10 Times Star Trek Accidentally Filmed Things You Weren't Meant To See

[@jennyd255]

A long time ago in a universe far far away I worked as a technician for a large TV broadcaster and content producer. One of my jobs was to check shows for these sorts of issue, and then decide whether or not it needed to be "fixed". The trouble is, once one has been trained to spot this sort of stuff it becomes quite difficult to learn to un-see things, which can make watching TV very frustrating. Undoubtedly the most common problems are a sound boom in shot, and a shot which over-spills the edge of the set. Using a modern LCD TV both effects can frequently be found in TOS and TNG. However what most people don't realise is that most of these things would never have been seen, because back in the days CRT displays, the picture tube was overscanned by up to 6%. This means that a significant area of the image on the film or tape would never be seen by the audience because their TV sets were deliberately set-up to display a cropped picture. Only technical anoraks like me, would have had the knowledge and/or technical skill to adjust the scan yoke to display edge to edge, and the penalty for doing so was that one then saw the messy instability and disturbances to the picture edge, which came from the primitive early TV sync pulses. That's why the overscan was chosen - so the average viewer wouldn't have to see any of the technical flaws. This also included an allowance for framing imperfections of the sort to which you allude. TV production manuals from the area refer to a SAFE AREA - which is the area of frame which is guaranteed to be viewable. This is a 16:9 chart www.hdhead.com/illustrations/1080_safe_chart.jpg and here is a 4:3 upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Pal_safe_area.svg/320px-Pal_safe_area.svg.png Only the GREEN area would be considered "safe" and by extension important to the shot. So for example the newspaper, and many of the carpet tears - and indeed most of my sound booms would not have been considered important enough to fix, because the vast majority of viewers would simply never see them, as their sets would crop the picture so that the fault or object in shot was outside the safe area frame. These days changing the picture is as easy as going into the display menu and changing the display from TV-overscanned to edge-to-edge mode, which anyone using the screen as a PC monitor will have had to do so as not to lose things like the start menu button into the over-scan area. So these intrusions into the picture, which were previously considered as invisible are now viewable. Sadly this does destroy the "magic" - as did the move HD which, alongside showing things like your black squares on the bridge display, rendered the older styles of TV makeup instantly unconvincing - leading in turn to a lot of work being quietly done in the early 2000's to improve the quality of makeup and prosthetics. This is why sometimes advances in technology like HD are best not applied retrospectively to old shows. Sometimes I think it is better to view the show, with all its fuzzy charm, in the original format, thus more easily maintaining the illusion.

[@markusfreund6961]

How is this comment not pinned?

[@cvirtue]

Excellent background info , thank you.

[@ehchagas]

Someone please pin this comment! Have my like, ma'am!

[@cvirtue]

Tangentially - you can't un-learn things. I sometimes wish I'd never learned what the Wilhelm Scream was. Now I hear it .... all the time. It sometimes breaks the magic for me, alas, but at first I felt delighted to have "secret" knowledge.

[@delilasloan8914]

Now that's how you write a comment worth reading...should be 📌📌📌📌📌

[@teknical100]

Apparently the device for stitching the carpet didn't work until Picard made it sew.

[@jazzman.]

You win the internet for the day.

[@lovetheblue6659]

You must be auditioning to be a Disney Jungle Cruise captain …

[@julietardos5044]

Nice

[@eddarby469]

Pun = downvote!

[@assassinlexx1993]

I am stun by your answer. Red shirts Unite .

[@rharris4736]

To be fair, #7 could be explained away as "hey, even on a Galaxy Class starship, sometimes the carpet gets torn and it takes a shift or two before someone from the Lower Decks gets there to repair it."

[@wellsfam700]

To be faaaiiirrrr(letterkenny joke)

[@philsturm4685]

@@wellsfam700 To be faaaiiiiirrrr...

[@zeero4ever]

The party pooper explanation would probably more like "it's in the overscan area, noone will ever see it" :) Ensign Boimler, report to bridge!

[@UwUYT]

Lower decks (the show) is brilliant, I especially love the references to the other series and the guest appearances!

[@mikethebike2456]

🏍️ Agreed, but their 23rd C. carpet repair machine is probably pretty advanced. 🏙️

[@SSingh-nr8qz]

I worked in TV for over 25 years as a Post Production Manager. Basically I do special effects and clean up mistakes AKA "Fix it in Post". I think it' important to note how TV production is quite different today versus the 70's to the 2010's. Today, seasons of a show are produced all at once (think Netflix style). In the past, it was quite different. Episodes were created in a monthly production cycle. You would start a show with a pilot and like 4 episodes to get the ball rolling (AKA a 4 month head start). Each month you were tasked to write, shoot, edit, post produce and add sound for an entire episode. Back in the day , some shows too no breaks and kept producing year round with different teams. When you are producing shows like that, it's easy to make mistakes and get too comfortable. You are basically living on set and see your families very rarely. The set starts feeling like home and you start treating it as such, and that's where problems occur. Most people are very professional, but when you are on set from sun up to sundown, and sometimes over night day after day to meet crazy deadlines, the lines between home and work blur.

[@Hamachingo]

The lines between home and work blur. Sounds like home office nowadays.

[@christopherp.hitchens3902]

The only thing worse than a KZbin show documenting the irrelevant gaffs of a tv series LONG AGO faded away…is an unemployed technician commenting on it!

[@illudiumq36spacemodulator39]

also tv series had 26 episodes for a season not 6,8,10 like there is now. just shows how powerful actors unions are and how cheap the studios have become

[@jimbritttn]

A REAL season is 26 eposodes; not the lazy-man's 10 episodes we see now.

