The 47 Society originated as a humorous experiment by students at Pomona College, California. They playfully posited that 47 appears in nature more frequently than other numbers. Joe Menosky, a member of this whimsical society, began embedding the number 47 into scripts when he joined “Star Trek: The Next Generation” in 1990. As Menosky transitioned to working on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and “Star Trek: Voyager,” the number’s appearances persisted in these series.

Years later, when Menosky contributed to “Star Trek: Discovery,” the number 47 once again made its presence felt in the latest episodes. It wasn’t solely Menosky’s doing; other “Star Trek” writers embraced the inside joke, incorporating it into scripts whenever feasible. As a result, if you catch the number 47 during an episode, it’s likely a nod to Menosky’s influence.

Although Joe Menosky initiated the trend on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” other writers, including Ronald D. Moore, picked up the torch. Moore frequently engaged with fans online during the late ’90s, and during one such interaction, a sharp-eyed viewer noticed the frequent use of 47, mentioning examples such as Outpost 47 and PaDD 4747 on “DS9” (via Fandom). Moore candidly attributed the phenomenon to Menosky, joking that Menosky either saw 47 as a cosmic force or fondly remembered it as his high school locker number.

Joe Menosky began the joke on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” but other writers followed — and Ronald D. Moore was one of them. Moore regularly chatted with fans online in the late ’90s on chat forums, and in one such discussion, an eagle-eyed fan noticed the pervasive use of the digit — which showed up in some of its best episodes — and asked what was up, noting that “There is Outpost 47 or 47 dart wins in a row of O’Brian [sic], PaDD 4747 gets around DS9 too” (via Fandom). Moore’s response was surprisingly direct, though he still answered with his customary wit.

“Joe Menosky started the whole 47 thing,” Moore revealed. “He seems to believe that it is the number that controls the destiny of the universe or is the number of his high school locker, he’s not sure which.” With the joke out in the open, fans got in on the fun, even dropping the number into questions posed to the writing staff. Even writer Brannon Braga joined in, using the screen name ‘BMB4747′ in online forums at the time. Eventually, however, the joke got too big for its own britches, and the writers began backing off. And fans took notice; In an AOL chat with Moore from September of 1997, a fan inquired, “Is it my imagination, or have the random occurrences of ’47’ on ‘DS9’ been on the decrease?” (via Fandom).

Moore’s response was again somewhat surprising, saying, “They’ve been cut down as we’ve kinda tired of this particular inside joke.” However, calling it “this particular joke” suggests that there may be others that fans still haven’t found.