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Does McCoy really break the fourth wall in "Babel"?

They are not looking INTO the camera. They are looking just to one side of the lens. That is what is known as a "camera neutral". You have to make eye contact with the lens to break the wall visually. And his eyeline is to Nurse Chapel.
 
Blish was not always working with final scripts, but his version of the story ends with this line: "Well, what do you know?" he said to Amanda. "I finally got the last word!"
 
They're definitely not looking into the lens. And I can't recall an instance where a Trek character is breaking the fourth wall and talks to the audience.
 
I always took it as a statement of triumph made to himself as he turns away, but also thrown out to the room at large and specifically targeted at Kirk and Spock. In fact, I have been known to do that sort of thing myself and have known many others who also do it. Of course it's meant to delight the audience as well in that we are very much in on the joke as long-time viewers, but not really a direct breaking of the fourth wall. I don't really recall shows of that era having much breaking of the fourth wall at all, except maybe a couple of comedies that were specifically designed that way from the start. Agree with others that they were toying with it but not fully committing to it at all; it works perfectly well being directed to himself and the sickbay and not to the audience at all. And I would put Kirk's statement in the same category.
 
skylark14 said:
I always took it as a statement of triumph made to himself as he turns away, but also thrown out to the room at large and specifically targeted at Kirk and Spock. In fact, I have been known to do that sort of thing myself and have known many others who also do it. Of course it's meant to delight the audience as well in that we are very much in on the joke as long-time viewers, but not really a direct breaking of the fourth wall. I don't really recall shows of that era having much breaking of the fourth wall at all, except maybe a couple of comedies that were specifically designed that way from the start. Agree with others that they were toying with it but not fully committing to it at all; it works perfectly well being directed to himself and the sickbay and not to the audience at all. And I would put Kirk's statement in the same category.
Click to expand...

Kirk's statement sounds more like talking to himself. When things go wrong, I will say out loud, "That's just GREAT," or "Are you KIDding me?" not really talking to anyone but the air.
 
That's actual Curt Danhauser's work there, and it's his writing and his voice characterizations. It is not a genuine Star Trek production, and therefore completely un-related to the discussion of whether or not McCoy broke the fourth wall in "Journey to Babel" or if Kirk did in "Tomorrow Is Yesterday."

Whipping out that fan film to provide proof that the fourth wall has been broken by TOS or TAS just ain't right.
 
Potemkin_Prod said:
That's actual Curt Danhauser's work there, and it's his writing and his voice characterizations. It is not a genuine Star Trek production, and therefore completely un-related to the discussion of whether or not McCoy broke the fourth wall in "Journey to Babel" or if Kirk did in "Tomorrow Is Yesterday."

Whipping out that fan film to provide proof that the fourth wall has been broken by TOS or TAS just ain't right.
Click to expand...
I think it was more an example of whether something is looking at the camera or not.
 
Gotcha, as long as everyone knows it's not an official version of Trek. It looks REAL, and I suspect that some folks might be confused by it.
 
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