Talk:Klaatu barada nikto/Archive 1

Nix

One thing people are missing is according to the short story upon which the original movie was based, and by extension the remake, Klaatu was a servant while Gort and the robots are the masters. The phrase, then, wouldn't be a command but rather a request. Perhaps something like "Klaatu asks you to refrain". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.198.53.164 (talk) 20:09, 14 January 2011 (UTC)

There is no known translation for the phrase, although the word "Klaatu" would seem to refer to the name of the humanoid alien. One popular, though officially unconfirmed, translation has the word "barada" meaning "alive" and the word "nikto" meaning "not" (by comparison with the Latin nix)

But "nix" means "snow"...perhaps they mean German "nicht"? Adam Bishop 23:27, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

I remember reading somewhere (I no longer remember where, and it may only have been supposition on the part of the writer) that "barada" and "nikto" were related to the Indo-European roots for the verb "to be" and the negative modifier. Essentially then, the phrase would mean "Klaatu is not." Regardless of what language the words come from (if any), I think it's important to remember that this is fiction; the writer may have plucked the words from reality or may have created them to sound like a language or languages he'd heard before. Attempting to derive a specific or deeper meaning (as the anon user above did) is fruitless. The meaning of the phrase — inasmuch as the writer, director, producer, etc., were concerned — is given by the scene itself, not by the "words" in the phrase. Gort's inclination is to avenge Klaatu unless instructed otherwise; told that Klaatu is no more, his mission reverts to maintaining and preserving Klaatu, or in this case, reviving him. Canonblack 07:29, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

That's right. Regardless of any apparent coincidental similarities with words from a human language, the point is that these characters were not from planet Earth. Their language was supposed to have no connection whatsoever with any human language. Imputing connections is probably a fun thing to do in the privacy of your own mind, but it has no place on Wikipedia. In any event, we'd need a published verifiable source rather than just an editor's private musings (which count as original research), and even then it would still be only speculation as to why the writer of the story chose certain words, but would shed NO LIGHT on what they are supposed to mean. The meaning was never defined, and must remain undefined. JackofOz 03:26, 12 May 2006 (UTC)

Absolutely. Hopefully, that's the end of this discussion. Slowmover 15:54, 12 May 2006 (UTC)

While watching the movie for the first time years ago, and remembering how Gort acted when Klaatu was harmed, I took this phrase to mean "Klaatu wishes that no one be harmed."JH443 23:17, 14 October 2007 (UTC)

Esperanto?

Can anybody confirm or disprove that the phrase "Klaatu barada nikto" is in Esperanto. I kind of doubt it, but a lot of people seem to think that's the case. There probably should be some clarification of that issue on the page itself. Peter G Werner 19:33, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

I don't think this phrase is related to Esperanto. The word "barada" *might* be parsed out somehow (bari = "to obstruct", -ad- = continuing action, -a = adjective). However, I can't find any Esperanto word roots that start with nikt, nekt, niĉt, or neĉt. --Kevin Cundiff 12 April 2006.

Russian spelling

Sorry, I find this page accidentally... That is, I don't know anything about subject. However, I can say, that nikto is reading (and writing, if you use cyrillic analogues for letters) as russian word никто. It means "nobody", or "no one". Dendr 09:07, 3 May 2006 (UTC)

In the Russian word, tha stress is put on the second syllable, никто́. In níkto, the stress is on the first one. --Illythr 17:10, 29 May 2006 (UTC)

"boroda nikto" (pronounced baradá niktó) means "of beards nobody". So I think it doesn't have anything to do with Russian (Misha BB)

There's an explanation that suggests the phrase could be "bor'ba nikto" ("борьба никто") -> "fight nobody" on the amctv blogs in a comment for the article "K Is for Klaatu Barada Nikto". It is suggested that the authors could have looked up the words "fight" and "nobody" in an English-Russian dictionary. This seems plausible as these words can actually be translated like that. Also, "borba" can be transcribed as "barba" which is closer to the Russian pronounciation. Later, "barba" could have been misspelled as "barda". And here's a little more detail: the authors could have wanted to look up "fight" as a verb, but "bor'ba" is a translation for "fight" as a noun. Also, the stress should be "bor'bA niktO", (this phrase has no real sense in Russian, though) but in the movie the character says "borAda nIktO. So, I guess, here the words "fight nobody" have been looked up in a low-class dictionary or a phrase book.

There's a grammatical problem: nikto is nominative (nikogó, pronounced nikovó, would be the accusative form). If indeed it's supposed to mean "no one" it has to be in the accusative. I've always assumed it meant "Klaatu [says, or as an authenticator] 'harm no one'". Which brings us to barada (or varada, as some suggest). The closest Russian word meaning "hurt" is "vredit'", but the spelling does not support its usage this way.

Bottom line: it can't be Russian, but it could be a related language Gwgoldb (talk) 16:08, 11 December 2008 (UTC)

No, no, no, that doesn't prove anything. If you have a couple of screenwriters trying to come up with an idea, they might ask a friend who knows some Russian what the Russian word for "no one" is. They're not going to get into a bunch of arcane hair-splitting about cases and declensions. Similarly, "barada" could easily be the result of mis-hearing the response when they ask said putative Russian-speaker what the word for "fight" would be, at some noisy cocktail party, half-drunk. So, just because the word is in the wrong case doesn't prove anything.  Я Madler  גם זה יעבור R  15:55, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

I saw the end of the film again today and the 2nd word definitely being with a "B"Gwgoldb (talk) 02:02, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

"Борода́ — никто́!" /bərɐˈda nʲɪkˈto/ (literally "Beard is nobody!") could be a Russian (somewhat rude) phrase diminishing the significance of a person nicknamed "Борода" ("Beard") :-) --Djadjko (talk) 02:07, 19 December 2015 (UTC)

it's 'verada' not 'barada'

i'm watching the movie right now & it's definately verada.

