On-Screen Documents

[Nebusj]

Perhaps there might be some reason to identify the biological origin of the 'signer' to show that the Talosian illusions didn't only affect humans. Any other "in-universe" ideas why this might be done?

Perhaps Vulcan wasn't yet in the Federation [1], so that some relevance might be attached to his service origin, the way that (hypothetically; I have no idea whether they would ever do this) Allied reports might refer to a member of the Lafayette Escadrille as American Pilot (Name).

[1] Yes, I'm aware that at the time of production, Earth wasn't yet in the Federation either. I still think the cross-service idea is the least problematic one on hand.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

First off, I think the spoken dialog in which Mendez refers to "a half-Vulcan science officer named Spock" was merely a rhetorical way of saying, this is the exact same guy as your first officer.

It's not racism because, in a truly post-racial society, nobody feels offended by offhand references to their extraction. On top of that, Vulcans aren't a race, they're a species, and the novelty of humanoid cross-species hybridization was Spock's claim to fame.

Then I think the prop document was written with two references to that unique-to-Star-Trek phrase as an in-joke, in that it exactly quotes the dialog. It wasn't meant to be readable on TV.

 

[Tiberius]

I like the 23rd Century racism.

Captain Christopher Pike
Half-Vulcan Science Officer Spock

I don't understand. It was simply a way of identifiyng Spock (That IS your objection, yes?). How is that racism?

If they wanted to identify a particular officer, they should be using service numbers.

But for them to identify him as being half Vulcan would be like identifying the "Black captain Benjamin Sisko." It reeks of racism.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I think it's a little odd that Mudd's rap sheet would include a reference to "Future Police"

http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x06hd/muddswomenhd209.jpg

and I think this item could be read on old-style, 20th century TV sets, at least a good one with superb reception, but you didn't have time to read it all.

 

[plynch]

"counterfeit currency"
AHA, so they DO have money in the future!

 

[F. King Daniel]

I think it's a little odd that Mudd's rap sheet would include a reference to "Future Police"

http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x06hd/muddswomenhd209.jpg

Harry Mudd... future police... OMG Harry Mudd was Future Guy! (then put on a ton of weight)

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Perhaps there might be some reason to identify the biological origin of the 'signer' to show that the Talosian illusions didn't only affect humans. Any other "in-universe" ideas why this might be done?

Perhaps Vulcan wasn't yet in the Federation [1], so that some relevance might be attached to his service origin, the way that (hypothetically; I have no idea whether they would ever do this) Allied reports might refer to a member of the Lafayette Escadrille as American Pilot (Name).

[1] Yes, I'm aware that at the time of production, Earth wasn't yet in the Federation either. I still think the cross-service idea is the least problematic one on hand.

Vulcan is a founding Federation member. It has always been in it.

 

[scotpens]

I think it's a little odd that Mudd's rap sheet would include a reference to "Future Police"

The line reads, "Future Police Record -- Code X731248." In other words, this is the future reference code for anyone seeking information on Harry Mudd's criminal activities. It wasn't meant to suggest time cops.

 

[RandyS]

I like the 23rd Century racism.

I don't understand. It was simply a way of identifiyng Spock (That IS your objection, yes?). How is that racism?

To put it in Earthican terms, 'Black Communications Officer Uhura' sounds particularly nasty, especially when Pike wasn't 'Caucasian Captain Pike'

Oh, I see. I still don't consider that sort of thing racism, but I understand the point better.

Thanks.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I think it's a little odd that Mudd's rap sheet would include a reference to "Future Police"

http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x06hd/muddswomenhd209.jpg

and I think this item could be read on old-style, 20th century TV sets, at least a good one with superb reception, but you didn't have time to read it all.

Sometimes the art department isn't quite with it or made up SF fans.

Perhaps there might be some reason to identify the biological origin of the 'signer' to show that the Talosian illusions didn't only affect humans. Any other "in-universe" ideas why this might be done?

Perhaps Vulcan wasn't yet in the Federation [1], so that some relevance might be attached to his service origin, the way that (hypothetically; I have no idea whether they would ever do this) Allied reports might refer to a member of the Lafayette Escadrille as American Pilot (Name).

[1] Yes, I'm aware that at the time of production, Earth wasn't yet in the Federation either. I still think the cross-service idea is the least problematic one on hand.

Vulcan is a founding Federation member. It has always been in it.

Not in the first season. Trek was still being "formed". The Enterprise was an Earth ship. There was no Federation. Spock's role might have been intended to be like T'Pol in Enterprise, a foreign national serving in Earth's space fleet. I believe there are examples of this in real world militaries.

 

[SchwEnt]

I suppose it would have been equally valid to describe him as "Half Human Science Officer Spock".

What was the intention? To emphasize his "Vulcan-ess"? To emphasize his mixed heritage?

 

[HarryM]

Hmm, maybe they were going off the script, "We need a 'General Order 7' document for this scene". Since the scene includes the line from Mendez about a Half-Vulcan Science Officer that made it into the document through a "brain leak" or whatever the exact term is.

