Turbolifts and Dual Sets of Doors

[FalTorPan]

I recently rewatched "The Corbomite Maneuver," which I think might be the only filmed Trek story to depict a somewhat realistic turbolift configuration.

Kirk rides in a turbolift car to the bridge. After the car stops, its doors open -- to reveal a second set of doors which open shortly thereafter. The obvious suggestion is that both the turbolift car and the turbolift stop have their own sets of doors, just as in the real world.

As far as I can recall, no other episode has shown this. Can anyone think of any other story -- TOS or otherwise, TV episode or feature film -- to show two sets of doors at a turbolift exit?

 

[Plum]

Hmm... didn't the doors to the shuttlebay also come in the two-door variety? Glad you mentioned this, it was always a pet peeve of mine Trek constantly used one door for the elevator. Sheesh!

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

Plum said:
Hmm... didn't the doors to the shuttlebay also come in the two-door variety?

Best scene showing that was in the "Immunity Syndrome" wasn't it?

 

[USS Mariner]

FalTorPan said:
I recently rewatched "The Corbomite Maneuver," which I think might be the only filmed Trek story to depict a somewhat realistic turbolift configuration.

Kirk rides in a turbolift car to the bridge. After the car stops, its doors open -- to reveal a second set of doors which open shortly thereafter. The obvious suggestion is that both the turbolift car and the turbolift stop have their own sets of doors, just as in the real world.

As far as I can recall, no other episode has shown this. Can anyone think of any other story -- TOS or otherwise, TV episode or feature film -- to show two sets of doors at a turbolift exit?

I actually think that any door that led into a turbolift had the dual sets of doors. They never changed or added that, except for maybe the 2nd Pilot.

I do recall the shuttlebay doors having dual-sets in several episodes, most recently I saw them in "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield."

 

[Vulcanian]

Huh I never noticed that

 

[USS Mariner]

The only reason I say that is because they cut to the same two turbolifts every time.

Also, I just checked "The Cage" and WMNHGB. Neither have dual-set doors.

They probably didn't bother because they weren't sure if they would get green-lighted. The first production episode, "The Corbomite Manuver," has them, so that must have been the reason.

 

[cbspock]

I think the dual sets of doors on the turbo lifts stopped on TNG.

 

[FalTorPan]

cbspock said:
I think the dual sets of doors on the turbo lifts stopped on TNG.

I don't think any episodes after "The Corbomite Maneuver" had dual sets of doors -- and I don't think any feature film had them either. Can anyone prove otherwise? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[The Old Mixer]

They can have all the sets of doors they want, that turbolift isn't going anywhere if there's no division between it and the deck of the bridge!

 

[Green Shirt]

Maybe one reason we never saw the double set doors again was the possibility it was very difficult to synchronize them. In the scene where Kirk is getting reports from Scotty, McCoy and Bailey - a crewmember exits the bridge and when the doors close, the stage crew pulley guy didn't close the red doors, just the blue ones.

 

[FalTorPan]

The Old Mixer said:
They can have all the sets of doors they want, that turbolift isn't going anywhere if there's no division between it and the deck of the bridge!

Yes indeedy!

klingongoat said:
Maybe one reason we never saw the double set doors again was the possibility it was very difficult to synchronize them. In the scene where Kirk is getting reports from Scotty, McCoy and Bailey - a crewmember exits the bridge and when the doors close, the stage crew pulley guy didn't close the red doors, just the blue ones.

That's a very good point, and thanks for sharing the observation about the single set usage in TCM.

 

[sbk1234]

Hey, it's the future. Turbolifts are so advanced that they can syncronize the dual doors so they open at exactly the same time!
In a universe of warp drive and transporters, this seems like a plausible bit of technology.

 

[USS Mariner]

Wait a minute, that set never changed after TCM. In every turbolift shot from that episode on, you can see the door channels for each set on the bridge turbolift. Go to Trekcore and see for yourself.

As for the corridor sets, none of them have it. Any shot showing the dual doors is taken from the bridge set.

 

[Michael]

Maybe a bit off topic, but on the DS9 turbolifts they got it right: There is just one set of doors on the outside. When they show it from the inside and the lift is moving you can see the decks rushing by (although I always thought that it looks a bit dangerous with no doors on the inside).

 

[Professor Moriarty]

Belar said:
Maybe a bit off topic, but on the DS9 turbolifts they got it right: There is just one set of doors on the outside. When they show it from the inside and the lift is moving you can see the decks rushing by (although I always thought that it looks a bit dangerous with no doors on the inside).

Apparently those bloody spoonheads never developed a Cardy version of OSHA.

 

[LiChiu]

I wonder if by the 29th century they would even have turbo lifts. Maybe they have doors that act like a transporter and you just tell it what part of the ship you want to go to before you step through.

 

[sbk1234]

Belar said:
Maybe a bit off topic, but on the DS9 turbolifts they got it right: There is just one set of doors on the outside. When they show it from the inside and the lift is moving you can see the decks rushing by (although I always thought that it looks a bit dangerous with no doors on the inside).

I always felt I'd have to keep my eyes closed on the DS9 turbolifts, because watching the floors go by like that would make me puke my guts out! I also wonder what it would look like when the lift went horizontally.

 

[CoveTom]

I can't remember. Was that all turbolifts on DS9 or just the one rather unique lift that went to ops? I seem to recall there were some "regular" turbolifts on DS9 that didn't show the floors go by as they went.

 

[Timo]

I don't think we ever saw such a "regular" lift, no. They only had this single turbolift set piece, and its interiors were of interest in very few episodes, most notably "The Forsaken" and "Crossfire". Understandably they usually avoided filming the forward wall, where they would have had to insert the special/visual effect of movement.

Wait a minute, that set never changed after TCM. In every turbolift shot from that episode on, you can see the door channels for each set on the bridge turbolift. Go to Trekcore and see for yourself.

True enough. So the theory that the inner and outer doors normally work in perfect synch, and simply malfunctioned in "Corbomite", is the most satisfactory one IMHO.

They can have all the sets of doors they want, that turbolift isn't going anywhere if there's no division between it and the deck of the bridge!

I thought there was always a division there? The shot where the division seemed to be lacking was in the corridor at the beginning of "Where No Man", where Kirk and Spock board the lift and Gary Mitchell hops to the elevator at the last moment, and the shot is from high overhead. On YouTube, you can see how the opening moments of that pilot were originally shot and edited, and there were several artsy overhead shots there. This one, the one they kept, just happened to backfire vis-á-vis set logic.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[The Old Mixer]

^I don't think there's ever been one. On TOS the flooring seems to change shades, but that's about it. I don't see a track or anything.