The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →On September 21, 2017, Amazon added a small set of Star Trek-themed Alexa responses and experiences to promote the upcoming premiere of Star Trek: Discovery on September 24. The package worked on Echo, Echo Dot and other Alexa-enabled devices, but it was a limited promotional novelty—not a permanent Star Trek conversion of Alexa. Amazon’s current public materials do not confirm that these exact commands still work in 2026.
What Amazon actually added
The contemporary account from GeekWire describes several different kinds of behavior under the broad label “skills.” They included a Star Trek trivia experience, one-off scripted answers, sound effects, a Klingon phrase and a reported option to use “Computer” instead of “Alexa” as the wake word.
That distinction matters. “Alexa, open Star Trek” appears to have launched a named trivia experience, while many of the other phrases were Easter eggs or built-in responses. The report does not provide a skill ID, a formal Amazon listing or a universal setup procedure, so it would be inaccurate to describe every command as one downloadable skill.
Commands reported in September 2017
| Say this | Reported behavior |
|---|---|
| “Alexa, damage report” | A quick weather and offbeat-news update ending with a Star Trek-style signoff. |
| “Alexa, open Star Trek” | Opened a Star Trek trivia experience. |
| “Alexa, red alert!” | Played a red-alert sound effect. |
| “Alexa, beam me up!” | Returned a Star Trek-themed response or effect. |
| “Alexa, fire photon torpedoes!” | Returned another themed sound effect. |
| “Speak Klingon” | Delivered “IwlIj jachjaj!”—reported as meaning “May your blood scream.” |
| “What would Scotty say?” | Produced a Scotty-style response. |
| “What would McCoy say?” | Produced a McCoy-style response. |
| “What is your mission?” | Returned a Trek-themed answer. |
| “State Starfleet rank and class” | Returned a Trek-themed answer. |
| “Do you trust Klingons?” | Returned a Trek-themed answer. |
| “Computer” | The report said users could use this as an alternative wake word, preferably in a Captain Kirk-style voice. |
These are the wordings reported at launch; punctuation, recognition and the exact audio response could vary. The report said the features were available on Echo, Dot and other Alexa-enabled devices, but supplied no complete model, software-version or regional compatibility list.
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- Your favorite music and content – Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
Why Amazon launched it
The timing was a marketing tie-in for Star Trek: Discovery, whose September 24, 2017 premiere was advertised on CBS All Access—the service’s name at the time. GeekWire also cited Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’s explanation that Alexa’s name and concept were inspired in part by the talking computer in Star Trek.
That establishes the promotional connection and the reported design inspiration. It does not establish that the Discovery production team created every response, or that Amazon and CBS announced a permanent partnership around the feature.
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- Your favorite music and content – Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
Do the Star Trek commands still work?
There is no current confirmation. The commands are documented for September 2017, but the current official Alexa materials reviewed for this article do not list the Star Trek experience or promise that those responses remain active. Amazon describes Alexa as a cloud-based service operating across Amazon and third-party hardware at its current developer site; that general platform description is not proof that a seven-year-old promotion survived.
A failed command therefore does not necessarily indicate a faulty Echo. Promotional skills can be retired, renamed, restricted to a marketplace or changed on the server. Alexa may also answer a familiar phrase normally if it no longer recognizes the Easter egg. “Computer” support should likewise be treated as a reported 2017 feature, not a guaranteed setting on current models, languages or regions.
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- Your favorite music and content – Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
The original report does not state whether users had to enable a skill, whether every response appeared automatically or whether availability extended beyond the relevant English-language marketplace. It also does not state a charge. The safest description is a promotional Alexa experience whose original pricing and geographic reach were not documented.
What “skill” means in this story
Alexa Skills are applications built for the Alexa platform, but the 2017 article uses “skills” loosely. One invocation—“open Star Trek”—is described as trivia, while the damage report, character questions, Klingon line and sound effects read like scripted Easter eggs. Treating the headline as evidence of one large, formally documented product would overstate what was reported.
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- Music to your ears: With nearly 3x the bass versus Echo Dot (2022 release), it fits beautifully in any space, delivering your personal sound stage with deep bass and enhanced clarity. Listen to streaming services, such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and SiriusXM. Encore!
- Do more with device pairing: Connect compatible Echo smart speakers and smart displays in different rooms, or pair with a second Echo Dot Max to enjoy even richer sound. Pair your Echo Dot Max with compatible Fire TV devices to create a home theater system that brings scenes to life.
- Simple smart home control: Set routines, pair and control lights, locks, and thousands of smart home devices that work with Alexa without needing a separate smart home hub. With Omnisense technology, you can activate routines via temperature or presence detection.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot Max doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
Should you buy an Echo for it?
No. Do not purchase an Echo solely to obtain these historical commands. If you already own an Alexa device, trying the phrases costs little, but availability is unverified. A new speaker should be chosen for current needs such as sound quality, display, microphone-mute controls, smart-home compatibility, privacy settings and supported Alexa features.
Amazon’s current Alexa overview at echo.amazon.com/about describes access across the Alexa app, browsers, Echo and Fire TV and includes current trust-and-privacy information. Those details concern today’s service, not the 2017 Star Trek responses. Voice interactions use Amazon’s cloud service, so normal account, network and privacy considerations apply.
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- MEET ECHO SPOT - A sleek smart alarm clock with Alexa and big vibrant sound. Ready to help you wake up, wind down, and so much more.
- CUSTOMIZABLE SMART CLOCK - See time, weather, and song titles at a glance, control smart home devices, and more. Personalize your display with your favorite clock face and fun colors.
- BIG VIBRANT SOUND - Enjoy rich sound with clear vocals and deep bass. Just ask Alexa to play music, podcasts, and audiobooks. See song titles and touch to control your music.
- EASE INTO THE DAY - Set up an Alexa routine that gently wakes you with music and gradual light. Glance at the time, check reminders, or ask Alexa for weather updates.
- KEEP YOUR HOME COMFORTABLE - Control compatible smart home devices. Just ask Alexa to turn on lights or touch the screen to dim. Create routines that use motion detection to turn down the thermostat as you head out or open the blinds when you walk into a room.
Readers seeking Star Trek entertainment should check a currently licensed streaming or digital-content service in their country. Readers seeking trivia should look for a currently listed Alexa skill rather than assuming that the old promotion is still available. Developers considering a new franchise-themed experience can consult Amazon’s Alexa platform documentation, but use of Star Trek names, characters, dialogue, logos or sound effects requires appropriate rights. Amazon’s general paid-skill documentation at developer.amazon.com/en-US/docs/alexa/paid-skills/paid-schemas.html does not establish any Star Trek-specific offering.
What the promotion tells us about Alexa
The episode is best understood as an early example of a voice assistant being used as a pop-culture interface. Amazon combined a practical-sounding “damage report,” playful character prompts and recognizable effects with a major science-fiction launch. Its appeal was immediacy: owners could speak a line and get a theatrical answer. Its limitation was just as clear: cloud-controlled promotional content can disappear without leaving a durable product feature behind.
