MacGuffins in TOS

[Falconer]

What are some MacGuffins in TOS? I am thinking like the Genesis Device in the movies (TWoK and TSfS, mainly)—people keep trying to steal this technology from each other. Because it’s a gamechanger.

The cloaking device in “The Enterprise Incident” is a similar plot device.

Is there any other, similar article of technology or science or intelligence that characters in a TOS episode are trying to get a hold of?

Or any such device that people WOULD try to get a hold of if they knew about it (for example, the Kirk’s Tantalus Device from “Mirror, Mirror”, or Sylvia and Korob’s Transmuter Wand)?

Any ideas welcome, no matter how much a stretch!

 

[Grant]

Egg Macguffins. Mmmmm

 

[Grant]

Oh right I shouldn't reply to threads when I'm really really hungry. To me the biggest example of a MacGuffin is the quadro triticale from Trouble with Tribbles

 

[diankra]

IIRC, a Macguffin is a plot motivation that turns out to be pointless (once the Maltese Falcon is smashed, it's worthless. Or am I thinking of Pushing Daisies here?)
Genesis is a bit more awkward. It no longer creates habitatable worlds, but it is a planet destroying weapon, as McCoy fears in Wrath of Khan.

 

[StarCruiser]

The Maltese Falcon turned out to be a fake (It's a FAKE!).

I believe that anything that has a clear purpose and isn't just a one-shot item to drive the plot is NOT a Macguffin. By it's definition, a MacGuffin must be essentially pointless:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacGuffin

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I think the ryetalyn in "Requiem for Methuselah" and the zenite in "The Cloud Minders" are MacGuffins. These could be anything urgently needed possessing properties similar to the scant few that the stories depend upon (something that must be carefully processed, unseen gas, etc., as the case may be), and the stories would be otherwise basically the same.

 

[johnnybear]

The Slaver device from the cartoon series?
JB

 

[CorporalCaptain]

The Slaver device from the cartoon series?
JB

I don't know about that. It's a good question.

Since the plot depends so heavily on exactly what features the weapon has, I would lean towards, "no, the Slaver weapon was not a MacGuffin."

If they had been fighting over an unopened box, I would probably lean more towards, "yes, whatever was in the box was a MacGuffin."

 

[Falconer]

It would be helpful for me if we could get away from the focus on the MacGuffin being “actually worthless.” I don’t personally think this is an important factor—the Death Star Plans or the Ark of the Covenant or any number of MacGuffins are not necessarily worthless. What’s more relevant to me is its function in the plot, i.e., as a motivator to the characters.

 

[Phaser Two]

While the classic MacGuffin might never be named or explained - the Rabbit's Foot in Mission: Impossible III and the briefcase in Pulp Fiction come to mind immediately along with the archetype(s) - I don't think it has to be a complete mystery. The Ark, the Death Star plans (or R2) and the Heart of the Ocean in Titanic are examples of MacGuffins that have quantifiable value.

As for the ultimate MacGuffin in TOS, though - how about corbomite?

 

[albion432]

Egg Macguffins. Mmmmm

I think Grant's Egg Macguffins might need some salt, speaking of which, would that qualify as a MacGuffin in "The Man Trap"?

 

[Delta Vega]

It hurts my head to try and reason the meaning and use of the "Macguffin"

Falls into same category as "Mary Sue" for me

 

[Qonundrum]

It hurts my head to try and reason the meaning and use of the "Macguffin"

Falls into same category as "Mary Sue" for me

It takes tact to balance out a strong plot or character or device with something used as a throwaway because, oops, 6 minutes of screen time remains so let's get resolved as quickly as possible because we're sure the preceding thirty seven minutes have more that make up for the cheat of an ending.

Of course, 29, 26, 24, 22, 18, 10, 9 episodes per season - not all of them are going to be full of "nothing but perfectly written classics" as time constraints are often monumental.

 

[Delta Vega]

It takes tact to balance out a strong plot or character or device with something used as a throwaway because, oops, 6 minutes of screen time remains so let's get resolved as quickly as possible because we're sure the preceding thirty seven minutes have more that make up for the cheat of an ending.

