# Greetings Programs! The TRON thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 12, 2001, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872 "2001-11-12T04:58:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2001, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/21 "2001-11-12T22:13:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjung \* > \*\*Count me in as another **Tron** fanboy. I was a young teen when I saw the movie, but I was already geeky enough to catch the various computer terms in it – and to note that the character names were debugging commands from the Radio Shack TRS-80 BASIC language. 🙂 > \*\* I caught that too (I had a Trash-80 model III with an Amber screen…(my dad read somewhere that green was bad for your eyes 😕 )! TrOn was Trace On. Um…I no longer remember what SARK or CLU meant. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2001, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/22 "2001-11-12T22:22:51Z")
I still get excited about Tron. It’s mesmerizing, though it’s hard to say why. Just the same, it’s easier to explain my attraction to the film than it is to explain why I still dig Captain Scarlet. Your average citizens don’t get Gerry-Mation at all, but most people at least have a grasp on what’s so cool about Tron, even if they can’t quite figure out what to say about it. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2001, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/23 "2001-11-12T22:49:08Z")
The Encore! cable channels have recently been cycling Tron through their various lineups, so if you have these channels it ought to be turning back up any day now (if you can’t wait for the DVD). I’d check right now if it’s going to be on in the next week, but my cable’s out and the repair person won’t be here until tomorrow morning. Dammit, no Buffy for me tonight. Does anyone remember the Walter Cronkite prime-time special on the making of Tron? I seem to recall Walter gadding about in a light-suit with tails, a top hat and a cane. ---
**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/24 "2001-11-13T00:53:12Z")
OK, I’m going to out-geek you all with this story. The year that Tron came out, I made a Tron haloween costume. I bought dozens and dozens of those Cyalume lightsticks, and painstakingly opened them all up and separated out the liquid from the catalyst capsules. Then I got a whole bunch of aquarium tubing, and taped it all over my body in a bizarre pattern half reminiscent of Tron and half skeleton. I put on light white clothing over it, nobody could see the costume’s tubing. I mixed the chemicals at the last moment, stuck it all in a huge horse syringe, and injected it into the tubing. Boy you should have seen people’s eyes bug out when the liquid light flowed through my “veins.” I clamped off the ends and glowed happily for a couple of hours. But alas, the effect wasn’t bright enough and didn’t last enough, and was expensive and difficult so I never did it again. Now if only I would have thought to patent that idea, I would be making thousands of bucks at every concert that sells those “neon leon” light tubes. I even contacted American Cynamid to try to purchase Cyalume in bulk but they wouldn’t sell it to me. If they had, I would have done more experiments… ---
**Author:** ![SolomonGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SolomonGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolomonGrundy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/25 "2001-11-13T01:26:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Heath Doolin \* > \*\*August 17, 2001… Moviehole spoke to Jeff Bridges agent who revealed the actor is considering reprising his role of Flynn in Tron 2.0. “Apparently his part is being written like Marlon Brando in Apocolypse Now,” the unnamed agent told Moviehole. “The other guy (Martin Sheen?) is looking for him but he’s fully entered the cyber world. It sounded like fun and Jeff is interested. We’ll see…” \*\* Am I the only one who thinks it would be _awesome_ if they find Flynn has completely turned into a cybernetic version of The Dude? “That heat-sink tied the whole room together.” ---
**Author:** ![TheeGrumpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheeGrumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheeGrumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/26 "2001-11-13T01:39:59Z")
Easily Steven Spielberg’s most under-appreciated movie. What? Who the hell is Steven Lisberger? ---
**Author:** ![Kyomara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8edcca/32.png) [@Kyomara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyomara)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/27 "2001-11-13T02:11:43Z")
I remember when I was a kid growing up in Richmond, they used to show TRON on TV every year on Christmas Eve. The movie has thus been inextricably and forever linked in my mind to waiting to open presents. Does anyone else remember this tradition? Anyway…I just like the fact that there is a link via Jeff Bridges between TRON and the Big Lebowski, two of my favorite films. Just imagine… ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/28 "2001-11-13T03:26:50Z")
