Changes: Life support belt

Latest revision as of 14:17, 28 June 2023

Kirk taking off life support belt — Kirk removing belt

The life support belt was a device worn around the waist that emitted a personal force field which supplied the wearer with the appropriate atmosphere and protected them from the elements, without the need of wearing a bulky environmental suit. Life support belts were used by Starfleet personnel in the late 2260s and the early 2270s aboard the USS Enterprise.

In 2269, Spock, Leonard McCoy, Montgomery Scott, and James T. Kirk all wore life support when they visited an insectoid starship near Questar M-17. It did not protect the wearer from phaser fire. (TAS: "Beyond the Farthest Star")

Chuft-Captain asked the Kzinti Telepath whether Spock's life support belt was prohibiting usage of the Slaver weapon against him. The telepath replied in the negative, adding that the metal in the belt vibrated. (TAS: "The Slaver Weapon")

Appendices

Appearances

TAS:
- "Beyond the Farthest Star" (Season 1)
- "The Ambergris Element"
- "The Slaver Weapon"
- "The Pirates of Orion" (Season 2)

Background information

Although used exclusively in TAS, the life support belt was invented during the run of Star Trek: The Original Series. Judy Burns, co-writer of "The Tholian Web", thought of using battery-powered "force field belts" in that episode, but the series' producers decided to feature EV suits instead. "They felt strongly that if they started something like a force field belt," explained Burns, "it might have ramifications down the line on other stories. I was a novice in those days, but today I probably would have countered that it was a prototype model that had been given to us this one time. In 25 years, we would get it back again." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, 3rd ed., p. 72)

In the script for "Beyond the Farthest Star", life support belts are introduced with the description, "The belts are wide, utility-type belts that glow with a pale, lime-yellow aura when turned on. This aura surrounds the wearer, like an envelope of air surrounds the Earth; it supplies air, and being a force-field, prevents harm to the person inside it, as it is almost totally impenetrable."

"Life support system belts" were additionally referred to in the first draft script of "In Thy Image", the story that gradually developed into Star Trek: The Motion Picture. In that script, Scott told Kirk – upon the captain's arrival in a transporter room with Xon and the Ilia probe – that they wouldn't require such belts for transport to Ve-jur, as a gravitational field and an oxygen atmosphere envelope were forming inside the craft. (Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series, p. 204)

While the Starfleet life support belt was never seen again, there were a few other examples of personal force fields in later spin-offs. Environmental suits were again used for the same purpose from Star Trek: The Motion Picture onward.

Apocrypha

In the novelization of TAS: "The Survivor" (as published in Star Trek Log 2), a Vendorian disguised as Carter Winston is said to have a life support belt that he deactivates moments after being beamed aboard the Enterprise.

In the novelization of TAS: "The Lorelei Signal" (also published in Star Trek Log 2), life support belts are considered for use when, just before beaming down to the unfamiliar surface of Planet Two of the Taurean system, Kirk asks Spock about them. Under the influence of an hallucination-evoking signal from the planet, however, Spock casually deems use of the belts unnecessary on that occasion.

The Star Trek: Department of Temporal Investigations novel Forgotten History explains that the usage of life support belts was discontinued due to the likelihood that any failures would result in the users' immediate deaths. Environmental suits, on the other hand, gave the wearer a window of opportunity to escape back into a safer environment.

