Welcome! As part of its ongoing mission to document the Art and Production History of Star Trek, this site will present technical articles on Star Trek prop and costume authentication - focusing on The Original Series - with detailed photos and episode screenshots to complement the information presented; as well as feature pictorials to showcase Star Trek memorabilia in private & public collections, present rare Behind The Scenes TOS imagery & discuss other topics.
Gerald Gurian is a 40+ year collector of screen used Star Trek memorabilia and a passionate fan of TOS
     
- Star Trek TOS At Auction Part I - Gurian Collection Highlights - Greg Jein TOS Hero Type II Phaser
-Authenticating a TOS Communicator -6 Myths About Star Trek Prop Design -Star Trek 3rd Season Command Tunic
- Design Features of TOS Tricorders -Star Trek Props At National Air & Space - TOS Leatherette Tricorder
- TOS Federation Sciences Dress -Desilu Studio TOS Prop Fabrication - Unreleased Allen/Gurian Prop Photos
- The Beautiful Women of TOS Part I -TOS U.S.S. Enterprise 11' Filming Model - Captain Kirk's Chair from TOS
- Spock Ears -TOS Control Panels & Displays - Mr. Spock's Science Station
- TOS Soundstage at Desilu -TOS Shatner Romulan Pants - The Beautiful Women of TOS Pt. II
- TOS Galileo Shuttlecraft -Greg Jein TOS Cage Laser Pistol - TOS 3rd Season Midgrade Type II Phaser
- Dr. McCoy's Sickbay on TOS -TOS Balok Puppet Head - Captain Kirk "Mirror, Mirror" Tunic
- Greg Jein TOS Hero Tricorder -1992 Smithsonian TOS Cast Video - TOS 1st Season Command Tunic
- TOS "Where No Man" Silver Contact Lenses -TOS Special Effects: The Transporter - The Art of Matt Jefferies
- TOS "Space Seed" Gold Mesh Jumpsuit -Gorn Costume from "Arena" - Rare TOS Behind-the-Scenes Videos
- TOS Stunt Type II Phaser -1993 Bill Theiss Estate Auction - TOS Shatner Command Dress Tunic
- TOS Elasian Royal Guard Tunic -TOS Finnegan Silver "Shore Leave" Tunic - TOS Science Officer Tunic "The Cage"
- TOS Shatner Early 1st Season Command Tunic -William Shatner TOS Tunics At Auction - TOS Shatner Late 1st Season Command Tunic

Sunday, November 28, 2010

TOS Special Effects: Green Skin in "The Cage"

Given the extraordinary 23rd century setting for the events of Star Trek; the production of the first pilot episode for the series, entitled "The Cage", created some unusual and unanticipated filming difficulties in the Hollywood of late 1964. A very memorable anecdote, which centers around the creation of the iconic green skinned Orion slave girl Vina, is related in "The Making of Star Trek" (Ballantine Books, 1968) by Whitfield & Roddenberry. It is presented below:

For the first six months, Roddenberry was called "Crazy Gene."
People used to call each other on the phone and say, "Have you heard what Crazy Gene wants to do now?"


WELL, IT WAS ALL SO NEW AND STRANGE TO THEM. LIKE YOU CALL SOME UNSUSPECTING PRODUCTION MAN ON THE PHONE, AND HE SAYS "HELLO," AND YOU SAY, "WHAT DOES IT COST TO PAINT A GIRL GREEN?" YOU GET A LONG SILENCE!

The "green woman" (a character Gene wanted to use in the pilot) alone created a number of recurring problems.

Knowing that the green-skinned alien woman was coming up in the pilot, he decided to shoot some test footage to get the right shade of green on film. He brought in an actress, had Fred Phillips, the newly hired makeup artist, apply green makeup to her face, and then shot some test footage. Now, Fred Phillips is an exceptionally fine makeup artist, and recognized as a top pro in the business. He did a thorough job with the makeup and was quite satisfied with the results.

Imagine everyone's surprise, upon viewing the developed film the next day, to find the actress's face just as normally pink-skinned as ever! There was no trace of green.

Gene's orders to Fred Phillips: "Paint her greener!" The following day the test film again showed her as pink-skinned as ever. Even Fred was dumbfounded. Recalling the incident, he says, "We did this three days in a row. We had her so green you couldn't believe it, and she kept coming back pink! Finally we figured out what was happening. The technician over at the film lab would receive the film every day and run it through the development solution. As the image formed on the film, he kept saying to himself, 'My God, this woman is green!' And so he kept correcting the film developing process in order to turn her back to normal skin color again!"

The accomplished actress Susan Oliver later played the part of the alien woman in the pilot and was almost totally covered with green body makeup. During filming she became very tired, and a doctor was called in to give her a vitamin B shot. The doctor arrived, but no one bothered to tell him what his patient looked like. He went over to Susan's dressing room, knocked, the door swung wide, and suddenly he was confronted with an all-green woman! He was so flustered that it took him almost five minutes just to find a spot to administer the shot.





