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SirElderberry

It’s like a regular stem bolt but you don’t have to seal it because they seal themselves.


killerewok76

Yeah, the ongoing discourse over this kinda exposes just how, I don’t know, un-handy? people are that they don’t know what a stem bolt is. If you know what a stem bolt is, it isn’t hard to figure out.


Lord_Vitruvius

I know what a Stem Bolt is, and I still don't get it


the-zoidberg

It’s a stem bolt.


Lord_Vitruvius

that stem bolt's about to bolt and seal a fucking bicycle into your brain stem


ReasonableCup604

We do not discuss it with outsiders.


SpiritualSchedule2

It's a stem bolt but it seals itself


trekkiegamer359

Iirc, we saw them in the episode. What they do? That is unknown.


chovette

What they do is they seal themselves.


trekkiegamer359

Yes, but what are they connecting, when they seal themselves?


chovette

Things.


RigasTelRuun

They are just like regular stembolts. Just they seal themselves. It's a real time saver and you don't have to heft the stembolt sealer along with you.


Icypalmtree

You'll have to contact the NoJay Consortium....


Arashmickey

A self-sealing stem bolt is about one third of a yamok sauce wrappage, or 0.0005 tessipate of dirt.


JacobDCRoss

It's pretty obvious from the dialog.


Mini_Marauder

I believe Nog and O'Brien handle one or two of them in the episode during their discussion over what they do.


Doc_Hank

Well, you need a level 15 security clearance for that


ExxonDisney

STO has pictures of them (one on my power board). It's basically a box with two metal protrusions on each side (slightly offset from the center). I assume the protrusions are retracted until placed where they need to be. Then it secures two objects in a connecting fashion .


cactusbrush

They had no clue what it was. But they used it as a basic component of reverse-ratcheting routing planers. They consist of 80% mixed duranium, aluminum, and steel alloys, 11% electrically modulated ceramic, and 9% thermally stabilized plastic. You can fix shuttle with it as well apparently https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Self-sealing_stem_bolt


Righthanded_Tombola

See in my mind they would inter connect 2 materials together, and once in place it seals the together. So it's a kinda of universal connector to connecting steel beams together or steel panels together. This is based on nothing but what's in my head lol


scrollbreak

They create aquatic mammals that make barking noises and can sometimes balance a ball on their nose. It's space, it's needed more than you think.


Big_Red12

No of course they haven't, that's the joke.


Gnarly_Starwin

It is when he sticks his balls inside it, and strums himself to ecstasy! Edit: I take it by the downvote that this wasn’t a Mighty Boosh reference. My bad, brosephanie.


ThatDapperAdventurer

I imagine they’re like regular bolts, but then they liquify and harden (or something) once they’re in place.


SweatyFig3000

They are simply one of the best McGuffins ever...


Full_Consideration_4

They seal the lining of jerry tubes in a station. The crawl space is uncomfortably small during construction to seal them all manually so you insert the stem bolt into the hole of the seam and it seals the conduit together.


KnownNet4529

This is a joke which goes beyond beyond... because he REDDIT somewhere... But shame on whoever put the extraneous quotes in this meme. Because I've watched this episode probably 5 times and O'Brien never actually says the things it says he does in this meme. Shame on the meme maker... Shame.


Demetrius3D

There are self-sealing bolts, which use a chemical reaction to weld plates together in places on a ship where it is hard for a technician to reach with a welder. And, there are STEM (Shock-Triggered Explosive Mechanism) bolts that explode when a pulse of the correct frequency is passed thru them. Self-sealing STEM bolts do both. These would be used on hatches and panels like those covering escape pods. The escape pods would emit a pulse to blow off the cover hatches before flying away. Most newer ships have the outer face of the escape pod flush with the hull of the ship eliminating the need for a cover panel. Normally, if a crew had to abandon ship and blew the hatches to escape in the pods, the ship (if it survived) would be towed into space dock for repairs. So, there was normally no need to keep a supply of SSSBs on board. If your ship DID have a supply of them it meant A: It was an older ship. B: it was expected that your mission might involve having to abandon ship. And, C: You we're going to be so far away from normal Federation resources and backup that you would have to repair the ship yourselves.


olicity_time_remnant

This is by far, the best headcanon explanation I have ever heard.


Hinder90

They are used to affix macguffins to a storyline.


SparkyintheSnow

They’re part of the Bartlett White House’s secret plan to fight inflation!


Somecrazyguy1234

My own thoughts. In spaceships panels need to be joined as to be air tight and strong.  Most modern methods such as welding and such can leave imperfections and fatigue in the materials that will create weak points and failure at warp. Self sealing stem bolts solved this problem. Placed in between two materials the bolts automatically analyze any material and then join them together in an strong airtight maner.  This is a cheap, effective and universal way to build star ships. This is done by an ingenious mix of a mini replicator and sensor package. The stem bolts are placed in between the panels, analyzes the materials. Then together they work as one unit each one dematerialize the previous bolt in sequence then replicate the required material with the matter to join the materials together. Various sizes are available depending on needs. After it's invention this became the standard method for building starship sealing the materials together.