Humor

Humor is the ability to see or hear something that is funny, comical or amusing. Laughter is often the goal or result of humor.

In 2366, Q offered the special gift of laughter to Data, his "professor of the Humanities", following Q's brief time as a human. (TNG: "Deja Q")

Jokes

The dictionary definition of a joke is "an antic, a caper, mischief, prank, trick, quip, witticism."

In 2364, upon meeting Thadiun Okona, Data, unaware of the true meaning of "what 'funny' is" made it his mission to learn with the assistance of The Comic and Guinan. (TNG: "The Outrageous Okona")

Classic Examples

• "This gentleman went to see his surgeon and was informed that he needed an operation. The man thought about that and then said, "I would like a second opinion." The doctor said, "Okay, you are ugly too"."

• "You know I come from a town so small it had a fraction for a zip code. It was so small in fact that it didn't have a Godfather of Crime, it had a Nephew."

• "I was so ugly as a child they hung a pork chop around my neck so the dog would play with me."

• "Then there was the gene bank where they crossed a lion and a parrot. They weren't sure what they got but when it spoke, they listened."

• "Or the human cannonball that was hired and fired in the same night."

• "And there is the one about the girl in the nudist colony that nothing looked good on."

One humorous punchline Data recalled after the addition of his emotion chip was: "The clown can stay, but the Ferengi in the gorilla suit has to go." (Star Trek: Generations)

Comedians

Someone who can make people laugh, either as a professional or an amateur, is known as a comedian or a comic. Professional comedians are often found warming-up the audience for the main act, or are the main acts themselves in comedy clubs (See: Charnock's Comedy Cabaret).

In 2375, Vic Fontaine was looking for an opening act for his lounge. Rom attempted to apply for the position as a singer, but after hearing Rom's singing talent, Vic noted that what he was really looking for was a comedian. He added that having two singers on the same bill was a one-way ticket to deadsville. (DS9: "The Siege of AR-558")

Noted Comedians

• Allen, Gracie
• Armus, Burt
• Bishop, Joey
• Burns, George
• Curry, Dan
• de Graft, Monty
• El-Baz, Farouk
• Freedle, Sam
• Gray, Mike
• Greene, Shecky
• Howard, Merri
• Hurley, Maurice
• Hutzel, Gary
• Julian, Heidi
• Koslowsky, Jon
• Lewis, Jerry
• Livingston, David
• Mason, John
• Metoyer, Robert
• Moore, Ronald D.
• Neuss, Wendy
• Overdiek, Diane
• Riga, Stano
• Roddenberry, Gene
• Rubenstein, Scott
• Simmons, Adele
• Takemura, David
• Terkim
• Tracy Tormé

References

• TNG:
  • "Code of Honor"
  • "The Outrageous Okona"
  • "Deja Q"
• Star Trek: Generations
• DS9: "The Siege of AR-558"

Related Topics

• Inherently funny words at wikipedia.org
• Comic timing at wikipedia.org
• Humor at wikipedia.org