The jello in Allegiance

Discussion in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' started by swaaye, Mar 7, 2013.

  1. swaaye

    swaaye Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Ever since I first saw this episode, the cylindrical jello slices have fascinated me. Does anyone know exactly what they were? lol
     
  2. Mojochi

    Mojochi Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    "It's edible, but I wouldn't exactly call it food". LOL! Do you mean an in universe explanation? I'm not aware of one. In reality, it looks like a garden variety slab of gelatin, perhaps like a big hockey puck shaped Gummy Bear

    My favorite part of that scene is that it kind of has a quiet squishy sound when Picard bites into it, & then it kind of softly splats when he puts it down :guffaw:

    For some inexplicable reason, I actually like this TNG episode. My only issue is that I don't remember there being any water. That would be the 1st necessity
     
  3. Mott the barber

    Mott the barber Commodore Commodore

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    I'd just like to go on the record and say I love how this is its own topic. :D
     
  4. swaaye

    swaaye Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Thanks to Netflix on the tablet, I showed the clip to a culinary pro that I know. lol. It is indeed probably a thick gelatin mix. I am going to create it myself and undoubtedly get rich!
     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2013
  5. Use of Time

    Use of Time Commodore Commodore

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    One disk too. Is that supposed to feed everybody?
     
  6. Tosk

    Tosk Admiral Admiral

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    No one is ever seen doing more than licking at them, right? I wouldn't be surprised if they were actually just plastic discs.


    ...or urinal cakes. ;)


    There's at least ten of them in the dispenser.
     
  7. Use of Time

    Use of Time Commodore Commodore

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    Thank God.
     
  8. Mojochi

    Mojochi Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Yeah, it's a shoot that dispenses them indefinitely I presume

    Big dude licks it, but Picard takes a nibble & chews it down. So I figure they made something edible for the scene. It's pretty easy to make a gelatin slab from powdered gelatin packs which are abundant & cheap

    & I agree with Mott. This is a pretty neat topic, that I haven't discussed before :D
     
  9. Michael

    Michael Good Bad Influence Moderator

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    I don't know why, but this thing has always fascinated me, too. I love how it dispenses from this machine and how careful Picard is biting off of it. I'd also guess this is some kind of gelatin mix. It probably tastes like strawberry or some other kind of red fruit.

    As for the episode itself, I always had a soft spot for this one. It has some Twilight Zone-esque qualities to it. It's fun to guess who exactly is the enemy amoung the group. And it's nice to see Stewart out of character on the Enterprise.
     
  10. LOKAI of CHERON

    LOKAI of CHERON Commodore Commodore

    Oh, you just had to go and put that idea in my head, didn't you! :barf2: :lol:
     
  11. Mojochi

    Mojochi Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Every time I see this thread, for a second I think it says Jellico, & am annoyed because the last thing we need is another discussion about THAT guy

    But then I realize it says jello, & my mood suddenly improves
     
  12. ALF

    ALF Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    You mean what was used for the prop?
    I wish I knew. Of all the pointless and stupid questions Patrick Stewart was asked over the years, is asking this one out of the question? Now I need to know, too.
     
  13. Maxwell Everett

    Maxwell Everett Commodore Commodore

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    Not many people know this (though probably many here I'd bet), but gelatin is made from collagen, which comes from animal bones and skin. Looking it up on Google/Wikipedia, it's derived from pork skins, pork, horses, and cattle bones, or split cattle hides. Its composition is 84%-90% protein, 1%-2% mineral salts and 8%-15% water. Gelatin contains no fat and has about 95 calories per ounce. An ounce of gelatin satisfies about 2% of your daily needs for iron and calcium. By itself, it's essentially odorless and tasteless.

    Personally, I always assumed that the gelatin discs in "Allegiance" were made from the collagen from the bodies of the previous inhabitants of the prison cell! Brings a whole new darker spin to the episode, huh? What would've happened to them if Picard hadn't discovered that the Starfleet cadet was an imposter and the aliens ended the experiment?
     
  14. swaaye

    swaaye Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    For that matter, those slices were pinkish red too. Gelled puree of prisoner. :)
     
  15. Tosk

    Tosk Admiral Admiral

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    That would be a bit at odds with their later statements though.

    "We were merely curious. We meant no harm."
    "We did not, after all, injure you in any way."
     
  16. Mojochi

    Mojochi Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Still kind of a freaky & potentially sinister though
     
  17. Maxwell Everett

    Maxwell Everett Commodore Commodore

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    Granted. But that's what they said when they were trapped by Picard. They were freaking out and wanted to be set free... they would've said anything! Should we simply assume that those statements were 100% truthful, considering their deceptive behavior on display throughout the episode? As Picard says just after that, "[Unlawful] Imprisonment is an immoral assault, regardless how you choose to justify it." Or words to that effect. What else were they capable of?

    Now to be fair, the teleplay makes absolutely no hint of this kind of sinister origin for the food at all. This is all it says:

    Picard stops at the feeder, pulls out a "hockey puck"
    -- it's a dark, translucent disk of solid but malleable
    material, sort of a gigantic gumdrop. Not very
    appealing. Picard pulls off a small hunk, examines it.

    So, it's really just bs fanwank on my part. :lol:
     
  18. Tiberius

    Tiberius Commodore Commodore

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    My only issue is that the Mizarian went for several days in that cell without any toilet facilities. Where did he go?
     
  19. Pavonis

    Pavonis Commodore Commodore

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    Do Mizarians excrete daily?
     
  20. Dream

    Dream Admiral Admiral

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    Did "Allegiance" remind anyone else of that episode of Twilight Zone with a group of people trapped in a giant box?