Interocitor
Encyclopedia
The interocitor, also spelled interositor is a fictitious multi-functional device featured in the 1955 science fiction film
This Island Earth. The device arrives in kit form as an intelligence test for scientists who might prove helpful to an alien race.
, who wrote the original novel This Island Earth beginning as a series of three sci-fi short stories now known as “The Peace Engineers Trilogy” appearing in the sci-fi pulp magazine Thrilling Wonder Stories from 1949 to 1951. Raymond F. Jones then did a novelization of the complete story into full book form and it was first published in 1952 by Shasta Press. Universal Studios purchased the screen rights to the novel in 1953, since the novel was a popular sci-fi best seller, and made it into a Technicolor film in 1954, which was then released on June 1, 1955. The film was a modest success and has somewhat impressive visual effects. The first third of the trilogy of stories was titled “The Alien Machine”, referring to the Interocitor, with original graphic artwork penned by famous sci-fi artist Virgil Finlay
. The story was sold to the press with the help of literary agent Forrest J. Ackerman.
The term interocitor itself, rather than referring to a specific device, likely refers to a general class of devices that share a common set of operating principles (similar to the term computer). This is inferred from the fact an interocitor is observed or described in many different roles:
In the film, advanced physicist Cal Meacham first becomes aware of an interocitor when a book arrives at his lab entitled, Electronic Service, Unit #16. Inside is contained a bill of materials for the interocitor, describing it as, "incorporating greater advances than hitherto known in the field of electronics". From the specifications, Meacham opines, "There's no limit to what it could do. Laying a four lane highway at the rate of a mile a minute would be a cinch."
Of the 2486 components comprising an interocitor, only three are mentioned by name in the film:
The instructions accompanying the components also caution that no interocitor part can be replaced, and to bear this in mind while assembling.
Once assembled and powered, Meacham places the intensifier disk into the right-hand control and rotates it 18 degrees counter-clockwise. Upon doing so, the telecommunication function of the interocitor is activated, and Meacham establishes contact with Exeter, the party responsible for sending him the device.
During their conversation, Meacham's lab assistant, Joe Wilson attempts to photograph the device, but is informed by Exeter that "Your camera will pick up nothing but black fog. Images on the interocitor don't register on film."
Meacham later boards a Douglas DC-3
autopiloted by an interocitor to join Exeter at his research facility. Exeter is also seen using an interocitor to remotely observe a private conversation between Meacham and two other scientists at the facility, Ruth Adams and Steve Carlson. Exeter's assistant, Brack, later uses the weapons capability of the device to thwart the attempted escape of Meacham, Adams, and Carlson from the facility.
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
This Island Earth. The device arrives in kit form as an intelligence test for scientists who might prove helpful to an alien race.
This Island Earth
The Interocitor is an alien communications device with unusual and strange properties. The concept was invented by science fiction writer Raymond F. JonesRaymond F. Jones
Raymond Fisher Jones was an American science fiction author. He is best known for his 1952 novel, This Island Earth, which was adapted into the 1955 film This Island Earth.-Career:...
, who wrote the original novel This Island Earth beginning as a series of three sci-fi short stories now known as “The Peace Engineers Trilogy” appearing in the sci-fi pulp magazine Thrilling Wonder Stories from 1949 to 1951. Raymond F. Jones then did a novelization of the complete story into full book form and it was first published in 1952 by Shasta Press. Universal Studios purchased the screen rights to the novel in 1953, since the novel was a popular sci-fi best seller, and made it into a Technicolor film in 1954, which was then released on June 1, 1955. The film was a modest success and has somewhat impressive visual effects. The first third of the trilogy of stories was titled “The Alien Machine”, referring to the Interocitor, with original graphic artwork penned by famous sci-fi artist Virgil Finlay
Virgil Finlay
Virgil Finlay was an American pulp fantasy, science fiction and horror illustrator. While he worked in a range of media, from gouache to oils, Finlay specialized in, and became famous for, detailed pen-and-ink drawings accomplished with abundant stippling, cross-hatching, and scratchboard techniques...
