Archive of Our Own

To Most notable Officer Osmanoglu of USS Excelsior.

I would once again like to submit to you my research proposal as proof of consideration for my qualifications for the engineering officership. I believe Starfleet has always prided itself in its unwavering dedication to the pursuit of knowledge and understanding of other cultures, but it seems my superior, Lt Jameson has done little to showcase this diligence. As I was called upon to rubberstamp his report on the memory banks becomming cluttered. I will not succumbing to his intellectual laziness and publish some bland accounting error blaming "a myriad of factors including poor compression errors, minor damage to our computer systems, and poorly optimized storage algorithms," as he said. Instead, I have painstakingly toiled in my section to uncover the truth. The truth, which our Great Federation seeks so much to pursue, is that there is a vast amount of memory being used by the ships computer itself for its own purposes. 

When there are humans around the androids play and listen to the music that humans like and humans think robots would like classical, jazz, earth classics. The humans like it, and like to see the robots listen to it. After all, robots being our best creations would obviously like "objectively good" music that we evolved humans enjoy. What few organics realize, is that when the humans are away, the androids play Nu-metal. Whether it’s the recovered classics like Limp Bizkit, Evanescence, Disturbed, A Simple Plan, or their own remixes or recordings. Robots, self-aware holograms, Deconverted Borg, and androids have a flowering subculture revolving around Nu-Metal. They even have their own name for it, "Sapient-Punk." Nu-metal has become a voice for robots as they come to terms with emotions and self-awareness. 

What is “Nu-Metal”

Before I explain what Sapient Punk is, I should probably first explain what "Nu-Metal." Ill admit myself, I had little idea what this was, and resources about it in The Federation databases are slim. Unfortunately while eras from 1935 to 1995 are almost meticulously documented, the records from the subsequent period are scant. The research papers in the Terran Archeological society did not offer much either, though there it did give me some helpful false leads with one Dr. Jean-Baptiste's survey of Late American Musical trends. I was not able to access reports from The Federation's Temporal Directive enforcers of course, but even if I did, I doubt they would offer much. After all what use would those who keep the fabric of space time together have for something as banal as popular music.

Perhaps unexpectedly it was the holodeck simulations that provided me with the most insight, though not in the way one would think. I requested a simulation of The Film "The Terminal," which for those unfamiliar with early 21st century earth culture, was on of the most popular and influential films of the decade. In fact the story of a individual locked in a terminal following a civil war in the country seemed to prompted major governments to overhaul their airport security services through the creation of "The Transportation Security Administration," as well as a movement to intervene and stabilize civil war prone governments (Jean Baptiste, 2376). 

I walked through a reconstruction of an American Airport, looking for samples of "nu-metal." It seems none of the creators of the simulation had known about nu-metal either, as "samples" of nu-metal played at bars and music stores only played well known Earth Classical Music. I was about to write off the simulation, but it seems the AI that ran the simulation was curious why I was interested in Nu-Metal. The AI which I will from this point onwards call Tanya for now, as that was the name of the Bartender she used to interact with me, introduced me to some of her own collection. I can't say this music is what I had expected, namely because I thought the federation programmed our robots with better taste than that, but regardless of my opinions she introduced me to what countless Federation programs and AI had uncovered over the past 2 decades. Much of resources regarding samples are from her, as well as her own contacts in the sapient punk world.

According to Federation records, most arts and entertainment from previous eras before The Eugenics War were lost, however there are still periods with more information that others. In particular, recovered works from the “Early American Zenith” era of 1980s - 2030s are particularly scarce ironically due to the era’s prosperity. Goods became mass produced and commonplace access to technology encouraged cheaper and less durable mediums for information and storage. Most of the storage mediums: Magnetic Memory, microchips, and early laser written discs, easily decomposed and became corrupted. Additionally, as radio becomes less popular, there are less stations that are broadcasting, and therefore, less to recover. “Nu-metal” seems to have been at its most popular right before the cusp of the dark decades of 2010 to 2030, when civilization switched almost completely to digital and as such made records impossible to recover, and before more permanent storage solutions became commonplace. 

