Too obscure?
Anybody besides me able to tell what I'm riffing on here, in a scene I'm working on for my novel Watch? ("Caitlin" is a character's name; otherwise, I'm directly quoting something that resonates with the scene I'm writing):
His voice was its usual monotone. "Caitlin, if I may ..."
"If ...? Oh!" She got out of her chair and let him sit down in front of the keyboard.
(Screen captures added on Wednesday morning after someone got the reference -- see comments section for details.)
The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site
Posted by Rob on Tuesday, October 14, 2008
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10 Comments:
Jim, you haven't missed me yet at Pure Speculation in Edmonton. It's this COMING weekend, October 17-19, 2008.
I do not get it. :(
Too obscure for me.
I'm channeling AMADEUS, who says this when asking the King (played by character actor Jeffrey somebody, who played the principal in FERRIS BEULLER) if Amadeus may be allowed to try out/tinker with/totally rewrite the piece of music written specifically for the occasion by the narrator-nemesis, Salieri ...
I'm channeling AMADEUS, who says this when asking the King (played by character actor Jeffrey somebody, who played the principal in FERRIS BEULLER) if Amadeus may be allowed to try out/tinker with/totally rewrite the piece of music written specifically for the occasion by the narrator-nemesis, Salieri ...
This is paraphrasing Mr. Spock to Commander Dekker as he takes over the science station in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture."
A monotone voice? A polite request to take over at the computer? Replace "Caitlin" with "Captain" (or any other crew member) and it sounds like either Mr. Spock or Data.
-Larry Hodges
A monotone voice? A polite request to take over at the computer? Replace "Caitlin" with "Captain" (or any other crew member) and it sounds like either Mr. Spock or Data.
-Larry Hodges
Full marks to andrewt! That's exactly right! Except that he began by saying, "Commander," instead of "Caitlin," those were Spock's first words as he came onto the bridge of the Enterprise in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
The script has it as below; the "If ...? Oh!" isn't in the script, but does appear on screen.
I love putting little reference like this into the text, even if I know only one person in ten (or a hundred) is going to get them. :)
Screenplay excerpt:
Kirk, smiling, is moving toward Spock with hand out-stretched. But Spock has already turned and moved toward the science console where Decker sits.
SPOCK: Commander, if I may...?
It takes Decker a moment to realize that Spock wants to take over the console. He begins getting to his feet, throwing Kirk a look. But Kirk's attention is totally on SPOCK. And Spock is already intent on computations he is beginning to punch into the science console computer.
As AMADEUS came out years after ST: THE MOTION PICTURE, one may surmise the screenwriters were Trekkies, and familiar with the Spock/Decker interaction, and so were inspired to mimic the scene in their Oscar winning film ... ;)
okay, not likely, but stranger things have happened!
Paddy
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