Record tape
Record tapes, also called library record tapes, library tapes, microtapes, or simply tapes, were a type of computer memory storage medium used by Earth and Federation space exploration vessels from the 21st through the 23rd centuries.

In 2065, the disaster recorder of the  was equipped with tapes. When the recorder was recovered by the  in 2265, both Captain Kirk and Science Officer Spock hoped that "its tapes were still intact" despite the age of the recorder and its distressed condition. Spock later commented that the tapes were burned out, but he was able to interpolate data stored in the memory banks. ()

They were susceptible to being scanned and understood by advanced races. The Talosians did so in 2254, as well as Balok in 2266. ()
 
 vessels routinely carried a large number of entertainment tapes – more than other class vessels, including the Antares. () 
 
In addition, the sensors aboard Constitution-class vessels maintained microtape records. In 2267, the 's tapes were pulled and beamed to the Enterprise for analysis of the planet killer. ()

A portable version of record tapes resembled 20th century music cassettes but with far greater capacity. These color-coded microtapes, in use on starbases and starships, could store and retrieve recordings, flight recorder data, logs, encoded orders, reports, and computer programming. (, , , ; ; )

Types of tapes 
 Audio tape
 Biographical tape
 Coded directive tape
 Diet card
 Educational tape
 Entertainment tape
 Historical tape
 Identification tape
 Message tape
 Recorder tape
 Scanner tape
 Sensor tape
 Spectro-analysis tape

Files on tape 
 "A Survey on Cygnian Respiratory Diseases"
 Able-7-Baker
 Tape D
 Tape H

See also 
 Data crystal
 Data disk
 Data module
 Duotronic enhancer
 Isolinear chip
 Memory tape
 Verism tape

Appendices

Background information 
In the final draft script of , examples of this type of device were referred to as "tape cassettes", whereas, the final draft script of the next installment to be produced, , referred to them as "microtapes".

A deleted scene from "The Menagerie, Part II" established that, to lock the Enterprise on a course to Talos IV, Spock had jammed "the series 'seven' tapes." Hence, cross-circuiting that series of tapes could enable the starship to be returned to manual control. 

A behind-the-scenes sidebar in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual expressed amusement that the original series' microtapes were roughly the same size and shape as the 3.5-inch floppy disks used in the production of that book decades later.

External links 
 
 
 

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