External links

Life support belt at StarTrek.com
Life support belt at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[File:Life support belt.jpg|thumb|The life support belt in action]]
+[[File:Life support belt.jpg|thumb|A life support belt]]
-[[File:Engineering computer core and hatch.jpg|thumb|A life support belt protects Scotty]]
+[[File:Kirk taking off life support belt.jpg|thumb|Kirk removing belt]]
-The '''life support belt''' is a personal [[force field]] that supplies the wearer with the appropriate [[atmosphere]] and protects them from the elements. Life support belts were used by [[Starfleet]] personnel in the late [[2260s]] and the early [[2270s]] aboard the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}}. (''[[Star Trek: The Animated Series]]'')
+The '''life support belt''' was a [[life support gear|device]] worn around the waist that emitted a [[personal force field]] which supplied the wearer with the appropriate [[atmosphere]] and protected them from the elements, without the need of wearing a bulky [[environmental suit]]. Life support belts were used by {{dis|Starfleet personnel|23rd century}} in the late [[2260s]] and the early [[2270s]] aboard the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}}.
+In [[2269]], [[Spock]], [[Leonard McCoy]], [[Montgomery Scott]], and [[James T. Kirk]] all wore life support when they visited an [[insectoid starship]] near [[Questar M-17]]. It did not protect the wearer from [[phaser]] fire. ({{TAS|Beyond the Farthest Star}})
-{{bginfo|[[Environmental suit]]s were again used for the same purpose from {{film|1}} onward.}}
+[[Chuft-Captain]] asked the [[Kzinti Telepath]] whether Spock's life support belt was prohibiting usage of the [[Slaver weapon]] against him. The [[telepath]] replied in the negative, adding that the [[metal]] in the belt vibrated. ({{TAS|The Slaver Weapon}})
-== Appearances ==
+<gallery>
+File:Landy party wearing life support belts.jpg|The life support belt in action
+File:Life support belt protects Scotty.jpg|A life support belt protects Scotty
+File:Spock hit by ABDS.jpg|Spock stunned while wearing a life support belt
+</gallery>
+== Appendices ==
+=== See also ===
+*[[Emergency transporter armband]]
+*[[Personal force field]]
+*[[Subspace bubble]]
+=== Appearances ===
 <div class="appear">
 * {{TAS}}
@@ Line 14: / Line 28: @@
 </div>
-== Background ==
+=== Background information ===
-Although used exclusively in TAS, the life-support belt was invented during the run of ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]''. [[Judy Burns]], co-writer of {{e|The Tholian Web}}, thought of using battery-powered "force field belts" in that episode, but the series' producers decided to feature EV suits instead. "''They felt strongly that if they started something like a force field belt,''" explained Burns, "''it might have ramifications down the line on other stories. I was a novice in those days, but today I probably would have countered that it was a prototype model that had been given to us this one time. In 25 years, we would get it back again.''" (''[[Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages]]'', 3rd ed., p. 72)
+Although used exclusively in TAS, the life support belt was invented during the run of {{s|TOS}}. [[Judy Burns]], co-writer of {{e|The Tholian Web}}, thought of using battery-powered "force field belts" in that episode, but the series' producers decided to feature EV suits instead. "''They felt strongly that if they started something like a force field belt,''" explained Burns, "''it might have ramifications down the line on other stories. I was a novice in those days, but today I probably would have countered that it was a prototype model that had been given to us this one time. In 25 years, we would get it back again.''" (''[[Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages]]'', 3rd ed., p. 72)
 In the script for "Beyond the Farthest Star", life support belts are introduced with the description, "''The belts are wide, utility-type belts that glow with a pale, lime-yellow aura when turned on. This aura surrounds the wearer, like an envelope of air surrounds the Earth; it supplies air, and being a force-field, prevents harm to the person inside it, as it is almost totally impenetrable.''"
-"Life support system belts" were additionally referred to in the first-draft script of "[[In Thy Image]]", the story that gradually developed into {{film|1}}. In that script, Scott told [[James T. Kirk|Kirk]] &ndash; upon the captain's arrival in a transporter room with [[Xon]] and the [[Ilia probe]] &ndash; that they wouldn't require such belts for transport to [[V'Ger|Ve-jur]], as a gravitational field and an [[oxygen]] atmosphere envelope were forming inside the craft. (''[[Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series]]'', p. 204)
+"Life support system belts" were additionally referred to in the first draft script of "[[In Thy Image]]", the story that gradually developed into {{film|1}}. In that script, Scott told [[James T. Kirk|Kirk]] &ndash; upon the captain's arrival in a transporter room with [[Xon]] and the [[Ilia probe]] &ndash; that they wouldn't require such belts for transport to ''[[V'ger|Ve-jur]]'', as a gravitational field and an [[oxygen]] atmosphere envelope were forming inside the craft. (''[[Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series]]'', p. 204)
-While the Starfleet life support belt was never seen again, there were a few other examples of personal force fields in later spin-offs.
+While the Starfleet life support belt was never seen again, there were a few other examples of personal force fields in later spin-offs. Environmental suits were again used for the same purpose from {{film|1}} onward.
-== Apocrypha ==
+=== Apocrypha ===
-In the [[novels|novelization]] of {{TAS|The Survivor}} (as published in ''[[Star Trek Log 2]]''), a [[Vendorian]] [[Carter Winston (impostor)|disguised as]] [[Carter Winston]] is said to have a life-support belt that he deactivates moments after being beamed aboard the ''Enterprise''.
+In the [[novels|novelization]] of {{TAS|The Survivor}} (as published in ''[[Star Trek Log 2]]''), a [[Vendorian]] [[Carter Winston (impostor)|disguised as]] [[Carter Winston]] is said to have a life support belt that he deactivates moments after being beamed aboard the ''Enterprise''.
-In the novelization of {{TAS|The Lorelei Signal}} (also published in ''Star Trek Log 2''), life-support belts are considered for use when, just before beaming down to the unfamiliar surface of [[Taurus II (Taurean system)|Taurus II]], Kirk asks Spock about them. Under the influence of an [[hallucination]]-evoking signal from the planet, however, Spock casually deems use of the belts unnecessary on that occasion.
+In the novelization of {{TAS|The Lorelei Signal}} (also published in ''Star Trek Log 2''), life support belts are considered for use when, just before beaming down to the unfamiliar surface of [[Planet Two]] of the [[Taurean system]], Kirk asks Spock about them. Under the influence of an [[hallucination]]-evoking signal from the planet, however, Spock casually deems use of the belts unnecessary on that occasion.
+The ''[[Star Trek: Department of Temporal Investigations]]'' novel ''[[Forgotten History]]'' explains that the usage of life support belts was discontinued due to the likelihood that any failures would result in the users' immediate deaths. Environmental suits, on the other hand, gave the wearer a window of opportunity to escape back into a safer environment.
+=== External links ===
+* {{startrek.com|database_article/life-support-belt||external}}
+* {{mbeta}}
 [[de:Lebenserhaltungsgurt]]
 [[Category:Tools]]
+[[Category:Energy fields]]