E=mc²
From TeeVeePedia, the Internet TV Encyclopedia.
E=mc² is one of the mysterious laws of physics that everybody knows about but that nobody except Nobel Prize winners can actually explain. E=mc² is one of the more powerful and useful physical laws, and is used to describe everything from the A-Bomb to the workings of the Holodeck on the various incarnations of Star Trek. In layman's terms, E=mc² is an equation that has something to do with matter, energy and the speed of light (but really, what kind of geek pays attention to stuff like that?)
Originally devised by physicist Albert Einstein and popularized by English character actor Stephen Hawking, E=mc² is used whenever television writers (especially in science fiction shows) accidentally back the plot into a corner with no way out. Although none of the writers could possibly explain E=mc², the plot device always works because none of the fanboys know exactly what E=mc² means either. It is estimated that the use of E=mc² has saved canon on more sci-fi shows than anything else (or more precisely, anything other than adding a hot new co-star to the show's cast).