[@erictaylor5462]

HD has really changed a lot of stuff in television. My uncle used to be a reporter and later an anchor for the local news. When the station started using HD cameras they had to replace the news desk because it was covered in graffiti that could not be seen in the SD camerals, but was clearly visible in HD.

[@watermelonhelmet6854]

You can forgive a lot of these. Fun fact: TOS, TNG, DS9 and Voyager where all shot on film. TOS was also edited 'traditionally' (physically cutting film), while the other three series were transferred to videotape for editing. But when shooting on film and using analog editing, it would be massively expensive to do a re-shoot for a minor background problem, and the technology didn't really exist to just 'paint out' a problem (or was too expensive). It's actually pretty funny that I could fix those panel reflections, just crop out the carpet tear or clone out those blocking markers in a few minutes on my laptop today, when back then fixing those shots either wasn't possible, or would take too long or cost tens of thousands of dollars.

[@tylerlittleton6583]

As someone who watched Star Trek on a standard def tv over the airwaves, I can assure you these things were not visible/discernible on screen. People weren't that worried at the time because there was no way that the average viewer could see the gaffes.

[@contactATashleygriffin]

Agree, i was looking at Uniforms at the time and it was almost impossible to tell they had zips up the back (for TNG new design). It was almost near impossible to work out shoe design as well. I understand that TNG was edited on the low quality format, so they filmed it, converted everything to tape then edited the program, so was likely no one spotted it after ether.

[@KittyStarlight]

I didn't realize until tonight that there even *were* so many mistakes. Watched and recorded these shows with a regular TV and regular VCR like we all did back then. Have not seen the new hi-def and wide-screen versions yet but will have to try it sometime. Giggling a bit at us "old folks" (yeah, right) having to tell the young ones that nobody really noticed most of these kinds of mistakes back then. And *another* thing that was different back then is. We didn't spend half our time *trying* to notice mistakes anyway. We were too busy just watching the show. 'Nuff said.

[@garethevans7602]

I agree - I was an avid fan of Star Trek and watched it on an old TV - a big deep thing and we had to put money in the back to pay for it - terrible image compared to today.

[@cha2117]

Word is toilets were just of the bridge and Picard walked onto the bridge many times to give commands as toilets were being flushed in those days the computer was not used so much and it was all new and barely anybody understood what was happening maybe the cardboard sets explained why one shot seemed to finish the ships off pretty easily. lol

[@wilhelmw3455]

Also home video did not exist when the original series was first aired therefore errors were harder to spot.

[@badbiker666]

"With the hope that the viewer would never notice." They were right, too. I never noticed. I get far too caught up in the story to worry about pesky background details.

[@travis6279]

Same here. I generally notice gaffs by the 2nd or 3rd viewing. They make the show that much more memerable to me.

[@robertstoneking7916]

Having been on a submarine and since there were non Starfleet personnel on the bridge I figured there was classified info on the screen when I noticed that.

[@24Sayray]

Same

[@Elm115]

Wooptyassphukndoo.

[@RaptorNX01]

Even tho I do tend to notice some things, this i never knew before.

[@truuDQ]

Bless the editor. Those last few seconds of Discoveries' crew being SO puzzled was fantastic timing with Sean's commentary 😂

[@socalsal627]

Good thing the writing for TNG, DS9 and Voyager was so good that we were too into the plot to notice little things like these 😊

[@tomyrody4412]

voyager was just ok

[@Castielj]

I remember a scene in TNG when Majel Barrett (who played Counselor Deanna Troi's mom in TNG) walks across a mirror that's behind her, and in the mirror you can clearly see the cable to her microphone running down her back.

[@laurab9867]

Majel Barrett not just Deanna Troi's mom but Mrs. Roddenberry herself (hello).

[@obsidianwing]

yes i saw that too

[@Ucofatoffski]

@@laurab9867 Majel Barrett not just Deanna Troi's mom but Mrs. Roddenberry herself AND the computer voice of the ships.

[@laurab9867]

@@Ucofatoffski Affirmative. 🤖

[@talaniel]

@@Ucofatoffski And Christine Chapel

[@thegray5730]

I always thought the green ornament was showing some famous Romulan, like her dad or something.

[@tomasjoconnel5367]

I always thought he looked like my Dad from the 1980's!

[@revan_247am6]

@@tomasjoconnel5367 llpp

[@tomasjoconnel5367]

@@revan_247am6 llpp?

[@revan_247am6]

@@tomasjoconnel5367I don't know if my brother got on my pc or what, I never said that or wrote it that weird AF

[@tomasjoconnel5367]

@@revan_247am6 no worries. stuff happens. At least it wasnt a message from the other side!

[@MgtowRubicon]

Like all engineers, Chief O'Brien carries duct tape, not masking tape.

[@ericstoverink6579]

He would probably carry Gaffer's tape instead. Better than duct tape in every way.

[@smartfox2295]

Perhaps MacGyver was on DS9 with his duct tape.

[@23rdFoot]

@@ericstoverink6579 Especially for spiking sets.

[@kurtsnyder4752]

And they HAVE pockets,in all the uniforms. Their openings are right at the seams so we don't see them.

[@IamGulzow]

Electrical tape is way better than duct tape; it holds better, lasts longer, is stretchy so it is easier to apply very tightly, leaves less mess when removed, and if fits in nicely into a pocket. I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that he would carry electrical tape rather than duct tape.

