Translating your door

[RobertScorpio]

OKay, I was watching TNG last night. There was a scene where Riker was conversing with Picard about something. And I realized, he, Riker, was standing right next to the door, right on top of it nearly.

The door does not open. But when his lines are over, Riekr turns and the door opens up.

Well, why didn't the door open up when he was standing there through-out the scene?

And then I was watching DS9's WAY OF THE WARRIOR last weekend. There is the scene where GOWRON and MARTOK are about to attack DS9. They have an exchange with Sisko. For a moment both MARTOK and GOWRON exchange Klingon word with each other, and then continue on with Sisko. Why didn't the UNIVERSAL TRANSLATOR translate what they said. Were they speaking English?

In fact, why do we ever even here Klingon words at all, if they are spoken to Humans. huh????


Please educate me!

 

[trash80]

The UT can't translate words that don't have an equivalent in the target language perhaps?

 

[greenmystik]

I don't get the door thing myself. I was just watching a VOY episode and the door seemed to open a full five seconds before Janeway entered. That was just weird.

As for the UT, that's just for the writers. I doesn't make sense when they speak in Klingon and then go and tell someone else what they just said! WTF! The UT shoulda picked that up right?!

The best part is when they are on Klingon ships. You would think that they would be talking Klingon to each other, but no, they'll be speaking in "English" (FED standard). I would just assume they are "translating" for the audience at home but then they go and start speaking Klingon.

 

[Smiley]

The explanation for the doors? To quote Phil Farrand, "They read the script."

Don't think too much about the UT. You'll live longer that way.

 

[Laren]

The psychic doors sure are useful, eh?

 

[Mysterion]

In ST the doors and elevators operate at the speed of plot.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Mysterion said:
In ST the doors and elevators operate at the speed of plot.

Rather than plot, doors and turbolifts operate at the speed of dialog/conversations.

 

[RobertScorpio]

Shatner doors

I think the doors on Star Trek have all gone to the William Shatner School of acting...meaning, they love to steal the scenes!

 

[Forbin]

Re: Shatner doors

In a shopping center I frequent, there's a Staples with automatic doors that I have to walk by to get to all the other stores. The doors are right on the sidewalk, so there's no way to give them a wide berth without walking thru traffic. The damn things open every time a person walks past them on the sidewalk. They're basically opening and closing non-stop all day, every day.

Stupid, unitelligent doors!

 

[UnknownSample]

Re: Shatner doors

I think it's good that they came up with the idea of UTs at all. It just barely justifies all the untranslated talk between aliens. Expecting no logical flaws is unreasonable.

A real instantaneous UT (no time delay) with the sound of all those Klingon (etc) words somehow being silenced (the sounds were made, they're out there reverberating in the air, that sound must still exist)... isn't possible. And where do the new translated word sounds come from? Do UTs have hidden speakers someplace? You can change English or Klingon words to similar words in a different language, in people's heads, but you can't alter sound once it's left people's mouths.

Sorry, i didn't have any opinions about the doors.

 

[Hofner]

Re: Shatner doors

A loooong time ago I noticed how weird those doors are. In TOS "The Naked Time", Spock enters the briefing room. He passes thorugh the doors, they swish shut right behind him and he collapses against them. Those doors had read the script alright.

Robert