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Re-Used Props - Computers
& Displays
by Jörg
Hillebrand and Bernd Schneider
Viewscreens - Consoles - Hand-Held Computers
Many props and pieces of decoration in 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 computers and displays. 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 computers look all the same everywhere in the galaxy.
Engineering display In TNG: "Booby Trap" a device behind Leah and Geordi displays the warp core status. It has a distinctive rounded edge. In "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" a crewmember flees an explosion aboard the Enterprise-A. Note the display in the middle; it seems that the design for the Enterprise-D's core has traveled backwards in time!
 Display in TNG: "Booby Trap" (screen capture by Nathan Koga) |
 Display in "Star Trek VI" (screen capture by Nathan Koga) |
Starfleet & alien viewscreen The viewscreen of the Enterprise-D's battle bridge (which was no permanent set) was also used for the Atlec ship in TNG: "The Outrageous Okona", as well as for Baran's pirate ship in TNG: "Gambit", each time with a few modifications. The battle bridge itself was rebuilt for TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds". The viewscreen remained essentially the same though.
 Battle bridge in TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Atlec screen in TNG: "The Outrageous Okona" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Battle bridge in TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Baran's screen in TNG: "Gambit" (screen capture by Jörg) |
Risan & Zalkonian screen The computer screen seen on Risa in TNG: "Captain's Holiday" later appears on the Zalkonian ship in TNG: "Transfigurations", albeit in a little prominent place somewhere in the background.
 Risan interface in TNG: "Captain's Holiday" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Zalkonian interface in TNG: "Transfigurations" (screen capture by Jörg) |
Ktarian & Romulan interior The command chair as well as the main screen of the Ktarian ship from TNG: "The Game" show up on the Romulan Warbird in TNG: "Face of the Enemy". What does it tell us about the state of the empire that the Romulans need to steal their furniture from minor races? ;-)
 Ktarian chair in TNG: "The Game" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Romulan chair in TNG: "Face of the Enemy" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Ktarian screen in TNG: "The Game" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Romulan screen in TNG: "Face of the Enemy" (screen capture by Jörg) |
The viewscreen also shows up on the Mari homeworld in VOY: "Random Thoughts".
Mari viewscreen in VOY: "Random Thoughts"
(screen capture by Jörg)
TOS console Essentially the same console appears in TOS: "The Enterprise Incident" (on the Romulan ship, holding the cloaking device), "Whom Gods Destroy" (in the mental institution on Elba II) and "The Lights of Zetar" (at Memory Alpha).
Romulan console in TOS: "The Enterprise Incident"
(screen capture by Jörg)
 Console in TOS: "Whom Gods Destroy" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Console in TOS: "The Lights of Zetar" (screen capture by Jörg) |
TOS computer An obvious one: Gary Seven's computer in TOS: "Assignment Earth" and the Atavachron terminal operated by Mr. Atoz in TOS: "All Our Yesterdays" are identical.
 Gary Seven's Beta 5 in TOS: "Assignment: Earth" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Atavachron terminal in TOS: "All Our Yesterdays" (screen capture by Jörg) |
Desktop computer The Cardassian computer that Gul Madred is using in TNG: "Chain of Command" later appears on Baran's ship in TNG: "Gambit". The prop was repainted for its second appearance (curiously, in the new brown color it looks even more Cardassian). But considering that Baran is a pirate it would be easy to explain how he got his hands on a Cardassian computer.
 Madred's computer in TNG: "Chain of Command" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Baran's computer in TNG: "Gambit, Part II" (screen capture by Jörg) |
Trill & Sloan's monitor In DS9: "Rejoined" Trill scientists take one of their monitors (among other equipment) aboard the Defiant for their wormhole experiment. The same monitor can be seen in "Sloan's mind" in DS9: "Extreme Measures". The other monitor in the latter scene is a variant of the TNG monitor.
 Trill monitor in DS9: "Rejoined" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Sloan's "monitor" in DS9: "Extreme Measures" (screen capture by Jörg) |
Starfleet & Dinaali terminal A typical Starfleet desktop console, as seen in DS9: "Whispers", was slightly redressed to stand in as a Dinaali device in VOY: "Critical Care".
 Starfleet console in DS9: "Whispers" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Dinaali console in VOY: "Critical Care" (screen capture by Jörg) |
Variations of the DS9 Desktop Monitor
Desktop box This octagonal box was originally built for TNG: "Booby Trap", where it served as a data storage device. It then appeared as the communication scrambler used by Jonas in VOY: "Threshold". Finally, we could see the box as a communication device of the Borg Cooperative in VOY: "Unity". The device was repainted and slightly modified each time. More about the prop at Jonathansweb.
 Storage device in TNG: "Booby Trap" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Communication scrambler in VOY: "Threshold" (screen capture by Jörg) |
Cooperative communication device in VOY: "Unity"
(screen capture by Jörg)
Console with sphere The console from the Stellar Cartography department of the Enterprise-D in TNG: "Lessons" was later redressed to appear as a Nezu console in VOY: "Rise".
 Starfleet sphere in TNG: "Lessons" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Nezu sphere in VOY: "Rise" (screen capture by Jörg) |
Console with levers A console with untypical (for Trek) mechanical levers can be seen on a Suliban ship in ENT: "Shockwave", but also on a Xindi-Insectoid vessel in ENT: "Azati Prime".
