darmok

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Darmok_(episode)

The episode “Darmok” is actually an abstract breakdown of memes, as well as what a memetic culture looks like to outsiders, created in a time before even the word “meme” had entered popular consciousness.

I came across a Terrence McKenna quote which encapsulated it well: “A meme is the smallest unit of an idea that still has coherency.”

“Darmok & Jalad at Tanagra” & “Shaka, When the Walls Fell” are both iterations of that smallest unit McKenna is referring to in his quote. I know we tend to associate the word meme with ideas like “Sad Keanu Reeves” or “Distracted Boyfriend,” but foundationally it’s exactly the same thing, isn’t it? Daystrom Institute Reddit