[@bumper1730]

You should have seen the first 12 episodes of the original afternoon soap opera 'Dark Shadows'. Viewers could see cables and wires often, as well as hear the crew working in the background. Once, you could see above the set walls. The show was about to be canceled. Then, the producer's young child came up with the idea to make the show scary. Starting at episode 13, quality improved considerable, and the the show shot 1,225 episodes over six seasons.

[@zunipus]

The first full year of 'Dark Shadows' was a gaffe-a-day, some of which were outstanding. My favorite is a shot with one of the staff and an intern looking at the camera, inexplicably on there set. Hello! The show continued to have fairly regular oddities in the background throughout, and they freely acknowledge that was the case. Their schedule didn't allow for retakes.

[@ThatsViews]

In an episode of Santa Barbara a couple were diving along in an open topped sports car and the viewer was watching them pass stores, offices, etc. The effect worked right up until they passed a mirrored glass building and we saw a reflection of an open topped truck with the camera crew onboard!

[@moralityisnotsubjective5]

I think there is probably a drinking game for this sort of thing in that series.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Very cool video. But to be fair to TNG, these episodes were shot on film to be viewed on a TV, and the two carpet issues are outside of the safe area that would have been viewable on a CRT TV at the time -- ie they are not part of the underscan area, but only appear in the full overscan,that is only now viewable on full-scan digital image.

[@GregHafer]

You missed a big one. "Angel One" from TNG, Season 1, Episode 13, at about 21 minutes. In the original (not the remaster), Riker is having an intimate moment alone with Beata. However, you can very clearly see a hand reach in and take the champagne glasses from Beata, a much bigger mistake than carpet scuffs.

[@TheFaquarel]

Thank you! I was not the only one seeing that.

[@bryanbader2054]

Yeah, I guess they caught it in the remaster...cant catch it now

[@krosigrim]

Yea and when I first saw it, I LAUGHED SO HARD

[@markw208]

“Angel One” is one of my favorite STTNG episodes. Karen Montgomery was beautiful 😍

[@robynadele8883]

Omgee! Really? Lol

[@bradfordhatch5085]

Clearly Michael Burnham was using a little-known fighting technique she learned on Vulcan that even Spock was unfamiliar with; the Vulcan Air Burst.

[@I-am-EmJay]

She is clearly using the Weirding Way - Its clear that she studied with the Bene Gesserit

[@worstuserever]

It's obviously a Force punch. Oh, wait...

[@plan7a]

Perhaps she'd been eating garlic?

[@bradfordhatch5085]

@@plan7a Super effective if she was fighting a vampire. ;-)

[@zeero4ever]

@@bradfordhatch5085 well, the people from the mirror universe can't stand bright light... coincidence??? ;-)

[@whomigazone]

He wasn't chewing gum, he was called in while having dinner and it is the tough meat cooked by Neelix that he is still trying to chew enough to swallow...

[@raven4k998]

was the newspaper really left cause he was disgruntled or just being a slob?

[@jamesa.2880]

@@raven4k998 Slob

[@raven4k998]

@@jamesa.2880 I thought so

[@RecoveryTurtle]

Damn leola root

[@DavidEasthope]

Even though a lot of these are clearly errors in camera framing or leftovers in the sets, I also like the idea that even in the future, simple kludges are perfectly serviceable solutions on active ships. Like, imagine that just before "Farpoint", the ship encountered some gravitational anomaly that bent the deck plating under the bridge ever so slightly, and Data noticed his station was now wobbling. So they call up some ensign from maintenance and the guy just chucks a small square of rug under it to level it off, with LaForge remarking, "guess it'll hold until we can get the plating redone back at Spacedock."

[@k8eekatt]

Just imagine, William Shattner is 90 years old, and just went into space. Going strong! Thanks for the memories!

[@illudiumq36spacemodulator39]

at his age he went into space years ago

[@donnalombardo4368]

It's an alien dog. Like Martia said, "Not everyone keeps their genitals in the same place."

[@DUCKDUCKGOISMUCHBETTER]

😂

[@crisespinoza1979]

That's goes with earthlings too nowadays apparently. 🤣

[@donnalombardo4368]

@@crisespinoza1979 Does thst mean you have relocated yours to your face? Seriously, just WTF did you mean?

[@crisespinoza1979]

@@donnalombardo4368 it means that today, with so many "genders/non genders" anyone can decide where their testes are. We are no longer man nor woman.

[@donnalombardo4368]

So, you still didn't answer the question. Human genetals are always in the same place, regardless of gender, as the develop from the same undifferentiated embryonic cells. To what place did you relocate your genitals? Are they on the bottoms of your feet? Your hatred is costing you brain cells, if you cannot answer a simple question.

[@mossup-]

The Tear in the carpet behind LaForge may not have been seen on A normal TV due to overscan and TV's never saw the complete picture so when it was shot it may have been spotted but thought it would never be noticed

[@terrylyons6210]

This should have been mentioned in the video. The early examples in the video would not have been visible on an anolog broadcast and crt tv.

[@pyranador]

I'll bet the carpet square was there to cover the tear.

[@kurtsnyder4752]

The ONE time he didn't recycle the Federation Daily newsheet and THIS gets a complaint!

[@paulkirby2761]

I'm absolutely devastated to now discover that Star Trek wasn't a reality series...

[@marklsimonson]

The equipment in the corner of the shot in your second example wouldn't have been seen on TVs in 1966 since they had rounded screens and overscan. We can see much more of the frame than viewers did back then, and all the corners are clearly visible. The production crew may have noticed it, but left it in knowing that it wouldn't be seen at the time. The tear in the carpet in TNG is a similar issue that wouldn't have been seen by viewers at home due to overscan.

