The V'ger pinwheel orifice

[Doctorwhovian]

In TMP, when Spock goes on the "Spock Walk" through the V'ger pinwheel shaped orifice, there's mainly images of the machine planet, various stellar bodies, Epsilon 9, what looks like some sort of weird space whale with antennae, and of course a giant Ilia, as well as some conduit or something.

However later when the Enterprise goes into this this thing, there's only the weird 'steps' and V'gers 'heart/brain consisting of the probe itself. Where did the images go? V'ger simply shut them off like his cloud ( also like TNG's holodeck becoming sort of a bland grid pattern when not on), or was this some kind of FX compromise due to the troubled production (possibly because the Memory wall scene was cut)?

 

[pfontaine2]

Yes, this certainly seems to be a continuity error that I've noticed as well. There doesn't appear to be multiple openings in the chamber that holds the Enterprise, but at the same time it's hard to believe that the Enterprise could fit through the orifice that Spock enters on his journey.

My personal (made up) explanation is that Vger is unaware that Spock has entered the data storage chamber. Perhaps Vger was in the process of organizing and preparing all this data to give to the Creator once it reached Earth which is why it is on display when Spock enters it.

When the Enterprise enters the same chamber, Vger has turned off all this data on display because it is meant for the Creator alone and not for the carbon units infesting Enterprise. The Director's Edition adds a lovely shot of the Enterprise flying through an enormous chamber before reaching Vgers location which gives some credence to my explanation.

As always, this is just my interpretation of something that isn't explained very clearly in the movie.

 

[Maurice]

The orifice is plenty huge for the Enterprise to fit through. They just never did a shot where you really saw how tiny Spock would be against it.

The main reason for the continuity error is likely because the spacewalk got changed late in the game. But it's pretty easy to imagine that V'ger shut off its "gigantic imaging system" when it brought the Enterprise in.

 

[xvicente]

in the Director's cut dvd, the Enterprise takes a bit longer to reach V'ger.

but yes, Spock seems to have taken a detour inside the vessel.

 

[Doctorwhovian]

I think the Spock Walk probably owes a bit to 2001 as well, with some of the more bizzare visuals Spock encounters, although the sequence is nowhere near as long or weird.


Also the Klingon cruisers seem to be missing from the sequence as well (unless I'm missing something), although I think they appear in some of the adaptations. I know that in some of the storyboards there was a bit where the Klingon cruisers are brought back (sort of like Illia) and used by V'ger against the Enterprise, or something like that (This would've also had a saucer seperation I think).

 

[Richard Baker]

I know that in some of the storyboards there was a bit where the Klingon cruisers are brought back (sort of like Illia) and used by V'ger against the Enterprise, or something like that (This would've also had a saucer seperation I think).

That sequence was to be just after V'Ger went lightshow. The Klingon ships which had been digitized at the beginning returned to their original state when V'Ger left. The Enterprise had engine problems and did a saucer separation, leaving the stardrive section behind as it chased the Klingons away. Probert did a magnificent job showing how the two sections connected and just how the two would look as they came apart.

One thing (aside from adding onto the ending needlessly) that bothered me about this scene- it implies that all sorts of things V'Ger digitized would have been released in Earth orbit as well, including Illia (suffocating in a vacuum) and the Epsilon Station which would have probably tumbled into the atmosphere..

 

[Maurice]

The Klingon ships are in some of McCall's concepts for the V'ger images, but they didn't make it into the spacewalk. If that's because the models were over to Apogee instead of Trumbull's shop, I dunno.

And, again, there was never any serious intent to bring the Klingons back (and the saucer separation) at the end. It was mere a proposal drawn up by Andy Probert.

 

[martok2112]

If you watch Spock's Mind flash of events when he tries to mind meld with the Ilia probe, and watch it ftame by frame....you'll see a Klingon battlecruiser among the images.

 

[Avro Arrow]

In TMP, when Spock goes on the "Spock Walk" through the V'ger pinwheel shaped orifice, there's mainly images of the machine planet, various stellar bodies, Epsilon 9, what looks like some sort of weird space whale with antennae, and of course a giant Ilia, as well as some conduit or something.

However later when the Enterprise goes into this this thing, there's only the weird 'steps' and V'gers 'heart/brain consisting of the probe itself. Where did the images go?

It was a rights issue. When it was just Spock, he was a houseguest, and the images were still considered private home use. But with the whole crew of the Enterprise there, it was considered a "public performance", so V'Ger was prohibited from displaying the images; similar to how, for example, you're not supposed to play a DVD for a crew on an oil rig.

V'ger digitized a lot of entertainment lawyers.

 

[Ithekro]

20th century engineering.

 

[Memory Alpha]

It's probably symbolic somehow, but I always felt that given the director's love of big interiors and tracking shots that V-Ger positively should have been located in some internal complex or something, and that would have been consistent with the whole "computer room" thing with blinkies and so on. I always thought the way it was done was very strange and it has always struck me as rushed.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Anybody have any understanding of the principle behind the orifice itself, the six flaps, and how it opens and closes?

 

[Richard Baker]

It's probably symbolic somehow, but I always felt that given the director's love of big interiors and tracking shots that V-Ger positively should have been located in some internal complex or something, and that would have been consistent with the whole "computer room" thing with blinkies and so on. I always thought the way it was done was very strange and it has always struck me as rushed.

I think his goal was to show a different level of technology with was visually different from what we had seen on the Enterprise. The Refit had the blinkies, V'Ger had moving light panels showing data transfer.

 

[Maurice]

According to Return to Tomorrow the V'ger interior miniature was deigned to have all these moving lights so that it would seem to be alive, but Trumbull accidentally fried it so so the lights are just steady on. :\

I've read descriptions of how the orifice works, but I've never quite figured out the geometry. I figured out the maw ages ago, and even modeled it in 3D. It's really simple.

 

[arch101]

Anybody have any understanding of the principle behind the orifice itself, the six flaps, and how it opens and closes?

I think it's intended to mimic a heart valve in some ways. They have leafs like that and move in a similar fashion as blood moves through them.

 

[BeatleJWOL]

According to Return to Tomorrow the V'ger interior miniature was deigned to have all these moving lights so that it would seem to be alive, but Trumbull accidentally fried it so so the lights are just steady on. :\

Now that's funny! Yet another reminder I need to get that book.

 

[Borjis]

I like the Darth Vader & Miss Piggy easter eggs in that spock walk.

 

[Richard Baker]

I like the Darth Vader & Miss Piggy easter eggs in that spock walk.

Say what?

Any way you could tell me where to look for them?

 

[Campe]

I like the Darth Vader & Miss Piggy easter eggs in that spock walk.

Say what?

Any way you could tell me where to look for them?

Vader.

I always thought Piggy was at a different point but according to this, she's apparently right below Vader.

 

[Richard Baker]

Vader looks great- just an't make out ms Piggy that well...

I love the Easter Eggs in movies- thanks!