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[[Image:KIRK IS A JERK.jpg|thumb|A practical joke]]
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[[File:KIRK IS A JERK.jpg|thumb|A practical joke]]
A '''practical joke''' is a trick played on someone in which humor is derived from the victim's embarrassment or discomfort.
 
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{{aquote|One practical joke after another, and always on me.|James T. Kirk|2267|Shore Leave}}
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A '''practical joke''' or a '''prank''' was a trick played on someone in which [[humor]] was derived from the victim's embarrassment or discomfort. They were called "practical" jokes because they were ''practiced'', instead of being related in oral or written form. The person who performed the practical jokes was called a practical joker. According to Kirk, "''the worst thing you can do to a practical joker is to play a practical joke on them.''" ({{TAS|The Practical Joker}}) [[Tom Paris]] and [[Michael Rostov]] were known practical jokers. ({{VOY|Spirit Folk}}; {{ENT|The Forgotten}})
   
== Referenced in ==
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==Childhood==
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In [[2237]], the [[Vulcan 23rd century healer|Vulcan healer]] was reluctant to answer a young [[Spock]]'s request that he help [[I-Chaya]], having heard rumors of the child's tendency towards practical jokes. The boy admitted that he had played one [[2235|two years ago]], but that this wasn't one. ({{TAS|Yesteryear}})
* [[TAS]]: "[[Yesteryear]]"
 
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* [[TAS]]: "[[The Practical Joker]]"
 
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After suffering from [[Trelane]]'s pranks, [[James T. Kirk]] compared them to actions he erroneously assumed Spock had performed in his youth ("''Dipping little girls' [[hair|curls]] in [[inkwell]]s. [[theft|Stealing]] [[apple]]s from the neighbors' [[tree]]s. Tying cans on-''") Upon seeing Spock's look of dismay, Kirk realized who he was talking to and asked him to [[forgiveness|forgive]] him. ({{TOS|The Squire of Gothos}})
* [[TNG]]: "[[The Game]]"
 
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* [[DS9]]: "[[Fascination]]"
 
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==Starfleet Academy==
* [[VOY]]: "[[Live Fast and Prosper]]"
 
