Long-time lurker, first-time poster here. I am trying to follow the rules but please let me know if I cross any lines.
I am a huge fan of The Motion Picture (TMP). For all of the movie's flaws, the production values and the attention to detail really elevated the film for me. The refit Enterprise is my favorite design, by far. One aspect -- among many -- that made me fall in love with it was that the bridge, for the first time looked like it could really DO something. It looked practical and utilitarian to my young eyes. My imagination ran wild.
Anyway, I am sure that most of you are at least aware of the existence of the Enterprise "Flight Manual" (EFM). (Reproduced here and discussed in some detail by Rick Sternbach on the Trek Files here).
Although much of the work for Phase II was carried over to TMP, some design aspects were left by the wayside, including one very odd piece of instrumentation, described on Page 22 like so: "7 - ...THIS IS MANUAL 'FINE TUNING' FOR THE LIFE-FORM UNIT. LIKE THE 'THEREMIN' MUSICAL INSTRUMENT THIS WORKS BY WAVING YOUR TWO HANDS OVER IT -- ONE HAND VERTICALLY, ONE HORIZONTALLY...."
OK, on to my question. On page 21 (on the link labeled "Science Officer's Station - Aux"), you can see the roll-out consoles. On the diagram is the instrument described above, looking like an antenna with a spring wrapped around it. What is odd is that the instrument is floating weirdly in the air, almost like someone had seen a theremin and thought it would be cool to use one on the show but they couldn't quite fit it in so they just threw it on the diagram, hoping someone would have a flash of inspiration on where to put it. I guess no one did so they just abandoned the concept.
Does anyone have any insights on where it was supposed to go? Maybe next to or even within the "LIFE FORM DETECTOR" instrument on the left roll-out console?
If no one knows, then I would love to hear if anyone has any related thoughts, such as why it was abandoned or your feelings about the EFM in general.
Thanks and be gentle with me!
I am a huge fan of The Motion Picture (TMP). For all of the movie's flaws, the production values and the attention to detail really elevated the film for me. The refit Enterprise is my favorite design, by far. One aspect -- among many -- that made me fall in love with it was that the bridge, for the first time looked like it could really DO something. It looked practical and utilitarian to my young eyes. My imagination ran wild.
Anyway, I am sure that most of you are at least aware of the existence of the Enterprise "Flight Manual" (EFM). (Reproduced here and discussed in some detail by Rick Sternbach on the Trek Files here).
Although much of the work for Phase II was carried over to TMP, some design aspects were left by the wayside, including one very odd piece of instrumentation, described on Page 22 like so: "7 - ...THIS IS MANUAL 'FINE TUNING' FOR THE LIFE-FORM UNIT. LIKE THE 'THEREMIN' MUSICAL INSTRUMENT THIS WORKS BY WAVING YOUR TWO HANDS OVER IT -- ONE HAND VERTICALLY, ONE HORIZONTALLY...."
OK, on to my question. On page 21 (on the link labeled "Science Officer's Station - Aux"), you can see the roll-out consoles. On the diagram is the instrument described above, looking like an antenna with a spring wrapped around it. What is odd is that the instrument is floating weirdly in the air, almost like someone had seen a theremin and thought it would be cool to use one on the show but they couldn't quite fit it in so they just threw it on the diagram, hoping someone would have a flash of inspiration on where to put it. I guess no one did so they just abandoned the concept.
Does anyone have any insights on where it was supposed to go? Maybe next to or even within the "LIFE FORM DETECTOR" instrument on the left roll-out console?
If no one knows, then I would love to hear if anyone has any related thoughts, such as why it was abandoned or your feelings about the EFM in general.
Thanks and be gentle with me!