[@jensdroessler3575]

Generally, check out the extras in ten forward scenes. Watch them closely. Sometimes they are hilariously „acting normal“.

[@psoma_brufd]

Quick point, La Forge's station in that episode *is* Data's Station, so it's probably the same carpet wedge leveling the chair (the point just before the sponsored segment).

[@leesherman5192]

There are quite a few carpet oddities on the bridge and in sickbay in various episodes. Ex Astris Scientia points them out in the Observation pages.

[@jeffreymontgomery7516]

No - La Forge is at ops, Data mans the conn. Data left, La Forge right. After La Forge is advanced, Data takes his place.

[@AAvfx]

Crew man chewing gum. My personal winner. #1. 👍😁

[@billiesastard2596]

Scotch flavored?

[@endtimesvisions8408]

Excalibur John Boorman. Reportedly can see them men in armor smoking cigs during a battle scene sequence. :)

[@420spacecowboy]

they can build space ships. but not chew gum.

[@SaturnDreamingofMercury]

Damn Maquis flouting Starfleet regs again.

[@jamesa.2880]

@@billiesastard2596 Aye!

[@mrhaag]

It's almost like these were filmed decades ago and it never occurred to anyone that someday people would go through every single scene, frame by frame to find minor things that absolutely do not matter.

[@hudsonball4702]

It's not far fetched to think Gum made a come back after O'Brain made some. Obviously he showed it to the Voyager crew before they left and the guy happened to make some of his own too. Also there is one episode of DS9 (i think it's DS9) where a boom mic is seen in the shot. I don;t remember which episode but it does take place with a scene of Jadzia in her science lab.

[@benjiro8793]

I remember that scene when they looked in a lab, for a vanished city. I think the episode name was Prophet (as it tied into the whole Sisco ... well, let's not make spoilers).

[@rosemarymcbride3419]

But Voyager was already in the delta quadrant during the events of 'Take Me Out to the Holosuite.' So Star Fleet must have sent the specs for chewing gum to Voyager in one of their data dumps

[@hudsonball4702]

@@rosemarymcbride3419 Maybe he made some before. Like that one alien collector who preserved the smell of bubblegum on a baseball card.

[@bonserbob]

You missed the scene in Amok Time when you clearly see Leonard Nimoy leaning against the sweet in the background when Kirk is talking to T-Pau and Spock is supposed to be in deep meditation.

[@kd5nrh]

7:08 like you've never covered up the check engine light rather than replace the dodgy EGR valve. It being a starship, they have really big, redundant check engine lights.

[@TomPauls007]

Naw - it’s a cover to a panel hole; ready for a starship module upgrade! (~8

[@pwnmeisterage]

Kelvin-Trek went the opposite way. Never black out any reflecting surface when you can instead make it a glowy self-illuminated thing. More lights, more reflections, more flares and glares, make the bridge a painfully bright white blinding place.

[@leon419]

Dodgy EGR valves have been a HD diesel mechanics cause of many a sleepless night

[@leon419]

@@pwnmeisterage MOAR LENS FLARE!!!!1!1!11!1!!!!11

[@xaviercast970]

12:39 It is confirmed, there are Jedis among us.

[@nunyabidness674]

with all of the carpet gaffs in TNG, it re-frames the cheeky in-joke on Picard S3, "Being here, with all of us back together, it reminds me of the one thing I missed... The carpet"

[@mglenadel]

#7: WE can see the tear because we have digital video in perfectly rectangular screens. When it was originally aired, overscan would have made that invisible, and the editors would have left as is even if they saw it.

[@JustinFrost302]

In Star Trek 3 the search for Spock, after Kirk set the self destruct on the enterprise, when the Klingons boarded the bridge, the enterprise exploded and a stunt man that was dressed as a Klingon was thrown over the helm a hand came in frame to help the stunt man

[@cjhs77338]

There was also the sound stage that is visible in The Motion picture when Kirk goes walkabout outside. The sound stage is also visible in The Voyage Home after the BOP crashes into the water and Kirk has them pop the hatch.

[@dthormaly]

My favorite is from TMP when Kirk is leaving the ship in his pressure suit to chase after Spock. They forgot to put I. The matte painting around the set. You can see everything… the wooden supports, wires, lights… I don’t know how they could have missed it! Surprised I didn’t see anyone mention it. They did fix it at some point in a re-release.

[@stevenlitvintchouk3131]

I'm pretty sure that was NOT in the Christmas 1979 movie release. But years later, when they broadcast TMP on TV (ABC in the U.S.), they added some extra footage that had been cut for the movie, and it included the pressure suit scene you're describing.

[@WoefulMinion]

That was likely a bad transfer. There is a border around films that doesn't get projected, so filmmakers ignore anything in that area since it won't be seen. When you transfer a film to video, you have to box off the borders. A lot of movie equipment and crew "bloopers" are really just bad videos and were never seen in the theater.

[@LukeShort1854]

Love the fact that I pay for KZbin premium. To remove ads. Only to have to listen about square space. Thanks.

[@steveniles3598]

I finally found someone who has more free time than I do.

[@Kundalini12]

Michael used the force to take down that guard, obviously.

[@Cogency1]

In the Star Trek Universe, they call it The Farce.

[@Cogency1]

LMAO

[@stvdagger8074]

@@Cogency1 I prefer the Scwartz from the Spaceballs Universe.

[@bradfordhatch5085]

It was a little-known Vulcan technique. ;-)

[@nuck97]

While I'm certain you've brought this one up in a video before, Denise Crosby waving goodbye to the camera (from the background) in her final filmed scene as a regular could also make this list. TNG S1E22 "Symbiosis", 42:13. Blink and you'll miss it.