I must disagree. JackofOz 03:17, 12 May 2006 (UTC)

As must I. Slowmover 15:54, 12 May 2006 (UTC)

If you're claiming it's "verada", then you're claiming that everyone who has ever been published on the subject has gotten it wrong. Since we can actually read the script (which has it as "barada"), I think it's safe to say that what you think you heard is due perhaps to poor sound reproduction on an inferior print. Canonblack 14:01, 20 May 2006 (UTC)

• I concur Sochwa (talk) 16:40, 25 October 2010 (UTC)

watch the movie...every time the phrase is said, it is VARADA with a V...try it and be amazed! 2601:18E:C501:E4F3:7ACA:39FF:FEB2:EFCB (talk) 00:15, 13 August 2017 (UTC)

There are extant copies of the screenplay, and the phrase is in it. "Klaatu barada nikto." 25 September 2019

doesn't matter...what's written in the script is not what they say...in 1962 i saw the movie on TV and wrote in my diary "clatoo varada nicto"... 71.162.113.226 (talk) 18:19, 29 March 2020 (UTC)

Sound clip?

Does anybody have a copy of the movie from which they can post a sound clip of Klaatu (or Helen, for that matter) speaking the phrase? I think it would add substantially to the article. --Leapfrog314 03:22, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

I believe that it is "borata" and the phrase is an anagram for " u talk at a robot kin"

Possible translation

The given translation I've found in several places is "Kill them not for they know not what they do." Whatever the phrase is it needs to be consistant with the events of the film. It is possible 'Klaatu' has a dual meaning. 'Black' for example can be a name or a colour.--ANTIcarrot 14:44, 22 July 2006 (UTC)

How about the simple "Klaatu (Klaatu) says (berada) don't do it (nikto)" ? Fan-1967 06:07, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Well when Helen gives the message to Gort, Gort comes and rescues Klaatu from the police station, so I've always assumed the message translated, roughly, to "Come and get Klaatu." This is consistent with the events that take place in the movie. - Kooshmeister

From the context, I have also always taken it to be "Klaatu says not". Given that "nikto" sounds a lot like "not", "naught", "nicht", and a lot of other Indo-European words for the negative (that is, easily recognizable to much of the audience), and "barada" could easily be a filler for the word that the human brain will insert between "Klaatu" and "not" to make sense of the phrase (and even sounds like a verb form - see the past participle in Romance languages), I don't see any reason to make the discussion any more complicated than this. I see that the original author said he really didn't know why he used this phrase, but it's easy to speculate that it "sounded right" to him for these reasons, even if he didn't explicitly intend it.

William J. 'Bill' McCalpin (talk) 21:24, 16 May 2012 (UTC)

Re: "References in popular culture" Rock band "Klaatu" of "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" fame (well, it was made famous by the Carpenter's version)--they do have their own wikipedia entry, but might be included on this page as one of the earlier appearances of the word in pop culture.

Actually,as stated on the first issue of Fantastic Films,the phrase is translated as "I die,repair me,do not retaliate." - R.G. (talk) 08:09, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

=> I always understood is as a last resort shutdown code. Klaatu likely anticipated being killed beyond "repair", so this message would not necessarily have made Gort stop. However, saying, in his native language, "Klaatu said 'stop'" makes perfect sense. Magicmulder (talk) 12:48, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

Agreeing with AntiCarrot above, it is not a translation, but it is a clear statement of the gravamen of the phrase, to render it as "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabacthani."

David A. 06 April 2013. — Preceding unsigned comment added by DavidLJ (talk • contribs) 06:33, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

In the original short story Klaatu has no control over Gort. Gort is one of many robots the people of galaxy made to protect them from thenselves. If any planet is a threat to galaric peace Gor will act and Klaatu can't stop Gort. "Klaatu barada nikto" is therefore a request, not a command. 40.131.183.93 (talk) 19:13, 6 August 2018 (UTC)

back to the future

isn't it in back to the future when he is scaring his father in a darth vader outfit —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.176.172.119 (talk) 07:03, 15 May 2007 (UTC).

Robert Wise

I got to meet RW in Anahiem in 1984 and he said John Carpenter was Jesus and JC was a Messiah or Saviour.

He told me "Klaatu barada nikto" meant Klaatu needs help.

Supercool Dude 19:21, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Galaxy Quest reference

Since the Galaxy Quest reference is only a reference to "Klaatu" and not the whole phrase "Klaatu barada nikto", perhaps it belongs on the Klaatu page instead of this one? DH85868993 14:26, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

Judaism

This is my first post, so please excuse my stupidity in posting.

In 1992, burned out from the stupidity of the Navigator Xian group, I attempted or started converting to Judaism. While attempting to understand this religion, I read in this book the alliteration of this prayer, done I believe on Yom Kippur or Rosh Hashanah every year.

It means "God give it (meaning the world) over on this night". It's been the source of many anti-semitic comments throughout history, and it's basically the Jews asking God to give the world over to his/their values on that night. The prayer is not translated exactly, but the alliteration is there, matching it exactly.

The Day the Earth Stood Still also comes from Jewish tradition as being the day of Yom Kippur or else rosh Hashanah, the day the sacrifice was offered to God and time took a brief hiatus elsewhere. After WW2, this movie is essentially demonstrating post-holocaust what would happen in world dominated by violence-destruction of the world! It borrows from this prayer to bring in this idea of universal values and ushering in a new era of peace, like the prayer ushers in a new year.

It's listed in this book, alliterated finally, so you can read it and do it.

http://www.amazon.com/Pray-As-Jew-Synagogue-Service/dp/0465086330/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208126772&sr=1-9

The one I used I got from a public library, it was an earlier edition.

