Poetry was, according to Deanna Troi, "an art form that uses words, put together in new and unexpected ways, sometimes in rhyme." (TNG: "Dark Page")
In 2257 in the mirror universe, Gabriel Lorca stated that it would be "poetic justice" when Paul Stamets was killed by his own creation, the spore drive, but instead had him shot, stating that he was only kidding and he hated poetry. (DIS: "What's Past Is Prologue")
In 2258 of the alternate reality, Spock justified his hypothesis that Nero had time traveled into the past by giving the quote, "If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." Leonard McCoy then sarcastically remarked, "How poetic." (Star Trek)
On Starbase 1 in 2259, Dever read some of his amateur poetry to Christine Chapel, which she found "oddly not terrible". (SNW: "Spock Amok")
Frustrated with Spock's uncharacteristically whimsical description of an unknown phenomenon's effects on USS Enterprise's instrument readings in 2267, James T. Kirk told him, "I want facts, not poetry." (TOS: "The Alternative Factor")
In 2268, Garth dismissed Marta's assertion that she wrote poetry as lies, asking her to recite a poem she'd written. (TOS: "Whom Gods Destroy")
In 2285, following Spock's death, Kirk quoted from A Tale of Two Cities, a book the Vulcan had given him earlier ("It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.") Carol Marcus asked him if he was quoting from a poem. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)
In 2365, Worf explained to Wesley Crusher that while Klingon women would roar, hurl heavy objects and claw at their target as part of the mating process, Klingon males would read poetry and duck a lot. (TNG: "The Dauphin")
By 2369, Data had scheduled special "poetry readings" for his fellow crew members to attend. (TNG: "Schisms")
In 2373, Tuvok recited Vulcan poetry during Talent Night on the USS Voyager. The recitation was apparently not well-received, Chakotay telling Kathryn Janeway that he could have done without it and Neelix requesting of her that she find some way to keep him busy on the bridge should they hold the event again. (VOY: "Coda")
According to Worf, it was an ancient Klingon tradition to commemorate an important event with a poem. In 2374, Jadzia Dax asked him to commemorate the runabout USS Rubicon's investigation of a subspace compression anomaly, in which it and everything and everyone within it became extremely small, with such a poem. After the investigation, which was made much more dramatic by the capture of the USS Defiant by Jem'Hadar forces, was complete, Dax spotted Worf with a PADD, which she believed to contain the poem. She asked to hear just the first line and Worf declaimed "This is the story of a little ship that took a little trip." Dax then took the PADD and discovered that there was nothing on it. (DS9: "One Little Ship")
In the first draft script of DS9: "The Changing Face of Evil", Ezri Dax wondered if Morn wrote poetry, because he had just done a poetry recital in Quark's, but Kira Nerys clarified that he didn't actually write poetry.
Types of poems[]
Poems "The Wonderful One-Hoss Shay" and "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" were both referred to in the final draft script of TOS: "Charlie X", but neither of them are in the final version of that episode.
The poem "Howl", by Allen Ginsberg, was referred to in the first draft script of DS9: "The Changing Face of Evil".