Star Trek: TMP questions and observations

[CorporalCaptain]

Notice that the radiation suits are only worn by everyone the first time they try the warp drive, presumably because the engines are untested and they're being extra cautious.

The second time Scotty, Spock (and presumably others, based on previous scenes) are in their usual uniforms.

Yeah, the rad suits coming on ubiquitously for the first warp entry was a nice touch.

They wear them later in the film, perhaps in part just to stay prepared for when the engines get fully revved.

• At first encounter, Scotty is still in his regulars, but it looks like helmets might actually be needed aft along the shaft.
• After Ilia is taken, they go to full emergency power for a bit. Now, Scotty seems to think that the rad suit is a good idea. The red rad suit is also a nice touch.

They also wore them a lot in TWOK, so it would seem that they were really needed even after the post-TMP proper shakedown, though I guess one could also argue that since it was a training vessel by then, they were merely observing the extreme protocols for training purposes, and/or staying prepared against the possibility of cadet blunders.

 

[Maurice]

^^^Looks more like the editor wasn't paying attention to costume continuity after they successfully went to warp.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

^^^Looks more like the editor wasn't paying attention to costume continuity after they successfully went to warp.

Are you sure the continuity issues are due only to editing? The dialog uttered by Scotty in the pic with the red rad suit is pretty specific to that moment in the film.

SCOTT: Captain, if we don't break free in fifteen seconds, she'll burn up.

Of course, the next time we see him, he and other officers are back in their regulars, when discussing the self-destruct. You're right, that doesn't make much sense, though the order to prepare for self-destruct and the discussion in engineering that followed was cut from the theatrical release.

 

[Maurice]

^^^Looks more like the editor wasn't paying attention to costume continuity after they successfully went to warp.

Are you sure the continuity issues are due only to editing? The dialog uttered by Scotty in the pic with the red rad suit is pretty specific to that moment in the film.

SCOTT: Captain, if we don't break free in fifteen seconds, she'll burn up.

Here's how it breaks down re Scotty's uniforms:

Leaving drydock/impulse: standard
Warp drive/wormhole: Rad suit
Fix engines w/Spock & Warp 7: standard
V'ger weapons attacks: standard
After flyover tractor beam: rad suit

So, it's pretty consistent except that Scotty ran to put his rad suit on while they were flying through the cloud, apparently.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

^ And, if we count discussion of self-destruct, it's back to standard.

 

[Maurice]

^ And, if we count discussion of self-destruct, it's back to standard.

Actually, it's back to standard for the rest of the film, including the deleted scene where Decker shows the Ilia probe the engine room.

 

[Robert Comsol]

Here's how it breaks down re Scotty's uniforms:

Leaving drydock/impulse: standard
Warp drive/wormhole: Rad suit
Fix engines w/Spock & Warp 7: standard
V'ger weapons attacks: standard
After flyover tractor beam: rad suit

So, it's pretty consistent except that Scotty ran to put his rad suit on while they were flying through the cloud, apparently.

Interesting topic, I recently brought it up, too, in blssdwlf's Enterprise WIP fan art thread.

Apparently the standard uniforms / jumpsuits are radiation-proof to certain levels, like the one Scotty's assistant Cleary is wearing (with the typical radsuit collar).
My guess: minimal standard radsuit gear in impulse "engineering"

In the warp drive "engine room" white and heavy radsuits appear to be the minimal standard.

As for the lower intermix and reactor levels, the red-orange heavy radsuits might be the minimal standard.

In TMP Scotty changes back and forth quite a lot, maybe he doesn't like to wear the heavy radsuit while in impulse engineering and it really took him some time until TWOK to wear this thing permanently.

Unless I'm mistaken it's not only the kind of radiation one is exposed to but also the period of time. As for Scotty he might leave the engine rooms to go to his office, be on the bridge or else (i.e. unlike the engine room work shift he doesn't get his daily dose of radiation)?

Same could apply to the helmets, the longer you stay it becomes imperative to put these on (alternately temperatures in the rooms might go below zero to optimize conductivity of the intermix components, so radsuits might also work as thermal gear).

Bob

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

I can't see how they even get those rad-suits on. That neck thing doesn't look like you'd be able to fit your head through the opening. Kind of like in cartoons, where someone might be depicted as wearing one of those fish bowl space helmets with a hole in the bottom way to small for a head to even squeeze through.

 

[Maurice]

The same could be said of pants if it weren't for the fly.

 

[Robert Comsol]

I can't see how they even get those rad-suits on.

Apparently you'd require the assistance of another engineer to put these radsuits on. And possibly they have to wear diapers in case they feel the need to "relieve" themselves.

This, of course, could explain why we see Scotty getting in and out of his radsuit in TMP. He just wasn't used, yet, wearing such diapers.

Bob

 

[Maurice]

You guys are forgetting the "spray and wear clothing" idea, which we see demonstrated on the Ilia probe.

 

[Christopher]

I can't see how they even get those rad-suits on. That neck thing doesn't look like you'd be able to fit your head through the opening.

I'm sure there's some kind of concealed seam. But it would need to appear seamless once secured, since I believe it's meant to be a base for a helmet and would thus need to be airtight.