Is there a Behind the Scenes Story about the Comet

[Paul Weaver]

A comet's tail is caused by outgassing from the body caused by heating from a star. The tail is caused by solar wind pushing the created atmosphere out away from the star. Without the star the comet would just be a block of ice.

 

[Kor]

Every time a comet appeared in the Trek universe, it was always the exact same comet, starting with the comet in "Balance of Terror," to the comet that appears in TNG's opening credits, to the one that appears at the beginning of DS9's opening credits, to the one that the other Q was imprisoned within on VOY.

Yes, The Comet is Trek's silent, unsung hero.

Kor

 

[The Wormhole]

The way I always interpreted the comet was that it was symbolism for one of the marketing taglines used when DS9 started. "At the edge of the Final Frontier" or something like that. We see the comet representing space exploration, or the "Final Frontier." Then the camera moves past that to, at first empty space, then showing the station in the distance, to represent we have moved to the "edge of the Final Frontier" as suggested by the tagline.

 

[tomalak301]

The way I always interpreted the comet was that it was symbolism for one of the marketing taglines used when DS9 started. "At the edge of the Final Frontier" or something like that. We see the comet representing space exploration, or the "Final Frontier." Then the camera moves past that to, at first empty space, then showing the station in the distance, to represent we have moved to the "edge of the Final Frontier" as suggested by the tagline.

I forgot that was a DS9 tag line. That's a really interesting explanation.

 

[Timo]

Wasn't there a comet in the opening credits season 3 and on, the one where we see one approaching the galaxy.

Clearly not a galaxy, because it's rotating. A galaxy would have to be sped up millions of times to show any appreciable rotation; no comets or other such objects could be seen in the same shot.

It's likely to be part of the "story" being told in the TNG opening credits instead. First, there's this nondescript nebula. Then, it condenses into a star system (which is what we see rotating there, with comets plummeting in to provide more matter, water, panspermic beginnings of life, what have you). Then, planets form. And then comes civilization, with starships.

If things we saw in openings like VOY represent traveling through space why can't a comet represent being in a stationary location? After all don't need a star to have a comet?

Exactly. A comet is a very good way to introduce a stationary location...

And a very bad way to establish a deep space adventure. But luckily we never see comets in deep space in Trek - after all, whenever there's a comet, there's also some source of intense light nearby, even though the camera refuses to show it. Supposedly, our heroes always have their adventures right next to brightly glowing stars and never in the darkness of interstellar space.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Finn]

Clearly not a galaxy, because it's rotating. A galaxy would have to be sped up millions of times to show any appreciable rotation; no comets or other such objects could be seen in the same shot.

It's likely to be part of the "story" being told in the TNG opening credits instead. First, there's this nondescript nebula. Then, it condenses into a star system (which is what we see rotating there, with comets plummeting in to provide more matter, water, panspermic beginnings of life, what have you). Then, planets form. And then comes civilization, with starships.

Pedantic, are we? We wouldn't even be able to see a proto-star system rotating like that either

Nebulae don't even appear like that in real life, up close.

I just checked. I agree, it's a proto-star system. But we still wouldn't be able perceive it moving like that from a distance like that. And it's not just a nebula. I think it's a stellar nursery.

 

[Kegg]

The comet is a visual signifier to show we are in the vastness of space. It's not important, any more than the Nebula-class USS Leeds seen docked in the intro sequence from season four onwards is an integral part of DS9's story.

I've seen people talking about the comet containing the face of Spock before. I've looked. And I've looked. And I've looked. And I can't see it.

Where the frell is it?