—Preceding unsigned comment added by Beli Mawr (talk • contribs) 23:16, 13 April 2008

Notability concerns

I've reverted repeated attempts at drive-by tagging. Please use the talk page to explain why you are unable to either work on this article to improve it, or why you think the specific tag deserves to be in this article. If you can't defend the use of your chosen tag here, please do not continue to edit-war it into the article. Use the talk page to discuss your edits. Viriditas (talk) 02:09, 19 April 2008 (UTC)

I'm sorry if my actions appear to be, as you call it, "drive-by tagging," but please understand I have no intention of inciting an edit war here. Please assume good faith on my part. Here is my argument: while this is a well-known phrase and certainly notable enough to be mentioned in the The Day the Earth Stood Still article, is it notable enough and is there enough information on it in reliable secondary sources to merit an entire article? That is the issue at hand. I argue that there is not enough such information and, as such, I had tagged the article as having questionable notability and encyclopedic value as a separate article. I am open to the idea of keeping this article, though, provided that we can get some real-world context in here and not have this article remain just an indiscriminate list of every time the phrase is used in popular culture. --Hnsampat (talk) 03:30, 19 April 2008 (UTC)

I have no opinion on keeping or deleting the article as I have completely given up on the wasteland known as AfD. But tell me, how does this article not meet Wikipedia:Notability? Viriditas (talk) 03:32, 19 April 2008 (UTC)

Generally, Wikipedia's notability guidelines dictate that something notable enough to have its own article has received significant coverage in reliable sources independent of the subject. For fiction, there's the added bit about there being sufficient real-world context for the fictional subject. I agree that this phrase has been uttered a lot and has been mentioned in 3rd party sources, but how significant has that coverage been? And how much real-world significance does the phrase have? That is the question. (Take a look, for instance, at Shaken, not stirred for examples of what I mean by real-world significance.) --Hnsampat (talk) 03:59, 19 April 2008 (UTC)

I appreciate your new approach, but taking a look at WP:N, I don't see a problem. Klaatu barada nikto is one of the most famous phrases in science fiction and it meets the notability guideline in full. The problem is that you are confusing notability of the topic with content, and that is covered here. Viriditas (talk) 07:28, 19 April 2008 (UTC)

Yet another drive-by tagging for notability. The tagger hasn't even been involved in the discussion. I reverted it only because of this.--Thx1138az (talk) 01:41, 13 March 2009 (UTC)

I believe I have addressed the notability concerns with the addition of the Fantastic Films article (and its reference) as well as the Decoding "Klaatu Barada Nikto": Science Fiction as Metaphor information and its associated references. - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 09:33, 27 July 2010 (UTC)

So many examples

Why are they all necessary? Would this article suffer if they were cut down? Alastairward (talk) 17:55, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

• I agree. I'm Brazilian, and the Brazilian Surf Music band cited on the article is completely unknown for me. And I am a avid music listener! 189.11.195.129 (talk) —Preceding undated comment was added at 19:53, 12 January 2009 (UTC).
• Yes, cut down maybe but not completely eliminated. Why would you erase the contributions and labor of all those people so haphazardly? I originally went to this article looking for popular culture references. It is the part of the information on the subject. It is important, nay critical, to the article that it be presented.--Thx1138az (talk) 08:14, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

Which should be kept then? And why is it "critical" to see the cultural references for any subject on wikipedia. It would seem to be the least important part. Alastairward (talk) 10:54, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

Cultural references are important, because without them the phrase itself doesn't appear to be of any value. My opinion is that without the list you've deleted, the article itself is not needed in Wikipedia, since its value is not obvious. Assume that there are many people that don't know the phrase, they really need examples to understand that it's famous part of popular culture. Stansult (talk) 09:52, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

• Because, this article is about a phrase from a film (and other now nameless works) used in our culture. The movie made such a cultural impact that the use of the phrase has been rising in our culture.--Thx1138az (talk) 03:59, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

Stansult, from the article itself; "The Robot Hall of Fame describes the phrase as "one of the most famous commands in science fiction"[3] and Frederick S. Clarke of Cinefantastique called it "the most famous phrase ever spoken by an extraterrestrial."[4]" Cited claims that this is a famous part of popular culture. Simply throwing a long list at the reader is confusing and offers no evidence of importance other than through weight of numbers. Are there any important examples worth noting? Alastairward (talk) 10:53, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Well, I think that the variety and diversity of the examples proves importance of the phrase, not the explicit phrase about that. If we have the list of examples in the article, this proves that the phrase is widely used. Also, since it's encyclopedia, users do want some interesting and relevant examples (and we see it in many articles - it improves them and make them interesting to read). Maybe not hundreds, but still 2-3 most relevant for each notable branch of culture would be good. Stansult (talk) 00:06, 1 March 2009 (UTC)

I agree, Stansult. The list is not merely to "prove notability" but is also edifying to the reader and as such it is valuable content. I was quite amused and entertained at some of the items. One of my favorites was the "about:robot" command in the Firefox web browser. It was indeed very stimulating and educational.--Thx1138az (talk) 01:22, 13 March 2009 (UTC)

• Alastairward asks "Are there any important examples worth noting?" apparently not... or at least it would seem that you do not think so. Some anonymous person tried to make a contribution that you offhandedly eliminated. He/She included a very good (and noteworthy) example of Sam Rami's Army of Darkness. I thought that was indeed a good start at providing examples. I vote that it be re-included in the article. This particular example was one of the references I was looking for. I was wondering if I heard it right when I watched Army of Darkness. I thought, "Where else is this phrase used?" But I'll never know because the list is gone... all gone. I want examples for the sake of knowledge... not proof of noteworthiness. --Thx1138az (talk) 03:36, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

And there is a cite that states explicitly that the phrase is notable. If you want that proved by providing that list of examples, then you're asking for original research.

