The term "ray-generator" first appears in the script for the episode "Metamorphosis" (which is where this prop makes its first appearance). "Metamorphosis" was the second episode filmed for Star Trek's second season. The script, written by Gene Coon, has this to say In Act II, Scene 39:
EXT. SHUTTLECRAFT--ANGLE ON SPOCK
He has a ray-generator of some sort in hand...
< snip >
So, the earliest reference to this device is as a "ray-generator." Later, Stephen Whitfield took pictures of this prop for his book The Making of Star Trek. In that book he called the device a "(Spock Built) Ray Generator and Energy Neutralizer." (Although there is no reference to Spock having cobbled this device together out of available components while the Galileo was stranded, perhaps Whitfield thought Spock did exactly that.)
<snip>
Greg Schnitzer
Property Master
Star Trek Phase II
Unless I'm mistaken, which is *highly* unlikely, this was known as the "Phynburg Oscillating Framizam"
I'm not kidding. Many of the props were given names based on Irving Feinberg, the prop master.
Kirk here, I like fun names, especially one better than a "ray generator", but would you care to give us some documentation on this?
Greg has.
Well,
Kirk here actually is incorrect--and it could indeed be because Bjo's information was incorrect. (It sounds like Dorothy Jones and Bjo simply have a wrong sketch assigned to this entry in her old book. Her more recent edition of the
Concordance doesn't have this error.) The term "Phynburg Oscillating Framizam" occurs in just one
Star Trek script ("Charlie X"--in the first season)--and it relates to a
different prop. The name doesn't relate to the "ray generator" prop; the "ray generator" prop wasn't built until the second season.
The Memory Alpha website has this comment about the
Concordance:
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Star_Trek_Concordance
"Unfortunately there are mistakes throughout the book, especially in the cast lists. These lists were copied to the later editions of the
Star Trek Encyclopedia with the errors remaining. This has also led to fan sites listing incorrect information. There is no word on whether of not these errors were corrected in the updated release."
At any rate, here's a bit more information on the "Phynburg Oscillating Framizam" prop:
We've seen on occasion how some props get re-purposed for different uses. One such example is something that has come to be known as a medical "anabolic protoplaser," although the prop's first appearance in
Star Trek is actually as some kind of Engineering tool.
This red, black, and silver device is first seen in
Star Trek in the episode "Charlie X." The "Charlie X" script has a character identified simply as "Crewman I" holding this thing as he climbs down out of the Jefferies Tube. Here's the content from Act I, Scene 21:
THE TUBE
As Charlie backs out of the tube--straightens--backs
off a step. A fraction of a beat later, the Crewman
deftly climbs out--and a half beat later comes yet again
another Crewman--the former carries a Phynburg
Oscillating Framizam--the latter carries an Irving-
oscope. Crewman I takes his partner's Irvingoscope.
CREWMAN I
I'll put the equipment away.
See you in the Rec. room.
CREWMAN II
(slaps his partner on
The keester with the back of his hand as
he goes)
You got a deal, friend.
And Charlie watches. Crewman I delays a beat to check
the readings on his Framizam--realizes Charlie is
there in b.g.
CREWMAN I
Hello.
Charlie smiles--Crewman I moves on--Charlie records
all he has seen in his mind--puzzles on it some--
moves on--EXITS
Here's a screen grab from this scene of Crewman I holding the "Phynburg Oscillating Framizam" prop:
At any rate, the point of all this is that the script calls this thing a "Phynburg Oscillating Framizam" and the other prop in this scene held by Crewman II--who is still in the Jefferies tube (and which we won't get into here) is an "Irvingoscope." Of course, these are both studio in-jokes. Irving Feinberg was the Property Master on
Star Trek and was responsible for procuring and maintaining all the props. This is the one and only script where this "Phynburg Oscillating Framizam" term is used and, despite what the old Concordance might say, relates to this red, black and silver doohickey.
The next time we see this prop, Captain Kirk has it. He's helping some crewman with repair work over at Mr. Scott's Engineering station on the bridge at the very beginning of the Teaser of "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" and he carries the prop around and even noodles with it while sitting in his command chair.
After that appearance, it seems to have been decided that this prop should be some kind of medical device. All other appearances seem to be in medical contexts.
We see Dr. McCoy using it in "Space Seed" to help revive Khan Noonian Singh:
We see it next to Kirk's bed in the Sick Bay Ward Room in "The Deadly Years:"
We see Dr. McCoy use it during Ambassador Sarek's surgery in "Journey to Babel:"
We see it next to the examination table in the Sick Bay Examination Room as Dr. McCoy, Nurse M'Benga, and some unnamed medical technician work on Kirk/Sargon in "Return to Tomorrow:"
We see it in just about the exact same place as Dr. McCoy works on the brainless Mister Spock in "Spock's Brain:"
We see it in "Elaan of Troyius:"
We see it in the "Emergency Surgical Kit" that Nurse Christine Chapel brings with her down to the surface of the planet Amerind to help treat Kirk/Kirok in "The Paradise Syndrome:"
And we see it in a series of Third Season publicity photos taken with DeForest Kelley and Majel Barrett in the Sick Bay Examination Room:
So, although it started life as some kind of Engineering related "Phynburg Oscillating Framizam," what is it now? Well, they never called it by name but the book
The Making of Star Trek by Stephen Whitfield and Gene Roddenberry has a picture of the device and indicates that it "Heals wounds w/o using stitches, bandages, etc."
When Franz Joseph Schnaubelt wrote his now famous
Star Fleet Technical Manual, he created reasonably accurate drawings of this device and called it an "Anabolic Protoplaser."
Here are some shots of
my Phynburg Oscillating Framizam/Anabolic Protoplaser prop reproduction:
Slide show is at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10901121@N06/...221192469/show/[/url]