft to crash-land in the barren Vistulan wilderness (BR25: "Planet of the Slave Girls")