[1][2] The alien species introduced in this episode is noted for speaking in allegories, such as "Temba, his arms wide", which are indecipherable to the universal translator normally used in the television series to allow communication across different languages.
While tending to Dathon's wounds, Picard slowly deduces that Darmok and Jalad were warriors who met on the island of Tanagra and were forced to unite against a dangerous beast there, becoming friends in the process.
A battle begins, but just when mutual destruction seems certain, Picard enters the bridge and uses his newfound knowledge to communicate with the Tamarians, who are overjoyed at the development.
Piller gave it to writer Joe Menosky, who completed the script and focused the story on the idea of two leaders attempting to communicate, as well as using the Epic of Gilgamesh as a plot device.
An additional day was August 8 for the blue screen unit to film the creature scenes with stuntman Rex Pierson on Paramount Stage 9.
When production for the following episode, "Ensign Ro", returned to location at Bronson Canyon on August 5, another sequence was filmed for "Darmok" involving Pierson and photo doubles Ron Large and Lanier Edwards.
The episode features Paul Winfield as Dathon, who previously played Captain Terrell in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and Ashley Judd in her debut acting performance.
[7] A Tamarian appears in Star Trek: Lower Decks with a regular character featured as a crew member of the USS Cerritos, Lt. Kayshon (voiced by Carl Tart).
The Tamarian language and its societal implications, as portrayed in the episode, have received considerable attention, both from fans of the series and also in mainstream media.
The episode describes a language built upon metaphors and allegories, in which Tamarians cite incidents from their cultural history, to communicate the emotions they feel, their perceptions of situations, and their wishes and opinions about actions.
The expression conveys his intentions and purpose in requiring his crew to transport Picard and himself to the planet (where there is also a dangerous creature), and isolate them there together.
Noting that 20th century philosopher Walter Benjamin criticized this use of allegory as flawed and harmful (it replaces real concerns by a fetishized kind of mythology), he then commented that the answer to these points was to be found elsewhere.
He suggests that the better term to describe this language is that it instantiates strategy and logic, and all concerned can then perceive how to follow it with a shared understanding.
He comments that in this sense, the term "Sim City" would represent and evoke an entire process and strategy for creating the simulations within that game, and that:[8] The Tamarians' language has been compared to the modern use of Internet memes and image macros.
By grounding communication in shared cultural narratives, the Tamarian language exemplifies how metaphor shapes not only expression but also the conceptual frameworks through which individuals and societies understand the world.
Drawing from recent advancements in NLP, the paper discusses the limitations of AI systems in grasping the cultural and contextual nuances of metaphor, underscoring the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to understanding both human and artificial cognition.
The book Hailing frequencies open: Communication in Star Trek: The Next Generation by Thomas D. Parham, III says that in "Darmok", the episode focused on epistemology by using interpersonal interactions.
Club gave it a grade "A", and although he finds the core concept improbable he says "the episode is carried by terrific performances, particularly Stewart and Winfield".
[15] The 1999 book The Music of Star Trek describes composer Jay Chattaway's score as offering "memorable dramatic support" to "Darmok" and other episodes he had worked on.
[16] "Darmok" is generally regarded as one of the greatest episodes of Star Trek, as well as one of Patrick Stewart's best performances as Captain Picard.
[35] In 2020, Screen Rant ranked "Darmok" the third best episode of the series, noting its unique but great take on contact between alien cultures as Picard must contend with failure of Star Trek's universal translator technology.