--- title: Amazon Echo: How to Use Star Trek 'Computer' Wake Word description: Here's how to change your Amazon Echo's "wake word," including a new setting for Star Trek's "computer." canonical: https://time.com/4645187/amazon-echo-star-trek-computer-voice/ author: John Patrick Pullen article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-24T15:26:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:50:53.875Z og:title: Star Trek Fans Will Love Amazon's Newest Echo Feature og:description: But you still can't order tea, earl grey, hot og:url: https://time.com/4645187/amazon-echo-star-trek-computer-voice/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1a3f44238ded813b/6988b6f9196cf46c8a03e982/gettyimages-459889618.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Star Trek: The Next Generation og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Star Trek Fans Will Love Amazon's Newest Echo Feature twitter:description: But you still can't order tea, earl grey, hot twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1a3f44238ded813b/6988b6f9196cf46c8a03e982/gettyimages-459889618.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Star Trek Fans Will Love Amazon's Newest Echo Feature > Sponsored content. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [John Patrick Pullen](https://time.com/author/john-patrick-pullen/)  ## John Patrick Pullen Jan 24, 2017 3:26 PM UTC  Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION episode, "The Hunted." Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION episode, "The Hunted."CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images  by [John Patrick Pullen](https://time.com/author/john-patrick-pullen/)  ## John Patrick Pullen Jan 24, 2017 3:26 PM UTC Unlike Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana, and the Google Assistant, Amazon has allowed users to change the ‘wake word’ for its Alexa voice-enabled assistant ever since the company launched its [Echo smart speaker](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X4WHP5E/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timetechafitzgadgets-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00X4WHP5E&linkId=19eaab688ee7a8ac0f0eed296cdbaa92). A multi-syllabic word or phrase that computers, smartphones, and other devices listen for, a wake word is what prompts these various voice assistants to take action. And in addition to “Alexa,” Amazon also let users set their Echo devices to recognize the terms “Echo” and “Amazon.” Now the company also allows “Computer” as a wake word, to the delight of _Star Trek_ fans everywhere: To change the wake word on your Echo device, you don’t even have to speak to Alexa. Instead, open the Amazon Alexa app on your phone or tablet, and tap on the menu button at the top left of the screen. A column of options will open up; tap on Settings. Then tap on the Alexa-compatible device you want to change the wake word for, and on the page that appears, scroll down until you see the wake word field. **Read more:** [The ultimate guide to the Amazon Echo](http://time.com/4227833/amazon-echo-user-guide/) Changing your wake word isn’t a universal setting, which means if you have multiple Alexa-compatible devices, you can use a different wake word on each. Or, if you want the wake word the same for all of your Alexa-enabled devices, you’ll need to set the preference on each. However, if you have a [third-party Alexa-compatible device](http://time.com/4603308/amazon-alexa-echo-gadgets/), you will only be able to say “Alexa” to wake it up. Amazon has not opened up this option on Alexa-packing hardware made by other companies. The “computer” wake word is just the latest Easter Egg embedded within the voice-enabled assistant. For others, ask Alexa (or “computer”) to “beam me up,” or “set phasers to kill.” If those are too adventurous, you could always as for “Tea, Earl Grey, hot.” It’s likely this particular setting is a result of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ own fondness for _Trek_ — he was even an [extra in the latest film](http://www.geekwire.com/2016/jeff-bezos-alien-star-trek-beyond-amazon/). 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