Hey, I never noticed that before....

looks like he had trouble with the sliders… perhaps that’s why it was re shot?

 

The uniform of the hand footage matches the actor who stood next to the console in this scene, so presumably it was shot at the same time
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x01-2-hd/themantraphd303.jpg
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x01-2-hd/themantraphd306.jpg

 

Thanks for posting that. The red sleeve without stripes is obviously not Jimmy, true. The right hand has its middle finger. But at the same time, it does not match the guy in red Engineering coveralls. That coverall sleeve has a different cut and different fabric. The coveralls are a cotton blend, while the hand close-up is what they referred to as velour. Still, the editorial match-up is close enough for casual viewers, and that's all they needed.

So we know they filmed transporter stock footage more than once. They got Jimmy with his Lt. commander stripes, and this other performer with no stripes. But even so, I could swear I've seen an episode, don't know which, where a no-stripe red shirt is at the controls, and they used the wrong stock footage (Jimmy with stripes) for the hand close-up insert.

Another mismatch, seen in the third season, is the continued use of velour uniform stock shots that don't quite match the synthetic fabric uniforms. My favorite being the overhead bridge shot from "The Galileo Seven" showing up in "The Lights of Zetar."

 

Oh, shoot, didn't they do that more than once?

Also, other than the instance from "The Man Trap" cited here, was there ever any other set of hands besides Jimmy's shown operating the sliders? For example, Kyle was there often enough (when he wasn't getting KOed from behind with his back to the door by an unauthorized user as in "Space Seed" and "City on the Edge of Forever," sigh) but I don't remember a slider shot with anything that looked like John Winston's hands.

 

May be old news on this thread, but I was fascinated to read that Janos Prohaska, who created the Horta costume, showed it to Gene Coon, and when he asked what it was Prohaska said "It can be whatever you want." Apparently Coon replied "I'll write a script around it" and wrote this episode in 4 days. The man was pure genius.

Something I only recently realized-- “The devil in the dark” is us humans, not the Horta.

And one thing that always puzzled me is why Shatner claims this as his favorite episode, when his father died. Nimoy and others helped him through, but still it seems strange.

 

True dat! Gene Coon was amazing, and his leaving the show was the biggest loss to Star Trek, IMO.

It's because thinking about that episode reminds him of how Nimoy and the others helped him through an extremely difficult time. That's the sort of thing that cements a friendship for life.

 

I had forgotten this story; thanks. Did Coon confirm it?

You're right - the "devil" changes. First it's the unknown assailant, then it's the revealed Horta, then it's the miners, both in the event and in retrospect. It's just an absolutely brilliant story, as you noted. Genius indeed.

I figured Shatner remembered how the show, cast, and crew supported him and he was able to make something enduring that he probably viewed as a tribute to his father. I've read and seen enough of Bill's writings and words that I can comfortably believe that's consistent with his personal outlook. He was and is an amazing hard worker and utterly dedicated to his craft. Being able - with the help of his colleagues - to deal with a sudden devastating loss and have it not interrupt his work or even show on film (on the contrary, this episode is one of his best performances in the entire series) would make Bill, in my speculative opinion, extremely proud and happy for the memory of his dad. Add in the fact that it's a superlative episode and there you have it.

 

I don't know if Coon confirmed it. Saw it on IMDB trivia about that episode.

 

Asking "Who's the real monster here?" and concluding it's the humans has become almost a cliché at this point. The idea is heavily implied in the 1976 and 2005 remakes of King Kong, for instance.

 

Well, I might have slid one up and the other two down…just to see what happens.

 

This:
https://i0.wp.com/trekkerscrapbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/v1-pg-66c.jpg?ssl=1

 

Did Coon ever confirm anything about TOS? I know he died several years after the show ended – and certainly as it was gaining popularity in syndication- but I am not aware of any interview he ever did regarding his work on Star Trek. I’d love to be proven wrong but I just don’t think he ever took an opportunity to speak about his work on the show before he passed away.

 

First-person information on Coon is nearly non-existant. Quotes abound to a point, but even they are suspect.
It's amazing to me that after all these years and all the spotlights (post-mortem), his star shines so dimly.

 

Coon died in 1973, which was very early in Star Trek's cultural ascension. The show was just beginning to transcend the status of a mere syndicated rerun.

If you are not around to promote yourself, give interviews, make public appearances, or write a tell-all book, you fade away. When's the last time any of us thought about River Phoenix, right? And he was a star.

 

Excellent point, and thanks. You're probably right given when he passed away and the fact that at that time (1973), Star Trek was just starting to blossom into the full-fledged popular phenomenon it is today. Thinking back, I believe I only became aware of the true centrality of his importance (beyond the obvious writing credits, etc.) when I began reading the various behind-the-scenes books in the 80s and 90s.

 

Watching “Wold in the Fold” last night I noticed that when Kirk and Spock are on their way to the turbolift after Redjack jumps into the computer everyone in the corridor is acting a bit goofy like they’d already received a shot of the tranquilizer. There was a second corridor scene after most of the crew should have been drugged, I can only assume there was some confusion with the timing of those scenes and the direction for the extras since I’d assume they were filmed at the same time.

 

Who??

 

Last time I rewatched Last Crusade so more recently than most...

 

Thanks for bringing up this episode. It's not one of my favorites, and I hadn't seen it for a few years. The sexism is the main issue. But, beyond that, I found the concept and the way it unfolded very interesting.

I'm not sure you're right about that scene. The crewmembers do seem to be sauntering a bit. We only see the face of the crewmember behind them. She smiles after exchanging some casual greeting with a man walking away from us. You might be right, but maybe they'd all returned from shore leave.

I've always thought it was strange that Hengist's dead body was propped up on the conference room table. Of course, the plot dictated it so his body could be taken over by Redjack again.

 

KIrk's excusing Spock's pointy ears to the cop in COTEOF as being the result of an accident, repaired by a missionary who was a "skilled plastic surgeon" as well - it makes sense and seems less like a weak deus ex excuse pulled out of Kirk's behind when you see all these ads for Christian medical missions that help kids with cleft lips and palates. That is, a missionary who also, oddly enough, was a skilled plastic surgeon as a civilian.