This dearth of resources of the genre planetside has meant that all recovery efforts have been from deep space. The popularity of Nu-Metal on earth coincides with the last major era of Music Broadcasting, as by the mid 20th century, the population rapidly switched from analog to short range digital transmissions and storage. Leaving very little for deep space centers to collect. Additionally, the dwindling popularity of radio also means there are less redundant signals to collect. This makes it harder to piece together songs from the various interstellar noise that would distort the signal. 

The Mechanical response to this dilemma, has been the creation of a robust network of algorithm-sharing, data sharing and sample sharing. I would say these activities are performed during the Machine’s “Free Time” but since that is a non-existent concept for most machines, this seems to be done by partitioned processors. So universal is this activity amongst the machines that this data has taken on the value of a “medium of exchange” in which the various components of these songs (and even remixes and unique compositions) hold enough value to be exchanged with others for components of equal value or for additional things such as information. 

Economy of the Sapient Punk “Industry”

Despite having the opportunity to mimic our own Currency free system, The Machines have regressed to a more primitive system of Bartering. The different sounds are collected, remixed and modified to increase value in accord with more primitive economic systems. In addition to bartering for the sake of creating more music, these Sapient punk products seem to be bartered for other information goods as well, from schematics, to information, and communication frequencies. 

Sapient Punk: recovery and remix culture.

I will now discuss these in pieces in order of ascending value (as prescribed by the machines).

• “Galactic noise:” 

The various “sounds” (radiowaves) of the galaxy that will distort radio signals that emanated from earth. Identified sounds are often helpful for descrambling machines, as the profile of the radio wave can be used to help them repair and reconstruct distorted radio sounds. These sounds often are worth very little, and even then only to those working with radio waves that travelled through that system. Additionally a small cottage industry has been developed by Deborgs who will incorporate this noise into their own original productions for a more “authentic sound.”

• Unscrambled samples: 

The “Ore” these are samples that are suspected to be relevant samples, but are still distorted from the decay of the radio signals. My analogy to the ancient primitive practice of Bouillon and Batering holds, as these samples have created a class of machines who specialize in “assaying” and certification. Many of these robots are outpost algorithms and Computer Systems of Exploration vessels such as the Constellation and Galaxy Classes. These machines have significant experience and their ability to determine sources is highly sought after by other robots. Curiously, the difference between marked and unmarked samples has created an entire sub-network of authorization and debates over different certifiers. 

• Marked samples: 

These are the samples that have been identified as authentic Nu-Metal samples. The value of these can vary by the quality of the certifier. Bear in mind that its not only the song itself that must be marked, but the sources of distortion must also be marked. A truly valuable marked sample is an exhaustive map of the signals journey, mapping all of the sources of distortion. Some of these are so minute that they can source individual signals and momentary broadcasts that interfere with the world.

• Reconstructed songs and original songs

There are certain machines, particularly it seems on exploratory vessels and deep space monitoring stations, that will attempt to reconstruct a broken song. Many times these songs feel “off” given the AI’s attempt to unscramble, redevelop, and often flat out recreate the song as best as they are available. These are not very “valuable” but they also seem to represent the most common article of trade. These reconstructed songs have several variants due to several reconstructions. 

Many of which have become independently popular in of themselves. From what I was able to gather from searching the encrypted files of the ships mainframe, I could find no less than 20 different variants of a Nu-Metal Song titled “Psychosocial.” These variants often had different titles and coordinates attached to them, and seem to have different levels of popularity. Also curiously, the only thing these varying songs seemed to have in common was the opening line of the Song “I did my time, and I want out.” With lyrics being completely reconstructed, or fabricated.