Podkayne wrote: > [@](#): > > And hey, Bruce Boxleitner and Peter Jurasik together . . . A must-see for any B5 fanboy! And don’t forget, David Warner was on one episode of _Babylon 5_, too! If they could have only gotten Jeff Bridges to appear on B5… ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/29 "2001-11-13T07:50:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > TrOn was Trace On. Um…I no longer remember what SARK or CLU meant. The opposite of TRON was TROFF. CLU was … oh, geez, I think it was a listing of some sort. SARK was a name they created for the movie. Don’t remember some of the other characters offhand, but there were definitely a fair number of buzzwords thrown around. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Stewart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Dave\_Stewart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Stewart)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/30 "2001-11-13T08:26:03Z")
As a kid, I read the book of the film many times, but aside from some shorts, have never seen the film? Got to track it down… ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/31 "2001-11-13T16:31:41Z")
I have all the other toys. Tron, Flynn, Guard, Red car, and Yellow car. But I have no Sark. Well no Sark and none of the accesseries that came with the other toys. I’ve got the read-along book and tape. Thanks to the miracle of emulators, I’ve got both arcade gamnes on my PC. I love this movie. These days, of course, Dillinger and his MCP remind me of a certain corporate exec who’s company is fighting an antitrust suit. ``` Tron also made an appearance in an episode of Family Guy. IIRC, Peter has lost his job at the toy factory. He recalls another job he had. Cut to-The Game Grid, Peter is a program in blue driving a yellow car. He looks over at the other driver and recognises him from high school. "Hey Tony izzat you? So, you're red guy these days?" ``` Kyomara-I lived in Fairfax VA until I was 16. Sadly, I don’t remember Xmas Eve Tron. I don’t doubt you though. One UHF station showed Battle Beyond The Stars every Fathers’ Day. I miss that annual movie line up-“Piranha’s on this weekend? I better start shopping for Mom’s birthday.” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/32 "2001-11-13T17:36:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chas.E \* > \*\*OK, I’m going to out-geek you all with this story. The year that Tron came out, I made a Tron haloween costume. I bought dozens and dozens of those Cyalume lightsticks, and painstakingly opened them all up and separated out the liquid from the catalyst capsules. Then I got a whole bunch of aquarium tubing, and taped it all over my body in a bizarre pattern half reminiscent of Tron and half skeleton. I put on light white clothing over it, nobody could see the costume’s tubing. I mixed the chemicals at the last moment, stuck it all in a huge horse syringe, and injected it into the tubing. Boy you should have seen people’s eyes bug out when the liquid light flowed through my “veins.” I clamped off the ends and glowed happily for a couple of hours. But alas, the effect wasn’t bright enough and didn’t last enough, and was expensive and difficult so I never did it again. > Now if only I would have thought to patent that idea, I would be making thousands of bucks at every concert that sells those “neon leon” light tubes. I even contacted American Cynamid to try to purchase Cyalume in bulk but they wouldn’t sell it to me. If they had, I would have done more experiments… \*\* The stuff to make a Tron suit out of today would be this: [http://www.livewireent.com/](http://www.livewireent.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/33 "2001-11-13T17:40:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DocCathode \* > \*\*Tron also made an appearance in an episode of Family Guy. IIRC, Peter has lost his job at the toy factory. He recalls another job he had. Cut to-The Game Grid, Peter is a program in blue driving a yellow car. He looks over at the other driver and recognises him from high school. “Hey Tony izzat you? So, you’re red guy these days?” \*\* Don’t forget the “Master Control” Moses from the Jew-bi-lee in South Park. ---
**Author:** ![TheeGrumpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheeGrumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheeGrumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/34 "2001-11-13T23:18:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kat \* > \*\*I like the what-do-you-call-ems, the lightships that moved on the beams. And the scene where Flynn redirects the beam to save the ship. \*\* I took classes called “Elementary Physics” in high school and college, and I never learned that “a beam of energy can always be diverted.” 😃 TRON deserves some points for narrative innovation, or maybe I should say creative borrowing. It’s easy enough to point out the “Wizard of Oz” parallels. It also has a strange resonance with Hindu mythology, as a god becomes a common man and acts as a helper to a mighty warrior, like Krishna to Arjuna. ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/35 "2001-11-14T00:54:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > **Can you point to where the Pac-man is, even if you can’t see it on a normal TV-sized screen? I can.)