Why is the Army of Darkness mention notable for example? Alastairward (talk) 08:54, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

• Well Army of Darkness has its own wikipedia article. We wouldn't delete the Army of Darkness article.--Thx1138az (talk) 06:49, 28 February 2009 (UTC)

You're being obtuse or uncivil. Why is the mention of the phrase in this movie notable? Alastairward (talk) 22:33, 28 February 2009 (UTC)

Perhaps obtuse but certainly not uncivil. I'm sorry you're reading such intonation into the words that I type... it is not my intention. I'm merely attempting to point out the error in the idea (not you as a person) that this famous phase is not notable. At this point I don't think it is possible to convince you of notability. It is, however, notable to me and to the others who have spent time from their precious and very short lives contributing to this article. That alone should demonstrate some level of notability--Thx1138az (talk) 00:13, 13 March 2009 (UTC)

Stansult, notability isn't provided by giving a list of examples, it's done by providing cites from reliable sources, which has already been done. Alastairward (talk) 17:14, 1 March 2009 (UTC)

Alastairward, the list doesn't exist merely to "prove notability" but as a source of information that serves to edify and quite frankly entertain the reader's intellect... even if just superficially to some since it can be subjectively argued that this is not a highbrow subject matter... again to some. But to others this is quite "notable" since we "noticed and took note."--Thx1138az (talk) 01:22, 13 March 2009 (UTC)

This article's reason for being

While I did not personally object to the removal of the list of references, following this with the effective removal of the entire article (replacing it with a redirect) and by the same person is excessive (it may also raise concern that the original list removal had the hidden agenda of replacement with a redirect, but I will assume good faith on that).

The removed list of references was indeed so badly constructed so as to be unfixable, but it does not mean that some list should not be there. Some references, the "milestones", should be put back in an orderly manner, but I do agree that a total reboot may be better then trying to work with the original.

However, the article should exist independently. The phrase has taken a life of its own since the original inception, and has been used extensively both with and without connection to its role in the movie. Just like fnord. Eldar (talk) 23:13, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Two points;

• "it may also raise concern that the original list removal had the hidden agenda of replacement with a redirect, but I will assume good faith on that", does not fully illustrate good faith on your part (although I've too much good faith in you do go futher than to mention that ;) ). The article has not been effectively removed, if you had followed through and read the article redirected to, the infomration is all in there, cites and all. Again I'll assume good faith and look on this as a mere oversight.
• "Just like fnord"; nothing on the old list of references implied that it had any of the impact of something like fnord or grok. It's simply a quote from one movie found in another.

Perhaps you might be more persuasive regarding the references, what are these "milestones" you refer to. Alastairward (talk) 23:23, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

I will go about trying to sort out the more important occurrences within the next few days, if I (or another) will not be able to do it then I'll concede Eldar (talk) 03:27, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

• Thank you Eldar. Perhaps leave in only the references to the use of the phrase "Klaatu barada nikto." There were a lot of references to the movie itself, Klaatu (the alien) and to Gort (the robot) that really didn't belong.--Thx1138az (talk) 03:47, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

I must say I could not confirm the two items that would be the most notable, X-Files and Close Encounters (I saw them only on one blog entry). The Army of Darkness appearance does have notability because some other appearances relate to it rather than to the original movie, I will put a passage about it. I must indeed concede that the case for this article is becoming weaker, however I would prefer if some more discussion is heard before a merge is done, especially in light of the its previous AfD discussion where this has been discussed (including by some of the currently involved editors). Eldar (talk) 23:43, 1 March 2009 (UTC)

And that example is exaclty what I'm concerned about. The writers included a phrase from another film and no other influence is evident. This is a pretty low notability. It's cited yes, but does it deserve it's own article? I'd prefer to merge it as per the last Afd discussion. Alastairward (talk) 13:56, 2 March 2009 (UTC)

Actually this goes for "life of its own" (the phrase gained meaning outside the original film). The toys film example is consistent with the original, and a couple of notable mentions like the Alan Simpson one are in-between. All in all I would estimate that the original list had about 5-8 moderately notable items in it (I didn't have time to check all). Considering this evidence the case for a separate article is indeed borderline. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Eldar (talk • contribs) 23:24, 2 March 2009 (UTC)

I just brought back a selection of five appearances. I am not sure those are the most notable five but I believe they are a good approximation thereof. Should the article remain unmerged, I believe that five appearances is about the right number. Eldar (talk) 23:32, 4 March 2009 (UTC)

Thank you. This short list of examples adds to the article but the section on Army of Darkness may not. I would think just adding Army of Darkness to the list should be sufficient and will make the article stronger and less "off-point" as the inclusion may overshadow the phrase itself. I'm satisfied with this short list of the more "notable" examples (although "notability" seems to be highly subjective.) Just my two-cents and thanks again. --Thx1138az (talk) 00:48, 13 March 2009 (UTC)

IMDb is generally not appropriate for use a source for content. Please do not keep adding it. Viriditas (talk) 02:09, 13 March 2009 (UTC)

I believe all the concerns here have been addressed by other editors as well as myself. The phrase's use in other mediums is important, and included in the article, but now that I have rewritten the article it doesn't rely on them for its existance. - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 09:42, 27 July 2010 (UTC)

about:robots

We may talk in this article about the about:robots page in Mozilla Firefox: the HTML title of this page is "Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!". Delhovlyn (talk) 21:00, 4 March 2009 (UTC)

It's in there right now. 220 of ^Borg 02:24, 23 August 2016 (UTC)

Rockford Files vs. Mozilla

Dunno why someone removed the pop culture reference to RF - as an exceptionally successful TV show that is still in syndication, I would have thought that the reference made would trump an easter egg that most people would not have seen. However, I understand that many shows reference the line - not quite sure why they all can't be succintly referenced if someone feels like adding the reference. The great thing about Wikipedia is that it allows for that kind of depth; the bad thing about Wikipedia is that it often seems that certain people/editors(?) think it is the 1911 Ency. Brit. and get a bit weird. Why not err on the side of over-inclusion? Whats the problem? 99.240.139.189 (talk) 06:54, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Why not err on the side of under-inclusion? Why over-include? How do we "succinctly" reference something? Alastairward (talk) 09:14, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Improving this article

I'd like to work with a group of editors to substantially improve this article and also to discuss proposed changes. I am listing the proposed changes as subsections of this comment. I would like to get as much input as I can before working on the article. I would also like to invite any editors that would like to help.