. The story was sold to the press with the help of literary agent Forrest J. Ackerman.
The term interocitor itself, rather than referring to a specific device, likely refers to a general class of devices that share a common set of operating principles (similar to the term computer). This is inferred from the fact an interocitor is observed or described in many different roles:
- Telecommunications device
- Aircraft autopilot
- Surveillance and security controller
- Directed energy weapon
In the film, advanced physicist Cal Meacham first becomes aware of an interocitor when a book arrives at his lab entitled, Electronic Service, Unit #16. Inside is contained a bill of materials for the interocitor, describing it as, "incorporating greater advances than hitherto known in the field of electronics". From the specifications, Meacham opines, "There's no limit to what it could do. Laying a four lane highway at the rate of a mile a minute would be a cinch."
Of the 2486 components comprising an interocitor, only three are mentioned by name in the film:
- Bead condenser (model #: AB-619)
- Cathermin tube with inindium complex of +4
- Intensifier disk
The instructions accompanying the components also caution that no interocitor part can be replaced, and to bear this in mind while assembling.
Once assembled and powered, Meacham places the intensifier disk into the right-hand control and rotates it 18 degrees counter-clockwise. Upon doing so, the telecommunication function of the interocitor is activated, and Meacham establishes contact with Exeter, the party responsible for sending him the device.
During their conversation, Meacham's lab assistant, Joe Wilson attempts to photograph the device, but is informed by Exeter that "Your camera will pick up nothing but black fog. Images on the interocitor don't register on film."
Meacham later boards a Douglas DC-3
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
autopiloted by an interocitor to join Exeter at his research facility. Exeter is also seen using an interocitor to remotely observe a private conversation between Meacham and two other scientists at the facility, Ruth Adams and Steve Carlson. Exeter's assistant, Brack, later uses the weapons capability of the device to thwart the attempted escape of Meacham, Adams, and Carlson from the facility.
Other appearances
- Mystery Science Theater 3000: The MovieMystery Science Theater 3000: The MovieMystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie is a 1996 theatrical adaptation of the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000, produced and set between seasons 6 and 7 of the show. It was released by Gramercy Pictures and Best Brains with distribution held by Universal Pictures...
contained a version of This Island Earth. About halfway through the film, Tom ServoTom ServoTom Servo is a fictional character from the American science fiction comedy television show Mystery Science Theater 3000 . Tom is one of two wise-cracking, robotic main characters of the show, built by Joel Robinson to act as a companion and help stave off space madness as Joel was forced to watch...
reveals that he has his own interocitor, which the crew uses in an attempt to return to Earth. However, they are foiled first by the inept Metalunan whom they contact, and then by the intervention of Dr. Forrester, who attacks them with his own interocitor.
- An interocitor appeared in the "Weird Al" Yankovic"Weird Al" YankovicAlfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
video for "Dare to Be Stupid" and in his 1989 film UHFUHF (film)UHF is a 1989 American comedy film starring "Weird Al" Yankovic, David Bowe, Fran Drescher, Victoria Jackson, Kevin McCarthy, Michael Richards, Gedde Watanabe, Billy Barty, Anthony Geary, Emo Philips and Trinidad Silva, in whose memory the film is dedicated.The title refers to Ultra High Frequency...
.
- In the 1983 animated ConeheadsConeheadsThe Coneheads is a sketch on Saturday Night Live which originated on the January 15, 1977 episode, and starred Dan Aykroyd as father Beldar, Jane Curtin as mother Prymaat, and Laraine Newman as daughter Connie.-Summary:...
special, Beldar uses an interocitor to communicate with Remulak.
- An interocitor is visible in a dumpster in the July 2, 2005 episode of the webcomic Freefall by Mark Stanley.
- In the computer-generated television series ReBootReBootReBoot is a Canadian CGI-animated action-adventure cartoon series that originally aired from 1994 to 2001. It was produced by Vancouver-based production company Mainframe Entertainment, Alliance Communications, BLT Productions and created by Gavin Blair, Ian Pearson, Phil Mitchell and John Grace,...
