MovieChat Forums > Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) Discussion > Passing each other in hallways

Passing each other in hallways

posted 6 years ago by ps48 (65)
33 replies | jump to latest

Anyone ever notice that in TNG, no one ever politely steps aside to make room for the randoms coming down the corridors in the opposite direction? Sometimes the randoms even have to SQUEEZE by the main actors.

Also, I think there's often some weirdness with multiple people entering turbolifts simultaneously too. Very rarely do I see anyone do the, "Please, you first" gesture with their arm, unless maybe it's a guest like Lwaxana. If it's like Worf, Deanna, and Geordi for example, usually one of the three will immediately go in without even a glance to the others.

I know it's just a show, (in fact probably still my favorite show), but I always found those minor awkward etiquette moments a bit humorous. :)

[–] snepts (11123) 6 years ago

I hear you. There are a lot of inconsistencies if you care to think about it. I get the impression there are hundreds of people on these ships, but generally we only see the stars in some combination. Of course, occasionally some crew member makes an appearance for various plot driving reasons, but it seems like about 10 people are doing 90% of the work, and when they have group scenes, they all seem to be together and no other crew members are welcome.

[–] strntz (12225) 6 years ago

...but it seems like about 10 people are doing 90% of the work, and when they have group scenes, they all seem to be together and no other crew members are welcome.

Yep. There's the A bridge crew but what's going on for the other two thirds of the day?

Well, here's an answer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4ApQrbhQp8

[–] TexasJack (12516) 6 years ago

That was great, thanks for posting.

[–] strntz (12225) 6 years ago

The amazing thing was that Patrick Stewart voiced Picard and Chris Pine voiced Captain Jake!

[–] TexasJack (12516) 6 years ago

I thought that the Patrick Stewart impersonation was uncanny.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

This makes me wish that the cast of Seinfeld had been transported to the 24th century. It would be a cool television crossover that would answer all the bits and pieces of minutiae we've always wondered about.

[–] ps48 (65) 6 years ago

[–] snepts (11123) 6 years ago

Now that I think about it, at some point I think Jason Alexander played a bad guy on ST. Probably Voyager, but for the life of me I don't remember the story line.

[–] twinA (4921) 6 years ago

Here we go, snepts, on the right track:

Star Trek Voyager: Think Tank (season 5, episode 20)

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Think_Tank_(episode)

He plays the leader of a band of know-it-alls who seemingly help those in dire need for little in return, but their methods might be questionable as their pursuit of knowledge may lack oversight.

~~/o/

[–] TexasJack (12516) 6 years ago

I remember that one. George was trying to recruit Seven of Nine.

[–] twinA (4921) 6 years ago

George, despite all his personal hang-ups, really knows how to appeal to women. But then again, Seven of Nine is not like any woman he has met before!

~~/o/

[–] TexasJack (12516) 6 years ago

It may be a sort of military protocol where enlisted personnel yield to officers.

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

That's the sort of military-esque protocol that I hoped will be dropped in the coming centuries.

Because making way for a superior officer who's just walking down the hall arguing with his girlfriend is silly. And a bit demeaning.

[–] TexasJack (12516) 6 years ago

The real reason is mostly likely a practical one, like keeping the main characters in frame. I think Starfleet isn't really military, it's more of a paramilitary organization. For example, I don't believe I've ever seen a salute.

[–] ps48 (65) 6 years ago

Well, it could be a justified as a military thing, but I have seen some episodes where a crewmen does indeed deliberately stop briefly, nod, and say, "Captain," which was essentially their military salute in my eyes. (or maybe this only happens in Voyager? I forget.)

But making no (or little) room for others to pass by in the hall always just seemed more like a filming oversight to me, just something the directors didn't think about at all. Their focus was the main dialogue between the main characters in the frame, and while they did make a conscious decision to throw some randoms in walking back and forth to make the ship seem alive, they forgot about the minor aspect of people generally being polite to each other in real life. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't make me dislike the main characters or anything, it doesn't make me think the directors are jerks, I just think it was more or less a very small goof (that probably barely anyone notices anyway)

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

Honestly, the crowding in the halls is probably just poor blocking made to look vaguely military as a cover. They had tight shooting schedules!

And as for whether Starfleet is military, IMHO we mainly see it as a peacetime military organization, with some changes that have come along over the centuries. But it's military all right, with ranks and orders and a chain of command and flagships, and the commander's-rank test consisting of ordering someone you know to die to save the ship. And of course, while Starfleet is mostly a peacetime military, sometimes it's a combat military saving the galaxy from the Borg or something.

[–] ps48 (65) 6 years ago

I agree, I think so too.

[–] snepts (11123) 6 years ago

If I were Riker and I wasn't talking to another of the stars, I'd always be turning around to watch the women walking away. Those outfits are quite tight, and all these women seem very fit -- another inconsistency ! Everyone is in great shape.

[–] Sandman81 (1509) 6 years ago

If they're military then there would be some requirements on physical fitness regardless of their job assignment. NASA also puts its astronauts through rigorous physical training programs.

[–] snepts (11123) 6 years ago

Good point, but I'm guessing in the future people ARE a bit more fit (at least, we can hope), and there should be a significant number of civilians on board as well. These ships seem like flying cities. Whoopi's not military.

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

Whoopi and Mott the barber are "supercargo", that is civilians who hold jobs on military ships, but who are not members of the military. I believe there are such persons on modern navy ships, and I hope that someone can say what sort of things they do, because I don't have a clue. Barbers? Anyone?