Although I have ideas for improving the article, I am not good at prose. I can put up a basic outline of something but would encourage others to tweak, reword or completely rewrite any of the information I add.

This article is already written in sections so I propose dividing it in to the four sections listed below. Anybody agree, disagree or have opinions? - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 14:03, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Seeing no objections, I split the article in to sections - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 14:26, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Usage in film (new section)

This seems to be the biggest thing missing from this article. It would describe the events that happened before the phrase was spoken and afterwards. This would put the phrase in to context and allow the reader to judge what it meant. I'd also like to add an "official" spelling and an image of the script showing the spelling to answer the varada/barada debate. What do you think? - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 14:07, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

You are completely right about this call. Eldar (talk) 01:18, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

I added this section with a basic summary of the relevant parts of the movie. It should be edited for POV and accuracy as having written it I'm too close to it to see it objectively. Thanks. - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 14:31, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Added image of the script of The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) showing the spelling of the phrase Klaatu barada nikto. - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 11:39, 20 July 2010 (UTC)

Interpretation (new section)

This would have the interpretations by others that have been printed and would include the Aeon J. Skoble stuff. It would also include information from the Fantasic Films article mentioned above by User:R.G.. The entire article is about the alien language used in the film and probably the best notability reference for this article.

I'd also like to add the documentary "Decoding "Klaatu Barada Nikto": Science Fiction as Metaphor" as it discusses the phrase with several people closely related to the film and others. Comments? - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 14:11, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

If there exists a third party source, that provides some sort of non-trivial mention of the article subject, by all means use it. If there is some sort of study of the film, some sort of analysis, don't feel shy about sharing. WikiuserNI (talk) 15:41, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

I recall problems with trying to ascertain the original intended meaning of these words, there are some made-up interpretations so it would be nice to find a thorough research piece. I am not sure if there was actually an alien language constructed for the film (such a practice became commonplace only in much later films). Eldar (talk) 01:18, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

I should probably clarify this part. The article was written for Fantastic Films, a magazine about sci-fi movies. Although it is labeled a "linguistic analysis", I don't think any level headed adult would believe it is a scholarly piece of work. It's probably easier to understand if you review the article. A fan reprinted it on his web site and it's still available at the Internet Archive. I'll be working on this a little later. - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 15:20, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

I added the Fantastic Films interpretation. I'll be working on the Decoding "Klaatu Barada Nikto" interpretation I mentioned above. Any suggested improvements are greatly appreciated. - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 05:06, 18 July 2010 (UTC)

Added the Decoding "Klaatu Barada Nikto" documentary information. - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 13:37, 19 July 2010 (UTC)

2008 remake (new section)

The movie remake info would be here. Again, this would discuss the phrase's use in the 2008 movie and provide the context for its use. Any opinions on this? - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 14:12, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Since we have articles on the new and old film, I'm not sure we need to delve too far into the details of its mention in each. WikiuserNI (talk) 15:42, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

AFAIK the new film did not really relate to this phrase, so I'm not sure there is enough for a section here. Eldar (talk) 01:18, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Agreed. I've added it to the "Usage" section. - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 14:33, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

In popular culture (new section)

I'll admit up front that I'm not a fan of "In popular culture" sections - BUT - after reading through all the comments I can see how it's important for this article. However, per WP:IPC, bulleted lists should be avoided. These nuggets of information should be grouped together in some fashion and incorporated in to a paragraph related to the phrase. What do you think? - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 14:14, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

I'm not a fan of them either when they go overboard, but they provide context of sorts for the article. I would agree though that prose is better than a list. WikiuserNI (talk) 15:35, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

In this case the cultural references are what made the phrase significant. Currently the effort is to keep the bulleted list down to the most high profile occurrences (there are dozens of others, and you can look at the page history from the time of its AfD to see what can happen). I am not sure how the list can be "prosified", there is not a lot of connection between the occurrences (maybe apart from that some allude to the Army of Darkness reuse rather than to the original use). Eldar (talk) 01:18, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

In looking at the various items, I think I could group them in to "films" and "other media". I'll see if I can incorporate them in to a couple of paragraphs under those groups. I am also thinking the last item in the list - regarding the 2008 remake - should be moved to the "Usage section". Any thoughts on this? - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 14:44, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

I've moved the remake info from the "In popular culture" section to the "Usage" section. - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 07:51, 18 July 2010 (UTC)

I'll be completely rewriting the "In popular culture" section next. Please note that I will not be removing any references, just organizing them in to paragraphs instead of a list. Does anybody have concerns about this? - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 12:06, 20 July 2010 (UTC)

Rewriting and fixing references

I'd like to rewrite parts of the article, over the next few days, so that it flows better. I'd like others to review the changes to make certain I haven't changed any of the meanings of the information. Also, some of the references are not in the standard laid out in WP:CT so I propose updating them. Any concerns regarding this change? - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 13:13, 18 July 2010 (UTC)

Updated the citations for the movies Tron and Toys. Changed these to the standard cite video template. I must say these 2 references are rather dubous in my opinion, but I shall let others determine their value. I'm just updating to the proper format. - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 16:56, 19 July 2010 (UTC)

Submitting article for reassessment

For the most part, I am finished improving this article. I may make a few more minor changes but most of the work is completed. I will be submitting this article for reassesment in the near future, but wanted to give others a chance to make modifications if they like. All editors are encouraged to participate. - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 09:50, 27 July 2010 (UTC)

"In popular culture" section of this article

I am having second thoughts about the In popular culture section of this article. I absolutely agree with others that this is an important part of this article. But I am wondering if having this section titled "In popular culture" may possibly atract additional non-notable items.

