Game over: the doublefist

[NewHeavensNewEarth]

In front of you stands your enemy, winding up to punch your lights out (and conquer the galaxy). So what do you do? Your right & left hands become one, you lift those hands high up to the heavens, and rain down some mighty judgment called "the doublefist." Game over, bad guys.

Did every Trek series from TOS to ENT have the same stunt coordinator with the same bag of tricks for hand-to-hand combat scenes, or did TOS establish it as "combat canon" that the doublefist is the way to fight in the future (unless you're Sulu)? Is this what Kyle Riker should've called "the ultimate evolution of martial arts"?

To minimize having to bring in stunt doubles, I would think that the doublefist might look more effective on-screen than a regular actor trying to throw an unconvincing punch that looks like they've never been in a street brawl a day in their life (since they probably haven't). Hence its frequent use.

As as fan of martial arts (having trained some, but mostly watched), I can't say I've ever seen the doublefist executed during an MMA match. Is that because it's banned for being so absolutely devastating, or because it's so totally silly that no one would use it? But if it's the wave of the future, surely there will be no more nukes or even guns - just armies doublefisting on the battlefield until war itself taps out.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Macho Man used to do it off the top rope

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I love when they bring this devastating move out. Seems they could save themselves a lot of energy if they broke out the old "double fist" at the beginning of the fight (but then I guess it would be a short ass fight!)

A move I was sad was forgotten was the patented Captain Kirk "bounce off the wall and dropkick your opponent" maneuver

 

[rahullak]

I thought it was Game Over for the double fist. Did we see it in Discovery and are we likely to see it in Picard?

 

[NewHeavensNewEarth]

I thought it was Game Over for the double fist. Did we see it in Discovery and are we likely to see it in Picard?

Possibly! That's why I said TOS to ENT. It would almost be insulting to have Michelle Yeoh resorting to that, with such an arsenal of moves at her disposal. For PIC, I'm not so sure. If they have Patrick doing any hand-to-hand combat, I would still look for a doublefist or sweet karate chop. But a hand phaser would be the most likely way to handle that.

 

[Prax]

I think it's a sci-fi thing. I'm pretty sure I've seen it elsewhere. It might be used to show that combatives has become more advanced in the future.

 

[Timo]

How do you avoid breaking both your pinkies in that move?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Prax]

I'm more in favor of the not-quite-faster-than-the-eye karate chop to the back of the shoulder that is as effective as the Vulcan nerve pinch

 

[Delta Vega]

I love when they bring this devastating move out. Seems they could save themselves a lot of energy if they broke out the old "double fist" at the beginning of the fight (but then I guess it would be a short ass fight!)

A move I was sad was forgotten was the patented Captain Kirk "bounce off the wall and dropkick your opponent" maneuver

The Kirk dropkick is my favourite move in all of Trek

 

[Tim Thomason]

Kirk Fu is mostly psychological. The goal is to have your opponent go "What the hell is he doing?!" before you launch your full body haphazardly in their direction and finish them off with a karate chop or double-fisted punch.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I'm more in favor of the not-quite-faster-than-the-eye karate chop to the back of the shoulder that is as effective as the Vulcan nerve pinch

The nerve pinch was a lot more uniquely Trek. What I've come to call the TV Fu Knockout Chop was all over the '60s television landscape...even in WWII shows, when knowledge of Eastern-style martial arts moves should have been a lot rarer among Westerners.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I think Spock went two-handed against the salt vampire (in the guise of Nancy Crater) in the climax of "The Man Trap." From a realism standpoint, it's a pretty strange way to fight.

Edit: Spock also used a double-fist to bust a bridge console in TMP. That was odd, too, and not in a good way.

 

[Prax]

Wow, so a two armed Spock punch is like getting hit with 6 Kirk arms in a single moment

 

[F. King Daniel]

The nerve pinch was a lot more uniquely Trek. What I've come to call the TV Fu Knockout Chop was all over the '60s television landscape...even in WWII shows, when knowledge of Eastern-style martial arts moves should have been a lot rarer among Westerners.

Austin Powers' version is the best. "Judo chop!"

 

[1001001]

The Flying Butt Hat is the deadliest move of all....

 

[Prax]

The Flying Butt Hat is the deadliest move of all....

That's the most incredible thing I have ever seen.

 

[Timo]

...In-universe, it's pretty clear what Kirk is attempting. The fight has dragged on for quite a while, and both the combatants are winded to near-exhaustion. Now the "Andorian" is on his knees, in a highly disadvantageous position for a change, and Kirk's best bet is to keep him there, using body mass instead of muscle.

It's just that Kirk apparently is too exhausted to pull that off, falling well short of the mark...

(Out-universe, it's even more obvious what's going on. But I for one find it refreshing that combat in TV isn't always smooth and well-executed; after all, it basically never is, out-universe, off-TV.)

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Delta Vega]

Did I imagine things, or did Kirk do an upward head butt before while in hand to hand combat ?

 

[Prax]

Kirk's fighting skills are still Superior to Worf's.

 

[Tim Thomason]

Still a little reckless to do to a guy with a knife. Also, Thelev was so afraid of being hit by Kirk's, uh, body mass, that he rolled away to safety without getting hit. Probably why Kirk struggled to get up and was stabbed right after this clip ends. The flying butt hat is a bad move, in real life and in-universe.