Trivia » Treknicalities

More reused props

Aug 022010

In a recent post we looked at one instance in which props were remodeled and used in other episodes. Here are a couple of more examples of re-used props in Star Trek.

Gary Seven's computer from "Assignment: Earth"

The M-5 computer from "The Ultimate Computer"

In “The Ultimate Computer”, the M-5 computer featured a large round display that showed a swirling psychedelic pattern that appears to serve no useful purpose.

In “Assignment: Earth”, Gary Seven has a computer that features that same round display that actually functions as a display screen. On the panel above the round display, however, is another screen showing the same useless, swirling psychedelic pattern.

Ship models, on the other hand, could not be re-decorated as easily as other props and, in at least one case, were just reused as is.

The S. S. Botany Bay from "Space Seed"

The ore freighter destroyed by the M-5 in "The Ultimate Computer"

In “Space Seed” the Enterprise encounters the S. S. Botany Bay, a DY-100 class ship that, according to Kirk, must be at least 200 years old. Aboard this ship the crew encounters Khan, and the rest, as they say, is history.

In “The Ultimate Computer” the M-5 computer encounters an ore freighter and goes out of its way to destroy it. One can only assume that some failing mining company is using 200-year old ships to haul their ore.Perhaps this failing mining company can use this incident to convince StarFleet to equip them with more modern ships.

These examples simply go to show that good, well-written stories do more for a television show that all the flashy special effects and fancy props in the world.

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Reused Props: Nomad and the Cloaking Device

Star Trek TOS, Trivia 2 Responses »

Aug 012010

When you’re operating on a tight budget you save and re-use anything you possibly can. This was the case with the original Star Trek as well. While some might say the special effects and props in the show were somewhat cheesy by today’s standards, in the 1960′s, Star Trek‘s cost for special effects was tremendous; it has been compared to the cost of making a major motion picture every week.

Because of that cost, any prop or set that could be re-used was. It makes for interesting viewing if one looks for re-used props, like the way Nomad’s top piece combines with Sargon’s receptacle to become the Romulan cloaking device.

The Nomad probe from the episode "The Changeling"

Sargon's recepticle from the episode "Return To Tomorrow

The Romulan cloaking device in "The Enterprise Incident"

Technorati Tags: science+fiction, star+trek, trivia, props, nomad, sargon, receptical, cloaking+device

The Star Trek Theme Lyrics

Star Trek TOS, Trivia 1 Response »

Jul 272010

Many people are not aware of the fact that the theme to the original Star Trek series actually has lyrics. There is a small story behind that. Gene Roddenberry hired Alexander Courage to write the show’s theme, and Courage came up with the theme music that we all know and love – which was inspired by “Beyond The Blue Horizon”. Courage had an oral agreement with Gene Roddenberry saying that Roddenberry had the right to, at any time, write lyrics for the music.

At some point early in the show’s life, Roddenberry exercised that option and, because he wrote lyrics for Courage’s music, was able to claim 50% of the music’s royalties as “co-composer” – regardless of the fact that the lyrics were never recorded or used anywhere. Gene Roddenberry’s comment to Alexander Courage on the subject was, “I have to make money somehow; I’m certainly not going to make any from Star Trek.

Here are the lyrics that Gene Roddenberry wrote for the Star Trek Theme. This is proof positive that Gene Roddenberry may have been many things, but he was not a lyricist.

Beyond
The rim of the star-light
My love
Is wand’ring in star-flight
I know
He’ll find in star-clustered reaches
Love,
Strange love a star woman teaches.
I know
His journey ends never
His star trek
Will go on forever.
But tell him
While he wanders his starry sea
Remember, remember me.

Technorati Tags: star+trek, theme, music, lyrics, video, alaxander+courage, gene+roddenberry, trivia

The Deadly Years, then and now

Star Trek TOS, Trivia No Responses »

Jun 172010

Ever wonder just how good (or bad) the make-up people were back in the sixties?

In 1968, the people who did make-up on the original Star Trek series were given the somewhat daunting task of making William Shatner (37 years old at the time) appear to be “between 60 and 72 years of age”.

Finally, enough time has passed and, now that William Shatner is actually in his 70′s, it’s possible to compare what make-up did in the mid-20th century to what time has done in the early 21st century.

In this particular case, it seems they got a pretty close approximation of what Shatner was going to look like in 40+ years, forgetting only the “middle age spread” that so many of us encounter.

Technorati Tags: science+fiction, star+trek, photos, pictures, william+shatner, shatner, Jim+kirk, James+T+Kirk, Kirk, The+Deadly+Years

Leonard Nimoy’s first alien role

Star Trek TOS, Trivia No Responses »

Jun 012010

Mention the name Leonard Nimoy to just about anyone and, whether they’re a Star Trek fan or not, the first thing they’re going to think of is Mr. Spock. As famous as he is for that alien role, Spock was not Leonard Nimoy’s first alien role.

In 1952, at the age of 21, Lenard Nimoy played a Martian named Narab in Zombies of the Stratosphere. The plot involves Martians conspiring with traitorous human scientists to use H-Bombs to switch the orbits of earth and mars because the red planet is too far from the sun. The Martians feel that if Mars was in earth’s place their planet wold be saved and earth would be the dying planet that’s too far from the sun.