Hey, I never noticed that before....

[Ssosmcin]

That would be an indication unless Meyer just wanted them to hold the phasers in opposite hands for shot composition reasons or something.

Whenever I did a Trek cosplay, I'd always right hand my phaser because that's how they held them on the show. I never hold a phaser otherwise. But the back when I used to go target shooting with my brother in law, my left hand was my gun hand.

 

[Denise]

Leonard Nimoy was right handed. Don't believe AI. Spock signs reports right handed. Nimoy signed autographs right handed. He waved with his right hand.

 

[trekshark]

While we're on the topic of the green-but-looked-gold uniforms, something has always bothered me about that. The story goes that the first-season unis were, and were supposed to be, green, but the studio lights and/or cameras made them look gold. (And when they later switched to the new material, they purposely chose gold for continuity.)

The part that nags me is that in all the behind-the-scenes photos we've seen, including some shots of screen-worn uniforms at exhibitions and auctions and whatnot, I have never once seen one of these uniforms look green under non-Desilu lighting/filming conditions. Am I supposed to assume that every single photograph of them ever taken was somehow color-corrected to match the filming "corruption" of the green to gold?

Or am I missing something else obvious here? Is it a perception quirk, like that famous "what color is it" dress? Maybe I'm an idiot, but although I generally sort of "accept" this explanation as correct, I have never fully allowed myself to deep-down believe it 100%. I would love to see original, unmolested still photography of those uniforms that legitimately captures how they looked in person. (And be able to know that it's not Photoshopped; even a dork like me can change uniform colors easily in PS.)

I'm the same. Only green uniform I've seen is Kirk's wrap around alternate

 

[DarrenTR1970]

When I was at the the Museum of Pop Culture a few years ago for my birthday, they had Spock and McCoy's uniforms on display, and, maybe because of their age, or the lighting, they looked more purple than blue.
Unfortunately, my cell phone ran out of charge, so, I couldn't take any photos, otherwise I'd post them.

 

[Maurice]

I'm the same. Only green uniform I've seen is Kirk's wrap around alternate

Dress uniform.

 

[Maurice]

Also, I was reminded by @alchemist that the coveralls the crew wears are in blue, red, and green. The intention is very clearly there for green, even if the regular command tunics don't look that way in-episode.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

AI tells me Koenig and Nimoy were left handed.

Leonard Nimoy was right handed. Don't believe AI. Spock signs reports right handed. Nimoy signed autographs right handed. He waved with his right hand.

I am shocked. SHOCKED, I tell you. How could the environment killing plagiarizing Ouija board get something so wrong?

Oh, right. That's what it does with practically everything.

 

[Phaser Two]

Walter is indeed a lefty. He added a disabled left hand to his Bester character on B5 to make Bester seem more alien/unfamiliar—and to put himself out of his comfort zone by acting without his dominant hand. I don't recall ever picking up on that in TOS, though. Every time I can think of that he held a phaser, he used his right hand.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Walter is indeed a lefty. He added a disabled left hand to his Bester character on B5 to make Bester seem more alien/unfamiliar—and to put himself out of his comfort zone by acting without his dominant hand. I don't recall ever picking up on that in TOS, though. Every time I can think of that he held a phaser, he used his right hand.

Huh. Some actors want to play it as themselves as much as possible, to make things easier. Shatner didn't think he could play the lead in a one-hour series as a total act. And he also felt that the biggest male stars basically played themselves (or their famous persona) in every movie, so that was the way to go. The last thing he wanted to be was a character actor. But Koenig played smaller roles and obviously had to make a different calculation.

 

[Phaser Two]

I reviewed every ep I could think of where Chekov holds a phaser—"Who Mourns for Adonais," "The Apple," "The Gamesters of Triskelion," "Mirror, Mirror," "Spock's Brain" (possibly the only time he fires one), "Day of the Dove," "And the Children Shall Lead," and "The Way to Eden"—and I do feel like that list is incomplete. Anyway, right hand every time. But in both TWOK and TVH, he has phasers in his left hand—before holding one in his right in TUC.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I reviewed every ep I could think of where Chekov holds a phaser—"Who Mourns for Adonais," "The Apple," "The Gamesters of Triskelion," "Mirror, Mirror," "Spock's Brain" (possibly the only time he fires one), "Day of the Dove," "And the Children Shall Lead," and "The Way to Eden"—and I do feel like that list is incomplete. Anyway, right hand every time. But in both TWOK and TVH, he has phasers in his left hand—before holding one in his right in TUC.

