Majel Barrett-Roddenberry To Play Computer Voice

[Admiral Buzzkill]

When I shut down my PC, I have a clip of her saying "one minute to auto destruct."

Heh...my desktop has all TNG chirps and whirrs and beeps for acknowledgements. When you empty the recycle bin, the TNG warp sound effect (which sounds like a buildup and explosion) goes off.

On boot up she says "All systems are functioning normally" and my shut down sound is "System off-line in 30 seconds" with a red alert klaxon in the background.

I don't use the desktop hardly at all anymore and even though I have all those files, I doubt I'll be using them on the laptop...I prefer no sounds at all these days.

Mine is all Robby The Robot.

 

[T'Cal]

My work computer beeps and such with sound effects from Trek when I open maximize or minimize a window, or cause an error. But when I get an email, Majel advises, "Priority One message from Starfleet on a secure channel" and she tells me "The logs have been deleted," when I empty my Recycle Bin.

 

[gastrof]

Realistically speaking, she won't be around forever...I'd just as soon they did something different from here on out.

Its for this reason I am happy she is in the film. Your right she wont be here forever so its nice to see her doing her famous computer voice again while she still can!

Hey...

With voice sampling, I wouldn't be surprised if Paramount, CBS, or whoever has already got so much of her voice on file that even when she's gone, they'll be able to continue using it, even to say new lines the real Majel never actually said.

"You have a new face...dear."

 

[M'Sharak]

This is about as close to Gene's approval we can get, so I'm happy.

She was also involved with Earth: Final Conflict and Andromeda, wasn't she?

She was.

Realistically speaking, she won't be around forever...I'd just as soon they did something different from here on out.

Its for this reason I am happy she is in the film. Your right she wont be here forever so its nice to see her doing her famous computer voice again while she still can!

Hey...

With voice sampling, I wouldn't be surprised if Paramount, CBS, or whoever has already got so much of her voice on file that even when she's gone, they'll be able to continue using it, even to say new lines the real Majel never actually said.

"You have a new face...dear."

If you didn't mind a certain disjointed effect, like the message you get from one of those automated systems telling you that the library book you requested from another branch has come in, then yeah, you could do that. It would sound even more obviously artificial than the speech coming from Stephen Hawking's voice synthesizer, but it depends on what you're looking for.

Most people listening to the cut-and-paste sentences which resulted from such a process would probably be put off by the irregular flow of inflections and intonation. Studio processing could smooth it out somewhat -- maybe make it into a sort of Max Headroom quirkiness -- but by that point, it would have been much less costly simply to have another actor come in and read new lines.

 

[Brikar99]

This is about as close to Gene's approval we can get, so I'm happy.

She was also involved with Earth: Final Conflict and Andromeda, wasn't she?

She was.

Its for this reason I am happy she is in the film. Your right she wont be here forever so its nice to see her doing her famous computer voice again while she still can!

Hey...

With voice sampling, I wouldn't be surprised if Paramount, CBS, or whoever has already got so much of her voice on file that even when she's gone, they'll be able to continue using it, even to say new lines the real Majel never actually said.

"You have a new face...dear."

If you didn't mind a certain disjointed effect, like the message you get from one of those automated systems telling you that the library book you requested from another branch has come in, then yeah, you could do that. It would sound even more obviously artificial than the speech coming from Stephen Hawking's voice synthesizer, but it depends on what you're looking for.

Most people listening to the cut-and-paste sentences which resulted from such a process would probably be put off by the irregular flow of inflections and intonation. Studio processing could smooth it out somewhat -- maybe make it into a sort of Max Headroom quirkiness -- but by that point, it would have been much less costly simply to have another actor come in and read new lines.

Or it could be as hilariously awful as Chef's final appearance on "South Park".

 

[Frontier]

This is good news. Ads some continuity. Especially considering how much they seem to be erasing otherwise, lol.

 

[trekkerguy]

If you didn't mind a certain disjointed effect, like the message you get from one of those automated systems telling you that the library book you requested from another branch has come in, then yeah, you could do that. It would sound even more obviously artificial than the speech coming from Stephen Hawking's voice synthesizer, but it depends on what you're looking for.

Most people listening to the cut-and-paste sentences which resulted from such a process would probably be put off by the irregular flow of inflections and intonation. Studio processing could smooth it out somewhat -- maybe make it into a sort of Max Headroom quirkiness -- but by that point, it would have been much less costly simply to have another actor come in and read new lines.

I agree that if they tried to create new lines using her voice(if she passed) it would sound odd. But with the sure plentiful database of lines and phrases they have from all her parts in the show I think they would do just fine recycling and enhancing those.

 

[WillsBabe]

I'm so pleased to read this. "Captain Kirk, honey..."

 

[dillon3001]

Excellent news to hear. I think one of the things I was hoping would happen with this movie would be to hear alot of the old TOS familiar sounds (chirping communicators, red alert kalxons and such) and this seems to fit right into that

 

[Darth_Pinche]

On the plus side, it's a nice nod to the original series.

On the negative side, she's kind of an annnoying bitch, so naturally I want her to suffer.

While I certainly share your feelings about her, it actually gave me a warm feeling imagining her voice coming out on the new bridge. I hope they use a TNG voice and not the TOS "WORKING..." type voice. Although that would be more in keeping with the annoying Majel.

 

[The Wormhole]

I imagine they probably will have her do the voice the way she did in the 24th century shows. After all, that's how she did it when she did the Defiant computer's voice in Enterprise's MU two parter.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Majel said exactly one word in "In A Mirror, Darkly Part II":

< Working >.

That could easily have been a sample lifted directly from TOS. Anyhow, she can say the lines however she likes. There's already prescident for the Duotronic System's female voice sounding very different, see "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" and my quip further up the page.

1) The line was said in a smooth voice like in the 24th century shows as opposed to the rough mechanical way it sounded in TOS.

2) Majel Barrett was listed in the guest credits for the episode. Well, actually the co-star credits that play during the end credits. But still, the fact she was listed there would mean it was a newly recorded line.

 

[Kelso]

She should still say "WORKING" but in that uber-relaxed HAL9000 style.

 

[Quagmire58]

I guess they have to use her as long as she is still alive, if you didn't a lot of trekkies would be really mad.

 

[Kryton]

She should still say "WORKING" but in that uber-relaxed HAL9000 style.

Is Gary Lockwood still living? That would make a fun bit of stunt casting.

 

[Just_Bob]

Majel's inclusion warms my geek heart to no end. Wonderful!

 

[Eric Cheung]

Though there's a thread in General Trek, I thought it would be appropriate to mention the following article reported here, here, here, and here.

 

[Jax]

can't believe she died, didn't know she was even ill.

 

[M'Sharak]

Though there's a thread in General Trek, I thought it would be appropriate to mention the following article reported here, here, here, and here.

I hadn't seen that yet.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Is Gary Lockwood still living?

Yes.

That would make a fun bit of stunt casting.

Why? Who'd you think he should have played here?

 

[FabiusMaximus]

Damn, she's gone.