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Athens · Oct 30, 2005, 08:23 AM

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Macintosh

The production staff of the modern Star Trek series have frequently used Macintosh computers for both writing and artwork projects, including the Star Trek Encyclopedia and the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual.

On the sets of Star Trek: Enterprise, 16 PowerMac G4 Cubes are used to power the many computer display screens on the Bridge, Engineering, and Sickbay sets, among others.

(Incidentally, in 1992-93, Apple Computer (the company that makes the Macintosh) launched a project to port the Mac OS to run on Intel-based processors. The project's code name was "Star Trek".)

starman · Oct 30, 2005, 01:18 PM

I think this thing is so old, it timelines the timeline.

Mr. Blur · Oct 30, 2005, 01:33 PM

yeah, this is ancient.

i thought the thread was going to be about george takei "coming out" and admitting he is gay.

Scandalous Ion Cannon · Oct 30, 2005, 01:41 PM

Very old news. On star Trek TNG all the animations on the computer screens were made in Macromedia Director on a Mac.

Scandalous Ion Cannon · Oct 30, 2005, 01:41 PM

These boards are busted and gay.

TailsToo · Oct 30, 2005, 02:19 PM

Read Apple Confidential from a few years back, and they'll tell you all about the Star Trek Project.

Albert Pujols · Oct 30, 2005, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by Scandalous Ion Cannon

These boards are busted and gay.

aren't you into that sort of thing?

Buckaroo · Oct 30, 2005, 02:54 PM

Does anyone have any of the Enterprise Display programs? I don't know if they were created in Macromedia or some other program.

Anyone have any idea where we could find them?

Scandalous Ion Cannon · Oct 30, 2005, 04:00 PM

Originally Posted by Albert Pujols

aren't you into that sort of thing?

Busted boards = No
Gay = Yes

iDriveX · Oct 30, 2005, 11:42 PM

I was the one that took the photos of the G4 Cubes in Enterprise. I should have gotten credit for breaking the story.

JoshuaZ · Oct 30, 2005, 11:45 PM

iDrive... you`ll always break the stories... and all our hearts.

Scandalous Ion Cannon · Oct 31, 2005, 01:46 AM

Originally Posted by iDriveX

I was the one that took the photos of the G4 Cubes in Enterprise. I should have gotten credit for breaking the story.

You still got those pics up?

iDriveX · Oct 31, 2005, 02:01 AM

Nope, but I could have them up tomorrow if you wanted to see them!

Athens · Oct 31, 2005, 03:34 AM

Sure I never saw them yet

iDriveX · Oct 31, 2005, 04:43 PM

Here ya go, I did a "quick and dirty" from iPhoto. I'll leave it up for a couple of days:

http://homepage.mac.com/idrivex/PhotoAlbum151.html

Scandalous Ion Cannon · Oct 31, 2005, 05:18 PM

Just out of interest, how did you score that tour?

olePigeon · Oct 31, 2005, 06:03 PM

Not just Enterprise, but Star Trek Voyager also used Macintoshes to drive the displays. There're a few episodes in Voyager (one in particular) where you can see the Mac mouse cursor move around, then out of the screen.

I'll try and get the episode name so you guys can watch it. It's the one where Janeway takes 3 junior officers on their first away mission to help with their frustration (one's a smart jerk, one is a girl that always messes up, and one is a science officer constantly thinking he's sick.) Near the end of the episode, the jerk guy tries to kill himself by launching out of an escape pod. While he's working on the control panel, the mouse cursor is whizzing around.

olePigeon · Oct 31, 2005, 06:05 PM

Since the software obviously runs on Macs, wouldn't those be some seriously cool screen savers?

Scandalous Ion Cannon · Oct 31, 2005, 06:35 PM

Originally Posted by olePigeon

Not just Enterprise, but Star Trek Voyager also used Macintoshes to drive the displays. There're a few episodes in Voyager (one in particular) where you can see the Mac mouse cursor move around, then out of the screen.

I'll try and get the episode name so you guys can watch it. It's the one where Janeway takes 3 junior officers on their first away mission to help with their frustration (one's a smart jerk, one is a girl that always messes up, and one is a science officer constantly thinking he's sick.) Near the end of the episode, the jerk guy tries to kill himself by launching out of an escape pod. While he's working on the control panel, the mouse cursor is whizzing around.

That's cool, I remember that episode.

Did you actually see the sets or just the computers?

iDriveX · Oct 31, 2005, 07:33 PM

I got to sit in the captain's chair! But I was strictly forbidden from taken photos of the actual sets though

I was probably strictly forbidden from taking photos of the computers as well but I wasn't caught so...

Actually what you are looking at is a Macromedia Flash presentation. It's a shame that Paramount never released those Flash presentations out on the star trek website when all was done. I imagine they are in a store room somewhere.

