# Star Trek Production Trivia - Much of it new to me **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 23, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-production-trivia-much-of-it-new-to-me/638638 "2012-10-23T17:24:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-production-trivia-much-of-it-new-to-me/638638/21 "2012-10-26T23:16:39Z")
> [@evildmguy](#): > > At least one thing is correct but the implication is wrong. > > TOS transporter effects were made via gold glitter in water. According to _The Making of Star Trek_ (Whitfield and Roddenberry, 1968) the original transporter glitter was aluminum dust, photographed under a strong light as it was allowed to filter down in front of a camera. It was made to flow upward simply by inverting the image. Additional Khan trivia: His man behind the helm of the _Grissom_ had been on a short-lived SF series called _The Phoenix_ a couple of years earlier. He played an ancient astronaut reanimated in 20th century America. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-production-trivia-much-of-it-new-to-me/638638/22 "2012-10-27T00:01:36Z")
Reliant. ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-production-trivia-much-of-it-new-to-me/638638/23 "2012-10-27T00:37:18Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > Reliant. Thanks Sheldon. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-production-trivia-much-of-it-new-to-me/638638/24 "2012-10-27T01:23:43Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > According to _The Making of Star Trek_ (Whitfield and Roddenberry, 1968) the original transporter glitter was aluminum dust, photographed under a strong light as it was allowed to filter down in front of a camera. It was made to flow upward simply by inverting the image. This may refer to the effect that was used for the original pilot (_The Cage_ with Jeffrey Hunter) and I think the second (used) pilot _Where No Man Has Gone Before_ (with Shatner), because they were different from what became TOS classic transporter effects. Both the sound & the visual F/X were different. The original sound was much more ‘alien’ and high pitched and a higher frequency than what became the classic transporter sound. And I seem to remember that the original visual effect was a more grey-silvery shimmer than the classic gold. God I’m a nerd… ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-production-trivia-much-of-it-new-to-me/638638/25 "2012-10-29T16:13:25Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > According to _The Making of Star Trek_ (Whitfield and Roddenberry, 1968) the original transporter glitter was aluminum dust, photographed under a strong light as it was allowed to filter down in front of a camera. It was made to flow upward simply by inverting the image. > > Additional Khan trivia: His man behind the helm of the _Grissom_ had been on a short-lived SF series called _The Phoenix_ a couple of years earlier. He played an ancient astronaut reanimated in 20th century America. And both he and Carol Marcus’ (and Kirk’s) son David later turned up in an episode of TNG together. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-production-trivia-much-of-it-new-to-me/638638/26 "2012-10-29T16:58:20Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Similarly, Gary Burghoff, (Radar from M_A_S\*H) has a [withered hand](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Burghoff#Dysmelia). I don’t think this is true. Doing a google image search there are images that show both of Burghoff’s hands pretty clearly. If one is deformed, its pretty subtle. As for Star Trek/DS9 cross-over trivia, the woman that plays Klinger’s Korean love interest/wife in MASH went on to play Keiko O’Brian in TNG and DS9. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-production-trivia-much-of-it-new-to-me/638638/27 "2012-10-29T17:33:53Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I don’t think this is true. Doing a google image search there are images that show both of Burghoff’s hands pretty clearly. If one is deformed, its pretty subtle. If you just see one hand, then you might not notice it. The left hand is usually covered up, anyway. But if you see both hands at once, you can compare the sizes. [![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_UfWakyGcXA8/SJTqBius5WI/AAAAAAAAAb0/Qn9HsscySgY/s1600-h/hand.bmp) ](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_UfWakyGcXA8/SJTqBius5WI/AAAAAAAAAb0/Qn9HsscySgY/s1600-h/hand.bmp) The entire left hand looks smaller than the right, and the middle finger is shorter than the ring finger. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-production-trivia-much-of-it-new-to-me/638638/28 "2012-10-29T18:17:10Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I don’t think this is true. Doing a google image search there are images that show both of Burghoff’s hands pretty clearly. If one is deformed, its pretty subtle. He definitely does. Sometime in the early 80s, not long after he left the show, he did a PSA for the disabled and held up his messed-up hand for the camera. I remember being really surprised, and then going back and watching MASH reruns and noticing how he hides it. BTW- More trivia, the rest of the cast of MASH \*\*\*hated \*\*\*Burghoff’s guts. He was a whiny, selfish, prima donna and they were all glad to see him quit. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-production-trivia-much-of-it-new-to-me/638638/29 "2012-10-29T19:00:16Z")
> [@Sister\_Vigilante](#): > > Spock’s ears were recreated from scratch for every episode too. And from what I read, painful to wear. Maybe that’s why he was so grouchy most of the time! ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-production-trivia-much-of-it-new-to-me/638638/30 "2012-10-29T23:27:53Z")
> [@Jake](#): > > > [@Sister\_Vigilante](#): > > > > Spock’s ears were recreated from scratch for every episode too. And from what I read, painful to wear. > > Maybe that’s why he was so grouchy most of the time! I forget where I read it (it was either Whitfield/Roddenberry or a similar book by David Gerrold), but on one occasion Leonard Nimoy’s secretary spent a day wearing a pair of his discarded ears to show how much she appreciated working for him. If they were painful for him, they must have been downright excruciating for her. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-production-trivia-much-of-it-new-to-me/638638/31 "2012-10-30T00:00:11Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > He definitely does. Sometime in the early 80s, not long after he left the show, he did a PSA for the disabled and held up his messed-up hand for the camera. I remember being really surprised, and then going back and watching MASH reruns and noticing how he hides it. > > BTW- More trivia, the rest of the cast of MASH \*\*\*hated \*\*\*Burghoff’s guts. He was a whiny, selfish, prima donna and they were all glad to see him quit. Personal trivia: Burghoff stayed at my parents’ condo once while he was doing a play in town. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-production-trivia-much-of-it-new-to-me/638638/32 "2012-10-30T12:55:38Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > Reliant. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-production-trivia-much-of-it-new-to-me/638638/33 "2012-10-30T22:30:30Z")
I learned about Doohan’s hand when I tried to read his autobiography. I say tried, because I was on a Star Trek kick after having gotten Nimoy’s second autobiography for $0.99 at a dollar store, and having read the one by Shatner, and Doohan’s was absolutely horrible. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-production-trivia-much-of-it-new-to-me/638638/34 "2012-10-31T02:58:45Z")
I bought a series of TOS-themed Collector’s Plates back in the '80s. The artist was criticized because he had painted Doohan behind the transporter console with both his hands intact. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-production-trivia-much-of-it-new-to-me/638638.md?page=1)