Hey, I never noticed that before....
- Thread starter Warped9
- Start date
Thanks for all the research, Nerys Myk. Yeah, even though McCoy did very well under the circumstances, I can see that experience scaring him enough to go, "You know, I'm not as experienced with Vulcans as I should be. I'd better get a doctor with more expertise in their treatment aboard ASAP."
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Kirk mentions having seen the mellitus of Alpha Majoris I in "Wolf In The Fold"
Interestingly, the term "mellitus" means "of or pertaining to honey" https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mellitus
Was it supposed to be this? http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Dikironium_cloud_creature
Interestingly, the term "mellitus" means "of or pertaining to honey" https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mellitus
Was it supposed to be this? http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Dikironium_cloud_creature
I don't believe that for a second. The smoke had to be intentional. It was meant to be either cryogenic fog wafting up, or overheated circuitry in the operating machinery over Sarek's chest.
Two things make that unlikely. One, in stardate order, "Obsession" immediately follows "Wolf in the Fold". Two, in airdate/production order, "Obsession" immediately precedes "Wolf in the Fold"...
In the former case, one would expect Kirk and Spock both to immediately go "MELLITUS!" when confronting the villain of the week. In the latter, Kirk would be making the understatement of the century when saying he's "seen" the creature - and contradicting the "Obsession" idea of the creature being previously unknown to Federation science, because the episode never has it anywhere near any Alpha Majoris I (the three planets involved are Tycho IV with the Farragut, then Argus X as the episode opens, and then Tycho IV again).
I'd very much like to believe in the stardate ordering of the adventures, as it removes the few contradictions that the thoroughly episodic TOS otherwise would have. But it's very odd that Mellitus doesn't come up in the discussions regarding the Argus X beast.
Timo Saloniemi
Awesome catch! This is why I love TOS discussion even 50 years later; seems like there's always something new to learn. "Wolf in the Fold" is one of my favorite episodes, I probably have most of its dialogue memorized from so many watches, and I really enjoy the whole unraveling of the mystery in the briefing room, but I never thought to think about what the name of the "mellitus" cloud creature meant.
I agree completely if I'm understanding you correctly. The airdate order was back-to-back ("Obsession" was shown one week and then "Wolf in the Fold" aired a week later); the stardates were adjacent to one another but in the reverse order, and if a quick check of Wiki is to be believed, the production order was 11 episodes apart, with WIF #36 and OBS #47.
But you're right. If we go by real-world airdate order, it certainly seems like Kirk or someone in WIF should have said "Yes, this gaseous-to-solid deal is possible; we have pretty good evidence of it having just cleaned up a similar problem about a week ago." Similarly, if we go by stardate order, the computer records should have been more of a resource in OBS than they were already in determining whether the cloud creature could "possibly exist;" I can almost hear Majel's voice intoning "we-also-covered-this-pretty-recently-folks." Since the production order was pretty far apart, though, I wonder if any of the crew noticed. If not, it's a spectacular coincidence that two episodes (from two different writers) dealt with a honey-related (one linguistically, the other olfactorily) gas-to-solid creature. Maybe one of the staff writers polishing up the two drafts had enjoyed some *really* good honey around this time?
'Cause it's not at all possible that Dee was having a smoke between takes, and a fast, busy shooting schedule let one tiny gaff slip thru?
We'll have to agree to disagree.
It's possible, but I've got to agree with Zap. Even on a tight schedule, there would be plenty of time to smoke while the shots were set up. And someone would have to place an ashtray where it would be right in the middle of the shot. And it happened to be in just the right place where the smoke would catch the light from the medical device. And nobody on the set noticed the unwanted smoke in the shot before action. And Kelly seems like too much of a pro to do something like that.
That smoke may have come from an actual cigarette, but it was meant to be seen. I'm guessing to add some visual interest to the futuristic surgery.
I also agree. Even if some people are just noticing it now, I've always seen it and assumed it was vapor from the cold of the cryogenic process.
I have the script for this episode somewhere, but can't find it now. It has a lot of description of the action, down to Spock's blood being greener after filtering - something I only saw after reading about it. If anyone else has a copy, maybe you could see if the smoke is mentioned?
Bahb Justman took David Gerrold to task for showing smoke caused by the wee bairns in an early draft of "Tribbles." I doubt that anyone would have either appreciated a visibly smoking piece of advanced surgical equipment or taken the time and budget to rig an effect of such little significance (much like my comments: extremely little, ensign.)
Also, sometimes cigarettes are incompletely snuffed out from time to time and continue to smolder. I watched the surgery scenes again last night and the smoke is visible only in one or to takes. Would Kelley take the opportunity to sneak a drag between takes when the ashtray was conveniently hidden? Who can know, but I think I would under the circumstances.
Also, sometimes cigarettes are incompletely snuffed out from time to time and continue to smolder. I watched the surgery scenes again last night and the smoke is visible only in one or to takes. Would Kelley take the opportunity to sneak a drag between takes when the ashtray was conveniently hidden? Who can know, but I think I would under the circumstances.
IMHO, Occam's Razor is on the side of it being a cigarette that everyone thought was hidden for the take. Odds are that little bit of smoke was unseen during editing on the tiny moviola screen, and if anyone noticed it during the final viewing before sending it to air, they'd have thought, oh well, nobody's going to see it on a normal home TV of the time.
Regarding the smoke, both scenarios may be factual.
