Control panals

[Captain Picard's Hair]

For that matter, the later TNG era panels don't make much sense either, though they look better. Actually, some of the bridge panels we saw on later versions of the movie Connie E-A might be the most sensible.

[Deepcrush]

That and the TOS panels weren't loaded with C-4 that went off whenever someone stubbed a toe.

[Mark]

That and the TOS panels weren't loaded with C-4 that went off whenever someone stubbed a toe.

Some times the "low tech" approach is best.


One thing I used to wonder about the TNG and later touch panals. If they malfunction, your completely screwed. If power goes off, your completely screwed (be as useful as a polished wall and coffee table). And what happenes when you try to clean all of your fingerprints off the thing? A little pledge and a rag could send you into the heart of a star, or eject the warp core. Woops.

[Mikey]

a polished wall and coffee table

Did anyone else just get an image of the bridge of the Heart of Gold?

[Deepcrush]

I was thinking about the end sceen of Tron.

[Mark]

I was thinking about the end sceen of Tron.

God, at least they never did a Tron thing on the holodeck. Go inside the computer and talk to the origianal number one, in the old uniform that glows.

[Deepcrush]

Hey, I liked that movie!

[Mark]

Hey, I liked that movie!

Me too. One of my favorites. But would you REALLY want a Trek writer playing with it?

[Deepcrush]

No, I want the Tron writers to kill the trek writers and take over.

[Mark]

[Deepcrush]

[stitch626]

Works for me.

[Deepcrush]

Then its a deal! We'll send all the Ent and Voy writers into Tron so they can slowly die off for our entertainment and bring the Tron writers to the real world.

[Grundig]

I think in the 60s, few people had even seen a computer, let alone understood what it did. These kinds of controls were probably more than believable back in the day.

You know, the bleeps and bloops, and clicks and buzzes that those old panels made are sooooo much more satisfying than the wimpy little noises the touch panels make in TNG. I can imagine spending a good couple hours just making noises if I ever set foot on Old School bridge. Come to think of it, the sound in general - including the incidental music - is just awesome in TOS. That's what sold the futuristic-ness of the show, more than the visual effects.

[Mark]

Question. Doesn't anyone else find it rather inefficient to have a helm with no control stick? If I understand how the helm is SUPPOSED to operate, you manually enter the three digit X,Y,Z axis you want, then enter the speed, then "enter". Not a big deal for regular operations, but in combat, by the time you get all those coordinents entered, you need to manuver again, because your enemy is already somewhere else. They finally had a "joystick" in Insurrenction, which was by that time completely ridiculous, but you see my point?