The alien in Brown's story was a ball-shaped, multi-tentacled creature called a “Roller.” Its method of locomotion was, well, rolling -- which it apparently accomplished by shifting its center of gravity at will. Imagine trying to show THAT on a TV series in 1966! Hell, the Gorn lizard suit looks cheesy enough by today's standards.Well, for one thing, the alien was totally different. I read the story years ago; there were some basic similarities in plot, but I'm betting that Coon was honest about coming up with his story on his own.
Weather balloon, I think.^^^They could have used the beachball from "The Prisoner."
Thanks. I really ought to dig up a copy of that book.They were short of scripts during the first season and Gene Coon locked himself away one weekend and banged out "Arena." It was sent for network approval and out to Kellam Deforest for factual and legal research. Kellam's assitant recognized the similarity to Fredric Brown's story and that's when Desilu's Business Affairs called Brown that they'd like to buy the rights to his story. Brown was delighted and accepted the deal. According to Solow, they never told him that the script had already been written. (Source: "Inside Star Trek" by Herb Solow and Robert Justman, pp.206-207.)
I suspect it was a design/look decision. The eyes weren't practical in any sense of the word: the performer looked out through slits lower in the mask.Dose anyone know when and why it was decided to give the Gorn the multi-faceted, fly-like eyes? I've seen several images in the last few years showing the costume pieces both sitting upon a table and being worn but before the "tunic" and bracers were fitted. In those "behind the scenes" snaps, the eyes seem to be simply glossy, "smoked" plastic.
Was it simply to make the creature looks a tad different, more alien? Or was there some production practicality involved? Were they originally going to paint them in a reptilian fashion, or fit painted spheres under the smoked plastic and the final look and/or mechanics proved less than "acceptable"?
Sincerely,
Bill
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