 

[Commishsleer]

I like the 23rd Century racism.

Captain Christopher Pike
Half-Vulcan Science Officer Spock

While we're talking about it, what about the sexism?
Where was Number One's name on that document?

Isn't a woman's name good enough ?

She was actually captured by the Talosians and outranked Spock so her opinion should be more relevant.

 

[scotpens]

First off, I think the spoken dialog in which Mendez refers to "a half-Vulcan science officer named Spock" was merely a rhetorical way of saying, this is the exact same guy as your first officer.

. . . Then I think the prop document was written with two references to that unique-to-Star-Trek phrase as an in-joke, in that it exactly quotes the dialog. It wasn't meant to be readable on TV.

This. Mendez was simply driving the point home that "this man, who is now your second-in-command, is the same guy who served under Captain Pike and visited Talos IV thirteen years ago."

No one watching the episode on 1960s TV sets would have been able to read the the text on that page. I agree, the double reference to "half-Vulcan Science Officer Spock" was probably meant as an in-joke.

 

[drt]

Star Trek didn't take that shortcut despite coming from an era when nobody would know.

My guess is that the art department may have created particular documents to such high detail on the off chance that the director wanted to include them in a close-up shot where perhaps some snippet of it could be read.

It's a little pity they didn't continue this kind of earnestness in TNG, now that the remastering in HD reveals all these little inside jokes, both the silly and the better ones.

Back in the '60s the idea of home video was unheard of. By the time TNG rolled around, home video was commonplace. One would expect the later producers to be even more conscientious about freeze-frame details. But then again, maybe some of the next generation prop creators were hoping this stuff would be seen and noticed one day.

I'm pretty sure they intended it to be fun "easter egg" sorts of things for those fans who would bother to go to the trouble.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

First off, I think the spoken dialog in which Mendez refers to "a half-Vulcan science officer named Spock" was merely a rhetorical way of saying, this is the exact same guy as your first officer.

. . . Then I think the prop document was written with two references to that unique-to-Star-Trek phrase as an in-joke, in that it exactly quotes the dialog. It wasn't meant to be readable on TV.

This. Mendez was simply driving the point home that "this man, who is now your second-in-command, is the same guy who served under Captain Pike and visited Talos IV thirteen years ago."

No one watching the episode on 1960s TV sets would have been able to read the the text on that page. I agree, the double reference to "half-Vulcan Science Officer Spock" was probably meant as an in-joke.

Thanks, Scotpens.

Here's a little-noticed document that always looked like abstract gibberish on TV, but wasn't. Scotty's technical journal:

http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x15hd/thetroublewithtribbleshd0449.jpg

I can't seem to find it now, but I once saw online that it's actually a Matt Jeffries drawing of a ship's phaser, colorized for this use. If I recall was like a ball-turret.

Edit: I found it. It's this, which was also used in "Space Seed" when Khan was looking at technical manuals:

http://www.trekplace.com/images/article10-pic002.jpg

 

[Metryq]

Scotty's technical journal

Ah, those futuristic 8" CRTs... The viewfinders on camcorders are bigger than that now.

 

[Shawnster]

I'm pretty sure they intended it to be fun "easter egg" sorts of things for those fans who would bother to go to the trouble.

Did they do this sort of thing in the 60s?

 

[Nerys Myk]

I'm pretty sure they intended it to be fun "easter egg" sorts of things for those fans who would bother to go to the trouble.

Did they do this sort of thing in the 60s?

Pretty sure they didn't. No one making this stuff could have expected a fan base that would go over each episode with a fine tooth comb or the technology that allowed them to do it. They were just craftsmen do a job and doing it as well as they could. The Comsol document sounds like the art department following the scripts need for a prop not really going much beyond that. Basically using dialog in the script to create the prop document.

 

[F. King Daniel]

First off, I think the spoken dialog in which Mendez refers to "a half-Vulcan science officer named Spock" was merely a rhetorical way of saying, this is the exact same guy as your first officer.

. . . Then I think the prop document was written with two references to that unique-to-Star-Trek phrase as an in-joke, in that it exactly quotes the dialog. It wasn't meant to be readable on TV.

This. Mendez was simply driving the point home that "this man, who is now your second-in-command, is the same guy who served under Captain Pike and visited Talos IV thirteen years ago."

No one watching the episode on 1960s TV sets would have been able to read the the text on that page. I agree, the double reference to "half-Vulcan Science Officer Spock" was probably meant as an in-joke.

Thanks, Scotpens.

Here's a little-noticed document that always looked like abstract gibberish on TV, but wasn't. Scotty's technical journal:

http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x15hd/thetroublewithtribbleshd0449.jpg

I can't seem to find it now, but I once saw online that it's actually a Matt Jeffries drawing of a ship's phaser, colorized for this use. If I recall was like a ball-turret.

Edit: I found it. It's this, which was also used in "Space Seed" when Khan was looking at technical manuals:

http://www.trekplace.com/images/article10-pic002.jpg

It's a plane boiler thing.