gizmo

Comedy and tragedy customarily share space in “Star Trek” — “Section 31” begins with a quote from Aeschylus and includes an extended discussion over whether the gizmo they’re after is called “Godsend” or “God’s End.”

One by one, the satellites – each of them encrusted with a hodge-podge of solar panels and other gizmos – detached from their mothership.

These futuristic gizmos materialize for a chosen few, packed in white boxes with the recipient’s name embossed and an invitation to “play.”

Despite their diminutive size, the gizmos have enough computing power to perform a simple task on their own—rather than being constantly guided by external signals.

The little gizmos swim in a solution of dilute hydrogen peroxide in a shallow dish on the stage of a microscope.