[net.startrek] Saltshakers

haber@aecom.UUCP (05/07/84)

	    >   8.  What common twentieth-century kitchen
	    >       utensils were used on the show as
	    >       super-sophisticated medical instruments?

	 >>    8.  Salt shakers were used as super-
	 >>        sophisticated medical instruments.

	Actually, this is what happened: The producers were trying
     to design a salt shaker that would look very high-tech to put
     on the tables in the dining rooms (rec halls?) of the Enter-
     prise. When they finally finished them and had them constucted
     they realized that a person watching the show on T.V. would
     have no idea what the salt shakers were! Therefore they decided
     to use them as Dr. McCoy's equipment.

     Source: I read this in The Making of Startrek years ago.

					Eli Haber
			{cucard,pegasus,esquire,philabs}!aecom!haber

ags@pucc-i (Seaman) (05/08/84)

>	    >   8.  What common twentieth-century kitchen
>	    >       utensils were used on the show as
>	    >       super-sophisticated medical instruments?
>
>	 >>    8.  Salt shakers were used as super-
>	 >>        sophisticated medical instruments.
>
>	Actually, this is what happened: The producers were trying
>     to design a salt shaker that would look very high-tech to put
>     on the tables in the dining rooms (rec halls?) of the Enter-
>     prise. When they finally finished them and had them constucted
>     they realized that a person watching the show on T.V. would
>     have no idea what the salt shakers were! Therefore they decided
>     to use them as Dr. McCoy's equipment.

The need for salt shakers was more plot-specific than that.  In the first
broadcast episode, "The Man Trap,"  an important scene had the Salt Vampire
(in human form) meet Yeoman Janice Rand in a corridor of the Enterprise.
Yeoman Rand was holding a tray on which there was a salt shaker.  The Salt
Vampire very nearly gave himself away when he saw the salt.

The first idea was to use a futuristic salt shaker in the scene.  This was
rejected because it was important that the audience recognize the salt shaker
for what it was (preferably without having someone in the story say "Look!
There's a salt shaker!").
-- 

Dave Seaman
..!pur-ee!pucc-i:ags

"Against people who give vent to their loquacity 
by extraneous bombastic circumlocution."

clark@sdcsla.UUCP (05/09/84)

<>

Well, since I haven't seen anyone else remark on the last comment about
the salt shaker issue, I will put my seedy reputation on the line.

Someone (I really need to learn how to move old files into new) recalled 
that how the salt shakers got to be medical instruments was by originally
being *made* as salt shakers.  As I remember the description from "The Making
of Star Trek", some prop person was *sent out* to get futuristic salt 
shakers for a scene (I think from the episode of the Salt Beast).  The
ones that were brought back were felt to be unrecognizable as salt shakers.
They eventually got some reasonable salt shakers, but decided the 
futuristic salt shakers (from regular American 20th century stores)
made good, believable Federation medical instruments.

-- Clark

Beam me up, Scotty, the memory may be faulty.

ron@brl-vgr.UUCP (05/10/84)

>>  Actually, this is what happened:  The producers were trying
>>  to design a salt shaker...

Actually, what happened is they sent someone out to the store and
had them buy some futuristic salt shakers...

-Ron

ron@brl-vgr.UUCP (05/11/84)

By the way, the scene in question for the salt shakers, never did get
any.  From Mantrap, the yeoman just said that the mysterious crew member
was only around as long as he thought he could "get at the salt from
my tray, Sir."

-Ron

eric@whuxle.UUCP (05/13/84)

#R:sdcsla:-55500:whuxle:30200002:000:567
whuxle!eric    May 12 20:45:00 1984

By the way, the scene in question for the salt shakers, never did
get  any.  From Mantrap, the yeoman just said that the mysterious
crew member was only around as long as he thought he  could  "get
at the salt from my tray, Sir."

-Ron

-------------------------------------------------------

I'd be willing to bet my  phaser  re-charger  against  your  love
crystals  that  you're  wrong. I can clearly remember janice rand
(yeoman) stopping in  hallways,  shaking  salt  on  food  with  a
RECOGNIZEABLE  salt  shaker  and then being accosted by the salt-
monster.

eric@whuxle.UUCP (05/13/84)

#R:sdcsla:-55500:whuxle:30200003:000:683
whuxle!eric    May 12 20:46:00 1984

By the way, the scene in question for the salt shakers, never did
get  any.  From Mantrap, the yeoman just said that the mysterious
crew member was only around as long as he thought he  could  "get
at the salt from my tray, Sir."

-Ron

-------------------------------------------------------

I'd be willing to bet my  phaser  re-charger  against  your  love
crystals  that  you're  wrong. I can clearly remember janice rand
(yeoman) stopping in  hallways,  shaking  salt  on  food  with  a
RECOGNIZEABLE  salt  shaker  and then being accosted by the salt-
monster.


                from the exam depleted fingers of

                eric holtman
                ihnp4!whuxle!eric

markv@dartvax.UUCP (Mark Vita) (05/14/84)

  I disagree that the saltshaker never appeared in "The Man Trap".
I am pretty sure that it was visible on the tray Yeoman Rand was
carrying and that the creature (disguised as Crewman Green) actually
made a grab for the shaker on the tray, much to the annoyance
of Rand.
  BTW, I also seem to remember that the shaker used did come from
the NBC commisary.  Feinberg, I believe, had been asked to find
futuristic salt shakers, and found them, but they looked so
unlike salt shakers that they were unusable.  Finally they
decided to simply use an ordinary salt shaker.  The salt
shakers which Feinberg had found became McCoy's medical
instruments. 
  (This entire story can be found in "The Making of Star Trek".
I'll check on it.)



-- 

                            Mark Vita
                            Dartmouth College
                            {decvax,cornell,linus}!dartvax!markv

rosul@nmtvax.UUCP (05/16/84)

      Yes, you are correct. There was a saltshaker on Yeoman Rand's tray. She
even used it to put salt on her blue celery. And yes, the saltshakers that they
were going to use for the show turned into McCoy's medical instuments. (Take
a close look at them when he is operating on Sarek in "Journey to Babel")

           Ronald "Not quite all here, I'm being beamed up" Rosul@nmtvax

New Mexico Tech, Socorro, New Mexico