Are you from the valley?
[Star Trek (February 9, 1967)]
This geeky macro has its origins in the Star Trek episode “The Return of the Archons.” Kirk, McCoy, and Spock land on a planet that not only supports sentient life, but whose inhabitants speak English, and live in cities that bear an incredible resemblance to the Old West. Everyone walks around in a placid, near-zombie state of “peace and tranquility” until the “Festival” – at which point, there’s an hour-long drunken brawl, followed by a giant cleanup effort.
When it becomes obvious that the intrepid adventurers have no idea what is going on, one of the locals cheerfully asks “Are you from the valley?” The group adopts this idea as their universal excuse for their ignorance of local customs.
“Aren’t you going to partake in the Festival?”
“Er, no – we’re – uh, from the valley.”
Other classic lines from this episode include “Joy to you, brother – peace and tranquility,” and “Landrew – guide us!”
“I thought you were supposed to buy movie tickets for everyone!”
“Uh – I’m from the valley!”
– Neal Manson (May 15, 1989)