[@Vespyr_]

Wish she had stayed. Found her enchanting.

[@josephschultz3301]

@@Vespyr_ No worries. We all did, vespyr. She was a treasure on the show.

[@HawkGTboy]

@@Vespyr_ She thought that Trek was holding her back from a successful acting career, lol. Her leaving TNG was the best thing that ever happened to Michael Dorn.

[@xxkerosenexkidxx]

i literally just went to that time in the episode and watched fie times. literally blink and you'll miss it.

[@Ucofatoffski]

@@HawkGTboy Was it not the *only* thing that happened to Michael Dorn? ;)

[@illudiumq36spacemodulator39]

I remember the closing scene of Star Trek Nemesis. Captain Picard was sitting at his desk either in his quarters or in his ready room. You could clearly see a power cord coming from his monitor. Later in the same scene it showed his desk again and the power cord had disappeared. In the 24th century the monitors didn't have power cords because they used self contained power cells.

[@EnigmaticPenguin]

People now don't realize that : 1) The video taps on the 35mm cameras were like 3 inch, black and white screens. 2) By the time you see printed dailies, it's too late to fix it. 3) TV's were too low resolution for people to care. That said, i'm sure the list is in good fun.

[@Rockhound6165]

Just to point out that the station Data was sitting when we saw his carpet faux pas was the same station Giordi was sitting at when you saw that carpet faux pas.(NAV station)

[@roccov3614]

That's a good point. Maybe the carpet was to cover the gaping holes and not to level the chair.

[@plan7a]

Oh, glad I'm not the only one then, LOL.

[@spookerredmenace3950]

i'd love scotch filled gum lol

[@jamesa.2880]

Aye!

[@MattHaynie]

I'm watching the original series for the first time all the way through, and something keeps happening, haha! When ever there's an outdoor scene with the sun behind the camera, a guy will walk away past and the camera shadow will hit him in the chest. Like kids making a movie with their dad's camera. Haha!

[@shannonbayley3684]

Ponce

[@lindareese9949]

Original Star Trek had a low budget. Ha, Ha.

[@TomPauls007]

It wasn’t filmed using an 8mm handycam??! ((~8

[@jacksugden8190]

That so-called Bridge was nothing more than a relaxing cinema screen to stare at.

[@cainster]

Pretty sure the newspaper was thought to be far enough around the corner not to be in the shot, but when they changed camera angles, it was just not spotted due to aspect ratio or whatever. I would bet that it was there because just around that corner was a freshly-painted set, or possibly a floor in progress, and there was newspaper down to keep crew from walking over it.

[@andrewmalone9143]

I don't know how you don't put the time where Shatner stole Nimoy's line in the Omega Glory. Right after Kirk's Constitution speech he walks back over to Spock and Bones and says "gentlemen the fighting is over here." Nimoy rolls his eyes as Shatner interrupts him. Defforest Kelley is looking at Nimoy expecting his line and looks confused when Shatner speaks instead.

[@omp199]

This is a video about objects getting into shot that shouldn't have done. What you are describing is someone messing up their lines, which is a different thing altogether. It would have been off-topic to include it.

[@gadaadyn8190]

Gary Mitchell, that’s it. I’m getting a boulder 😜

[@sbukosky]

Not a mistake but in “First Contact” the escape pod doors were plastic toboggans. I had one in my garage.

[@robertjenkins3692]

You can see a ladder outside the mess hall, in the Voyager episode "Equinox". It's right outside the mess hall door (as the door opens a crewmember walks out) when B'lanna introduces Tom and Harry to Burke.

[@Raza-0007]

Actually it is a little before that when Seven and Tuvok are talking to Burke. The mess door opens in the background.

[@visionaryventures12]

I don’t know if you caught this, but I noticed in Journey to Babel what seems to be smoke rising from behind McCoy’s surgery bed when McCoy leans over it with Sarek being operated upon. It looks clearly as if DeForest Kelley had a cigarette during the shot.

[@Gerry1of1]

I wish they'd stop fixing these things in new releases. They're just little treasures we like to find.

[@PetersonZF]

Yeah, they didn't fix the Stormtrooper bumping his head in Star Wars Special Edition, in fact they added a sound effect!

[@plan7a]

Include both versions - the original and the remastered? Then if something gets 'tinkered with' you can still see how it was when you first watched it. It might save a few arguments also - from those who have seen differing versions!

[@Gerry1of1]

@@plan7a I think the only time these "fixes" were an improvement was Star Wars, when the Stormtrooper bangs his head they added a sound effect but left it in.

[@fiskin13]

The newspaper scene was great. You can't tell me that Leonard Nimoy did not see that while he was filming it. Where he was positioned, he was practically looking right at it. Great video Sean

[@joecostantino3684]

Nimoy is probably the one who put it there lol.

[@fiskin13]

@@joecostantino3684 Hey u never know. Actors have pulled pranks before

[@richardestigene1683]

It’s an ART PIECE

[@moodberry]

Hey, don't they read newspapers in the 23rd century?

[@robynadele8883]

YES

[@omf4ever]

No wonder Lorca failed, his guards will go down with little gust wind

[@christopherg2347]

Asuming he does not shoot them himself, because they are blocking his shot :)

[@davincent98]

Either that, or Burnham has the Force

[@DMSProduktions]

Snow flakes!

[@christopherg2347]

@@DMSProduktions Yeah, DISCO haters often are. It is a wierd thing with them.