I never officially scored a tour. I was a teacher at the team, teaching 7th and 8th grade Spanish. One of my student's dad was a director. His name is Jim Charleston. I got to view the taping of the episode "Oasis" (I think it was the first season, maybe the second). He invited me to come down. Before shooting began he walked me through the long tunnels and the sets they had designed for the "alien ship". Then during preproduction he got busy and I was left to roam free, so I did. I managed to find myself in the computer room where the guy that ran it showed me everything. After that I watched them do some taping of a few of the scenes and then I took off.

I got to meet Jolene Blalock and Scott Bakula. Not to insult Mr. Bakula, but of everyone I met on the set that day, he was the only one that was "fake". Jolene and the rest of the trek crew all ate at the food table, burped, told jokes, laughed too loud, acted like normal people. They interacted with the other studio crew and was very warm and human to me when I met them. Scott on the other hand did a typical movie star hand shake, a "What's your name young man" and then "A Pleasure to meet you. Enjoy your stay" before retreating to his camper in between every single shot. Perhaps I just caught him on a bad day I donno.

The whole thing was pretty fantastic.

himself · Oct 31, 2005, 11:17 PM

Jolene = hawt.

ambush · Nov 1, 2005, 12:17 AM

Thanks For This Wonderful & Useful Info

Buckaroo · Nov 1, 2005, 12:36 AM

Who was the guy that ran the computers? I'd love to have some of those Flash presentations.

Originally Posted by iDriveX

I got to sit in the captain's chair! But I was strictly forbidden from taken photos of the actual sets though

I was probably strictly forbidden from taking photos of the computers as well but I wasn't caught so...

Actually what you are looking at is a Macromedia Flash presentation. It's a shame that Paramount never released those Flash presentations out on the star trek website when all was done. I imagine they are in a store room somewhere.

I never officially scored a tour. I was a teacher at the team, teaching 7th and 8th grade Spanish. One of my student's dad was a director. His name is Jim Charleston. I got to view the taping of the episode "Oasis" (I think it was the first season, maybe the second). He invited me to come down. Before shooting began he walked me through the long tunnels and the sets they had designed for the "alien ship". Then during preproduction he got busy and I was left to roam free, so I did. I managed to find myself in the computer room where the guy that ran it showed me everything. After that I watched them do some taping of a few of the scenes and then I took off.

I got to meet Jolene Blalock and Scott Bakula. Not to insult Mr. Bakula, but of everyone I met on the set that day, he was the only one that was "fake". Jolene and the rest of the trek crew all ate at the food table, burped, told jokes, laughed too loud, acted like normal people. They interacted with the other studio crew and was very warm and human to me when I met them. Scott on the other hand did a typical movie star hand shake, a "What's your name young man" and then "A Pleasure to meet you. Enjoy your stay" before retreating to his camper in between every single shot. Perhaps I just caught him on a bad day I donno.

The whole thing was pretty fantastic.

iDriveX · Nov 1, 2005, 01:01 AM

Well the head guy was Ben Betts, and the guy I met that day has posted here in these forums before but his name escapes me.

Buckaroo · Nov 1, 2005, 02:27 AM

I just think it would make an awsome screen saver for my setup.

http://home.earthlink.net/~spacebuck...s/desk4a2.JPEG

Scandalous Ion Cannon · Nov 1, 2005, 02:52 AM

Originally Posted by Buckaroo

I just think it would make an awsome screen saver for my setup.

http://home.earthlink.net/~spacebuck...s/desk4a2.JPEG

What you do for a living? That is a strange setup.

gururafiki · Nov 1, 2005, 03:45 AM

Originally Posted by Buckaroo

I just think it would make an awsome screen saver for my setup.

http://home.earthlink.net/~spacebuck...s/desk4a2.JPEG

When are you going to finish your setup and make it look like engineering on the enterprise? It's been unfinished wood forever!

Eriamjh · Nov 1, 2005, 08:13 AM

(Incidentally, in 1992-93, Apple Computer (the company that makes the Macintosh) launched a project to port the Mac OS to run on Intel-based processors. The project's code name was "Star Trek".)

I wonder whatever happened to that project?

ShotgunEd · Nov 1, 2005, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by Buckaroo

I just think it would make an awsome screen saver for my setup.

http://home.earthlink.net/~spacebuck...s/desk4a2.JPEG

And the Oscar for the world's biggest geek goes to...

Buckaroo · Nov 2, 2005, 01:20 AM

I've decided to replace it with a new one with a 30" Apple display in the center. I'll also design it so it is easier to do the finish work.

olePigeon · Nov 2, 2005, 01:30 AM

Originally Posted by Eriamjh

I wonder whatever happened to that project?

It was a joint project between Apple and Novell. Steve said they're a hardware company, not a software company, then had it canned.