The door not opening to Spock?

|| SPOILERS ||
In the ep. The Na ked time, min. 36:21. You can see Spock showing emotion causing from the "craziness infection". But you can see him leaning on the door, now someone explain to me why doesn't the door open? He stands there for 1 minute and nothing happens. I'm very confused.

 

I used to think that was odd, but these days, sliding doors with motion sensors are common enough that you can experience the same sort of thing in real life. If you stop for some reason just inside the sliding doors, they may slide shut on you, because you're too close to be in the motion sensors' line of sight, or because you aren't moving enough to trigger them.

Of course, the real explanation is that the doors were operated by a stagehand behind the wall, and the director had them keep the doors shut.

What gets me are the scenes in various episodes where characters walk close enough past the doors that they should trigger the motion sensors, but the doors don't respond, as if they know (as the director does) that the characters don't plan to go through them. I figure the motion sensors use things like gait analysis and gaze tracking to recognize the difference between someone just passing close to a door and someone intending to go through it.

 

Thank you for responding, I kinda get it now but the last part that you wrote just doesn't seem right. I don't think the doors can tell if you want to get through or just past by.

 

it would be pretty odd having a door-AI try to gauge your intentions as you walk past or near it. I finally get now why Marvin the Robot hated the doors on Heart of Gold.

 

Happened in "Journey to Babel" too and a different door. Very annoying but dramatically effective.
I also wonder how the comms system know where everyone is too. Is it psychic as well?

 

Watch carefully. There are plenty of times where actors walk near the doors (like walking past the bridge turbolift, say), close enough that any real-world door with a motion sensor would be sure to open, but the doors stay closed, because the director and stagehands know the doors aren't going to be used. The only in-universe explanation for that contrivance is that the door sensors themselves are smart enough to determine that too.

 

From Wolf in the Fold: "...and the computer controls the ship."

Maybe she's a kind of watchdog who monitors when best to open and close doors.

Or, yeah, dramatic license.

 

As Spock himself might say, "There are two possibilities: It is unable to respond, it is unwilling to respond."
But yeah, automatic door technology will probably be much more advanced a few centuries from now.

Kor

 

I recall reading (ages ago) that in an early draft of the script that Spock actually presses a button to lock the doors before collapsing against them. But that would have required them to install a button on the set, so it was probably easier not to

 

"Step up to red alert!"
"Sir, are you absolutely sure? It does mean changing the bulb."

 

BTW, you don't need to Spoiler a 56 year old episode [EDIT: Unless you are in a thread like those @Neopeius maintains]

If you do need to actually Spoiler some text, there's a function for that. Highlight the text you wish to hide then click/tap the + icon and you'll find the Spoiler code option, as below...


The result

Spoiler: example

is all spoilery n stuff.

 

"Opening... dear."

 

Hey, hey HEY. For some of us, that episode is only a year old! But, it's true we did just watch the summer rerun.

But if anyone tells me how Amok Time ends, boy will I be steamed!

 

It ends with the Desilu logo.

 

There is an interesting article for an intelligent door opener where it would decide to open the door if the trajectory of the person(s) indicate they want to go thru the door and not pass by it. Seems logical that a futuristic door would also have the smarts to not open unless it saw a person walking right at the door.

 

Thank you, I'm new to this platform, it was my first thread. I will know for other time.

 

Why didn't the door open when Spock collapses against it?

Well, I wouldn't think it would make for very serious drama if as Spock collapses backwards, the door obediently swishes open and he falls on his ass in the corridor.

Robert

 

He's another idea:

4. The door controller calculated that if it were to have opened the door, Spock could have been injured by falling over backwards. Keeping the door closed was a safety feature.

 

Has there been an instance in TOS where the door opened for someone walking or leaning backwards into it? Or does it always open when the person is facing the door and moving towards it?