The Mac mouse in Star Trek IV

[WebHead]

It just occurred to me, while Scotty was flummoxed by the mouse in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, so might the majority of viewers, as mouses were still mostly limited to Macs.

Would this have meant the joke fell flat, or was there enough awareness of the computer mouse at the time? (The Mac had been out about three years)

 

[WebHead]

Also worth noting that while Trek's core fanbase was more tech-literate than the average Joe, Star Trek IV also had the most mainstream appeal of the series.

 

[SnowPenguin]

I love how he used the computer without a mouse at all. As a keyboard warrior, I liked what I saw.

 

[WebHead]

I love how he used the computer without a mouse at all. As a keyboard warrior, I liked what I saw.

I once had a colleague who prided himself on never using the mouse ☺️

 

[mrgraff]

I think there's some logic in what you're saying. Notice how the actor James Doohan, also possibly unaccustomed to a mouse, subconsciously (?) places it back on the desk upside down.

 

[SnowPenguin]

I once had a colleague who prided himself on never using the mouse ☺️

He seems like a keyboard warrior too.

It's possible to use the keyboard for over 80% of things, but you will have to use the mouse for some things. Sadly speaking.

 

[JPack]

Enough people, especially those watching Star Trek, were familiar with mice by that time to know what it was.

Microsoft had two generations of mice out for PCPaint. Other computers like Amiga 1000 with a mouse had been launched for a couple years.

 

[theluggage]

It just occurred to me, while Scotty was flummoxed by the mouse in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, so might the majority of viewers, as mouses were still mostly limited to Macs.

Would this have meant the joke fell flat, or was there enough awareness of the computer mouse at the time? (The Mac had been out about three years)

The film was 1986.
Th Mac came out in 1984 with massive publicity (including the famous Super Bowl ad) and was an iconic, instantly recognisable design - even if relatively few people had one.
The first version of Windows launched in 1985 and, although it was a flop, meant that PC mice were available.
The Atari ST and Commodore Amiga came out in 1985 and both prominently featured mice and GUI operating systems at more affordable prices (the Atari ST was nicknamed the “Jackintosh” after then-Atari chief Jack Trameil).

So when the film came out, mice and gui desktops were very much the new, shiny thing and anybody remotely interested in personal computers would have at least recognised a Mac mouse.

 

[WebHead]

Thanks for the insights!

The movie itself no doubt helped accelerate what it seems was an already growing awareness.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I never understood why Scotty would have any clue about how to use a keyboard from the 1980's, or any software or OS of the time for that matter.

Just movies doing movie stuff I guess.

 

[WebHead]

I never understood why Scotty would have any clue about how to use a keyboard from the 1980's, or any software or OS of the time for that matter.

Just movies doing movie stuff I guess.

Scotty was a miracle worker indeed!

 

[shakopeemn]

Thanks for the insights!

The movie itself no doubt helped accelerate what it seems was an already growing awareness.

You're assuming everyone in the world watched all the Star Trek movies. Only us geeks went to the theater and we were already familiar with mice...

 

[Mousse]

I never understood why Scotty would have any clue about how to use a keyboard from the 1980's, or any software or OS of the time for that matter.

Scotty didn't use any Mac app to show the design for transparent aluminum. No way for a program from that time could keep up with the rapid input without suffering buffer overrun. He typed a tiny hack using assembly language.😏

 

[DouglasCarroll]

The best part is how Transparent Aluminum is actually a real thing now!

Transparent Aluminum (Aluminum Oxynitride) – Properties, Production and Applications

Once confined to the world of Star Trek, transparent aluminum is now very much a reality, and can have significant real-world applications.

www.azom.com

Light speed, time travel and transporters can't be far behind!

🙂

 

[Spock]

And it wasn't even really a Mac...

 

[orbital~debris]

I never understood why Scotty would have any clue about how to use a keyboard from the 1980's, or any software or OS of the time for that matter.

Just movies doing movie stuff I guess.

Guessing you're not up to date with Strange New Worlds. There's an episode where Commander Pelia works around a comms problem by outfitting the Enterprise with antique 1980s wired telephones. She taught Scotty at the academy, so maybe he also picked up an awareness of that era's Macintosh from her…

 

[WebHead]

You're assuming everyone in the world watched all the Star Trek movies. Only us geeks went to the theater and we were already familiar with mice...

As I mentioned in the second post, I know the core audience was tech-aware Trekkers, but Trek IV was also the most popular in the mainstream (at that point).

Also, is it “mice” or “mouses”? And is a wireless mouse still a mouse?