Anyway, whatever it was, in Star Trek fanfic, it is definitely now a shorthand for "this character is well-educated and my story is DEEP(TM)."

Good point, and it's not the first time Paolini has tried something like this on - let us not forget how Eragon suddenly became a poet and got into yoga and meditation and whatnot just so we were all clear that he's totally not just another sword-swinging bloodthirsty maniac.