What happened to Star Trek props?

Índice Show

When you really look at how much people value the props for old shows such as Star Trek you get a feeling that people are either out of their minds or are diehard fans…who are still out of their minds to pay any kind of money for the items that were used on the show. When one really gets a good look at them they might notice that they appear to be repurposed items that have had pieces glued onto them and modified in a way that looks futuristic and therefore appears rather impressive. From the communicators to the weapons to the sets, Star Trek props were seen to be highly prized by quite a few fans and it’s said that the UCLA Drama department had the bridge setup for a while. But what usually ends up happening to any props that can’t be repurposed or otherwise broken down, sold, or used again is that they’re destroyed since they’re no good any longer and there’s reason to keep them around. Some pieces might go to museums, some to private collectors, and others might even go to various other locations where someone is willing to pay to display them, but often the props from Star Trek, if they’re still around, are going to be seen collecting dust in someone’s home or business as display pieces that are also seen as investments that some people believe they can liquidate if and when it’s necessary.

When you hear that some pieces go for tens of thousands of dollars to the right collector it only sounds a little bit crazy, since finding those ‘right collectors’ is something that a person would be wise to do if the need ever comes along. Otherwise, the props are nice to look at but are essentially useless since the only thing that is unique about them is that they were used in the actual show. The only thing is, if there’s no certificate of authenticity that goes with it then anyone could create a model of the items that were featured on the show right down to every exact detail if they were being meticulous about it. In fact, if a person knew how to craft these items and had a keen eye for detail they could likely fool quite a few people into thinking that any items they made were realistic, and the only ones that would be able to tell the difference would be those that were even more attentive to detail if that’s possible. Seriously, there are some folks that know the exact dimensions and overall look of every prop on the original show and would be able to spot a phony from a mile away, or so some of them might say. This is why the idea of collecting Star Trek props gets a little dicey since, without any certificate of authenticity or the ability to speak to the people that actually made the props, it’s very likely that people could pass off counterfeits and make a lot of money if Trekkies didn’t know what to look for.

The really funny thing about this though is that this is why Trekkie’s are kind of regarded as odd by a lot of people when it comes to their favorite show, and it’s because a lot of them know the minute details about the props and the items used on the show that many people don’t. This means that they can spot a forgery simply because it doesn’t have the same shine, the exact same form, or is perhaps a little bit off in how it looks as opposed to the real prop. Again, there are people out there that are this meticulous, and a few that can even tell what age and wear might do to a prop after so long. It’s a lot to get into, and some folks make a habit of doing this as a hobby, which is mind-numbing, but I’m not one to judge considering my own fondness for replicas from various movies and pop culture icons that have caught my fancy. But the originals aren’t necessarily easy to come by when it comes to collecting them, and a lot of props have been used so extensively on so many different sets that they’ve been tossed since they were no longer any good. There are still collectors that would love to have them since yes, there are folks out there that would love to have Spock’s original ears or an original insignia from the show. Hey, if William Shatner can sell his kidney stones for charity, then there’s not a lot of limits on how nutty things can get when it comes to collectors. Pretty much anyone can make a worthwhile Star Trek prop if they’re motivated, but making it look like an original is something that might be a little risky.

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Re-Used Props - Miscellaneous Equipment

by J�rg Hillebrand and Bernd Schneider

RobotsMedical FurnitureOther Bulky Equipment

Many props of Star Trek were later modified or even recycled without changes to represent equipment for a different purpose or of another civilization. Here are quite a few examples of devices of which some defy a classification. Please note that every statement made here should be taken with a grain of salt. There is no need to seek for explanations. Certainly we are not supposed to watch closely enough to notice that the same props are used for just every conceivable purpose.

Robots

Nomad & Co

Nomad, the famous deadly robot from TOS: "The Changeling", was later redressed with a new spherical central section to appear as Flint's M-4 in TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah". We can see parts of Nomad also on the Romulan cloaking device in TOS: "The Enterprise Incident".

"Robodog"

Dr. Graves has something in his office that looks like a primitive robotic dog (probably rather as a nostalgic decoration than as a display of his present work). The same prop can be seen in Ard'rian's house on Tau Cygna in TNG: "The Ensigns of Command". Here it is obviously meant to be something modern by the standard of the planet's technology, like the other robots that almost make even Data smirk.

Exocomp

The Exocomp from TNG: "The Quality of Life", one of the rather prominent props, reappears as a medical apparatus from the repair station in ENT: "Dead Stop", now painted silver. It has another appearance in ENT: "Future Tense" and as Xindi device in ENT: "Anomaly" (albeit it is just a picture this time).

Pralor body parts

in VOY: "Prototype" B'Elanna assembles the Pralor prototype unit using an arm of Johnny Five from the movie "Short Circuit". The foot looks like it is taken from "Terminator 2".

