Skip to main content

star trek - Why do Vulcans have pointed ears?


We see Vulcans have pointy ears.


Why did the writers choose to make them have unique ears and not eyes or noses?



Answer



From a behind the scenes perspective, prosthetic ears were easy to do, but also, Gene Roddenberry wanted a slightly satanic looking character. He's never explained why, but he liked the look. Most people don't realize that ears do move along with normal facial expressions, but they do -- however they move less than the nose or other facial features.


Remember, this kind of work was still new and they needed makeup they'd be able to apply every single day that would hold up throughout the day. Doing makeup like this for a movie was one thing, since movies are limited in production time. But in the mid 1960s, having a character that needed anything like prosthetic ears (or nose, or anything else) was a completely new idea, so the less that had to be applied every day for 8 or 9 months each year, the more manageable it would be.



When they saw The Cage, the network didn't like it and asked that they get rid of the female 2nd in command and the pointy-eared guy. (On the recording Inside Star Trek Roddenberry joked that when they said that, he married the female 2nd in command and promoted the Vulcan. He added that he considered doing it the other way around, but it just didn't work out well that way.)


From an in-universe perspective, the air on Vulcan is thinner than on Earth, and evolution led to a different shape and slightly larger ear to help catch sound -- look at ears on animals that need to hear for their survival, like deer who hear predators. Many such ears are pointed.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

game of thrones - Is Syrio Forel dead?

In the episode 'The Pointy End' (Season 1 Episode 8) when Arya runs from the Lannister guards you hear the sound of a sword being dropped (around 4:56): [embedded content] After that neither Syrio or Ser Meryn Trant is never mentioned or seen in the show again, except when Arya mentions to the Hound that Ser Meryn Trant killed Syrio. Is there any mention in the books that Syrio actually dies?
Post a Comment
Read more

tolkiens legendarium - Difference between elves and dwarves blacksmithing in the Lord of the Rings

Both the elves and the dwarves were famous for their metal work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but what is the difference between what they made, and which one had the better skill of making amours and swords? Answer James Christopher's answer sums up the second part of your question well, but as to the difference in what they made, a little more detail is needed. Once the Elves learned to forge with steel, the shape of the sword changed, now being able to take on the form of a great broadsword or a light and agile curved sword. Additionally, they took great pride in decorating their swords. As we see in the Lord of the Rings , some swords like Sting had magical properties such as glowing blue when orcs are near. As far as the use of Mithril, lotr.wikia has two contradictory passages: Thus, Elven blades became renowned as great weapons, capable of performing deeds beyond the skill of their handlers and were even more glorious when the use of Mithril was allowed to the Elves. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How do Pokemon trainers collect their winnings?

According to Bulbapedia , Prize money is the money that a Trainer pays out at the end of a battle. So we know that the money comes directly from the trainer that just lost, and not some third-party committee or sponsor. But how is this done? It can be easy seeing the random trainers who challenge you along the way wanting to wager and then, after admitting defeat, sticking to their word and handing over their hard-earned pokebucks. Then there are the likes of Team Rocket and Giovanni, who also give money once they lose. This doesn't seem like something people in a criminal organization would willingly do. From this it appears that trainers have no say in whether or not they cough up the dough after losing, but I can't find anything on how exactly the funds are transferred from loser to winner. So how do Pokemon trainers receive their winnings?
Post a Comment
Read more