[@DMSProduktions]

@@christopherg2347 I meant Lorca's guards! But yeah, the anti Disco brigade are a joke!

[@kurtb8474]

On tear in the carpet, 3:35 we can't forget that this show was produced during the days of tube TVs. Those TV sets had what was called ''overscan'' regions around the border of the screens. On those types of TV sets, that portion of the screen would not be seen like the TVs we use today, where we can see the entire image. Since the advent of plasma and widescreen TVs, this stuff is more noticeable .

[@Steph6n]

In "Good Shepherd" Star Trek Voyager, on a computer monitor in the escape pod, a mouse cursor is moving across the screen.

[@firepowerg]

How could you miss Denise Crosby waving at her friend behind the camera just before she leaves the show.

[@drinkupmeheartysyoho]

In the episode before she died coz it was filmed after her death scene, if I remember rightly! It was her final scene & she was like "see ya" 😆

[@TheFloridaStig]

but that was intentionally left in

[@doriWyo]

That one was intentional, with the director's permission.

[@serge00storms]

I remember first seeing the black cardboard in Peak Performance.. maybe it was used to keep tactical information secure while using the view screen ?

[@johnpeace971]

There's no way the torn carpet behind LaForge would show on a CRT tube. That area would have been covered by the TV case. It is clearly outside the title safe line, and likely didn't show on the editing screens either. When they did the transfers for bluray they pulled the shots back as far as they could to gain the extra width needed for modern aspect ratio sets, and in the process probably got the rip in frame even though it was well outside the safe zone in the 80s

[@pflaffik]

My thought too, it was within overscan area.

[@ricksmith3045]

The carpet on Data's chair (Encounter at Farpoint) and carpet on LaForge chair (When the Bough Breaks) is the same - the same chair. Data is sitting in the other chair in WtBB.

[@TheGramophoneGirl]

When this was first filmed and edited on 525 line ntsc nobody would have seen any of those minor imperfections in TNG. In the original series the errors again would likely barely show on a 1960s/70s or even 80s colour tv receiving an analogue signal. I always remember how blurry Geordi la Forge's eye shield was and how crystal clear it is in the HD scan.

[@robynadele8883]

Like, wasn't that explained above twice in Genius detail? Like, like like like lol, why did you even reply? Like like lol

[@TheGramophoneGirl]

@@robynadele8883 Probably the same reason you felt you had to a month later. You know, rather than just not bothering to.

[@jeffreysalgado4472]

I guess you really have to look at these frame by frame to find them….I mean, I’m just enjoying the story so no time to be looking for these!

[@krosigrim]

When you rewatch something so much, it becomes a fun game looking at everything else.

[@davidanderson4091]

You didn't mention Captain Picard opening his mouth VERY wide as he enters the turbolift at about 2m in the episode "Too Short A Season". I'm sure we weren't meant to see that!

[@cougarfarmer]

Thank you so much I thought I was going nuts. And thanks for the episode.

[@PetersonZF]

Yeah, that one's just plain weird.

[@TheRainblossoms]

Thanks for that, I had trouble finding what episode that was in.

[@acentaur010]

Great list! Had a few things on here I did not know about, which is always nice. But there are a LOT more things were not on this list that could have been. "10 Times Star Trek Accidentally Filmed Things You Weren't Meant To See: Part 2" coming soon? Yes please!

[@isaned]

What about the fact that Spot, data's cat, is constantly referred to as male, bit has kittens in the episode "Genesis," where it becomes a critical plot point. The worst one was in the last episode of season 4 of DS9 ("Broken Link") where the crew takes Odo back to the founder's homework, and Garak, who wants revenge, tries to manually fire torpedoes, but fights with worf in the crawl spaces. During their scuffle, they bump a wall and the door falls off, revealing the set behind it.

[@omp199]

To address the point about Spot, this is a video about things getting into shot that shouldn't have done. It is not a video about plot inconsistencies.

[@firestunt]

You do realize when these were filmed, particularly in the 1960s, TV sets had rounded corners and the image was over scanned quite a bit, and the resolution wasn't great, so many of these "mistakes" would not show. Also, you couldn't freeze-frame and rewind.

[@CaptRobertApril]

You missed the bit later in the Discovery scene, when Burham trains her phaser at Lorca, she's clearly holding it backwards.

[@DaveSomething]

forgot how nearly vertical Spock's eyebrows were back then...

[@MamaPinks]

Gravity and old age affects all beings 🖖👽🤔in different ways🤭. My eye lids started drooping at 50 LOL, but that just makes the continuity teams very good at their jobs. 😊

[@aqdrobert]

Bolian hairdresser shaved Spock's eyebrows. Latest Vulcan fashion.

[@lindareese9949]

Yes. I remember. Glad they softened the eyebrow angle

[@lindareese9949]

I noticed it also.

[@laurab9867]

True. LOL

[@CtrlOptDel]

You’ll call-out the pulled punch, but not her obviously pointing the phaser at herself mere seconds later? 🤨

[@dinoschachten]

Hahahahahah

[@alexejfrohlich5869]

was thinking exactly the same... also, i would instantly accept that the touchless punch was totally deliberately to show how awesome MB is... she is like this one martial arts master in the east that can overwhelm opponents without touching them. its a "real thing", you can google it ;) if he can do it, then she definetly can! so yeah, they should replace the airbending with "holding your weapon towards yourself" :D

[@jeebuschristos8423]

@@alexejfrohlich5869 Vulcan Buddha Fist...

[@Knight_Kin]

But that's Discovery in a nut-shell, pointing a phaser at itself.