Artificial intelligence and more

The same device appears as the artificial intelligence in VOY: "Think Tank", as an unknown device in VOY: "The Voyager Conspiracy", as a Borg shield generator in VOY: "Collective", as the photonic field generator in VOY: "Flesh and Blood", as the Malurian mining device in ENT: "Civilization" and as the central computer of the repair station in ENT: "Dead Stop".

Medical Furniture

Treatment (torture) chair

The same chair can be seen on Tantalus in TOS: "Dagger of the Mind" and on Elba II in TOS: "Whom Gods Destroy".

Wheelchair & control chair

Admiral Jameson's wheelchair in TNG: "Too Short a Season", designed by Andy Probert, later appears in "Conspiracy" as the control chair Dexter Remmick sits on when he is killed by Picard and Riker.

Engineering rack & examination couch

A rack used for the construction of the prototype unit in VOY: "Prototype" later appears as an examination couch on Dr. Gegen's starship in VOY: "Distant Origin". The prop undergoes a few modifications but is still essentially the same when it shows up in the Chaotica holoprogram in VOY: "Shattered" and on the Hirogen holoship in VOY: "Flesh and Blood".

Operating table & examination couch

We can see the same table in Dr. Sulan's lab in VOY: "Faces" but also in Voyager's engineering in VOY: "Prototype".

The prop reappears in sickbay in VOY: "Meld". On this occasion it replaces the normal surgical bed. The reason is apparently plot-driven. Tuvok frees himself by ripping off a power cable from the surgical bed to disrupt the forcefield. Since the normal bed didn't have such a cable, it may have been deemed necessary to replace it in just this one episode.

Medical chamber & examination couch

This prop started off as the isotropic restraint in VOY: "Phage". Without the lid, it served as the examination couch on the Vhnori homeworld in VOY: "Emanations". It could be seen as the isotropic restraint again in VOY: "Threshold". In VOY: "Before and After", the prop finally appeared as the biotemporal chamber.

Stasis chambers

Various types of stasis pods of different civilizations are actually the same prop.

Glass tube

A large glass (or rather transparent plastic) tube was used as a quarantine unit in ENT: "Cold Station 12" and as an agony booth in the Mirror Universe in ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly" (the latter inspired by the TOS episode "Mirror, Mirror".

Vidiian medical device & Quarra brain probe

This prop appeared as a Vidiian medical device in VOY: "Phage" and as a Quarra brain probe in VOY: "Workforce I". It can be rented from Modern Props.

Other Bulky Equipment

Hole in a pipe

The damage to the transporter ionizer in TOS: "The Enemy Within" and to the pipe in TOS: "The Devil in the Dark" appears to be identical. The pipe was simply turned upside down for its second apparearance.

Transparent dome

The transparent dome of Lazarus's shuttle in TOS: "The Alternative Factor" was later re-used to cover the three Provider brains in TOS: "The Gamesters of Triskelion". A console was integrated into the existing hemispherical cut-out in the dome.

"CD rack"

In TOS: "I, Mudd", "The Immunity Syndrome", "Obsession" and (modified) in "Elaan of Troyius" there is a strange strobing device that we call the "CD rack" because it looks like one (yes, we know there weren't CDs in the 1960's). The fourth appearance looks to have been modified with the orb thing from the Romulan cloaking device (later used in conjunction with Nomad to form the robot M-4 in "Requiem for Methuselah").

Cylindrical device

The pump from TOS: "The Devil in the Dark", a device composed of bars in a cylindrical arrangement, reappears in Norman's lab in "I, Mudd" and in McCoy's lab in "Obsession" (on the two latter occasions together with the "CD rack").

Sphere and pedestal

Three spheres (of which one would later act as the Romulan cloaking device) serve as receptacles for Sargon and his people in TOS: "Return to Tomorrow". The tripod pedestal of Sargon's sphere, now turned upside down, reappears on Mr. Atoz's desk in TOS: "All Our Yesterdays".

Alien & Starfleet reactor

The reactor stolen by the Gatherers in TNG: "The Vengeance Factor" seems to be essentially the same design as the reactor of the duck blind in "Who Watches the Watchers", only it is mounted sideways here. The device reappears on Valo II in TNG: "Ensign Ro".

Rutian inverter & Starfleet device

The Rutian space-folding would continue to be re-used in various forms in many later episodes. It can be seen in the warp nacelle in "Eye of the Beholder" and as USS Voyager's main computer processor in "Concerning Flight". It also appears as the Malurian antimatter reactor in ENT: "Civilization".