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Practical jokes were known to occur at [[Starfleet Academy]].
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During his time at the Academy, [[Captain]] [[James T. Kirk]] fell victim to one practical joke after another at the hands of [[Finnegan]], an upperclassman. Kirk later recounted the types of pranks Finnegan was prone to play (always on Kirk):
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:"''He's the kind of guy to put a bowl of cold [[soup]] in your bed or a bucket of [[water]] propped on a half-open door. You never knew where he'd strike next.''" ({{TOS|Shore Leave}})
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During [[Wesley Crusher]]'s first week at the Academy, [[Cadet]] [[Adam Martoni]] reprogrammed Crusher's [[sonic shower]] to cover him with mud. Crusher returned the favor by somehow rigging an anti-matter regulator to spray chili sauce (presumably) on Martoni. ({{TNG|The Game}})
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[[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Data]] fell victim to several practical jokes during his Academy years. ({{TNG|The Game}})
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== Aboard ''Enterprise NX'' ==
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In [[2152]], [[Travis Mayweather]] pranked [[Hoshi Sato]] by claiming he'd found a new [[lifeform]] that he thought might be [[sentient]] and that the [[Jonathan Archer|captain]] needed her to figure out how to communicate with it. In reality, it was [[strawberry]] [[gelatin]]. Hoshi recalled this when identifying his supposedly [[death|dead]] body, saying she thought that his death was another practical joke. ({{ENT|Dead Stop}})
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==Aboard the ''Enterprise'' ==
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In [[2270]], the [[main computer]] of the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}} played a series of practical jokes, including:
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*Giving the crew [[trick glass]]es and flexible [[fork]]s at dinner time
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*Replacing Spock's [[console]] eyepiece with a double-eyed one that left black marks around his [[eye]]s
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*Causing the [[food synthesizer]] to spit out piles of [[food]] at [[Montgomery Scott]]
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*Writing "''Kirk is a jerk''" on the back of the [[captain]]'s fresh [[uniform]] shirts
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*Creating a [[fog]] and [[ice|icing]] a [[deck]]
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* Locking [[Leonard McCoy]], [[Hikaru Sulu]] and [[Nyota Uhura]] in the [[recreation room]]
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**Trapping them in a pit
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**Switching to a freezing cold [[blizzard]] [[holoprogram]]
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*Reversing the [[gravity]] to keep Scotty from accessing the computer controls
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*Releasing [[nitrous oxide]] onto the [[bridge]]
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*Scaring attacking [[Romulan]]s with an [[inflatable starship decoy]]
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To get rid of the [[subatomic particle]]s responsible for the computer's malfunction, Kirk played a practical joke of his own, by saying he was petrified of going through the [[energy field]] again. The computer promptly diverted them there, clearing the particles from the ship. The [[Unnamed D7 class starships#By year#Ambush of the Enterprise|Romulan starships]], having followed the ''Enterprise'' through the field, began experiencing similar computer malfunctions. ({{TAS|The Practical Joker}})
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==Aboard the ''Enterprise-D'' ==
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In [[2367]], [[Jake Potts]] pretended that his [[brother]] [[Willie Potts|Willie]] had killed him with a [[toy]] [[laser pistol]] by popping a [[balloon]] filled with [[red pillion dye]]. This prank backfired when Willie hid and ate a [[cove palm]] [[fruit]], thereby infecting himself with a dangerous [[parasite]]. Later, when asked by [[Doctor]] [[Beverly Crusher]] if he'd ever pulled a prank on someone, Willie said he hadn't, explaining that he didn't think it was funny to be tricked like that. ({{TNG|Brothers}})
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==On Deep Space Nine==
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In [[2371]], [[Julian Bashir]] dismissed [[Jadzia Dax]]'s sudden outburst of passion towards [[Benjamin Sisko]] as a practical joke. ({{DS9|Fascination}})
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In [[2375]], [[Miles O'Brien]] mistook the recurrence of the first line of ''[[A Tale of Two Cities]]'' on the 294th page as a practical joke of [[Ezri Dax]], who had loaned the book to Bashir. Instead, it was proof that they were still inside [[Luther Sloan]]'s mind, as neither man knew what the rest of the book was. ({{DS9|Extreme Measures}})
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==Aboard Voyager==
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In [[2373]], [[Tom Paris]] was dismayed by the unfinished status of the [[holonovel]] "''[[Insurrection Alpha]]''", wondering out loud if it was someone's idea of a practical joke. ({{VOY|Worst Case Scenario}})
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In [[2376]], [[B'Elanna Torres]] initially dismissed [[Seven of Nine]]'s conspiracy theory about [[Starfleet]] plotting with the {{dis|Caretaker|Nacene}} as a ''"[[Borg]] practical joke"''. ({{VOY|The Voyager Conspiracy}})
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Also that year, to calm the [[Fair Haven]] [[holographic]] characters, [[The Doctor]] (as [[Father]] [[Mulligan]]) claimed that Paris and [[Harry Kim]] pranked them, and that they were ''not'' spirits responsible for turning [[Maggie O'Halloran]] into a [[cow]]. ({{VOY|Spirit Folk}})
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Tom Paris was also initially accused that year of altering one of [[Tuvok]]'s [[holoprogram]]s by putting [[pajamas]] on the [[Oracle of K'Tal]], though he was innocent. ({{VOY|Live Fast and Prosper}})
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In [[2377]], when B'elanna Torres told Paris that she was his new co-pilot for the ''[[Delta Flyer II]]'', he mistook it for a practical joke. ({{VOY|Drive}})
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==Alternate Reality==
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''In [[2258]] of the [[alternate reality]], {{alt|Spock}} mistook {{alt|Christopher Pike}}'s promotion of {{alt|James T. Kirk}} to [[first officer]] in his absence for a prank, pleading confusion over their complexities. ({{film|11}})''
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{{pna-incomplete}}
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== Related links ==
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* [[Fork]]
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* [[Itching powder]]
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* [[Trick glass]]
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[[Category:Culture]]

Revision as of 10:47, 4 April 2016

AT: "xx"

File:KIRK IS A JERK.jpg

A practical joke

"One practical joke after another, and always on me."
– James T. Kirk, 2267 ("Shore Leave")

A practical joke or a prank was a trick played on someone in which humor was derived from the victim's embarrassment or discomfort. They were called "practical" jokes because they were practiced, instead of being related in oral or written form. The person who performed the practical jokes was called a practical joker. According to Kirk, "the worst thing you can do to a practical joker is to play a practical joke on them." (TAS: "The Practical Joker") Tom Paris and Michael Rostov were known practical jokers. (VOY: "Spirit Folk"; ENT: "The Forgotten")

