Memory was one of the mental processes of the mind. It was the repository of all the information an individual acquired through their lifetime. In this period, the information was being encoded, stored, and retrieved. Memory was divided into stages, with two of them being short-term memory and long-term memory. The act of deliberately storing a memory was known as memorization. The amount of memory an individual could possess was known as memory capacity. The loss of memory was known as amnesia. (TOS: "The Cage", "Wolf in the Fold"; TNG: "Clues", "Conundrum")
The Talosians of Talos IV were capable of reaching into the minds of their specimens and creating an illusion out of an individual's memory for them to relive. For example, CaptainChristopher Pike's mission to Rigel VII. (TOS: "The Cage", "The Menagerie, Part I")
In 2268, CommanderSpock and LieutenantStiles agreed that the USS Enterprise should attack a RomulanBird-of-Prey which was on the Earth side of the Romulan Neutral Zone. DoctorLeonard McCoy was dismissive of attacking them based on the memories of a war over a century before, and on theories about people they had never met face-to-face. (TOS: "Balance of Terror")
According to DoctorKatherine Pulaski in 2365, reliving memories was a natural side effect of neural stimulation. (TNG: "Shades of Gray")
The fate of those devoured by the Loom, without some form of protection against time anomalies, was that they ate entire histories. Every memory, every hint of existence was gone. (PRO: "The Devourer of All Things, Part II")
See also[]
- Collective memory
- Computer memory
- Cultural memory
- Engram
