Why A Cube?

[Spock's Barber]

In the Corbomite Manuever the Enterprise encounters that cube shaped space bouy. The first time I watched this episode, my impression was that it was pretty hokey looking and I thought "Couldn't an intelligent, alien race design a warning device more advanced that a big solid block?", like the Melkots did later on in TOS.

 

[Ssosmcin]

Why does a complex shape and detail mean "more advanced?" A solid cube with no evidence of machinery or motive power that is just smooth and glowiing is far more alien and advanced to me than anything with lines, ridges, nooks or crannies. They perfected their technology to be invisible and seamless. Actually, depictions of the future made in the last 20 years always seem LESS futuristic to me than the smooth lines and seamless styling of yesterday. As soon as the Enterprise had tiles and Aztecing, it became more modern than futuristic. The Enterprise E was the last truly futuristic starship Star Trek produced. Everything after that was "Nicholas Meyer's Submarine Service" based.

The space bouy always was mysterious and strange and alien to me. It didn't need embellishment and thankfully, the TOS-R guys didn't f'k with it at all.

 

[scotpens]

^^ What Mr. Spook said. Advanced technology doesn't necessarily require complex shapes.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

In the Corbomite Manuever the Enterprise encounters that cube shaped space bouy. The first time I watched this episode, my impression was that it was pretty hokey looking and I thought "Couldn't an intelligent, alien race design a warning device more advanced that a big solid block?", like the Melkots did later on in TOS.

The mothership was a sphere.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

Hey, it was the inspiration for the Rubik's Cube.

 

[Spock's Barber]

Bob Justman......"Because it was cheap to film."

 

[BillJ]

To me, simple shapes and lack of detail seem more futuristic.

 

[Spock's Barber]

"Cmon. Step on the gas, will ya?"

 

[Zycho32]

Apart from the redundant spinning, the Cube is the ultimate shape of the self-sufficient stationary probe.

Think about it. You have all the vital components within the 'shell' and the propulsion outside of it. And with the dimensions of the cube you have all the options you could ever need to navigate through gravity-less space. There isn't a cumbersome 'extension' hampering the ability to turn on a dime, or being exposed to hostile fire. Just a compact, manueverable shape.

You would probably only need a ball or bullet-shaped probe if you were traversing speeds far too fast for a cube to withstand, but that's largely the only flaw.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

My big problem with the fx is that the Enterprise is shown sitting too close to the cube. Also, the cube is not scaled correctly; it's too small given the dimensions that Spock cited for it. TOS-R should have corrected those issues and they didn't. But I liked the rotating light hitting the Enterprise, which could not be done in the original fx.

Fred Steiner's music for this one is terrific.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

"Corobomite" writer Jerry Sohl said in Starlog #136 that he chose a cube for a very specific reason: "Suppose you run across a cube in space. A cube is so finitive and so square, and so unlike nature that you know right away it represents intelligent life. A thing like that in space, whirling around all by itself is a great mystery."

You can read the full interview at: https://archive.org/stream/starlog_magazine-136/136#page/n67/

 

[JonnyQuest037]

The space bouy always was mysterious and strange and alien to me. It didn't need embellishment and thankfully, the TOS-R guys didn't f'k with it at all.

They really screwed up the scale of Balok's ship, though. The Enterprise wasn't nearly as dwarfed by it in the TOS-R version.

 

[Nerys Myk]

They ever do a Christmas ornament of Balok's ship?

 

[Spock's Barber]

Maybe these blockhead creatures made the space cube thingy.

 

[Maurice]

They ever do a Christmas ornament of Balok's ship?

How could you tell?

 

[scotpens]

My big problem with the fx is that the Enterprise is shown sitting too close to the cube. Also, the cube is not scaled correctly; it's too small given the dimensions that Spock cited for it.

That was a necessary visual cheat. According to the dialogue, the cube measured 107 meters on each side and was holding position at a distance of 1593 meters from the Enterprise. An accurate, to-scale depiction would look something like this.

On a 1966 CRT television, you'd see a lot of space and a couple of blobs.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

That was a necessary visual cheat. According to the dialogue, the cube measured 107 meters on each side and was holding position at a distance of 1593 meters from the Enterprise. An accurate, to-scale depiction would look something like this.

On a 1966 CRT television, you'd see a lot of space and a couple of blobs.

Thank you, Scott, I love that! And I still wish TOS-R had done the math.

 

[Timo]

Actually, this sort of cancels out. Spock ordered a course around the cube. This would in all likelihood mean pointing the ship's bow away from the cube. We only need to assume that when Spock gave up the maneuvering as fruitless, the ship was left with the bow pointing a bit to the starboard from the line going from the ship through the cube towards the hoped-for direction of further travel.

That is, the cube is not as close to the camera as the ship is...

...And TOS-R should only be blamed for adding that play of light on the saucer rim because it's in the wrong place.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Ssosmcin]

The episode made pretty clear that the cube moved to position itself to be directly in front of the Enterprise to block her path. So, it doesn't really make a lot of sense for it to take station slightly port or starboard and giving the Enterprise a possible avenue of travel. It would and did go right back in front of the Enterprise.

 

[Timo]

Not in front of, but in the path of. Which makes all the difference: the path should not coincide with the front if there's any logic to Spock's or Sulu's actions.

That is, it's not the cube taking a station. It's Sulu choosing an orientation. The cube isn't trying to stop Sulu from leaving, after all, it's trying to stop him from proceeding. The cube should be fine with Sulu turning away.

Timo Saloniemi