This section already has a comment / notice that states <!-- This is not intended to be a full list, please add only the most notable examples --> but I'm wondering if that is enough. In reviewing Wikipedia:"In popular culture" content, I am considering if a template should be added to this section. Maybe one of the following:
Template:In popular culture
Template:Cleanup-laundry
Template:Example farm
Template:Cleanup-list

Or, perhaps the section should be labelled something else like Notable homages or Notable uses in other contexts. If anybody has opinions about this, please mention them here. Thanks. - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 20:01, 27 July 2010 (UTC)

There may be a "Wikipedia rule" against "In popular culture" sections, but some articles just need an exception. After all popular culture references made the phrase famous. I did some further cleanup, and I'm not sure this needs a template in its current state (the above templates are intended to treat cruft only after it occurs). Eldar (talk) 23:40, 27 July 2010 (UTC)

Agreed, this article needs a popular culture section precisely because of the reason you stated. Thanks for the clean up and other stuff. - Hydroxonium (talk | contribs) 06:43, 28 July 2010 (UTC)

I think we've come to a list of what is likely the most notable uses of the phrase. Regular patrolling/discussion of any new entries would be preferable (IMHO of course) to a permanently resident template asking for other users to clean up the list. WikiuserNI (talk) 09:14, 28 July 2010 (UTC)

Evil Dead

Isn't that the same sentence Ash reads from the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis? That's pop culture for you! Monstrim (talk) 00:33, 19 October 2010 (UTC)

That appearance is already in the article. Eldar (talk) 23:14, 19 October 2010 (UTC)

Klaatu

where is any reference to the BAND here?! it should be the #1 entry in any "cultural references" section!! 209.172.25.243 (talk) 04:22, 10 September 2013 (UTC)

Alternative explanations linked to Sanskrit language for 'Klaatu Barada Nicto'

Hi: 'Klaatu' is obviously the name of the character in the movie: 'The day the earth stood still', the credit titles section of movie point they had an advisor about Sanskrit language. 'Barada', may equal the: 'Bharata', in: 'Mahabharata', there: 'Maha', would mean: 'big', 'great', as in: 'Mahatma', 'the big spirit', 'the big soul', title given to Gandhi, 'Baratha' in Sanskrit may mean: 'Actor', but 'Barada', could be also a cognate to 'Parade', as 'trip', 'performance', even: 'life'. 'Nikto', or 'Nicto', is cognate to: 'Night', meaning: 'darkness', but also: 'the end', 'the conclusion', or even 'death', in the moment of movie the phrase: 'Klaatu barada nikto' is put, Klaatu is already dead, gone, so, this interpretation linked to Sanskrit language may make some sense. 'Si non e vero, e ben trovato' (If it isn't true, it's a good invention')--Jgrosay~enwiki (talk) 17:37, 25 April 2015 (UTC)

That's incredibly muddle-headed (going off on gratuitous tangents – what have maha and Mahatma to do with the issue?), associative and stream-of-consciousness-like, and worst of all, wrong in every relevant point. You clearly do not know Sanskrit at all. Bharata, in the title of the Mahabharata, simply refers to Emperor Bharata. --Florian Blaschke (talk) 07:52, 24 November 2016 (UTC)

Edit on use in popular culture

Hi Guys, not really a wiki-user, and even less of an editor. As long as I didn't mishear, the phrase is also used in "Two and a half men" episode 1x22 ("My doctor has a cow puppet") at 1:11 by sleepwalking Alan. Could someone add that, please? Greetz, Pip — Preceding unsigned comment added by 134.93.49.96 (talk) 14:04, 28 May 2015 (UTC)

Oh, I cannot take it

As if to any Indo-European speaker 'Klaatu barada nikto' would not either parse as "Klaatu berates: nought do" or "Klaatu berates: not to".— Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.108.27.26 (talk • contribs) 12:20, 1 April 2016 (UTC)

Even to an English speaker, the connection between barada and berate is not exactly obvious – why should it be, for example, for a speaker of Sinhalese? --Florian Blaschke (talk) 07:36, 24 November 2016 (UTC)

"In popular culture" revisited

Recent edits have brought this section to my attention. I just realized that the entire "In popular culture" section was removed some months ago, with this edit. I'm thinking that, for this article, it's reasonable to include in that section anything with a reliable reference. So to get the ball rolling, I'm going to put back the entries that were removed but that had references. What do other editors think? For this article, is it reasonable to include what might end up being many "In popular culture" entries, as long as each one has its own reference? I say yes. — Mudwater ^(Talk) 00:05, 15 January 2018 (UTC)

Okay, I put 'em back, here. What does everybody think? Is this a reasonable approach? — Mudwater ^(Talk) 00:12, 15 January 2018 (UTC)

Another reference in the TV show "The Flash", season 5, episode 9, at 14:50 seconds from the end 184.146.76.134 (talk) 04:52, 16 April 2019 (UTC)

In Scary Movie V, this phrase is used and appears in its original spelling in a section parodying the Army of Darkness use. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.128.71.163 (talk) 03:58, 1 November 2020 (UTC)

Does this count as Popular Culture?

One person's popular culture is another person's "I've never heard of it!" so I'm hesitant to add this, but

In Mothership[1] by John Brosnan, Alucia dismisses a dragon by shouting "Klaatu barada nikto!" at it. She says it means "piss off!" in Old Holywood and was an Elite joke. HaydonBerrow (talk) 10:40, 18 November 2020 (UTC)

On Legends of the Hidden Temple

The phrase was used as one of the passwords in the Room of the Secret Password (a room used in the second and third seasons of Legends of the Hidden Temple). Should we note this?

Alec Borden (talk) 15:51, 30 September 2018 (UTC)

Reference in TMNT

In the 1987 series of Teenage Mutant Minja Turtles, season 3 episode 26, "Invasion of the Turtle Snatchers". A family of aliens are named Klaatu, Barada and Nikto. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2405:7F00:B803:3900:2420:AD6A:875D:65CA (talk) 03:17, 15 December 2018 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion:

• Screenshot TRON.png

You can see the reason for deletion at the file description page linked above. —Community Tech bot (talk) 00:21, 16 March 2020 (UTC)

Tron

I propose adding Tron to the "Popular culture references" section of the article. Something like this: In the 1982 movie Tron, a sign posted on Alan Bradley's cubicle says, "Gort Klaatu Barada Nikto". It's been added to, and removed from, the article numerous times, but there's no special reason to omit it. It's relevant to the article -- which is itself about an item of popular culture -- and non-trivial. The IMDb reference substantiates that it's in the movie, which is not being disputed anyway.

