cloaking device n.

a device or system for rendering something invisible or undetectable

SF Encyclopedia

Memory Alpha


Star Trek

  • [1966 P. Schneider Balance of Terror (Star Trek episode) (transcription)

    Commander We grow visible. Attend the cloaking system…. Romulan Cloaking system on, sir.]

  • 1968 D. C. Fontana Enterprise Incident (Star Trek episode) (transcription) D. C. Fontana

    I believe the Romulans have developed a cloaking device which renders our tracking sensors useless.

  • 1971 J. Blish The Enterprise Incident in Star Trek 4 98 James Blish bibliography

    We might be able to find out how the Romulans’ new cloaking device works. The Federation must have that information.

  • 1980 D. F. Glut The Empire Strikes Back 133 Donald F. Glut bibliography

    Could a ship that small have a cloaking device?

  • 1984 D. Duane & P. Morwood The Romulan Way 50 Diane Duane Peter Morwood bibliography

    I saw the ship drop out of warp and raise its cloaking device; we’re under its phasers right now.

  • 1989 N. Pollotta & P. Foglio Illegal Aliens xxiii. 270 Nick Pollotta Phil Foglio bibliography

    Disguised how? Camouflage? A jamming field? Or is it some sort of cloaking device that bends our scanner beams 180 degrees around the target?

  • 1996 W. Shatner The Return (Star Trek) 251 William Shatner bibliography

    Fortunately, the Borg had not determined the weaknesses of the latest generation of Romulan cloaking devices.

  • 1998 G. Westfahl Why the Stars Are Silent in Interzone Feb. 44/1 page image Gary Westfahl bibliography

    At some point, a careless alien tourist would drop a ray gun where it could be picked up by a local constable, or a rookie pilot would accidentally turn off the cloaking device, momentarily revealing an alien dreadnought in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.

  • 1999 M. J. Reilly Ice Station 486 Matthew Reilly bibliography

    His eyes scanned the lines ahead and he found the word he was looking for: We call it a cloaking device…Jesus, he thought. A cloaking device. A system that rendered an aircraft invisible.

  • 2001 J. Fforde Eyre Affair 96 Jasper Fforde bibliography

    I was going to ask Mycroft if I could have the cloaking device fitted to my Speedster but I was too late; enthused by my interest he had trotted off.

  • 2016 J. E. Czerneda The Gate to Futures Past 372 Julie E. Czerneda bibliography

    ‘They appeared in the passenger section with the one called Barac.’ A cloaking device, with some form of personal flightgear? There’d be time for answers once the situation was contained.

Research requirements

antedating 1968
Earliest cite

D. C. Fontana, in the Star Trek episode "The Enterprise Incident"
Research History
Michael Dolbear submitted a 1996 cite from William Shatner's "The Return".
David Ferguson submitted a cite from a 1989 edition of Alan Asherman's "The Star Trek Compendium".
Cameron Hayne stated that "cloaking device" was first used in the Star Trek episode "Balance of Terror", first transmitted Dec 15 1966. Jesse Sheidlower confirmed that the episode actually uses the expression "cloaking system"; the first use of "cloaking device" itself in Star Trek is from Dorothy C. Fontana's 1968 episode "The Enterprise Incident." (The novelization by James Blish of "Balance of Terror", in "Star Trek 1," uses "invisibility screen" rather than "cloaking device").
Murry McEntire submitted a 1971 cite from the James Blish novelization (in "Star Trek 4") of D.C. Fontana's "The Enterprise Incident".
Chris Murrian submitted a 1987 cite from Diane Duane and Peter Morwood's “The Romulan Way”.

Non Star Trek cites:
Douglas Winston submitted a 2001 cite from Mercedes Lackey & Rosemary Edghill's "Spirits White As Lightning".
Douglas Winston submitted a 1989 cite from Nick Pollotta and Phil Foglio's "Illegal Aliens".
Katrina Campbell submitted a 1980 cite from Donald F. Glut's "The Empire Strikes Back".
Michael Dolbear submitted a 2003 cite from Jasper Fforde's "The Eyre Affair".
Michael Dolbear submitted a 1999 cite from Matthew J Reilly's "Ice Station". Michael Dolbear submitted a 2001 cite from Gabriel Mesta's "StarCraft #2: Shadow of the Xel'Naga".

We would like cites from non-Star Trek sources antedating 1980; or from Star Trek sources (on paper) antedating 1971.

Last modified 2024-11-19 14:24:20
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.