Wasn't that right in the character's full name, Pavel Ambidextrous Chekov? It's incredible the way Star Trek holds together. They knew what they were doing when they wrote this stuff.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Ambidextov.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Ambidexterity was a Russian inwention.

 

[Redfern]

...environment killing plagiarizing Ouija board...

As a kid I honestly thought that word was pronounced "orgy"!

Just imagine the awkwardness that resulted when my cousins and I told the adults we were going to pull out the "Orgy Board"!

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Ambidextraronovich.

 

[Just a Bill]

Ambidreievich.

flipped wall signage ... audience might think it's a mistake

Unless they lampshaded it. Maybe something like this, shortly after exiting the transporter room (in sickbay, probably):

UHURA: Captain, did you notice the writing?​

KIRK: Yes. All ...​

[cut to closeup of a mirrored wall placard]​

KIRK [VO]: ... backwards.​

[quick, low musical sting, then cut back to wide shot]​

McCOY: Just like our bodies.​

[longer, lower sting or motif as the other three tense up and look at themselves; SCOTT reaches up to feel which side his hair is parted on, validating the uncanney-valley experience the audience has been having]​

On the right/left handedness investigation: In addition to segments where characters write, it may be helpful to seek out eating/drinking scenes. Sulu in Man Trap, Chekov in Spectre (unless he's too interested in Sylvia to drink with the others), etc. My weak hand is good at operating doors and steering wheels, but bad with forks.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Or button pressing scenes.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

During the Doomsday Machine, at 24:33 there's a blink and you miss it shot of Decker signing a report during the PK attack and he's using his right hand.

BTW that shot is f'n hilarious in that the yeoman would take time time RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT to come to the guy who just forcefully assumed command for him to sign something.

And there's no sign of her before or after.

I think he's got the pen stylus in his left hand:

https://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/screencaps/season2/206-doomsday-machine/doomsday-machine-br-373.jpg

Also, maybe he had to "sign on the dotted line" to take legal responsibility for the ship. And she just happened to have the document handy because the clipboard is some kind of "tablet computer," I guess you could call it. I mean, this is the future. She could call up starship deck plans or an article on orchids if you wanted it. It's science fiction!

 

[Just a Bill]

Or button pressing scenes.

Hmm, maybe. My off hand is pretty good at pressing buttons and working other simple controls. In fact I have sometimes pressed buttons/worked controls with my toes, elbows, knees, forehead when my hands were busy carrying something big or heavy. But eating? Yikes, I just can't pull it off. I look like a marionette on the apprentice's first day of training. Maybe I'm just the weird one here.

I think he's got the pen stylus in his left hand:

https://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/screencaps/season2/206-doomsday-machine/doomsday-machine-br-373.jpg

Agreed, that's what it looks like.

She could call up starship deck plans or an article on orchids if you wanted it. It's science fiction!

Technically true -- sci-fi/do-whatever-you-want -- but I think this device (the closest thing to a canon name for it I've found is "electronic clipboard," though I can't remember where that was) was not understood as being able to pull up any information it wants. Generally we see information retrieval happening at a console that's directly connected to the ship's infrastructure, or using a device that can read the data cards, like that little black one with the red trapezoidal "viewing hood." (Even when sitting at the big table in the conference room, people tend to have to insert a data card to put something on the screen, although this probably wasn't 100% consistent.)

Anyway, I have a feeling that the electronic clipboard carried just whatever was pre-loaded onto it, and could accept limited new information via the stylus screen. I don't think it was the equivalent of today's handheld wifi/bluetooth device. TNG introduced the PADDs which were basically tablets, of course, and some people like to call the electronic clipboard a PADD, but the differences between them are significant. For one thing, the EC had virtually no input controls other than the on-off button & writable screen; if it was a give-you-whatever-you-want device then it would have needed voice input, like Spock's library computer, the turbolifts, and the briefing room table. Also it was never depicted as being able to display anything other than a document to be read and/or signed. If it was more capable than that, and had a wireless link to the ship, then we should have seen one go with every landing party.

 

[trekshark]

Dress uniform.

forgot about those