Technology of the week
A technology of the week is a technology that only appears in a single episode of Star Trek. Many of these technologies are actually understood by the Federation and would be extremely useful in situations encountered in later episodes, but they are never mentioned again.
Examples
- Aceton assimilator (TNG "Booby Trap")
- Kironide (TOS "Plato's Stepchildren")
- Dimensional inverter (TNG "The High Ground")