I have seen that scene numerous times, and I have always noticed the smoke. I assume the smoke was intentional. It made sense in the context of the scene. The operation was happening while the ship was under attack. The ship rattled and rolled every time when it was hit.
The attack, the shaking of the ship, etc. probably affected the operating machinery covering Sarek. The circuits may have been overheating, or the cryogenic was puffing out, or whatever.
In any case, imo, the smoke was intended to indicate the peril McCoy and Sarek were facing under the circumstances. The smoke was meant to enhance the drama.
The smoke itself may have been from a cigarette that Kelly was smoking, instead of from a smoke producing prop. But it would have been intentional. Of course, I'm just speculating about this. It seems unlikely that Kelly, the pro actor that he was, would sneak in a smoke so immediately prior to shooting.
I have seen that scene numerous times, and I have always noticed the smoke. I assume the smoke was intentional. It made sense in the context of the scene. The operation was happening while the ship was under attack. The ship rattled and rolled every time when it was hit.
The attack, the shaking of the ship, etc. probably affected the operating machinery covering Sarek. The circuits may have been overheating, or the cryogenic was puffing out, or whatever.
In any case, imo, the smoke was intended to indicate the peril McCoy and Sarek were facing under the circumstances. The smoke was meant to enhance the drama.
The smoke itself may have been from a cigarette that Kelly was smoking, instead of from a smoke producing prop. But it would have been intentional. Of course, I'm just speculating about this. It seems unlikely that Kelly, the pro actor that he was, would sneak in a smoke so immediately prior to shooting.
My view as well. Actors shooting a single-camera drama spend a lot of time waiting around for their scenes to be shot, because much of the day is spent by the director of photography arranging his lights with stand-ins. The scarce time the actors get actually working before the camera would not be a smoke-break, as far as I can think. By that point, they've had all the smoking time they want and then some.
The photo posted by GNDN18 would have to have been when a scene was being lit, not when it was being shot. It looks like "The Corbomite Maneuver." Nice photo, too, assuming it isn't an Internet creation (and I don't think it is).
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I would say Occam goes the opposite way. There are so many coincidences that would have to happen for that smoke to accidentally show up in the shot, as I mentioned before. As the saying went in cinematography, "If you want to see it, you have to light it." There were a number of people on that set whose job it was to make sure that what was intended to be in the shot was visible in the shot, and what was not (like a boom) was not.
I think it's from those bubble-gum cards posted at Trekcore. I cropped out Nichelle Nichols, but she was wearing the green-gold uniform. I agree that it's likely from Corbomite.
The use of the picture was meant to be cheeky and demonstrative, not serious and substantive. ;>
The use of the picture was meant to be cheeky and demonstrative, not serious and substantive. ;>
Generally agreed in principle – but isn’t this whole thread RIFE with actual photographic proof of stuff throughout the series that was not supposed to be visible in the shot but was? Actors’ marks on the ground, poorly fitted set pieces, items left lying around in camera view, actors visible through a doorway or behind a stand of trees waiting for their cue toi enter the scene.
Sometimes - even with those people who are responsible for preventing things appearing in the shot – things just get through, and this thread has ample proof of that.
M
Take ends, Kelly lights up for a quick smoke.
Director: "Whoops, hey, Dee, I need just one more quick closeup. Just hide the butt for a second." Roll film, cut, "Okay, thanks, Dee."
I guess we'll never know for sure. But the smoke was pretty obvious on "old-style, 20th century" television sets. When they viewed the dailies, projected on a movie screen, it would have leapt out like crazy. So it went out with their full knowledge that we'd see it. If De had exhaled smoke while reading his lines, that would be the clincher, and hilarious.
You are right, the smoke was clearly visible. It was intended to be in the scene, imo.
Consider the context of the scene. The smoke, being in the scene, made perfect sense. Remember the ship was under attack. The ship shook violently when it was hit. The attack, the shaking caused havoc with the machine covering Sarek. The machine was overheating or something of the kind. It was logical that smoke was coming out of it.
At one point McCoy said, "one more like that, and I'm going to lose both these men." I guess he meant that the medical machine might fail because of all of the shaking and power disruption to sickbay. The smoke, being deliberately in the scene, made sense.
These were pros. They weren't getting paid to be slackers.
Consider the context of the scene. The smoke, being in the scene, made perfect sense. Remember the ship was under attack. The ship shook violently when it was hit. The attack, the shaking caused havoc with the machine covering Sarek. The machine was overheating or something of the kind. It was logical that smoke was coming out of it.
At one point McCoy said, "one more like that, and I'm going to lose both these men." I guess he meant that the medical machine might fail because of all of the shaking and power disruption to sickbay. The smoke, being deliberately in the scene, made sense.
I suppose that scenario, or something resembling it, was possible. But that would seem very amateurish of Kelly and the director to behave in that way.Take ends, Kelly lights up for a quick smoke.
Director: "Whoops, hey, Dee, I need just one more quick closeup. Just hide the butt for a second." Roll film, cut, "Okay, thanks, Dee."
These were pros. They weren't getting paid to be slackers.
If not, it's a spectacular coincidence that two episodes (from two different writers) dealt with a honey-related (one linguistically, the other olfactorily) gas-to-solid creature. Maybe one of the staff writers polishing up the two drafts had enjoyed some *really* good honey around this time?
Or from the term "diabetes mellitus" (sugar (aka juvenile) diabetes)
