Bathing/Grooming in the TOS-era

[Donny]

Hey, guys. I've reached the point in my Virtual TOS Enterprise project (https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/donnys-tos-twok-enterprise-interiors.212119/page-159) where I'm modeling/texturing the officer/crew quarters, and one of my goals is to actually model the bathroom that would be attached to the said quarters. We've seen very little of any bathroom/toilet facilities in all Star Trek productions, so this presents some interesting questions.

First of all, the question of showering/bathing. We see and hear about "sonic showers" occasionally from TMP onward, but this was never mentioned, AFAIK, in TOS or ENT. Did the TOS crew use sonic showers, and if so, did the officer's accommodations also come equipped with bathtubs as well? Or do you think that's too luxurious for a Constitution/Starship-Class ship, and would be more befitting of a class comparable to the later Galaxy class?

What about thoughts regarding how people in the TOS era would brush their teeth? Shave? Comb their hair? Wash their hands? Etc.

It should be noted, that one of my directives in my project is to make everything not only fit within the TOS-universe, but to also look at it from a stand-point of how it would have been made from the viewpoint of a production team in the 60s, and therefore not rely too heavily on real-world products or technology that came out in the real-world AFTER 1969. However, we can of course use the wealth of post-TOS Treknology as an answer to some of these questions.

This is meant for a brainstorming of ideas, so there are no wrong answers. Anyone have any thoughts on how to sh*t, shower, and shave in the 2260s?

Also, I've already touched on the issue of hand-washing and using the toilet with my Shuttlecraft Interior build, and you can see what I came up with below, at the 3:33 mark:

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[Tallguy]

My touchstone for "what was new and what wasn't" in TMP is Roddenberry's novelization. He paints a picture of an Enterprise with many sweeping changes but not quite as radical as what we saw on screen. Scotty has to point out new features on the "inspection tour" around the ship rather than just waving his hands and saying "ALL of it!" Spock notes some areas that actually stayed the same.

The sickbay is noted as having many advancements (many based on McCoy's input). The perscan (belly warmers) are noted as being new.

That said, I don't recall what was said about the shower. I recall a lot that was said about what was IN the shower and Kirk's physical reaction to same. This is Roddenberry we're talking about after all.

 

[Kor]

I would suggest taking inspiration from literary science fiction of the 1950s and 1960s.

Unfortunately, it's been a while since I read any, so no specific examples come to mind right now.

Edit: A quick and dirty Google search of this kind of thing led me to Heinlein's concept of the "fresher" unit. I'm not sure when he first described it, though.

Kor

 

[CorporalCaptain]

The only canonical toilet that I'm aware of is in the brig in STV. However, IIRC the "lid" is always decidedly "down."

It might be a "bare bones" model, being in the brig, but my impression of Federation and Starfleet morality is that they would regard it as uncivilized to use a model that was fundamentally dissimilar and inferior to the kind of facilities people were accustomed to using. So, depending on how much weight you give STV, I would suggest that use of the toilet to go number two, involves, as it does for us, sitting down.

http://movies.trekcore.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=49267&fullsize=1

As for the showers, I don't see why the TOS 1701 couldn't have the same sort of sonic showers that the TMP refit 1701 has. Most of the time radical innovations in personal hygiene probably aren't occurring.

 

[Tenacity]

What about thoughts regarding how people in the TOS era would brush their teeth? Shave? Comb their hair? Wash their hands? Etc.

Shave, I can remember times where Spock had a "five o'clock shadow," and then later in the episode he was clean faced. So the stubble was getting removed in some fashion.

When Nancy was in Kirk's body, there a scene where (iirc) Kirk is buffing his nails. So (my assumption) Kirk already possessed a nail buffer and Nancy found it. Kirk does come across as someone who takes care of his personal appearance.

At the far end of Kirk's quarters there's a doorway, in a cut scene it looks to be just a clothes closet, however in Franz Joseph's blueprints it opens to a narrow bathroom/"head."

We know Kirk gets sweaty.

In one of the novels, McCoy is the one who cuts Kirk's hair. But I doubt he does everyone's. The women are often seen with very nicely styled hair, and it wouldn't be too much of a stretch that the ship has a barbershop/hairsalon for the crew.

Even if there's not a professional cutter as a member of the crew, the facilities would be there.

Kind of like how the ship supposedly has a "manual" kitchen for those members of the crew who like to cook their own food.

 

[Nightowl1701]

Bathtub/shower: Only senior officers get bathtubs. Shower can do either sonic or water at your preference, with 3-in-1 body wash/shampoo/conditioner dispensed from the wall at a button's push. No minitransporter for bathrobes (yet), towels are hung outside.

Teeth cleaning: You know those blue laser mouth denture things they have in shopping malls to brighten teeth? Same thing, except not attached to anything and does the cleaning/brightening in five seconds.