Friday, November 26, 2010

Original 1966/67 NBC Press Releases for Star Trek 1st Season Broadcasts

Some rare copies of the original press releases issued by NBC to announce the upcoming broadcasts of many of the first season TOS episodes ...

The Menagerie



Where No Man Has Gone Before


City on the Edge of Forever


The Naked Time


The Enemy Within


Miri


What Are Little Girls Made Of?


Dagger Of The Mind


The Corbomite Maneuver


The Conscience Of The King


The Galileo Seven


Court Martial


The Alternative Factor


A Taste of Armageddon


The Devil In The Dark


Operation: Annihilate

Monday, November 22, 2010

Star Trek: Enterprise Orion Slave Girl Costume

From Dec. 15, 2006 through Apr. 13, 2009, the California based screen used entertainment memorabilia dealer ItsAWrap! (http://www.itsawraphollywood.com) conducted a series of weekly auctions via ebay on behalf of CBS/Paramount that offered a tremendous variety of props, costumes, set fixtures, scripts and production related artifacts from the Star Trek franchise to a worldwide audience and collector base. Over the course of 121 weeks, approximately 9100 unique items that spanned the first 10 Star Trek feature films and the last four television series (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise) were sold. Additionally, perhaps 10 costumes from The Original Series (consisting of 4 or 5 light blue Technicians Jumpsuits, 2 pairs of Federation uniform trousers, a dark green Nilz Baris suit seen in "The Trouble with Tribbles", and 2 Tellarite jumpsuits from "Journey to Babel") were auctioned as part of the vast Paramount warehouse inventory that was dispersed. The ItsAWrap sales commenced only weeks after the historic Christie's "40 Years Of Star Trek" auction was held in October, 2006; which offered collectors a total of 1000 lots of screen used memorabilia, highlighted by a number of major starship filming models from the franchise.

Presented below are some detailed photos of a screen used Orion Slave Girl costume from the 4th season episode of Star Trek: Enterprise entitled "Bound"; that was sold during the auctions of ItsAWrap. This alluring design, reminiscent of the costumes created by Bill Theiss for The Original Series, realized a final bid of $1838 in an auction which ended on March 16, 2007. The auction description for the lot is reproduced as follows:

STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE "BOUND - D'NESH" ORION SLAVE GIRL COSTUME


The Orions are a humanoid species with distinct green skin from the Orion planet. This sexy costume was worn by the Orion slave girl D'Nesh (Crystal Allen) in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Bound". She was given by the Orion Harrad-Sar (William Lucking) to Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) as a gift in celebration of the Orion Syndicate trade agreement. Her costume is a two piece purple vinyl bikini held together with hook and eye fasteners and snaps. The straps are both vinyl and green mesh that is far sturdier than it appears. A shimmering fabric wrap of black and gold/blue patterns drapes around the waist. Due to the nature of the Orion appearance, there is green makeup over parts of the costume. The accompanying four inch heels (9M) are purple with Orion green straps. Costume comes complete with costume tag indicating wear by 'Crystal Allen'.










Star Trek: Enterprise Hero Universal Translator for Communicators

From Dec. 15, 2006 through Apr. 13, 2009, the California based screen used entertainment memorabilia dealer ItsAWrap! (http://www.itsawraphollywood.com) conducted a series of weekly auctions via ebay on behalf of CBS/Paramount that offered a tremendous variety of props, costumes, set fixtures, scripts and production related artifacts from the Star Trek franchise to a worldwide audience and collector base. Over the course of 121 weeks, approximately 9100 unique items that spanned the first 10 Star Trek feature films and the last four television series (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise) were sold. Additionally, perhaps 10 costumes from The Original Series (consisting of 4 or 5 light blue Technicians Jumpsuits, 2 pairs of Federation uniform trousers, a dark green Nilz Baris suit seen in "The Trouble with Tribbles", and 2 Tellarite jumpsuits from "Journey to Babel") were auctioned as part of the vast Paramount warehouse inventory that was dispersed. The ItsAWrap sales commenced only weeks after the historic Christie's "40 Years Of Star Trek" auction was held in October, 2006; which offered collectors a total of 1000 lots of screen used memorabilia, highlighted by a number of major starship filming models from the franchise.

Presented below are some detailed photos of a screen used hero Star Trek: Enterprise Universal Translator hand prop that was sold during the auctions of ItsAWrap. This rare working piece, created to operate in tandem with the existing Enterprise Communicator prop, realized a final bid of $1601 in an auction which ended on March 13, 2007. The auction description for the lot is reproduced as follows:

STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE "UNIVERSAL TRANSLATOR" FOR COMMUNICATOR

A cast resin hand prop universal translator device featured in various episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise. Painted metallic silver with black accents, this item features a 'display screen' with a transparent graphic reading 'Translation Mode: >Active' which is backlit blue when the button is depressed and is powered by four A27 sized 12 volt batteries. The battery casing is accessed by pulling the silver and black sections away from one another carefully. The item is made to have a Starfleet communicator (sold separately) fit down into the placement at the top and measures approx. 4.25 x 2.6 x 0.6 inches.