, the interocitor was a component which frequently broke on the car of the main protagonist, Bob.
- In the 2003 film Looney Tunes: Back in ActionLooney Tunes: Back in ActionLooney Tunes: Back in Action is a 2003 American live action/animated adventure comedy film directed by Joe Dante and starring Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, Timothy Dalton, and Steve Martin. The film is essentially a feature-length Looney Tunes cartoon, with all the wackiness and surrealism typical...
, the mad scientist found in the California desert is looking for an interocitor that she misplaced.
- The Interocitor is also the name of the program developed by Todd RundgrenTodd RundgrenTodd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
for his PatroNet subscription service. The PatroNet server itself is named "Metaluna".
- An Interocitor is referenced in the setup of the Kelly LeBrock creation in the 1985 film Weird ScienceWeird Science (film)Weird Science is a 1985 American teen comedy film written and directed by John Hughes and starring Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, and Kelly LeBrock...
.
- An Interocitor is listed as a component of the containment unit by Egon Spengler on an episode of the animated series The Real GhostbustersThe Real GhostbustersThe Real Ghostbusters is an American animated television series based on the 1984 film Ghostbusters. The series ran from 1986 to 1991, and was produced by Columbia Pictures Television, DiC Enterprises, and Coca-Cola Telecommunications. "The Real" was added to the title after a dispute with...
.
- Interocitor is the name of a device in Doctor Who, involving quantum telecommunication across time and space. It is named specifically as a reference to this film, and this is mentioned by the Doctor (Peter Davison) during the story. This is in the 2007 audio play Renaissance of the DaleksRenaissance of the DaleksRenaissance of the Daleks is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
.
- In the video game Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum LaudeLeisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum LaudeLeisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude is a 2004 video game, part of the Leisure Suit Larry series. The game introduces a new main character, 'Larry Lovage', as Larry Laffer's nephew.-Gameplay:...
, an Interocitor can be seen in the science lab below the library. When examined, Larry will remark "I wonder where the candy comes out".
- The short story, A Great Moon Hoax or A Princess of Mars by Ben Bova, starts with an Interocitor being operated by a Martian and an American industrialist to watch old baseball games. The short story is available in Laugh Lines, a collection of short stories available from Baen Books https://www.webscription.net/p-769-laugh-lines.aspx.
- In the novel Caves of Ice by Sandy Mitchell, set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, the Adeptus Mechanicus techpriest Logash remarks that the expedition into the tunnels 'beats recalibrating interociters (sic)'.
- An Interocitor is used by Queen Verbosa to communicate with her guards in "Part 3 - Test of Doom!" (the first episode) The Sam Plenty Cavalcade of Action Show Plus Singing!The Sam Plenty Cavalcade of Action Show Plus Singing!"The Jim Henson Company Presents "The Sam Plenty Cavalcade of Action Show Plus Singing!" is a live action web-series from the Jim Henson Company. The series was created and directed by Paul Rugg and Mitch Schauer....
- An Interocitor is mentioned by Dr. Alloy in the second issue of The GoonThe GoonThe Goon is a comic book series by Eric Powell. The series has a paranormal slant, with the average story concerning ghosts, ghouls, skunk-apes with an unnatural hunger for pies, extra-dimensional aliens, and mad scientists.-Publication history:...
.
- In the 1989 film ArenaArena (1989 film)Arena is an American science fiction film directed by Peter Manoogian and starring Paul Satterfield and Claudia Christian. Set in 4038, Satterfield plays Steve Armstrong, the first human in 50 years to compete in the intergalactic boxing sport called simply "The Arena"...
, a battle droid near the beginning of the film needs a new Interociter unit to be fully repaired.
- A small Interocitor is seen, used, and mentioned by name in the 2011 film, Attack of the Moon Zombies, the sixth in writer/director Christopher R. Mihm's "Mihmiverse" series of modern-made, 1950s-style B-movies.