[@mapleflag6518]

I mean, that’s kind obvious.

[@alphaomega153]

There are a some episodes of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” where a boom mic is clearly visible. Unfortunately, I don't remember the episode names. One involves Troi talking to her mother, another appears with Picard on the bridge, and a third appears in Main Engineering.

[@dycedargselderbrother5353]

The Sheliak treaty from "The Ensigns of Command" is my favorite example of this. Between the low SDTV resolution and the inability to freeze frame, it's unlikely you'd be able to read it on original airing but it's clear as day on the remaster. You'd think it'd just be standard "lorem ipsum" filler but it's actually jokes and anime references.

[@charleskroman5006]

In the 7th season TNG episode “Genesis”, Picard walks into his ready room after returning from a mission with Data and finds a devolved Riker trying to get the fish and when he spots Picard you can clearly see his middle finger sticking up on his left hand

[@douggale5962]

Could he be giving the writers the finger for making such a dumb plot in that episode? The writer apparently never went to high school. The story reveals that the involved writers don't have the slightest clue about evolution, and know absolutely nothing about it.

[@jamesslyk6262]

Odd thing I noticed in TOS episode "Shore Leave"; when the WW2 plane makes its strafing run at the 2 crew members running for cover, the girl, Angela, gets struck down...and is never seen again. Nor is she even mentioned. Like, wasn't she taken below the surface to be fixed up like McCoy? Absolutely nothing about her after the plane attack.

[@plan7a]

Shhh! This event should never be mentioned, it is possibly due to a malfunctioning phaser! Hence why she is never seen or mentioned again?

[@tobbiganz4215]

I am still shocked, when in a list like this suddenly Discovery appears. It always takes a second for me to acknowledge: Ah yes! That is supposed to be Star Trek, too!

[@markclason2717]

"Supposed to be ..."

[@davidanderson4091]

@@markclason2717 Yep.. "supposed to be". Discovery is a travesty IMO. Never watched it past S1E1... never will

[@theprimo100]

@@davidanderson4091 you're los I guess...

[@theprimo100]

What an original comment...

[@techieguy336]

That warm and fuzzy feeling you get when watching Star Trek clips is replaced by revulsion when a Discovery scene appears. The sooner Discovery fades into oblivion, the better.

[@jimboflex6194]

In "Amok Time", in at least one shot, Spock, who is supposedly deep in preparation and mental anguish, can be seen in the background standing casually with his hands behind his back. And in, I believe, "Charlie X", the crew members are feeding a pipe into a square opening in the floor. The "walls" of the opening are painted black, but the lighting clearly reveals the plywood grain of the wall of the opening.

[@Enforcer6k]

In addition to the "phantom punch" in #1, you can see a for a few frames towards the end of the fight that Burnham is holding her phaser backwards. Then the camera cuts and she's got it facing the right way.

[@wailingwailer79]

In Star Trek: DS9, the episode “Broken Link,” Worf and Garak fight when he tries to destroy the Founder’s planet and when they do they knock down the hatch to the Jeffery’s tube. You can clearly see it go down and see that there is nothing behind it.

[@Serin9X]

Yeah, not sure how Worf throwing Garak against a wall so hard it shattered the space/time continuum didn't make this list.

[@paulcovacich5274]

Maybe it should have had a GNDN sticker on it.

[@kendric2000-q3d]

The hatch falls in and you can see plywood and stuff behind it for a split second. LOL.

[@AudioVisual82]

forgot the episode, but it's a VOY one: standard windows mouse cursor on an LCARS screen. 🤭

[@christophermaybury4918]

I believe that was in “Good Shepherd.”

[@ChevronQ]

yeeeees I was waiting for that one! I saw that the first time I saw that particular episode and I was so proud to have spotted that 😌 And then you forget it in this episode 😂😂

[@muffinfluff2476]

On voy? You saying it to save time? 😉🤣

[@aqdrobert]

Windows 1000

[@LasherTimora]

@@aqdrobert Nah, Windows 10 is the last Windows /s

[@Boxanadu]

You forgot the episode Imaginary Friend. In the scene where the villain, Isabella, is using her telekinesis to knock down some plates, a hand can be seen knocking them.

[@bryanbader2054]

I see it! What a dick...

[@jamesa.2880]

High tech is actually low tech!

[@GoofballLtG]

I remember someone published whole books full of these things that people spotted. “Nitpickers guides” each page detailing show/season/episode/act/minute and what was out of place. Anything from production crew in the background to someone missing a rank pip on their collar. Reading those books trained me how to be more observant for those things.

[@DaystromDataConcepts]

AH yes! I remember the book of which you refer, The Nit Pickers Guide to Star Trek. I believe it covered both the original series and TNG. There was an absolute ton of great stuff in there. I don't think it's available any more :(

[@DavidKnowles0]

I don't think I want to be trained to spot this kind of stuff.

[@ThirdOfJune4444]

I'm impressed and amazed at how you caught those very subtle mishaps. Did you watch the full episodes frame by frame? I've never had an eye for such things and I've been watching Star Trek for 30 years.

[@BLEACH366]

You don’t look for them you concentrate on who is talking and most noticed but couldn’t prove it unless they were recording it and could rewind no tivo

[@doriWyo]

In "Half A Life," when Deanna and her mother are talking, a mic boom is seen, briefly, reflected in a mirror.

[@JustinFrost302]

I saw that too

[@TrekkieBrie]

Chewing gum when on stage is like the MOST well known taboo in theater next to maybe wishing someone good luck. I can't fathom how that went unnoticed. We used to have to spit gum out in our hands and hold it through our scene if we got caught.

