Adam Savage Meets The Original Star Trek Tricorder Prop!

Propstore's Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction: Los Angeles Summer 2024 propstoreauction.com/auctions/catalog/id/397

Wah Chang is an absolutely underrated icon. I've always been more of a communicator fan than a tricorder, but I would dearly love to have this sketch.

Ensign Brad Boimler: Is that a classic TS122 tricorder? Dr. M'Benga: It's a 120. Ensign Brad Boimler: Do you mind if- Can I- Can I hold it? [Dr. M'Benga hands him the tricorder] Ensign Brad Boimler: Thank you so much! Oh, my God! They never improved on these. I mean, yeah they got smaller and more powerful and arguably less likely to explode. But, design-wise... Dr. M'Benga: 'Explode' you said?

Wah Ming Chang is my great uncle! I dearly wish to have met him, but I’ve studied all his work growing up - highly recommend seeing all of what he did in his life: everything from Bambi, Pinocchio, the time machine, on and on. I’m actually going to visit my grandmother right now. She did wax casting work for him back in the day!

According to original production notes the Tricorder came about due to a producer feeling the female crew members should have something draped across their shoulder resembling a purse, with the suggestion, "It could be a recording device where Yeoman Rand can record a Captain's log etc."

I work for an R&D company, and one of our recent research areas has been to produce a real medical tricorder, specifically inspired by Star Trek.

Adam’s comment about the pace that the original ST episodes were produced is so accurate. I saw a production interview about ST:DS9 episodes spending on catering per episode what entire original series episodes cost to produce.

I used to have one of these. I love classic twenty third century designs. Black finish, silver highlights....

Every time Star Trek's tricorders are discussed, I think of how today we can scan objects and spaces with a cell phone, and how there are apps that help identify everything from insects to plants, just shy of sixty years after the first season.

Adam is the kid who was told not to put his hand in the cookie jar - he just wants so desperately to put his hands not just in, but all over the cookie jar - IT'S NOT YOUR COOKIE ADAM! - Love him but he makes me so nervous around delicate and rare props.

Holding my breath whenever Adam gesticulates excitedly while standing inches away from a priceless historical ST:TOS prop :D

I can remember playing with a very early portable cassette tape player that was shaped and finished much like the tricorder, and came in a pleather carry case. I enjoyed it both because it was a recorder, and because it looked like a tricorder. My brother gave it to me after he came back from Vietnam in around '68 or so. He and the folks used cassettes to send back and forth at the time while he was there. I wish I still had that thing.

Oh man what a joy it is to see these incredible props survive for so long! im 27 i never watched star trek as a kid so im catching up and started with Voyager then Ds9 then enterprise and so on in backwards order but still incredible and am only now getting to the original show and just wow the new shows are so similar to the 60s original which is so brilliant to see Uhura wearing her ear piece or the classic tricorders or communicators to the transporters star trek has such strong roots in scifi and im ashamed i waited so long to watch such an important strong sci-fi peice of cinema history Live Long & Prosper yall <3

A tricorder truly was pointing towards the future anchored in the time, now seeing a version in real life is like reimagining a science fiction reality of the time.

A museum should be picking this up.

Thanks Adam. Still waiting for my The Wand Co. Tricorder!

The styling reminds me of the 1965 Sony CV-2000 line of 1/2" video tape recorders and accessories. These were intended as the first consumer video recorders but many ended up in Hollywood performing mundane tasks. Look up the movie "Auto Focus" about Bob Crane and his tech frantically swapping heads in his Sony. My parents bought a complete setup that was used to block out the double on "The Patty Duke Show" and we used it to record hockey games around LA. Sony styled everything to match from the stands to the cases right up to the recorder itself and the huge monitor.

This is so cool! I was JUST researching tricorders for a costume and this is great timing!

This prop design reminds me so much of the Polaroid SX70. Makes me realize how much influence props like this had on future products.

As impressive as the prop is itself, I think the invention of the name "Tricorder" is worthy of praise too - it sounds so plausible.