Arena- Boulder Question?

[Marsden]

I was just watching the classic episode "Arena".

Early in the confrontation with the Gorn, the Gorn captain picks up a large boulder and hurls it thru the air. Barely missing Kirk.

A little later, the Gorn captain is shown working on his snare trap for Kirk. He anchors one end of the snare to a large boulder.

A little later, Kirk spies a large boulder near a ledge and with some difficulty rolls it off to smash the Gorn captain.

Is it my imagination or is it the exact same boulder (prop) each and every time??

That is one of my favorite scenes in anything, Star Trek or anything else. The look on Shatner's face is perfect, he really worked hard to sell some of the props, but also Imagine fighting someone that you just about used your full strength to hurl down a rock an he just brushes it off like a spitball and then throws a ten times larger rock UP at you.

In the second part,
I also liked how the sound people tried to help putting in that rumbling grating noise as the thing weightlessly rolls down the hill after the Gorn gets up. A stone that heavy wouldn't roll so easily, it would sink into the ground, IMO.

 

[Phaser Two]

That is one of my favorite scenes in anything, Star Trek or anything else. The look on Shatner's face is perfect, he really worked hard to sell some of the props, but also Imagine fighting someone that you just about used your full strength to hurl down a rock an he just brushes it off like a spitball and then throws a ten times larger rock UP at you

Totally agree; some great wordless acting by Shatner there. I like his little dodge of the rock missile, too.

 

[Samuel]

The boulder often seemed to have a "rock against metal" sound when it rolled around. Of course this can easily be explained as the Metrons specifically said they had "prepared" the planetoid for Kirk and the Gorn captain to fight. Which explains why what looked like cut diamonds were laying around.

Wonder why the Metrons also prepared the dirt road that the Gorn is seen walking along late in the episode?

 

[johnnybear]

In case neither wanted to fight and set up a house at the top of the rocks? That way they could drive the Batmobile up and down it like I've seen on You tube?
JB

 

[Marsden]

The boulder often seemed to have a "rock against metal" sound when it rolled around. Of course this can easily be explained as the Metrons specifically said they had "prepared" the planetoid for Kirk and the Gorn captain to fight. Which explains why what looked like cut diamonds were laying around.

Wonder why the Metrons also prepared the dirt road that the Gorn is seen walking along late in the episode?

I think it's exactly the same sound effect as the Horta breaking through the door and stealing the reactor pump.
Stock sounds.

 

[ChasFink]

Boulder never did get enough recognition for his contribution to the show. He was always taken for granite.

Boulder was up for the lead in The X-files that eventually went to David Duchovny.

Boulder and Scully.

Eventually it was just taken for granite that it'd get the roll.

He was the one Mineral-American actor who had the guts to try out for all those rolls. He was boulder than the others.

Okay, 1001001 - I'm moving along quietly. (At least I didn't say anything about boulderly going where no one had gone before!)

 

[1001001]

"Mineral-American"

I'll give you that one.

 

[Noname Given]

It must have one hell of an agent.

It had to have one - I mean who'd want to hire Foam Rubber to be a Rock? They'd need convincing.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

If they tailor-made it for Kirk and the Gorn, that might also explain how it defies science (according to that show which debunked Kirk's diamond cannon.)

 

[FormerLurker]

The debunking of the cannon centered on the incompatability of bamboo as a barrel. It got left out of the final product, but earlier scripts specified that the bamboo-like plants were actually of steel-like rigidity.

 

[Lost Archon]

Here is my lame attempt at humor.

A Star Trek prequel:
“Attack of the Boulder Clones”

 

[MAGolding]

When I saw the title, I assumed this thread would be about a convention at an Arena in Boulder, Colorado.