TOS Phaser I & II

[Melanie]

I have acquired a Phaser I & II Star Trek TOS working prop. Can anyone provide any information on what battery powers the Phaser I? The battery holder has a MU-3 embossed on the bottom of it however a current MU-3 battery is the wrong shape and size.

 

[Search4]

Working prop? If it makes sounds, it is not something from the show, all sounds are added in post production. What lights is it supposed to power? There would not have been a visible beam (also post production).

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

A battery can still power the lights on the prop, if any. Is this an actual prop from the show, or one of the toy replicas released over the years?

Of course, if you want sound effects, you can run around the home shouting "Pew! Pew!" with the phaser, as I often do.

Mark

 

[Tribble Herder]

A picture would be really useful.

 

[SonicRanger]

Take it to Batteries Plus or something.

 

[Melanie]

The Phaser does don't make sounds as far as I know. There isn't anything internally that looks like a speaker or an electronic speaker board. The Phaser II has a light bulb that should light the front cone. This bulb is powered by a 9 volt battery. It doesn't work right now. The internal wiring and boards are very old and look to be correct for the time period. I am not sure about the Phaser I having a bulb yet, but I'm assuming that it should. It has a battery compartment and it looks like it should emit a light out the front but I didn't want to remove anymore of the electronics to find a possible bulb quite yet. My boss gave them to me a few weeks ago. We are moving offices and she found it in a desk drawer. She said she has the paperwork at home that shows it was a prop on the show and will look for it and get it to me. She acquired it from her uncle who was associated with the original series in some fashion. It used to sit on her deal and over the years it made its way to the drawer and out of sight. Thanks for the help so far. I'll get on a photo or two later today.

 

[Tribble Herder]

I don't trust paperwork these days. Too easy to conjure up a "certificate of authenticity" on the home printer.

We really need a picture. In the meantime, what's this phaser made of?

 

[Search4]

There is a great deal of information on these and while it could be "from the show" its most likely a copy. Pictures required and if you PM me i can aim you to people who can authenticate.

 

[scotpens]

From The Making of Star Trek:

As the hassle over the phasers continued, it was Jimmy Rugg who pointed out that “working phasers” (so constructed that they would actually emit a beam of light when the firing button was depressed) were not necessary. He pointed out that an actual light beam from the phaser was not needed since an optically created phaser beam was to be added later anyway. Besides, no one could seem to come up with a combination of light bulb and power supply that was both strong enough and small enough to fit inside the hand phaser and at the same time emit a beam of light strong enough to be detected under the bright lights on the set. (As it turned out, some authentic-looking dummy phasers were later built, and these are now used almost all the time. The expensive “working phasers” are not normally used any more. There are too many little pieces in them that get broken or out of adjustment when people play with them.)

If this information is accurate, some phasers with practical lights were built and used early in production. So it’s just possible you have actual props from the show. I’d say, though, the chances are much greater that what you’ve got are a couple of replicas.

 

[Tribble Herder]

My understanding is that only two working ("hero") phasers were built, and I'm pretty sure they're accounted for.

We really need a bit more info on this bad boy.

 

[Maurice]

http://www.racprops.com/issue1/firstphasers/
http://www.icweb.com/racprops/issue-1/the-first-phaser-ones/
http://www.racprops.com/issue3/bwphasers_pt2/

 

[Tribble Herder]

I was referring to the one Melanie is describing, but those links are always useful.

 

[Maurice]

^^^The links were there as a guide to what actual phaser props looked like and what their features were.

 

[Ssosmcin]

Still, whether she has the actual props or old replicas, I still envy her being presented these by her boss. "Here, my uncle worked on the show and you're a fan right? Have some phasers." Damn, that's pretty awesome no matter how you slice it.

 

[Tribble Herder]

Well, yeah, especially if they're legit.

 

[Psion]

Even if they're not legit, I'm impressed.

My boss gave me ear candles. He's a great guy, but ...

 

[Tribble Herder]

Ew.

 

[Redfern]

One of the hero phasers was used on "The Man Trap". It was the weapon McCoy used to kill the salt vampire. I'm not sure it was actually De Kelly himself who operated it or a stand-in as it was a tight close-up of the prop. One can see the "nib" and a circle of translucent material embedded within the "barrel" brighten a bit as the trigger was pressed.

The other clearly noticable time was in "The Gamesters of Triskelion". Kirk, Chekov and Uhura pull their weapons as the thralls close upon them. Kirk gives the order to fire and once again, we cut to a close-up of the prop. The same elements (the "nib" and the disc of material behind it) glow, though weakly, but this time no optical was added in post since the devices were nullified in story.

I suspect there may have been other instances, but those are the two I clearly remember.

Sincerely,

Bill

 

[Tribble Herder]

"The Galileo Seven", when Boma and Gaetano fire their phasers. The emitters very clearly light up.

 

[Redfern]

Thanks, Tribble.

Sincerely,

Bill