Below are some photos of a second screen used Universal Translator prop that was auctioned by ItsAWrap ...


Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Star Trek: Enterprise Hero Communicator and Holster

From Dec. 15, 2006 through Apr. 13, 2009, the California based screen used entertainment memorabilia dealer ItsAWrap! (http://www.itsawraphollywood.com) conducted a series of weekly auctions via ebay on behalf of CBS/Paramount that offered a tremendous variety of props, costumes, set fixtures, scripts and production related artifacts from the Star Trek franchise to a worldwide audience and collector base. Over the course of 121 weeks, approximately 9100 unique items that spanned the first 10 Star Trek feature films and the last four television series (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise) were sold. Additionally, perhaps 10 costumes from The Original Series (consisting of 4 or 5 light blue Technicians Jumpsuits, 2 pairs of Federation uniform trousers, a dark green Nilz Baris suit seen in "The Trouble with Tribbles", and 2 Tellarite jumpsuits from "Journey to Babel") were auctioned as part of the vast Paramount warehouse inventory that was dispersed. The ItsAWrap sales commenced only weeks after the historic Christie's "40 Years Of Star Trek" auction was held in October, 2006; which offered collectors a total of 1000 lots of screen used memorabilia, highlighted by a number of major starship filming models from the franchise.

Presented below are some detailed photos of a screen used hero Star Trek: Enterprise Communicator hand prop that was sold during the auctions of ItsAWrap. This rare working piece realized a final bid of $4350 in an auction which ended on January 3, 2008. The auction description for the lot is reproduced as follows:

STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE "HERO COMMUNICATOR AND HOLSTER"

This incredible hero communicator was made for use on the Star Trek: Enterprise series. It is made of milled aluminum painted black with a spring loaded flip up antennae that opens with the press of a button on the side. When opened a small screen depicts blue backlit information including signal strength and battery charge. Additional faux buttons are added for detail. This was a brilliantly fortunate chance find and the only hero communicator we have ever located. It was found hidden in the pocket of an Enterprise NX-01 carry bag! Also included is a corresponding black leather holster with Velcro closing at the top and a metal belt attachment on the back. The holster was not located with the communicator. Measures approx. 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches.





Below are some photos of a second Communicator auctioned by ItsAWrap, which is actually an Art Asylum LLC detailed replica Starfleet communicator that had been acquired by the production team for on screen use, and featured in various episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise ...



Saturday, November 6, 2010

Star Trek: Enterprise Hero Tricorder Prop

From Dec. 15, 2006 through Apr. 13, 2009, the California based screen used entertainment memorabilia dealer ItsAWrap! (http://www.itsawraphollywood.com) conducted a series of weekly auctions via ebay on behalf of CBS/Paramount that offered a tremendous variety of props, costumes, set fixtures, scripts and production related artifacts from the Star Trek franchise to a worldwide audience and collector base. Over the course of 121 weeks, approximately 9100 unique items that spanned the first 10 Star Trek feature films and the last four television series (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise) were sold. Additionally, perhaps 10 costumes from The Original Series (consisting of 4 or 5 light blue Technicians Jumpsuits, 2 pairs of Federation uniform trousers, a dark green Nilz Baris suit seen in "The Trouble with Tribbles", and 2 Tellarite jumpsuits from "Journey to Babel") were auctioned as part of the vast Paramount warehouse inventory that was dispersed. The ItsAWrap sales commenced only weeks after the historic Christie's "40 Years Of Star Trek" auction was held in October, 2006; which offered collectors a total of 1000 lots of screen used memorabilia, highlighted by a number of major starship filming models from the franchise.

Presented below are some detailed photos of a screen used hero Star Trek: Enterprise Tricorder hand prop that was sold during the auctions of ItsAWrap. This rare working piece realized a final bid of $8120 in an auction which ended on May 4, 2007. The auction description for the lot is reproduced as follows:

STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE "TRICORDER/HAND SCANNER" FUNCTIONAL

A hand prop scanner/tricorder featured in various episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise. The item is a metallic silver painted prop made from molded plastic with black rubber accents and a light up 'display screen' depicting the direction of a subject. The item is powered by two 25A 9 volt batteries accessed behind the 'screen' and activated by a slide switch on the front. Likewise, the front is decorated with metallic paint and gold colored adhesive details and accents. The item 'deploys' its scanner increasing its size by approx. 50% when a button located on the upper right is triggered, the button is hidden by a black rubber guard which is attached via Velcro. The item is also housed in a custom black leather holster with a Velcro seal flap and a 'Bianchi International' universal military holster clasp. In the holster the item measures approx. 5.25 x 3.5 x 2 inches.






The following two photos are of a similar Tricorder currently on tour as part of the Star Trek: The Exhibition attraction. The photos were taken in February, 2009 when the exhibition was on display at the Detroit Science Center in Michigan ...