Alien & Starfleet field generator

The first appearance of this prop is as the alien field generator that Bashir takes to the Enterprise for closer investigation in TNG: "Birthright, Part I". The prop was simply turned by 90 degrees and slightly modified to look more "Starfleetish" and to serve as Voyager's polaron generator (the one that causes the paradox in the first place) in VOY: "Time and Again".

Polaron generator prototype & re-uses

The curious thing about the above mentioned polaron generator from VOY: "Time and Again" is that the device looked completely different and more modern when the crew assembled it on the ship. It is possible that the prop was damaged (perhaps the glass or plexiglass casing was smashed?) and hence was not available any longer for the rest of the scenes. In any case, this possibly original prop consisted of different parts that had appeared in episodes before (the transparent tube) or would still appear later (the upper and lower parts inside the tube).

The Mari resonator coil from VOY: "Random Thoughts" was formerly a part of the polaron generator and became an ion distributor aboard the Ares IV in "One Small Step".

Harvester annihilator & temporal field generator

The container devised to destroy the Harvester weapon in DS9: "Armageddon Game" was repainted, and additional antennae were added to serve as the temporal field generator on Golana in DS9: "Time's Orphan". On both devices the central part is extendable, to insert the Harvester cylinders and to activate the time portal, respectively.

Shell-like cover with opening

The chute cover to the ore processor from DS9: "Civil Defense" also shows up on the wall of Smiley's ship in the Mirror Universe.

Blinking tubes

These blinking tubes are the ultimate re-used prop. There is not a single of its numerous appearances where its purpose would be explained or only hinted at. The first time we see the blinking tubes is in the Regula lab in "Star Trek II". They are also visible in the Enterprise-A's shuttlebay in "Star Trek V".

Furthermore the tubes appear in a number of TNG episodes, like in TNG: "Datalore", "Suddenly Human" and "The Quality of Life".

The tubes also show up in VOY: "Retrospect", "Pathfinder" and "Inside Man". Finally the prop can be seen in Soong's hideout (with red tubes) as well as on the research station (with blue tubes, because blue has become a more fashionable color for light effects) in ENT: "Cold Station 12".

The components holding the tubes are two ground skimmers (for use in swimming pools). The depiction shows a similar model. Ground skimmers were also used for consoles that can be seen in "Star Trek II", as well as for standalone devices.

The blinking tubes were not custom-made in the Star Trek Art Department, but it was available for rent from the now defunct company Modern Props. It was originally built for the original Incredible Hulk TV series, according to Modern Props founder John Zabrucky. The prop is described as "dual generators with rotating neon lights inside an acrylic tube; light-controlled panel with knobs and buttons." The tubes appear in other science fiction series and movies as well, such as "Airplane II" (with William Shatner), "V" (the 1983 miniseries), "The Last Starfighter" (1984) or "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me".

Transparent tubes

Art coordinator Penny Juday mentioned in an interview that the tubes the Borg install on the Enterprise-E deflector dish in "Star Trek: First Contact" were built from bird feeders. The tubes reappear as Vaadwaur devices in VOY: "Dragon's Teeth" and on Voyager in VOY: "Nightingale".

Tubular device

The Romulan graviton field generator in TNG: "The Next Phase" was modified and reappeared as a Federation cloaking device in "The Pegasus". It was also shown as a forcefield generator in VOY: "Gravity". After that, parts of the prop were seen again as a Kinjal polaron modulator in the Voyager episode "The Void" and, coming full circle, as part of the arming mechanisms of a Romulan mine in "Minefield".

Chronodeflector & power generator

The chronodeflector shown in VOY: "Endgame" later serves as a power generator in ENT: "Precious Cargo".

Round platform with railing

A railing of the platforms in the Tsunkatse training area was repainted and can be seen on the Brunali planet in VOY: "Child's Play".

Tool cart

A very curious prop re-use can be observed in one and the same episode, in ENT: "Acquisition". We can see an Earth tool cart, complete with Starfleet labels. The Ferengi bring their own tool cart, which is the same prop, only painted green. The cart is commercially available as "Bin Utility Cart".

Credits

Some screen caps from TrekCore. Thanks go to Simon Allen for spotting the temporal device from "Endgame", to Liquidcross, who found the quarantine chamber re-use, to Leroy Brown for finding the re-use of the artificial intelligence from "Think Tank", to Paul I for spotting the device in "The Voyager Conspiracy", to @WebKarls for the hint about the ground skimmer, to Shawn Havery and Michael Minnick for spotting several more of the props, to Robert Heckadon for the hint about the transparent dome and the Exocomp and to Whistler for the hint about the shell-like cover.

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What happened to the original Star Trek sets?

When the STAR TREK television series was canceled in 1969, the original sets were dismantled and largely destroyed, only a few small items of the actual sets remain today, and those that have survived are in private collections.