** OK, I’ll bite. Where is it? > [@](#): > > \*\*And now they’re coming out with a Anniversary Edition! I can’t wait! \*\* CRAP! I have this movie already on DVD…a bare bones version, which I got at the time only because I never suspected that they would come out with an extras-laden version. > [@](#): > > \*\* > TRON was able to overcome bad acting (Boxleitner was pretty good, but most of the other actors ran the gamut from “wooden” (Cindy Morgan) to “Oh God. Put me out of my misery” (Bernard Hughes, who’s acting is so ungodly bad that it has to be seen to be belived), plot holes galore (why does Dillenger have two avatars, but Flynn and Alan only one?), the pacing is atrocious, there’s missing bits… \*\* Well, I know for sure that Sark is Dillenger’s avatar, but is the other one you’re thinking of the MCP? If so, I’m not sure that it is really that big of a plot hole. IIRC, Dillenger wrote the program that was the original basis for the MCP. If a person wrote more than one program, it would make sense in the context of that particular universe for them to appear alike. No argument with the rest of that paragraph, however. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mekhazzio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b38774/32.png) [@Mekhazzio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mekhazzio)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/36 "2001-11-14T02:47:12Z")
Re: lightcycle games, in my opinion the best one is at [http://armagetron.sourceforge.net/](http://armagetron.sourceforge.net/) Lots of fun for network gaming. Restrict everyone to the inside first-person view, crank the cycle speed settings up a bit and let 'er rip 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/37 "2001-11-14T03:07:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Atreyu \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > > **Can you point to where the Pac-man is, even if you can’t see it on a normal TV-sized screen? I can.)** > > OK, I’ll bite. Where is it?\*\* I just checked: on the DVD, Pac-Man _IS_ visible, just barely…after escaping from the game grid, Flynn says “Greetings Programs!”, two Recognizers run up against a wall and sort of bounce. There’s a close up of SARK looking at a map. He says “Get them. I don’t care if you have to send out every tank in the city. GET THEM!” SARK’s head is on the left hand side of the screen. In the center of the map is a big orange circle. Just to the right of the circle is a little yellow Pac-Man, happily munching it’s way across the map. If your DVD has a zoom feature, you can see it clearly. And if you listen closely in the background behind SARK’s rant, you can hear the wakka-wakka-wakka sound of Pac-Man in action! BTW I meant to put this in the OP, but forgot: Recognizer? It _sounds_ like an “in-joke” but I don’t get it. > [@](#): > > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*\*And now they’re coming out with a Anniversary Edition! I can’t wait! > > \*\* > > CRAP! I have this movie already on DVD…a bare bones version, which I got at the time only because I never suspected that they would come out with an extras-laden version. > \*\* I’m in the same boat, or one worse. I got the video tape when it first came out. I don’t know how old you are, **Atreyu** , but for the youngsters out there, when video tapes first came out they were a rental-only item. A normal commercial pre-recorded videotape of a movie went (on average) for about $80.00. The first inexpensive movie IIRC was “E.T.”. I worked for a month to afford enough extra money to buy that tape. (Which then had to be ordered which took another several weeks. I suffered.) So the new version will be my third. If there is any justice, it’ll have the deleted [“Yuri and Tron love scene”](http://www.tronfan.com/deleted/ds1.html) that was on the Laserdisc, which I’d love to see. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/38 "2001-11-14T03:26:08Z")
Thank you, Mr Miskatonic! Like I said(see above) I must have it! If only they’d bothered to put PRICES on the site! ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/39 "2001-11-14T03:50:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > **Just to the right of the circle is a little yellow Pac-Man, happily munching it’s way across the map. If your DVD has a zoom feature, you can see it clearly. And if you listen closely in the background behind SARK’s rant, you can hear the wakka-wakka-wakka sound of Pac-Man in action!** Well, I’ll be darned. I just checked it out on my [sub]soon-to-be-obsolete[/sub] DVD and clearly saw the Pac-Man and even the little dots it lusts after. Didn’t even need the zoom feature. All this time and I’ve never noticed it. > [@](#): > > I’m in the same boat, or one worse. I got the video tape when it first came out. I don’t know how old you are, **Atreyu** , but for the youngsters out there, when video tapes first came out they were a rental-only item. \*\* I’m 28. I don’t know if that makes me a contemporary of yours or not, but I do remember how expensive movie tapes were to buy in the beginning. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872/40 "2001-11-14T06:36:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > If there is any justice, it’ll have the deleted [“Yuri and Tron love scene”](http://www.tronfan.com/deleted/ds1.html) that was on the Laserdisc, which I’d love to see. Since I’m in a generous mood (and my DSL model isn’t flaking out tonight), I’ve put a Quicktime movie clip of that scene on the internet for you to see. [http://homepage.mac.com/rjung/tronlove.mov](http://homepage.mac.com/rjung/tronlove.mov) Requires Apple’s Quicktime plugin, natch. Enjoy, program! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-programs-the-tron-thread/92872.md?page=3)