[@TomPauls007]

Hey - at least he didn’t blow a bubble!!

[@JarOfRats]

In several HD TOS episodes, on the bridge, look at the hand rails behind Kirk's chair. You can see duct tape near an end piece, painted over red.

[@andrewolson5471]

That's not a goof, that's how Scotty fixed it.

[@SD.EviL.EsKiMo]

@@andrewolson5471 that was my exact thought on how Scotty “fixed” that rail 😂

[@WildStar2002]

There was an incident I remember from TOS, "The Apple" or "Paradise Lost" - during a fight with the natives, one of them looses their white wig as they are knocked down.

[@lossatt]

TOS liked "Paradise" titles, but "Paradise Lost" was not among them. (This Side of Paradise, The Paradise Syndrome) (DS9 has a Paradise Lost.) (Perhaps The Apple used the alternate title Paradise Lost in some translations?)

[@moonprincesst.s.h.4ever115]

The newspaper scene is like the Starbucks cup fiasco in The Game of Thrones final season episode (Season 8, Episode 3, titled “The Long Night.”) 🤣

[@Carl_Aznable]

I saw a scene in TNG where a door panel, despite being painted beige, had visible wood grain showing through the paint

[@jasonk9779]

Not something you'd like have seen back in the day when originally broadcast. HD is murder on sets. I remember setting the Johnny Carson set up close once, it was a wreck but the cameras didn't see that.

[@AndyG73]

Rather like episodes when some baddies hurls our intrepid hero through the room wall or door, which appears to be made from balsa wood. Not up to Starfleet specs!

[@Knight_Kin]

@@jasonk9779 "HD is murder on sets" Not when you compensate for it. This is only noticable for production techniques made long before. Besides, we are up to 8k now bud. Going back to the old resolution is very difficult because it looks like such shit now.

[@danlock1]

@@Knight_Kin I don't know why anyone would want to watch feces in 8K. 🤐

[@a.l.e.x8118]

Aren't there a few frames where the area behind the set is visible when worf pushes garak into the wall on the defiant when garak tries to.acces the defiants torpedos to kill the founders? Also there are a few moments on TNG where you can see that the carpet on the floor continues without a cut into the turbolifts. Imagine what would happen if the lift starts moving

[@Dougurasufilm]

Almost weird that this wasn't used in the list? Probably left out on purpose to let us talk about it?

[@Jubilian3000]

Knowing what we know now don’t you think Worf at least somewhat regrets not letting Garak complete that mission???

[@lander77477]

Are you sure? I think I know what you're talking about however I know I have seen a line that separates the turbo lift floor from the deck floor, its just a very thin line that they should have made look more like the kind you see when stepping onto an elevator

[@Adahop]

I think that turbolift part was intentional. Same as with the invisible zippers on the uniform jackets.

[@Fatherofheroesandheroines]

The real mistake was the entire Discovery series

[@slate_cactus]

Guards: serious Janeway: serious Seven: serious That one guy: **gum**

[@jetsons101]

With the newspaper, maybe a crew member just left it there after waiting for his tricorder to recharge then left the paper there for the next guy.

[@jimharker3371]

I can't remember the episode, but it was a Lawaxana one. She's looking in a mirror talking to Deanna. She turns to face her, the camera begins to turn, and you can clearly see a boom mic in the mirror. I think they took it out in the remaster. Again, not sure what episode. She was always looking in the mirror.

[@nathanmckee5006]

yes, i remember that one, its where she is dating the guy that has to go back at age 60 and kill himself

[@aaronlusanko6356]

Episode is from season 4. "Half A Life"

[@MichaelAlbert-sg4ke]

In “Imaginary Friend” (TNG) there's a scene where Clara Sutter and Worf’s son Alexander are working with clay. When Alexander's sculpture is knocked over by an allegedly invisible Isabel, we clearly see an adult human hand doing the deed. I would have thought they could use a wire to pull the sculpture pedestal over.

[@TomPauls007]

I believe a visible hand did the dishes deed, also.

[@panelvixen]

Neeka isn't an Earth dog. So maybe he/she is like a hyena. All that anime I watch does occasionally get me some educated. But, what about Spot the cat? What about Ryo-Ouki? That whole Kobayashi thing... er..., situation, uhhhhhhhh, I give up.

[@DragynGirl]

Spot is an enigma. That cat changes gender more than some people change their socks!

[@John_Smith_60]

@@DragynGirl Changes breeds, too!

[@nekolalia3389]

It’s sci-fi. You can say she has an ovipositor.

[@Lonjest]

On Deep Space Nine, Season 4 Episode 25; When Worf and Garak are fighting one another Worf throws Garak into a wall knocking out a panel showing a room that looks like it's storing props inside

[@Carolyn318]

You missed one. In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6 episode Birthright Part 1. At about 39 minutes when Dr. Bashir is walking away after his and Data's last scene together, if you look at the floor between Data and the wall, you can see Bashir has on on some either white slippers or white socks. I bet I know why he was wearing them. Those Starfleet boots probably clump LOUDLY when you walk in them on a hard floor with very thin carpeting on it.

[@Mumblix]

The Michael semi-punch was likely due to a bad angle. If the camera was positioned a little differently, the guard's head would have blocked the "impact".

[@davidshaffstall8693]

Birthright, TNG season 6 crossover episode with DS9. A two-parter episode so I can’t remember which one it was. Bashir and Data are walking the Enterprise corridor and talking. At the conclusion as Bashir is walking away, he is clearly seen wearing white tennis shoes.