References

— Mudwater ^(Talk) 01:55, 29 January 2021 (UTC)

Don't add it. Wikipedia is not an indiscriminant collection of information. And IMDb is not a reliable source. Sundayclose (talk) 02:34, 29 January 2021 (UTC)

TV Tropes even has a shot of the phrase from the film - how about that? Btw, I came here by googling the phrase after having seen it in Tron. --Iromeister (talk) 22:14, 3 March 2021 (UTC)

Like most wikis, TV Tropes is not a reliable source because much of its content is user generated. Sundayclose (talk) 00:53, 4 March 2021 (UTC)

If you look at the history of this article, it's very impressive to see how many times the Tron popular culture reference has been added. Yes, the editors who have thought it should be part of the article, and took action in that regard, are indeed multitudinous! It's almost as if it would be better to include it in the article. Just my two cents. — Mudwater ^(Talk) 22:10, 22 March 2021 (UTC)

We're waiting for you to provide a reliable source. Wikipedia content is not determined by a "flexible attitude" or "multitudinous" editors. Read WP:V, WP:RS, WP:RS/IMDB, and WP:UGC. Instead of wasting our time by repeatedly saying it should be included just because you like it, spend a little time finding an actual reliable source. Sundayclose (talk) 00:49, 23 March 2021 (UTC)

I provided a reliable source in the first post of this thread. Perhaps you will say that IMDb is not reliable. But, it's adequate for this context. If we were going to say that a famous living person did a bad thing, we would want to be sure that we had really excellent sources for that. This is different, it's a popular culture appearance of a phrase that is itself part of popular culture. We do want to make sure that the phrase was really posted on the cubicle wall in the movie, but no one's disputing that. So, if you want to leave it out because IMDb or some other source is not good enough, I think you're being too strict. Anyway, that's what I think. On the other hand, this article has a long tradition of people adding in the Tron thing, and other people taking it back out, so, why stop now? — Mudwater ^(Talk) 01:52, 23 March 2021 (UTC)

No, IMDb is not "adequate for this content". Did you bother to read WP:RS/IMDB and WP:UGC, which I have now linked three times? I'm not being too strict. If you don't agree with Wikipedia's prohibition against IMDb, take it up at WP:RSN where it has been discussed in the past, not here. Otherwise, please find a reliable source or move on. Thank you. Sundayclose (talk) 02:06, 23 March 2021 (UTC)

There is no denying that the placard appears in the background, but there is - still - no evidence or source to show that this is a notable event and has made an impact in reliable media. that's what is lacking and is needed before it can be included. Chaheel Riens (talk) 07:49, 23 March 2021 (UTC)

Nota bene: it has been added again (not by me :-) Could you maybe give an example of what would constitute a source or an evidence in this case? Or, maybe we conclude that Wikipedia is not the right place to store this information, as discussed more than ten years ago apparently… Should we (again) remove the popular references completely, and/or add a link to the relevant TV Tropes page, maybe in the references, noting that the sentence has been used many times in popular culture? This might stop people from repeatedly trying to add this reference and others. Thomas Conté (talk) 17:26, 5 October 2021 (UTC)

Best explanation yet...

Really like the interpretation attributed to the screenwriter who came up with this iconic catch phrase, "There's hope for Earth, if the scientists can be reached." This fits very well with the original short story where Gort (or Gnut as he appears there) is really Klaatu's "master" and not the other way around (Indeed, even in the movie, Klaatu explains that the "race of robots," including Gort, act independently as essentially combined intersteller policemen/judges/executioners to stop violence). Thus, Klaatu is, via Mrs. Benson, simply filing his report to his superior on what he has learned, and Gort is in charge of the response - apparently deciding to go fetch his subordinate's body, revive him, and let him tell the scientists about Earth's options (or lack thereof). Clever.

Previous discussions without headers 01

Maybe someone with better wikiskills than me could add the reference to this line in TRON (1982) where it appears on the wall of character Alan’s (Bruce Boxleitner) office cubicle. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.72.83.142 (talk) 10:10, 18 February 2021 (UTC)

Previous discussions without headers 02

The phrase was also used in an episode of "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman", spoken by Perry, making fun of Lois after she said she was abducted. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 200.216.152.32 (talk) 20:26, August 28, 2007 (UTC)

The phrase was also used in an episode of Animaniacs involving the Hip Hippoes.

The phrase is also used in the 1998 PC game Fallout 2. The malfunctioning Mr. Handy in Klamath uses "Gort! Klaatu Barada Nikto" as a combat taunt. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.243.4.27 (talk • contribs) 06:26, 9 July 2005

Sacrifice (computer game) also uses this phrase during spell casting by the main character... I think.--219.77.140.77 07:26, 17 February 2007 (UTC) ___

I disagree with the suggested interpretation of _barada_. Clearly in the film, Gort had sensed the demise of Klaatu and started the process of releasing himself from the encapulating resin, before the woman arrives to deliver the message. It seems to me that telling Gort that Klaatu is dead would only confirm the situation and the necessity for Gort's destructive sequence.