Of course, 29, 26, 24, 22, 18, 10, 9 episodes per season - not all of them are going to be full of "nothing but perfectly written classics" as time constraints are often monumental.

I think its fair to say that not all of Trek episodes are "nothing but perfectly written classics"
Regardless of whether they do or do not have out of left field plot devices.

 

[johnnybear]

In the sixties each episode was a complete story and had a beginning, middle and end! They weren't always to our liking but gave a sense of fulfillment! Nowadays and on TNG, DS9 & VOY included we would get forty two minutes of nothing much happening! Now that isn't restricted just to Trek but to all shows of this day and age! It's almost as if the writers have no new ideas so with the one or two they do have they stretch it out over the course of five or six episodes!
JB

 

[FormerLurker]

In the sixties each episode was a complete story and had a beginning, middle and end! They weren't always to our liking but gave a sense of fulfillment! Nowadays and on TNG, DS9 & VOY included we would get forty two minutes of nothing much happening! Now that isn't restricted just to Trek but to all shows of this day and age! It's almost as if the writers have no new ideas so with the one or two they do have they stretch it out over the course of five or six episodes!
JB

This is the same nonsense they're foistiing on readers in comicbooks these days. They call it 'writing for the trade', which means they know eventually what they're producing will be gathered into a trade paperback, and they don't want what they see as excessive repetition to get in the way of their story. So they spread the story out to multiple issues, and barely have anything happen in each one. Gets to be rather boring, to be honest.

 

[Poltargyst]

This is the same nonsense they're foistiing on readers in comicbooks these days. They call it 'writing for the trade', which means they know eventually what they're producing will be gathered into a trade paperback, and they don't want what they see as excessive repetition to get in the way of their story. So they spread the story out to multiple issues, and barely have anything happen in each one. Gets to be rather boring, to be honest.

I've made the same observation. Comics from the 70's had so much more content.

 

[Kor]

Gary Seven's "servo" gizmo could have made an interesting MacGuffin.

Kor

 

[Albertese]

This is the same nonsense they're foistiing on readers in comicbooks these days. They call it 'writing for the trade', which means they know eventually what they're producing will be gathered into a trade paperback, and they don't want what they see as excessive repetition to get in the way of their story. So they spread the story out to multiple issues, and barely have anything happen in each one. Gets to be rather boring, to be honest.

This is why I haven't bought a comic book in many years. Though I'll occasionally pick up a TPB.

To the point at hand, a MacGuffin doesn't have to be inherently worthless. It's MacGuffin status depends on it's worth in the story being solely to get the protagonists into action. The Indiana Jones movies are best at this. The Ark is a powerful item that serves as the impetus for sending the protagonist on the adventure, but the substance of the story (such as it is, beyond just being an action vehicle for Harrison Ford) is Indy connecting with Marion Ravenwood. Ultimately, Indy tells Belloch "You can have the ark, I just want the girl." And by then, Indy's actions have no real effect on the ark. Without Indy's involvement, nothing about the ark would have happened differently. The only real disruption is that the medallion was not acquired by the Nazis so they were digging in the wrong place, but then Belloch intercepted Indy's dig and found the ark and then everything proceeded as the protagonists had planned. In the end, the only difference is that Indy was around after the Nazis were killed by the ark thus enabling the American's to recover it and warehouse it. But even then, it has no effect on Indy. He'll never see it again. But he does walk away with the girl. The relationship with Marion is the story's arc. The Ark of the Covenant is a MacGuffin because it means basically nothing to the hero but only serves as the inciting incident to poke the action along while an unrelated story develops. Same is true for the Holy Grail in Last Crusade. That story is about an estranged father and son finding reconciliation. It's a powerful artifact, but finding it doesn't of itself have much affect on the story. The sequence of actions the Holy MacGuffin prompts, however, bring these two men back together.

Another factor of the MacGuffin's MacGuffin status is that it's nature doesn't really matter. The story of Indy and Marion could have just as easily been poked along by a quest for the Holy Grail and Indy's reconciliation with his father could have just as easily been alongside a search for the Ark of the Covenant. Nothing about the about the MacGuffin is more than incidental to the character's story arc.

Star Trek has plenty of examples.

--Alex

 

[Falconer]

Star Trek has plenty of examples.

Can you think of any good ones?