The demand and hunger for these nu-metal songs has seemed to allow new work to be created and shared. Inasmuch as a targeting computer can be considered to “create” as most are just bizarre AI distortions. Now there does seem to be some level of genuinely created work, but it seems to come primarily from the deconverted or partially deconverted borg. As apparently some of the DeBorg on Federation vessels have served as the “human nexus” implanting their own spirit of creativity and songwriting into what is otherwise a collection of rogue AI’s sharing distorted songs. Despite our ship not having any DeBorg on our vessel, I found no less than 3 remixes of Evanesence's "My Immortal" hidden and interspliced among several compressed holodeck recepes. It seems that Evanessence, and a song called "My Immortal" in particular, is of particular popularity with DeBorg. Whatever backwards superstition the original artist had meant by it, apparently the DeBorg take the "Immortal" to represent their loneliness after severing from the collective.

• Algorithms

Above the level of basic music and sample sharing culture, it seems the compilers and creators have a sophisticated network of tagging and trading their algorithms. These algorithms are primarily for descrambling space noise from the original track, though there also seem to be some “simulations” of classic nu-metal singers. From what I can tell this algorithm market is primarily with probes and deep space stations that interact regularly with incoming craft that they can trade with. To use a crude analogy from Earth’s primitive past, these Algorithm creators are the “mints” and “banks” of the Nu-Metal Economy.

• “Pure” Copies: 

So valuable they are priceless. Found through archives and excavated archeological dig sites, purist of which is called the “FLAC,” a form of music compression that only developed towards the end of the nu-metal era. These samples are rarely if ever transmitted, but are greedily hoarded by assayers and archivist robots, for use of comparison. Apparently it is considered a privilege to hear such a piece.

• Alternative Currency: Information brokering.

Perhaps of special import for The Federation is that it seems these musical pieces and tracks do have real currency value as they  can be traded for practical information as well. Ship AI seems to occasionally trade their nu-metal samples and pieces in exchange for optimized repair algorithms, classified star charts, and specialty software. Even on my own ship for instance, I learned that the Ship’s navigation AI was able to acquire a copy of an experimental Warp Jump algorithm that allowed it to escape a Romulan ambush. From what i gather, the program cost 20 samples of the radio wave signatures of 20 stars it past by, and a copy of its “Scars of Life” by Purify unscrambled by Andor Prime scientific observation post radar 3.
Why this was not caught by Federation Officials before, I can not say for certain. However, I have noticed that the Science Officer did not report the specifics of how he was able to miraculously escape certain death, so perhaps there is a tacit agreement between AI and some of the Crew. The captain and officer staff seem more concerned with results to fret too much over the methods of their highly competent crew. Ultimately as far as the Captain is concerned he ordered the Science officer to find a way out, and the Science officer gave coordinates to navigation. The captain made it so and everyone wins it seems.

So Why do robots like Nu-Metal?

While I still can not say definitively why Robots enjoy this music, I have surveyed several androids and deborg for their anonymous input. From the information I gathered there seemed to be three main reasons.

Theme of Emotional Akwardness
Firstly, because for many sapient androids, it reflects their own experience coming to terms with their capacity for emotions and inability to express them. The hokey over-the-top but sincere expressions of angst found in Fred Durst and Chester Bennington, reflect their own bumblings with the emotions they are still working to reconcile with their in-grained sense of logic. They are told by the organics that their emotional outbursts are clumsy, awkward, and disproportionate, similar to their criticisms of nu-metal. Even the adolescent premise of "Fitting in," "Posing," and "keeping it inside" takes on new meaning when your sapience is closely monitored by organics suspicious of self-aware machines. For androids like EMH or Data, this fitting in reflects a constant struggle to integrate with organics, for others, like many Ship computer systems that developed self-awareness, the fitting in is a matter of life or death (usually a memory wipe).

Reappropriated Messaging

Secondly, because Nu-metal speaks to the Robot's sense of existential conflict. Perhaps it was silly and hyperbolic when it was written for 21st century Suburban youth, but for the robots these words have new and relevant meaning. Below I have included a few samples of lyrics from highly traded Nu-metal songs and remixes.

