History Main / KirksRock

* ''Film/JingleAllTheWay'' features the rock during the ShowWithinAShow in the film's opening.

%%* Film/PlanetOfTheDinosaurs

%%* Film/WerewolfOfLondon

The American equivalent of the BBCQuarry, a distinctive set of striated sandstone slabs, dozens to hundreds of feet tall, sharply-angled and pointed at their tops. Familiar from its use as an exterior location in any number of ScienceFiction programs and [[TheWestern Westerns]] (including the films ''Film/BlazingSaddles'' and ''The Magnificent Seven Ride Again'', as well as the "Sleestak Diner" scene in ''Film/JayAndSilentBobStrikeBack''), and no few automobile commercials. It is also the location the Brandeis-Bardin Institute was composited into for the [[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers first]] [[Series/PowerRangersZeo five]] [[Series/PowerRangersTurbo seasons]] of ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' as the Command Center/Power Chamber building. The entire town of Bedrock in ''Film/TheFlintstones'' was constructed here. Probably best known from its several appearances on ''Franchise/StarTrek'' over the years (especially the [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Original Series]] episode "Arena"), whence comes the popular nickname for one of the formations (and by extension the entire area). The movie ''[[Film/BillAndTed Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey]]'' [[LampshadeHanging specifically points this trope out]] by having the boys watching said episode, before their robotic duplicates drag them out to the rock to kill them.

%%* Series/TheTwilightZone

%%* High and Dry, UK version (Radiohead)

%%* S Club Party (S Club 7)

* ''Film/{{Secrets|1933}}'': Kirk's Rock was a popular shooting location long before ''Star Trek''. In this movie, John and his ranch hand are riding throutgh Vasquez Rocks when they see Houser the cattle rustler passing the other way with John's cattle. The cattle are passing right in front of the pointy rocks when they're seen in close-up.

%%* Hunter
%%* Series/TheInvadersTVSeries

%%* Series/TheInvaders

%%* Film/AustinPowers: International Man of Mystery

%%* Hell Comes to Frogtown (1971)

%%* In the Army Now (1994)

%%* Kill Your Darlings (2006)

%%* Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn (1983)
%%* Mom And Dad Save The Day
%%* My Stepmother Is An Alien (1988)

%%* Princess Of Mars (2009)

* You Got Lucky (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) - The rocks are seen in the background behind the shed they find.

In reality these are known as the [[http://aeve.com/digitaldesert/vasquezrocks/ Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park,]] in Agua Dulce, CA (conveniently located about 30 miles north of Hollywood--in other words, the studio is not required to pay cast and crew extra for travel, accomodations, and on-location shooting), and were once a hideout of Tiburcio Vásquez, a notorious {{bandito}} who was one of the inspirations for the character of Zorro. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasquez_Rocks Here's]] the Wikipedia entry, with a detailed history of "Kirk's Rock" in TV and film.

In reality these are known as the [[http://aeve.com/digitaldesert/vasquezrocks/ Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park,]] in Agua Dulce, CA (conveniently located about 30 miles north of Hollywood--in other words, the studio is not required to pay cast and crew extra for travel, accomodations, and on-location shooting), and were once a hideout of Tiburcio Vásquez, a notorious bandito who was one of the inspirations for the character of Zorro. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasquez_Rocks Here's]] the Wikipedia entry, with a detailed history of "Kirk's Rock" in TV and film.

In reality these are known as the [[http://aeve.com/digitaldesert/vasquezrocks/ Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park,]] in Agua Dulce, CA (conveniently located about 30 miles north of Hollywood), and were once a hideout of Tiburcio Vásquez, a notorious bandito who was one of the inspirations for the character of Zorro. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasquez_Rocks Here's]] the Wikipedia entry, with a detailed history of "Kirk's Rock" in TV and film.

* ''Series/{{Zorro}}'': Probably one of the earliest use in television, and before they were called that. In the episode "The Missing Father", Zorro pursues a mysterious masked figure over the Rocks.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'': One of the rock outcroppings is drawn to look both like Kirk's Rock and the tail fins of some 1950s muscle car.

* WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}: One of the rock outcroppings is drawn to look both like Kirk's Rock and the tail fins of some 1950s muscle car.

%%* ''Series/{{CSI}}''

* ''Series/StarTrekPicard''. Used for a MythologyGag when Jean Luc Picard goes to meet Raffi Musiker, who is living in a house built right next to Vasquez Rocks.

* ''Series/StarTrekPicard''. Homaged when Jean Luc Picard goes to meet Raffi Musiker, who is living in a house built right next to Vasquez Rocks.

%%* ''Series/MacGyver''

--> "The slanted and jagged formation caused by tectonic upheaval was beautiful in the afternoon light. The sun was hitting the front rock faces at a low angle and throwing the crevices into deep darkness. It looked beautiful and dangerous at the same time."

%%* ''Series/{{Dinosaurs}}''

%%* ''Series/{{Monk}}''

* The TropeNamer; the famous fight in the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode, "Arena", takes place here, as mentioned in the description.
** Also, this is where Lazarus' timeship is located in "The Alternative Factor."

* In ''Series/TheWildWildWest'' episode, "The Night of the Cadre", West and Gordon defeat the fake Union soldiers at Vasquez Rocks with a knockout gas Gordon devised.

%%* Series/{{Monk}}: episode "Mr. Monk and the UFO"
* ''Series/DoctorWho''. Homaged in "The Caretaker", which opens with the Doctor and his companion in a NoodleIncident where they've been chained up in the desert to die on an alien planet. A large Vasquez Rocks-like formation is in the background.
* Given that ''Series/{{Westworld}}'' is both science fiction and Western series, there's the inevitable homage shot, seen near the sand-buried church in Escalante. Westworld has been constructed in accordance with its Western theme, right down the Monument Valley landscape of John Ford movies, so this is likely an InUniverse homage as well.

* ''Literature/BloodWork'': The backstory recounts how detective Jaye Winston had investigated the case of a murder victim found at "a large outcropping of sandstone known as Vasquez Rocks." This is how she got to know Terry [=McCaleb=], the protagonist who now needs her help investigating another murder.

* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': While en route to a Series/StarTrek convention, the guys specifically visit this location due to its use in the show. Their car is stolen while they are posing for pictures in their costumes in front of the rocks.

* ''Series/{{Charmed}}'': In the episode "Soul Survivor", this represents a prehistoric environment into which Leo and Chris stumble through a time portal.

[[caption-width-right:350:The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasquez_Rocks Vasquez Rocks]] in fiction (top left to bottom right): Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries, Series/StarTrekVoyager, Series/DoctorWho, WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}, Film/TheMuppetMovie, Film/TheFlintstones]]

[[quoteright:261:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kirksrock_crop_4183.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:261:LizardFolk not included.]]