Shaving: Like a type 1 phaser, but slightly smaller and doesn't touch the face. Shaves, cleans, moisturizes and exfoliates depending on setting. Can also work as antiperspirant/deodorant.

Hand washing: Like today's air dryers, but sonic.

Combing hair: Square handleless bristle-brush, just like in today's military. If it ain't broke...

 

[FormerLurker]

There is a precedent for showers, both TMP and ENT. In fact, Archer is using his in an ENT teaser, so we can assume that TOS showers do or should exist, as they are seen to both before and afterward. As well, we are shown lavatory (bathroom sink) facilities in crew quarters on TNG many times. It is therefore safe to assume that if 24th century ships have them, that 23rd century ships do as well, as it makes no sense to remove them, and then put them back.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

There is a precedent for showers, both TMP and ENT. In fact, Archer is using his in an ENT teaser, so we can assume that TOS showers do or should exist, as they are seen to both before and afterward. As well, we are shown lavatory (bathroom sink) facilities in crew quarters on TNG many times. It is therefore safe to assume that if 24th century ships have them, that 23rd century ships do as well, as it makes no sense to remove them, and then put them back.

Eh. Unless they discovered that what was used in the 23rd century (force-field derived/sonic/whatever) was just too much of a breeding ground for something like Synthococcus novae, and that motivated a kind of "Edenic" return to good old-fashioned running water.

http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Synthococcus_novae

 

[GNDN18]

I would suggest taking inspiration from literary science fiction of the 1950s and 1960s.

Then you would have ashtrays every five feet. And coffee makers. Lots and lots of coffee.

 

[Donny]

Just for reference and to fuel the discussion, here are some examples throughout Trek in which we see someone grooming their personal appearance:

We see Kirk had a nice spread of grooming devices in his cabin in "The Enemy WIthin:, including makeup. Note the brush:


We see Geordi and Sisko using similar devices for shaving in "Code of Honor" and "The Sword of Kahless", respectively:



And Hoshi brushing her teeth with what the script called a "sonic toothbrush" in "The Catwalk":


I'm sure there are other examples, please feel free to post if so inclined.

 

[David cgc]

And Hoshi brushing her teeth with what the script called a "sonic toothbrush" in "The Catwalk":


I'm sure there are other examples, please feel free to post if so inclined.

Which reminds me, in DSC, we saw a "toothbrush" which was an actual real-world electric toothbrush with the bristles removed. It makes a bit more sense than the ENT version, since it'd actually go into the mouth (can't forget the backs of the teeth, not to mention those molars!).

 

[JonnyQuest037]

On hand washing, I suspect that the TOS era had some sort of sonic hand washing or instant sterilization process. I don't recall McCoy ever performing an operation with gloves. You could certainly extrapolate sonic showers from that. So maybe do a half-step between that ENT teaser and the sonic shower we saw in TMP.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I've never understood how a "sonic" anything would clean your skin.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I've never understood how a "sonic" anything would clean your skin.

I presume it's intended to represent some sort of futuristic iteration of this real world technology:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasonic_cleaning

 

[Refuge]

In Discovery there's a scene with Stamets and Culber brushing their teeth but I think you just see them standing in front of a mirror.

I guess Voyager is too far future but I remember Neelix taking a bath and Janeway in a bath with Q kissing her foot. In fact Janeway's bathroom look's pretty much like any other bathroom. You know I just Googled images of Neelix and bath and there's images etc. other bathrooms on Trek including Archer stepping out of a shower (episode 'Unexpected').

 

[JonnyQuest037]

This is meant for a brainstorming of ideas, so there are no wrong answers.

Humanity is SO evolved by the 23rd century that they no longer need to go to the bathroom. That's why we never saw any on TOS.

 

[Marsden]

^I was going to say that's why Picard was so full of it, but that's the wrong century.

 

[XCV330]

If we reach full electrical abundance in this century, say through fusion, most likely old flush toilets will be a bit of an throwback when incinolets work so well and require very little infrastructure.

So why even bother having a toilet when you have the transporter/vacuum of space?
I suspect there's a "To Transport" chamberpot under every bunk.

(Adm Kirk, Cdr McCoy, Cpt Terrell, Cdr Chekhov, and Ens. Rebecca Howe regard the mighty domed chamber pot of David Marcus in both awe and dread. How could one man be so full of shit)

 

[UssGlenn]

Shaving: Like a type 1 phaser, but slightly smaller and doesn't touch the face. Shaves, cleans, moisturizes and exfoliates depending on setting. Can also work as antiperspirant/deodorant.

Look out! He's set his "raser" to baby's bottom!

We see Geordi and Sisko using similar devices for shaving

Wow, that's either the same prop or the prop makers have really good memories.

 

[johnnybear]

I should imagine that you wash, brush your teeth and groom yourself apart from other things before you begin duty every day on the Starship Enterprise or any other ship in the fleet!
JB