 Suliban controls in ENT: "Shockwave" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Xindi-Insectoid controls in ENT: "Azati Prime" (screen capture by Jörg) |
Kazon & Mari console The Kazon computer console from VOY: "Investigations" can be seen again in VOY: "Random Thoughts".
 Kazon console in VOY: "Investigations" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Mari console in VOY: "Random Thoughts" (screen capture by Jörg) |
Control console The same basic console design can be seen on a Ferengi shuttle, a Romulan scout ship and a Tamarian warship. The painting and the controls are different each time though.
 Ferengi console in TNG: "The Price" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Romulan console in TNG: "The Defector" (screen capture by Jörg) |
Tamarian console in TNG: "Darmok"
(screen capture by Jörg)
Console with pyramid This distinctive console can be seen in TNG: "Chain of Command, Part I", as well as in "Descent, Part II".
 Theta wave generator in TNG: "Chain of Command" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Lore's console in TNG: "Descent" (screen capture by Jörg) |
Kressari PADD & more In DS9: "The Circle" the Kressari captain demands a thumb print from his Cardassian trade partner. His PADD can be seen along with Kressari lettering. The same equipment without any visible changes is used in DS9: "The Die is Cast". Here the Romulan Lovok, actually a Changeling in disguise, hands out a PADD to Garak and Odo that obviously carries the access code to the shuttlebay. Have the Romulans been stealing even more things? ;-)
 Kressari freight PADD in DS9: "The Circle" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Romulan door opener in DS9: "The Die is Cast" (screen capture by Jörg) |
Also, the prop shows up in VOY: "Critical Care", here as a PADD again.
Dinaali PADD in VOY: "Critical Care"
(screen capture by Jörg)
Romulan & Mari PADD The Romulan PADD from Neral's office in both parts of TNG: "Unification" can be seen on the Mari homeworld in VOY: "Random Thoughts" as well. The display was most likely modified for its new role though.
 Romulan PADD in TNG: "Unification, Part I" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Mari PADD in VOY: "Random Thoughts" (screen capture by Jörg) |
Trill & Dinaali PADD We can see the same prop as a Trill PADD in DS9: "Equilibrium" and, now painted differently, as a Dinaali device in VOY: "Critical Care". It looks like a Children's game console to us.
 Trill PADD in DS9: "Equilibrium" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Dinaali PADD in VOY: "Critical Care" (screen capture by Jörg) |
Vori & Nezu PADD The PADDs of these two civilizations look identical.
 Vori PADD in VOY: "Nemesis" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Nezu PADD in VOY: "Rise" (screen capture by Jörg) |
Aldean communicator & more A number of characteristic hexagonal communicators was built for the Aldeans in TNG: "When the Bough Breaks". The devices were used to communicate and to signal when they wished to be beamed back. The button to send the signal was located in one of the corners. Many years later we could see a modification of this prop on Star Trek Voyager, used by the authorities of an alien planet to measure the polaric radiation in VOY: "Time and Again". The color and the central area of the device had been modified, but the button was still there.
 Aldean communicator in TNG: "When the Bough..." (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Polaron meter in VOY: "Time and Again" (screen capture by Jörg) |
The prop could be seen one last time in VOY: "Prototype". Here the Automated Unit disables B'Elanna with an energy blast from the device, and then signals the Pralor vessel to beam them over. The color was modified again (it is now glowing red from the inside), and the button was removed. The hole where the button was mounted is still visible if we look closely.
Pralor device in VOY: "Prototype"
(screen capture by Jörg)
Fingerprint scanner & PADD Another interesting prop can be seen for the first time in TNG: "The Most Toys". In this episode it serves as a fingerprint scanner. When Data is confirming the deal with Fajo with his fingerprint, he is disabled by an energy surge from the device. A further appearance is in TNG: "The Masterpiece Society" where it becomes a scanner. The denizens of the Moab colony use it to scan for fractures in the shell of their artificially built environment. For this purpose an illuminated window was added in the place of the former fingerprint sensor.
 Fingerprint scanner in TNG: "The Most Toys" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Scanner in TNG: "The Masterpiece Society" (screen capture by Jörg) |
In two later episodes the unmodified prop serves as a display device, namely in TNG: "Frame of Mind" as a Tilonian PADD and in TNG: "Gambit" as Galen/Picard's PADD. Finally, the prop can be seen as an Enaran PADD in VOY: "Remember".
 Tilonian PADD in TNG: "Frame of Mind" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Galen's PADD in TNG: "Gambit, Part II" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Enaran PADD in VOY: "Remember" (screen capture by Jörg) |
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Devore & Impostor scanner The scanner used by the Devore to examine Voyager in VOY: "Counterpoint" later appears as a "sacred" instrument in the hand of the impostor Mobar in VOY: "Live Fast and Prosper".
 Devore scanner in VOY: "Counterpoint" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Mobar's scanner in VOY: "Live Fast and Prsper" (screen capture by Jörg) |
Penk's scanner & Lokirrim scanner Penk's scanner in VOY: "Tsunkatse" is the same as the Lokirrim device that Seven is holding in VOY: "Body and Soul".
 Penk's scanner in VOY: "Tsunkatse" (screen capture by Jörg) |
 Lokirrim scanner in VOY: "Body and Soul" (screen capture by Jörg) |
Credits
The re-used Enterprise-D engineering display was found by Nathan Koga, the Defiant viewscreen by Michael Minnick. Alex Müller spotted the Dinaali console, Simon Allen the lever console, Ron Ferrara the pyramid console and Felix Ernie the TOS computer re-use.
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 | Last modified: 04.07.10 | |
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