As for everyone being fit, well, I hope that in the future they will have stopped whatever is causing the modern "obesity epidemic", such as awful processed food. And that it's not just a matter of a TV producer ordering so many slim extras from central casting, and telling the lead actors that if they get fat they'll be replaced.

[–] ps48 (65) 6 years ago

Yep this was my take too. I always imagined that the idea is that:

1.) Replicators were able to balance nutrients better, leading to better health.
2.) And, I don't know for sure if money still existed on Earth in TNG -- For example in Family, Picard's brother is critical about all the new technology like replicators, which clarifies that not every household is required to have one, but does that mean they must be purchased in some manner? Or are they free if you request one? Those details being unclear aside -- I think they were trying to imply that greed in human societies was no longer a thing, which would mean no more cheap food being mass-produced, precisely because it is cheap to make, even if it's giving everyone loads of health problems.

[–] ps48 (65) 6 years ago

In addition to everyone being in good shape, have you also noticed that almost everyone has perfect posture? Everyone stands up straight with their arms at their sides. Nobody is ever slouching or leaning. Even in turbolifts, rather than stand against a wall, they stand in the center.

I'm not sure whether this detail was intended to be because of the military environment, or if it was intended to say, "in the future, everyone has great posture because everyone is more health-conscious," or maybe a combination of both. Either way, I love this detail about TNG. It gives it a rather unique tone.

[–] snepts (11123) 6 years ago

But they introduced the Barclay character, played by Dwight Schultz (hey! I'm not a fan of tng), who wasn't all military perfect. Seems like they were aware all Earthlings aren't going to be cookie-cutter perfect.

[–] liscarkat (18367) 6 years ago

On a military ship, the "main actors" (officers) do not step aside in passageways for the "randoms" (enlisted personnel).

[–] ps48 (65) 6 years ago

It's a fine argument, but there are even episodes where randoms step aside for WESLEY, or other low-rank, or unranked characters. Whoever the camera is focused on, whether it be the Captain, an ensign, some aliens, an unranked or civilian -- the random crewmembers will always awkwardly squeeze by the side to get around them.

In the episode Q-Pid, is the only instance I can remember where a random walking by actually politely acknowledges a main cast member in a corridor. As Picard is walking to Vash's quarters, a random walks by, and says "Captain" with a quick nod. This seems in line with TNG's philosophy of treating others with respect and as equals, and I would've expected to see this kind of thing more often. Yes they have ranks, but I've never seen Picard or Riker treat other crewmembers as if they "mattered less," EXCEPT in the corridor scenes where they're forced to awkwardly squeeze by, which is why I think it was an oversight.

[–] liscarkat (18367) 6 years ago

Well then, it's apparently an expedient of filming. Or, people are extremely polite in the distant future.

[–] snepts (11123) 6 years ago

The main idea is to further the story. If they decided to break from the norm and have a random say hello to the Captain, I think that's good storytelling. If somebody dreams up a silly thread like this, they can say, "What about this episode?"

[–] ps48 (65) 6 years ago

Pardon me for being dense but can you rephrase? You say it would've been good storytelling if the randoms interacted a tad more (I agree), but then you refer to the thread as silly, so I'm unsure if you are in support of, or in opposition to the notion. (But I repeat; I am dense. :) )

Be sure, I wasn't suggesting that the main actors stop and have conversations with the randoms, I just found it funny/awkward that they never seem to make any room for them even slightly, and adding in that little detail wouldn't have really ever hindered story flow and might've made the ship enviroment feel a hair more legitimate.

[–] snepts (11123) 6 years ago

I agree with your assessment. The show might have been a little more credible had the stars have more interaction with the Nobodies, but that's not how TV works (if you ask me). I suppose we could nit-pick TNG to death over details, but it's a fun show and we are lucky to have it as it is.
I hope this suffices, but if not, ask another question.

[–] ps48 (65) 6 years ago

Haha I do have a tendency to nitpick, probably only because I've watched the show so much, so all the little things pop out more and more. :)

I think TNG was really ambitious because they had to create this new world where humans sometimes have totally different perspectives than we do now. For example, Dr. Crusher saying in The Neutral Zone that, "In the past, people feared dying; it terrified them!" Well, no shit! I always thought this line was super weird, BUT, I do understand that this was just the writers trying to make the humans of TNG seem "different" than us.

Whereas typically in most other sci-fi shows, at least the ones that I've seen, humans still act/talk/think pretty much exactly like we do today. Not necessarily true with TNG, hence quite ambitious, and since it was perhaps more ambitious than usual, there are quite a few little flaws and inconsistencies here and there. Doesn't make it bad of course :)

[–] snepts (11123) 6 years ago

You have an interesting viewpoint. At first blush, I figured the people of TNG actually were terrified of dying. I suppose Guinan might have been an exception. But they do deal with Death regularly. I think your reaction to Crusher's statement is valid, but we all know most of Earth's ills have been solved by this time, including our feelings about Dying. Ambitious indeed. I'm not sure if we will ever be able to understand such an advanced philosophy (although we'd like to think so). Nice convo.

[–] snepts (11123) 6 years ago

Something else I notice with ensemble dramas, especially cop shows, is multiple characters will be discussing something, and they all swap turns explaining the problem. One person speaks a sentence or two, then the next person picks up and does same, then a third, maybe then a fourth. It seems so (surprise !) rehearsed.