Donny's Refit Enterprise Interiors (Version 2.0)

[Christopher]

Well, while I appreciate the nod to the TOS communicators, these versions feel somewhat lacking compared to the originals. The large areas of blank blue plastic probably don't help, it just looks like the designer ran out gubbins to fill the space.

It's worth keeping in mind that the props weren't really meant to be viewed in detail. With communicators, the front part would usually be facing the actor instead of the camera anyway, so you might not get that close a look at it.

And in film, sometimes less detail is what you want. If you look at reproductions of classic matte paintings from the pre-digital era, it's often surprising how impressionistic they are, compared to how lifelike they seemed onscreen. The eye focuses mostly on the moving part of the image, so the rest of it doesn't need that much detail. Maybe the same goes for props.

Anyway, interior aside, I think this is a really nice communicator design. It captures the feel of the original very well, but in a sleeker way. It's almost like it's halfway between a TOS communicator shell and a modern smartphone case.

 

[Mysterion]

Those bright red lights appear to be ideally designed to give away the landing party's nighttime position on less-than-hospitable worlds.

Fortunately, the bright red landing party jackets with all the jangly metal bits on them will distract any hostile attention away from the communicators.

 

[Maurice]

It's origins (or at least parts) may have been Army surplus:
http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/vietnam-war/prt-4-transmitter-prr-9-receiver-726731/

This was discussed on the board previously.

According to http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Communicator

The communicators in Star Trek II were overseen by prop master Joe Longo. (text commentary, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (The Director's Edition) DVD) These were essentially recycled Vietnam War walkie-talkie units, stripped of paint and coated with chrome. "It was what Paramount wanted," stated John Zabrucky, whose Modern Props facility created the communicators. "We had a really great design that we wanted to build, but they were fixed on those things." (The Making of the Trek Films, 3rd ed., p. 29)

As discussed earlier, they are built from the AN/PRT-4a transmitter (link) part of a short-range "Squad Radio" in service circa 1965. It appears they swapped the position of the two switches.

There appear to be lights in the clear center of the hinge (this auction says they flash (link)), but I don't recall seeing them ever lit up in the film.


The RPF has a number of topics about Trek props and their origins.

• This one discusses some TWOK props (link).
• This one specifically addresses Kirk's wristwatch (link).

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

This was discussed on the board previously.

As discussed earlier, they are built from the AN/PRT-4a transmitter (link) part of a short-range "Squad Radio" in service circa 1965. It appears they swapped the position of the two switches.

There appear to be lights in the clear center of the hinge (this auction says they flash (link)), but I don't recall seeing them ever lit up in the film.
View attachment 15158

The RPF has a number of topics about Trek props and their origins.

• This one discusses some TWOK props (link).
• This one specifically addresses Kirk's wristwatch (link).

It doesn't look like the clear center on the hinge lit up in this screencap, only the bottom one.

 

[Maurice]

It doesn't look like the clear center on the hinge lit up in this screencap, only the bottom one.

But AH HA!


This is why is use Movie Screencaps (link for this image) instead of Trekcore. The cap density per minute is waaaay higher.

I also confirmed the blinking here (link).

 

[BK613]

This was discussed on the board previously.

As discussed earlier, they are built from the AN/PRT-4a transmitter (link) part of a short-range "Squad Radio" in service circa 1965. It appears they swapped the position of the two switches.

Yea, I probably missed* that 32-post long discussion that lasted for a mere 25 days in 2018 in which only one member's post mentions the Vietnam walkie-talkie and the actually model number only shows up in a link (now dead) that another member posted without comment**.

*(And, judging from the reactions in this thread, I am not the only one that did)
**(and one quote of that link)

 

[Maurice]

Yea, I probably missed* that 32-post long discussion that lasted for a mere 25 days in 2018 in which only one member's post mentions the Vietnam walkie-talkie and the actually model number only shows up in a link (now dead) that another member posted without comment**.

*(And, judging from the reactions in this thread, I am not the only one that did)
**(and one quote of that link)

No one was childing anyone. I was merely quoting a previous discussion. Is that a problem?

 

[BK613]

No one was childing anyone. I was merely quoting a previous discussion. Is that a problem?

Came across as a been-there-done-that-didn't-you-get-the-memo bit of snark. And after rereading it again, it still does.

 

[Maurice]

"Jeez, if you guys would just search the damned board you'd have found that this topic has been done to death, but Dog knows that's too much effort."

That is snark. You might consider having your sensors recalibrated.

 

[BK613]

"Jeez, if you guys would just search the damned board you'd have found that this topic has been done to death, but Dog knows that's too much effort."

That is snark.

That it is. Fortunately for me, I only specified a "bit of snark."

You might consider having your sensors recalibrated.

Perhaps. Guess I just didn't get why you quoted me if the comment was to the group. And BTW a quick search for "TWOK communicator" on the BBS brings up Donny's thread(s), some Diamond Select stuff, and the aforementioned 32-post thread. So not so done to death.