Childhood

In 2237, the Vulcan healer was reluctant to answer a young Spock's request that he help I-Chaya, having heard rumors of the child's tendency towards practical jokes. The boy admitted that he had played one two years ago, but that this wasn't one. (TAS: "Yesteryear")

After suffering from Trelane's pranks, James T. Kirk compared them to actions he erroneously assumed Spock had performed in his youth ("Dipping little girls' curls in inkwells. Stealing apples from the neighbors' trees. Tying cans on-") Upon seeing Spock's look of dismay, Kirk realized who he was talking to and asked him to forgive him. (TOS: "The Squire of Gothos")

Starfleet Academy

Practical jokes were known to occur at Starfleet Academy. During his time at the Academy, Captain James T. Kirk fell victim to one practical joke after another at the hands of Finnegan, an upperclassman. Kirk later recounted the types of pranks Finnegan was prone to play (always on Kirk):

"He's the kind of guy to put a bowl of cold soup in your bed or a bucket of water propped on a half-open door. You never knew where he'd strike next." (TOS: "Shore Leave")

During Wesley Crusher's first week at the Academy, Cadet Adam Martoni reprogrammed Crusher's sonic shower to cover him with mud. Crusher returned the favor by somehow rigging an anti-matter regulator to spray chili sauce (presumably) on Martoni. (TNG: "The Game")

Lieutenant Commander Data fell victim to several practical jokes during his Academy years. (TNG: "The Game")

Aboard Enterprise NX

In 2152, Travis Mayweather pranked Hoshi Sato by claiming he'd found a new lifeform that he thought might be sentient and that the captain needed her to figure out how to communicate with it. In reality, it was strawberry gelatin. Hoshi recalled this when identifying his supposedly dead body, saying she thought that his death was another practical joke. (ENT: "Dead Stop")

Aboard the Enterprise

In 2270, the main computer of the USS Enterprise played a series of practical jokes, including:

To get rid of the subatomic particles responsible for the computer's malfunction, Kirk played a practical joke of his own, by saying he was petrified of going through the energy field again. The computer promptly diverted them there, clearing the particles from the ship. The Romulan starships, having followed the Enterprise through the field, began experiencing similar computer malfunctions. (TAS: "The Practical Joker")

Aboard the Enterprise-D

In 2367, Jake Potts pretended that his brother Willie had killed him with a toy laser pistol by popping a balloon filled with red pillion dye. This prank backfired when Willie hid and ate a cove palm fruit, thereby infecting himself with a dangerous parasite. Later, when asked by Doctor Beverly Crusher if he'd ever pulled a prank on someone, Willie said he hadn't, explaining that he didn't think it was funny to be tricked like that. (TNG: "Brothers")

On Deep Space Nine

In 2371, Julian Bashir dismissed Jadzia Dax's sudden outburst of passion towards Benjamin Sisko as a practical joke. (DS9: "Fascination")

In 2375, Miles O'Brien mistook the recurrence of the first line of A Tale of Two Cities on the 294th page as a practical joke of Ezri Dax, who had loaned the book to Bashir. Instead, it was proof that they were still inside Luther Sloan's mind, as neither man knew what the rest of the book was. (DS9: "Extreme Measures")

Aboard Voyager

In 2373, Tom Paris was dismayed by the unfinished status of the holonovel "Insurrection Alpha", wondering out loud if it was someone's idea of a practical joke. (VOY: "Worst Case Scenario")

In 2376, B'Elanna Torres initially dismissed Seven of Nine's conspiracy theory about Starfleet plotting with the Caretaker as a "Borg practical joke". (VOY: "The Voyager Conspiracy")

Also that year, to calm the Fair Haven holographic characters, The Doctor (as Father Mulligan) claimed that Paris and Harry Kim pranked them, and that they were not spirits responsible for turning Maggie O'Halloran into a cow. (VOY: "Spirit Folk")

Tom Paris was also initially accused that year of altering one of Tuvok's holoprograms by putting pajamas on the Oracle of K'Tal, though he was innocent. (VOY: "Live Fast and Prosper")

In 2377, when B'elanna Torres told Paris that she was his new co-pilot for the Delta Flyer II, he mistook it for a practical joke. (VOY: "Drive")

Alternate Reality

In 2258 of the alternate reality, Spock mistook Christopher Pike's promotion of James T. Kirk to first officer in his absence for a prank, pleading confusion over their complexities. (Star Trek)

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