I think a better translation for _barada_ might be closer to "dead" or "wanting to be dead", giving the full translation as "Klaatu does not want to be dead". Alternatively, _barada_ might suggest completeness, so the phrase could then be rendered as "Klaatu (or his mission) is incomplete". In either case, Gort would then be moved to revive Klaatu in order that the mission should continue. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.86.19.189 (talk • contribs) 04:06, 11 July 2005

official spelling is not in movie

How many copies and revisions of "the script" existed? One copy says "barada" so that's official. But every time the word is used in the movie, it's pronounced "varada." 74.104.189.176 (talk) 19:30, 27 January 2022 (UTC)

You may hear it as such, but that doesn't make it so. Also, you (or another IP address from exactly the same geolocation) made this point in the talk archives, but nobody made any comment supporting it then either. Chaheel Riens (talk) 21:26, 27 January 2022 (UTC)

Suppose there were a brand of cookie that came in two flavors, vanilla and banana. And a TV commercial said as much, "vanilla and banana." Would you hear "banilla and banana"? Or "vanilla and vanana"? No, I believe each would sound different, as they are supposed to. The script and the movie differ. Why is that so hard to believe? 74.104.189.176 (talk) 23:32, 27 January 2022 (UTC)

It's irrelevant whether anyone believes you. What is needed is a reliable source to support what you say. That's what Wikipedia goes by, not your personal opinion. Without that source, you're wasting everyone's time here, and your own. Please either find a source, or move on. Sundayclose (talk) 00:54, 28 January 2022 (UTC)

2022 Sonic 2 phrase was used again

In Sonic 2 Jim Carey’s character (Eggman) utters the phrase ‘Klaatu barada nikto’ before charging to an open portal from the Mushroom planet. 2601:201:C101:9130:C989:9A7B:EE34:61ED (talk) 22:34, 7 June 2022 (UTC)

Tron

The phrase is posted in Alan’s cubicle wall in the original movie Tron. 27 min. 21 seconds into the movie as shown on Disney Plus. 125.196.144.123 (talk) 12:42, 20 June 2022 (UTC)

Mention in Firefox (103 beta)

Just found out Firefox now seems to be referencing it too. At least on Firefox 103.0b1, there's a special page available at about:robots, where the tab title's set to "Gort! Klaatu barada Nikto!". Jkhon0 (talk) 16:24, 28 June 2022 (UTC)

Nikita is Russian

I’m surprised no one has ever noted this. Nikto means no one in Russian. I interpret the phrase as something like “harm no one.” Alexandermoir (talk) 06:04, 14 July 2022 (UTC)

Damn. The title autocorrected. Not Nikita! NIKTO! Alexandermoir (talk) 06:04, 14 July 2022 (UTC)

Army of Darkness 1992 movie

In the movie, Bruce Campbell(sp?) character Ash is told the “magic words” Klaatu Verata Nickto to safely retrieve the Necronomicon. He forgets the last word, instead listing off other words (necktie, nectar, nickle) then fakes saying the proper word by coughing, which raises the dead and starts a war between the living and the deadites.

The phrase isn’t exactly the same, but since the original phrase eases Klaatu back to life, and the wrong phrase raises the Evil Dead,

would this not be a similar enough reference to warrant adding to the pop culture heading? 2607:FEA8:501:CCB0:55FF:A608:1CB4:C2C0 (talk) 05:05, 20 July 2022 (UTC)

All you need for inclusion is a reliable third party source that references the quote and context. Just a reference of the quote to show it exists isn't enough - what's needed is something that shows the quote to be notable above and beyond the rest of the film. Just posting a youtube video, or an image of the phrase isn't sufficient. We know it exists - but is it notable?

For example "This is my boomstick!" is an equally well-known phrase within the Evil Dead franchise, but there's no mention of it (apart from the paraphrased Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick) in any articles - you'd need sourcing to do so there as well. Chaheel Riens (talk) 07:42, 20 July 2022 (UTC)

Classic cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Season four episode seven, Invasion of the turtle snatchers.

Donatello and rocksteady get beamed up by three aliens by the name of Klaatu, Barada Nikto. 70.230.122.208 (talk) 02:05, 3 September 2022 (UTC)

The phrase is on a wall in 'Tron'

Presumably, I'd need a reference to support that (or can I just use a screen-grab?). What would be suitable? Bruce Mardle (talk) 09:55, 27 November 2022 (UTC)

Yes, you would need a citation to a reliable source. Please carefully read what is considered a reliable source at WP:RS. This has been added dozens of times and always removed because of inadequate sourcing. No screen grabs from the film. The film is is under copyright, and Wikipedia takes copyright violations very seriously. Sundayclose (talk) 16:20, 27 November 2022 (UTC)

Pop Culture References ADDITION

Sam Raimi’s film, “Army of Darkness” should be included. Ash, the main character, misspeaks the line while attempting to obtain the Necronomicon and unleashes the Evil Dead. 2600:6C5E:537F:7958:64A2:3811:1E65:DAE5 (talk) 16:35, 14 February 2023 (UTC)

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Sundayclose (talk) 16:44, 14 February 2023 (UTC)

Pop culture addition

The phrase is found in the movie Tron on he cubical wall of character Alan Bradley. 8.48.114.20 (talk) 01:49, 26 February 2023 (UTC)

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Sundayclose (talk) 02:03, 26 February 2023 (UTC)

Add a Popular culture references about the film Tron

In the film Tron (1982) The frase "gort klaatu barada nikto" was written in the office of Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner is the actor) when Flynn, Lora and Alan brak in the Encom. You can se at about the minute 24:14 of the film. EnricoRotelli (talk) 18:59, 1 May 2023 (UTC)

Please see the hidden notes and the talk page archives as to why this isn't included. The short version is There is no disagreement that the quote exists in the film, but there has been no source or reference to show that the incident in the film is notable. Chaheel Riens (talk) 20:17, 1 May 2023 (UTC)

@EnricoRotelli: Actually, the issue is not really notability. Most trivia is not very notable. It's just as notable as the ones already in the article, or any trivia that could be added. The real issue is that no one has ever provided a reliable source, and until someone does that, it will never stay in the article. This has been added removed, and requested dozens of times. Sundayclose (talk) 20:24, 1 May 2023 (UTC)

Untitled

The phrase can be see hanging in one of the cubicles of the programmers in Tron. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Boku754 (talk • contribs) 19:41, 22 December 2023 (UTC)