 

[Maurice]

I quoted you because you linked to the parts in question, so it related to the discussion of the components in question, thats all.

 

[Tallguy]

Help us Donny-Wan Kenobi, you're our only hope!

 

[GeorgeKirk]

I love the overall shape and "return to basics" approach of this one, but that blue interior always screamed 'cheap plastic toy' to me. I much prefer the modified TFF version.

The schematic in Mr. Scott's Guide had a lot more buttons, I wonder if they were the author's own invention or if they were working off a concept drawing that didn't match the final prop.

 

[Mytran]

The schematic in Mr. Scott's Guide had a lot more buttons, I wonder if they were the author's own invention or if they were working off a concept drawing that didn't match the final prop.

And how!

Now that's more like it

 

[Mysterion]

The text on the device inluded “SFAF” for either “San Francisco Air Force” or “Star Fleet Assembly Fleet”

Or perhaps a nod to the term used in the Franz Josef Star Fleet Technical Manual - "Star Fleet Armed Forces"?

 

[Commodore Miles]

My guess is the idea for TWOK is that the heavy duty flip communicators were supposed by by paired the field uniform (Kirk) while the wrist communicators were supposed to be paired with the standard uniform (Terrell and Chekov). Also in my personal head canon TSFS takes place 1-2 years after TWOK, which explains the updated Star fleet equipment, the redesigned bridge and extra battle damage on the Enterprise, Saavik having graduated Starfleet Academy and being posted on the Grissom, Morrow's quote "Jim, in your absence, Genesis has become a galactic controversy... ", and other minor changes between the films. (my guess also is that the genesis planet aged on an exponential curve level thus explaining its relative stability at the begin of the film and quick decay at the end along with each time we hear/see Spock age the amount begins slowly while quickly speeding up later.)

 

[Lt. Washburn]

Or perhaps a nod to the term used in the Franz Josef Star Fleet Technical Manual - "Star Fleet Armed Forces"?

That would make sense. My info on that came from Richard Coyle discussing it.

 

[Lt. Washburn]

There's a fan-concept communicator that sort of blends the look of the actual prop with the band-aid tins found on the field jackets. Felgacarb (sic?) designed it and it's on the RPF. It's a really cool looking design.

 

[Christopher]

Also in my personal head canon TSFS takes place 1-2 years after TWOK

That's hard to justify. Kirk's opening log entry explicitly references the repair of most of their battle damage (though somehow there are a lot more burn marks on the hull than there were before), the reassignment of the trainee crew, and the "open wound" still left by Spock's death. Trainee Foster asks if there will be a reception and Kirk says "this time we've paid for the party with our dearest blood." McCoy is feeling the effects of Spock's mind meld. When they get back in, Morrow says Genesis has become a galactic controversy and is classified until the Federation Council can make policy. Grissom is just arriving the planet for the first survey. And then Sarek shows up to demand to know the disposition of his son's body and katra. Everything about the film's setup makes it clear that TWOK's events are recent. Even DC struggled to justify inserting TWOK after issue 8 of their comic; they managed to account for the battle damage, but not most of the other stuff.

 

[Norsehound]

That's hard to justify. Kirk's opening log entry explicitly references the repair of most of their battle damage (though somehow there are a lot more burn marks on the hull than there were before), the reassignment of the trainee crew, and the "open wound" still left by Spock's death. Trainee Foster asks if there will be a reception and Kirk says "this time we've paid for the party with our dearest blood." McCoy is feeling the effects of Spock's mind meld. When they get back in, Morrow says Genesis has become a galactic controversy and is classified until the Federation Council can make policy. Grissom is just arriving the planet for the first survey. And then Sarek shows up to demand to know the disposition of his son's body and katra. Everything about the film's setup makes it clear that TWOK's events are recent. Even DC struggled to justify inserting TWOK after issue 8 of their comic; they managed to account for the battle damage, but not most of the other stuff.

My brain likes to focus on areas and opportunities for these other stories to fit, but I agree with most of this. Still, I think as the Enterprise limps back home there's still some time to:

1. Transmit report to Starfleet. Starfleet has to decide / deliberate on what to do with this information.
2. Pick up the Reliant's crew.
3. Drop off the Reliant's crew / trainee crew at some local starbase for reassignment.
4. Time for Grissom to be reassigned to the mission (does it have to travel from its posting?) to pick up David and Saavik
5. Enterprise to make its way back home from the Mutara sector (how far was that? Was Kirk going under max warp to spare the ship?)

I don't think it was a matter of years, but maybe a matter of months, depending on how long it took the Federation to respond to this issue. I don't know who the attackers would be in between WoK and SFS... I know some sources say the Klingons, but I wonder if some opportunist pirates tried pouncing on the Enterprise to claim it and Kirk had to fight them off. There may be room for an adventure in there, as things get worse for McCoy and Spock's absence is keenly felt by the crew and the trainees Spock was bringing up.

Actually I wouldn't mind reading that adventure. Hmm.