The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

Wow, two of my very favourite geek things are coming together: Star Trek and the brilliant Mythbusters (pauses to don his hat and stroke beard in Adam Savage pose). SciFi Wire notes that the geek-tastic Mythbusters is going to test an invention from a classic Star Trek episode, where a desperate Kirk is in the now traditional rocky desert scene for a battle, in this case against the much stronger Gorn. As most of you will know, I’m sure, Kirk searches for materials to improvise a weapon after the alien who kidnapped him and the Gorn captain tell him there are sufficient materials scattered around to use.

Finding a large bamboo like tube, sulphur, diamonds and other minerals the always resoursceful Jim Kirk improvises a primitive explosive mix with the diamonds as projectiles to fire from the bamboo tube, while an approving Spock watches from the bridge of the Enterprise. But could you actually make something like that in real life and would it work or blow apart in your face? It looks like being a fun myth to test and kind of a Trek flavoured companion to the medieval ‘tree cannon’ the Mythbusters did a few years back. Tori is going to get in costume (any excuse) as Kirk and of course Grant’s going to be Spock; on a related note Grant will be chatting live on the Mythbusters’ Twitter on Monday 28th. I may have to put on my pointy ears to watch this episode. Does anyone else now have the classic da da dum dum dum dum dum dee dee dum dummm Star Trek fight music in their head? Just me then…