Re-purposing props in
Star Trek: The Original Series happened fairly frequently. One of these re-purposed props was a small device Mister Spock used in the episode "That Which Survives." But let's track this prop's ancestry first.
In the pilot episode "The Cage," the
Enterprise crew used an early model communicator. It had the gold flip-open antenna grid, but the body was cast in clear resin so you could see all kinds of cool electronics:
(Note for a moment, please, the large silver knob at the top with the two smaller black knobs on either side of it.)
Years later, it became necessary to create a remote control device that Dr. McCoy could use to control the brainless Mister Spock in the episode "Spock's Brain." It was decided that the old Cage-era communicators should be cannibalized to create this remote control device. The antenna grid was removed and a series of multi-colored buttons was added to the top/front of the device--and it was given a silver with gold crosshatching paint job. (You can still see that the large silver knob at the top with the two smaller black knobs on either side of it still remain on the prop.)
Later, towards the end of the third season, the prop was revised again. Some kind of small hand-held device was created for Mister Spock to use in "That Which Survives." What is this device? Well, we don't really know. The script makes no reference to it. But Spock carries it around with him through nearly the whole episode, occasionally pushing buttons on it as he goes about his tasks in the episode. Is it a calculator of some kind? Some kind of tracking device? A science device? Based on its coloring and design, it would appear to be a Starfleet device rather than an alien (Vulcan) device. But who really knows. Here are some shots of this "That Which Survives" device:
As you can see, it is just a re-use of the "Spock's Brain" remote control device. It has the same colored buttons, but now the device is painted bluish. The large silver knob at the top with the two smaller black knobs on either side of it still remain on this prop, too. However, a small white button has been added to one side.
Interestingly, however, there is still a "Spock's Brain" remote control device in the hands of
Star Trek prop collector Greg Jein:
So, this "That Which Survives" prop must be a second "Spock's Brain" remote control device that was revised. That is, there must have been at least
two "Spock's Brain" remote controls--one that remains in its "Spock's Brain" state even to this day and which is in the hands of a collector, and the second one that was revised to make the "That Which Survives" device. (The "That Which Survives" prop has never surfaced in the prop collecting world.)
At any rate, here is my reproduction of that "That Which Survives" calculator-or-whatever-it-is prop that Spock used throughout the episode:
We might see Spock tinkering with this thing in a future
Star Trek Phase II episode.
You can find the slideshow at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10901121@N06/sets/72157603683998010/show/