What exactly was Spock's Moire Pattern Thing supposed to indicate?

[Captain Al]

I've always wondered this. Whenever you watch TOS, the moire pattern is sitting there, just spinning away, and nobody stops to gawk at its coolness.

Certainly it meant something to Spock. It must have served some function. Has it ever been explained? If so, what did it do?

 

[Mister_Atoz]

The closet thing I can think of is some variant of waterfall-type display like on a submarine sonar panel. Either that or a futuristic screen saver.

 

[Shatnertage]

I thought it went ding when there was...stuff.

 

[kkozoriz1]

Based on Balance of Terror I'd say it's some sort of display for an active sensor.

If it were a passive sensor, there's be no way for the Romulans to know Spock had hit the button.

 

[Captain Robert April]

It was an indicator that this week's episode of "The Green Hornet" is ready for viewing.

 

[sojourner]

If you shine a blacklight on it - secret message!!

 

[Chaos Descending]

I thought it went ding when there was...stuff.

I didn't think that the Enterprise had a Timey-Wimey detector!

 

[Sky]

Perhaps it's just a screensaver.

 

[Unicron]

Kind of reminds me of when the Simpsons parodied Lost in Space and the Lisa Robot says "Danger! Danger! My arms are flailing wildly!" Ah, vintage Simpsons.

I'm not really sure what that particular display is for, other than to perhaps look science fictiony.

 

[mtblillie]

I think it was supposed to be like a futuristic version of a radio wave indicator (futuristic for the 60s), which makes sense because in the 60s radio waves were still being used more and more for advanced technology, radio was very popular and television was still a new technology, plus there were more advances in radio and telephone communication.

 

[scotpens]

I think it was supposed to be like a futuristic version of a radio wave indicator (futuristic for the 60s), which makes sense because in the 60s radio waves were still being used more and more for advanced technology, radio was very popular and television was still a new technology, plus there were more advances in radio and telephone communication.

Right, it was probably thought that a spinning moiré pattern looked more “futuristic” than waveforms on an oscilloscope (like in the opening titles of the original Outer Limits), which were already becoming a sci-fi cliché by Star Trek's time. The spinning moiré thingy was a simple, cheap but cool-looking mechanical effect.

Or maybe Spock just stared at the thing and tripped out when he had nothing else to do.

 

[DonIago]

Captain, sensors indicate that things are...groovy.

 

[Gepard]

Captain, sensors indicate that things are...groovy.

We've got a red...thingy...coming towards a green thingy. I think we're the green thingy.

 

[Neumann]

I think it just showing some kind of violent & sexy electromagnetic field... cause it looks like a spinning one for sure!

 

[StarryEyed]

I have a background as an electronics technician and this was the kind of thing we used to joke about. All those colored lights flashing seemingly at random. What the heck did they indicate?

They could have done LCARS on TOS for not much more money than they did all the colored chicklet buttons, flashing lights, scopes and LSD displays. They just didn't think like that in the 60s and even if they did, most of the audience would not have gotten it.

 

[Unicron]

"Blinky lights are the essence of sci-fi. Everything else is fluff."

 

[Captain Al]

I have a background as an electronics technician and this was the kind of thing we used to joke about. All those colored lights flashing seemingly at random. What the heck did they indicate?

I have the same background, an electronics technician, and try to figure out what's going on technically on the Bridge. Hence, my original question.

My thoughts on the blinking lights is that they all do mean something to the operator who's been trained to understand them. Maybe they're all labeled, but we can't see the labels. Spock, or his replacement while he's off the Bridge, would also be trained in knowing what they mean. If an enemy were to take the Bridge, that person wouldn't have a clue what it all meant.

 

[AJHalliwell]

Spock, or his replacement while he's off the Bridge, would also be trained in knowing what they mean. If an enemy were to take the Bridge, that person wouldn't have a clue what it all meant.

Haha, that's what I used to think -- and it *should* make sense. But at the same time, I remember the Kazon, the Devore, the Klingons-from-the-23rd-century, the Nyrians all managing to drive Voyager with ease and they figured it out pretty quickly. In fact, I think STIV and the ENT episode with the first tellarite are the only instances of someone acknowledging they don't instinctively know how to use alien controls. Even when the controls are in another language!

 

[DonIago]

The Ferengi in "Rascals" seemed to have the same problem, but for better or worse I think Starfleet systems became more user-(and hence more enemy-)friendly over time.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

I have a background as an electronics technician and this was the kind of thing we used to joke about. All those colored lights flashing seemingly at random. What the heck did they indicate?

Oh, cut the bleeding heart crap, will ya? We've all got our switches, lights, and knobs to deal with, Starry. I mean, down here there are literally hundreds and thousands of blinking, beeping, and flashing lights, blinking and beeping and flashing - they're FLASHING and they're BEEPING. I can't stand it anymore! They're BLINKING and BEEPING and FLASHING! Why doesn't somebody pull the plug!