Avid viewers may have already noticed the somewhat conspicuous use of the number 47 in episode after episode--but few probably realize the connection between Pomona College, 47, and Star Trek. The crew stops at Sub-space Relay Station 47, Data is unconscious for 47 seconds, a main character shrinks to 47 centimeters, there are 47 survivors on the planet, the crew discovers element 247....

"To the uninitiated, 47 is a mystery. To knowledgeable Pomona Sagehens, 47 is dogma. To sociologists, 47 is a prime example of a minor piece of whimsy that somehow developed into a legend." So stated the "Pomona Student Handbook" in 1985-86. Could there actually be a Pomonan at Paramount Pictures who is deliberately inserting the number into scripts?

You betcha. The inclusion of 47 in episode after episode was begun by Joe Menosky, a 1979 graduate who writes/co-produces for all three Star Trek series sequels, and the tradition has since been adopted by others on the production teams. "Voyager" producer Brannon Braga confirms this in a letter to alumnus John Kyl. Kyl recently submitted the letter to "Pomona College Magazine."

Another bit of unsubstantiated Pomona College/Star Trek lore regarding the origin of The Borg and their uncanny similarities to a certain labyrinthian dormitory on campus has been floating around cyberspace and the campus computing network for some time now.