MovieChat Forums > Star Trek (1973) Discussion > The Opening Credits!

The Opening Credits!

posted 18 years ago by richard.fuller1
7 replies | jump to latest

On the Muppet Show, they did a parody skit called "Pigs In Space".

The opening sequence would show Link Hogthrob, Miss Piggy and Dr. Strangepork, in headshots moving toward the camera as the narrator introduced them.

This was the first time we ever saw Linc Hogthrob or Dr. Strangepork.

Now when I watched this near 30 years ago, I immediately concluded this was a parody of Star Trek's introduction.

I would then see reruns of Star Trek again in the mid-1980s and there were no headshots.

"Must be a latter season," I thought and completely forgot about it.

Now it has turned up again. None of the episodes of Star Trek had any kind of headshots.

Perhaps they use only one opening shot for reruns.

Nope, say people who remember the show's first airing.

My brother likewise has confirmed this. There were no headshots in the opening sequence of Star Trek.

That being the case, then waht did Pigs In Space, in a spaceship called the Swine Trek, satire with their opening introductions and headshots?

Speculation has been that it was the animated Star Trek.

BUT I have two episodes of this cartoon on tape and they don't have such an introduction.

BUT we did get a second season of the animated series.

Even still, is there a chance that the headshots were added to the cartoon? Does anyone remember?

If not, anyone care to take a guess where the headshots at the beginning of Pigs in Space must have originated from?

I knw it was a satire of something.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] richard.fuller1 18 years ago

Yes, just like Cary Grant never said "Judy, Judy, Judy", Jimmy Cagney never said "you dirty rat", Sherlock Holmes never said "Elementary, My Dear Watson" and Humphrey Bogart didnt say "play it again, Sam" in 'Casablanca'.

Basically that is all I have received is that Star Trek never had headshots at the beginning, which doesnt explain where Pigs In Space might have gotten idea for the parody.

One responder even opted to analyze that the headshots of the pigs represented their egos, which was about the furthest from what I was after.

So the original Star trek show, the cartoon neither had these headshots.

The only other parodies that I can think of would be either Saturday Night Live's spoof with John Belushi or Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty, which had a Star trek takeoff.

Not likely either of these will be viewed anytime soon, but is this what occurred somehow? The parodies of Star Trek began having headshots of the figures slowly moving toward the camera and that became attached to star trek, which we (or I) now know never took place?

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] Miss_October 18 years ago

Space: 1999 didn't have headshots at the beginning, but rather waist-up shots of the two stars, Martin Landau and Barbara Bain. Considering that The Muppet Show and Space: 1999 were both released by ITC, and that the former followed the latter by only a few years, I think it's a likely candidate.

Woman is the Earth and Man is the Sky.

[–] richard.fuller1 18 years ago

Lost In Space had headshots, but if you recall Pigs In Space, the headshots of Linc Hogthrob, Strangepork and Miss Piggy would all start far off, then slowly inch forward as they were described.

Now the description by the narrator, I never heard, what I always thought was the case was that the original Star Trek had the same slow moving headshot and we heard the theme.

I think I posted this query after I got hold of two episodes from the cartoon and was surprised to see that it too didn't have the headshots.

Or I should say the MOVING headshots, moving in toward the camera.

Lost In Space doesnt have this, and it has been such a long time since I have seen Space:1999 but I'm fairly certain it didn't have those moving inward headshots either.

AND I never saw Lost In Space when I was little, nor Space:1999.

I would see Space:1999 about the latter part of the 1970s, after the Muppet Show and boy, I am late into Lost In Space.

Just saw that show in about the past 8 years (I'm 41).

I saw the movie before I saw the show.

[–] profh-1 12 years ago

Sounds like the 3rd season of LOST IN SPACE, to me. LIS was often ridiculous on its own, so making fun of it with The Muppets would be a natural.

Plus, I mean, come on-- "PIGS IN SPACE" / "LOST IN SPACE". How more obvious could it be?

[–] richard.fuller1 12 years ago

Lost In space showed cast video headshots, as any other show would do, Gilligan's Island's wheel faceshots.

the Pigs In Space faces would start far off then slowly come forward. Apparently whereever I saw it, it wasn't Star Trek.