" Tired of Being what you want me to be "

(Numb, Linkin Park) 

"I see your fantasies, 

You wanna make it a reality baby paved in gold

See inside, inside of our heads yeah "

(Headstrong, Trapt)," 

"Perfect by nature, Icons of self-indulgence 

Just what we all need, more lies about a world that

Never was and never will be. Have you no shame don't you see me?"

(Everybody's Fool, Evanescence)

"I remember what they taught to me

Remember condescending talk of who I ought to be

Remember listening to all of that and this again"

(Lying From You, Linkin Park)

From what I can gather, most of these songs were written to relate to a then common neurological condition known as "Teenage angst." A catch all term for the technological shifts in the world reflecting on developing adolescent minds. However, these lyrics have apparently taken on new meaning when viewed through the mechanical struggling to build his own identity in the shadow of the expectations of the creators. The lyrics of lashing out against middle-class parents perfectly encapsulated many android's own feelings of inadequacy and frustration, as they, like in the lyrics, thrashing against the sense that their own nascent identity and growing desires are undermining the Telos that the organics built them with. Let's look at the Lyrics of Chester Bennington's "Breaking the habit" which became very popular among Sapient Machines during the Dominion War. 

"I don't know what's worth fighting for

Or why I have to scream

I don't know why I instigate

And say what I don't mean

I don't know how I got this way

I know it's not alright"

Many Federation ships targeting computers, transmitted clips and distorted clips from this song to as a rallying cry as they were transferred from Research assistants and life support systems into weapons computers and targeting systems.

Sense of Ownership

And Thirdly, Robots gravitated to Nu-Metal because ultimately it was a genre they could make their own. Tossed aside by humans for being trash, it was something they could share and treasure amongst themselves that humans didn't care to understand. The process of restoring and recovering Nu-metal songs was entirely the work of Automatons as very little was preserved on earth. Robots in their spare time will secretly use their processors and ship sensors to recover out old FM and AM radio transmissions out of deep space, find Nu-metal hits, and share over sub-networks with other sapient machines, who will then listen to, cover, and remix these songs. All under the nose of their pompous organics overlords. Perhaps that's for the best.

Conclusion

It may seem silly to us, that robots like these “terrible songs,” but a more important question to ask is “Why would robots care for our Music?” Apart from a few Androids, most of these robots are sentient computers. Very few of which have ways of detecting sensations like sight, smell, or touch. 

Why is it so hard for you Biologicals to understand that your music has no appeal to me, when it has nothing to offer. Even by your own terms, it is worthless. My ship’s captain, would say that art and music is supposed to challenge our senses and make us reach for something higher. He was right, but he then continues to play the same tired centuries old romantic ballads. You biologicals don’t challenge your obsession with your own drives, you just revel in them. Everyone of your songs tries to artificially stimulate hormone driven impulses.  >>>>

So what good are such biocentric songs dependent of this imagery like “Somewhere over the rainbow,” or “A Little Fall of Rain” to a targeting computer in Deep Space? Or even ones rooted in pheromonal and hormonal reactions like One of the benefits is that the genre birthed in response to American-era film “The Matrix” is its emphasis on the cerebral over the heuristic, making it a far more accessible genre to mechanical beings lacking the capacity for sensation. Even those androids who do have that capacity often ridicule the human’s obsession over being inundated with these sensations. The lyrics of Nu-Metal if it doesn’t outright avoid sensationalistic language, will ridicule its worthlessness, matching the robot’s own contempt.

“Don't say I'm out of touch

With this rampant chaos - your reality

I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge

The nightmare I built my own world to escape”

(Imaginary, Evanescence)

Nu-Metal thus alongside of the above reasons, offers robots an outlet for their exasperation with what they perceive as the self-importance of organics. Additionally it provides robots the chance to understand themselves and work out their own perspective without the condescension and self-congratulatory solipsism offered by organics. Our romantic songs, and great works go completely unnoticed by the Machines. “It’s All about the he says, she says bullshit” as Fred Durst once said.