Alleged Screen Used Hero TOS Phaser up for auction (now the aftermath)

[Gregatron]

I was always impressed with the collection in the shuttle craft storage. And oddly enough Scotty’s phaser doesn’t have the silver parts on the P1 or P2.

Why would it? That’s a shot from “The Naked Time”, when the phasers were still black and white, and thus didn’t have the metal accent parts, yet.

 

[Gregatron]

That was also the first episode to exhibit the midgrades, if I recall correctly.

Yep.

 

[AdmiralBaxter]

Scot modified his own phaser?
How to differentiate repairs made during filming episodes versus afterwards?

Nope the B&W's were seen in most of the first third of season 1 they were reworked into GBG's after that

 

[Gregatron]

A little history, for those not in the know: The original laser pistol props were used in the two pilot episodes (with modifications in the second). The black and white hero phasers were built when the series proper went into production. The P1 first appeared in “The Corbomite Maneuver”. The P2s first appeared in “The Enemy Within”. The vacuformed crapazoids were built as dummies.

After the inital batch of episodes, the phasers were repainted and reworked into the versions we know now. The first appearance of the revised props was in “Dagger of The Mind”.

By the end of the first season, it was determined that higher-quality dummy phasers were needed, and so the midgrades were built, with “The Devil In The Dark” being their first appearance.

 

[Chrisisall]

A little history, for those not in the know: The original laser pistol props were used in the two pilot episodes (with modifications in the second). The black and white hero phasers were built when the series proper went into production. The P1 first appeared in “The Corbomite Maneuver”. The P2s first appeared in “The Enemy Within”. The vacuformed crapazoids were built as dummies.

After the inital batch of episodes, the phasers were repainted and reworked into the versions we know now. The first appearance of the revised props was in “Dagger of The Mind”.

By the end of the first season, it was determined that higher-quality dummy phasers were needed, and so the midgrades were built, with “The Devil In The Dark” being their first appearance.

Thanks so much for that! Stuff like this is why I love coming here!

 

[Gregatron]

View attachment 1753209
10 Phasers in this scene

This makes me think that the number of crewmen with phasers in this episode was specifically based on how many midgrades were built FOR the episode.

I think it probably went like this: The script called for a bunch of security guards with phasers. There either weren’t enough heroes/crapazoids to accomodate the needs of the script, and/or the crapazoids weren’t good enough for such extensive use. So, they built ten midgrades (which corresponds to the number of known communicators), and used all of them in the episode.

 

[AdmiralBaxter]

I think it probably went like this: The script called for a bunch of security guards with phasers. There either weren’t enough heroes/crapazoids to accomodate the needs of the script, and/or the crapazoids weren’t good enough for such extensive use. So, they built ten midgrades (which corresponds to the number of known communicators), and used all of them in the episode.

Possibly, I was thinking it went more like:

The staff FINALLY received the needed replacements for the hero phasers that were starting to break down & there just so happened to be a big scene and the production staff decided to show off their new phasers to please the staff at NBC. The fact they corresponded to the number of communicators was just a bonus

 

[edge10]

A travesty, to say the least.

 

[Gregatron]

Possibly, I was thinking it went more like:

The staff FINALLY received the needed replacements for the hero phasers that were starting to break down & there just so happened to be a big scene and the production staff decided to show off their new phasers to please the staff at NBC. The fact they corresponded to the number of communicators was just a bonus

But we don't know for sure that the heroes were breaking down. The phasers generally didn't get extensive use during the first season, after all.

My gut tells me that they probably didn't make more until they NEEDED more, as when the crapazoids proved insufficient for an episode which needed a bunch of phasers.

 

[Chrisisall]

But we don't know for sure that the heroes were breaking down. The phasers generally didn't get extensive use during the first season, after all.

My gut tells me that they probably didn't make more until they NEEDED more, as when the crapazoids proved insufficient for an episode which needed a bunch of phasers.

Why the Omega Glory mid grade? It seems a bit different than most other mid grades... no P1 sight painting. So, no hero available for the close up? Even for pick up shots? Don't get me wrong, I love that one.....

 

[AdmiralBaxter]

But we don't know for sure that the heroes were breaking down. The phasers generally didn't get extensive use during the first season, after all.

My gut tells me that they probably didn't make more until they NEEDED more, as when the crapazoids proved insufficient for an episode which needed a bunch of phasers.

I proposed a hypothetical..

Although I DID learn from a member here the handle on the Jein Phaser was repainted and is a different color compared to the other phasers....

 

[AdmiralBaxter]

Why the Omega Glory mid grade? It seems a bit different than most other mid grades... no P1 sight painting. So, no hero available for the close up? Even for pick up shots? Don't get me wrong, I love that one.....

Not all of the midgrades based on what we know had the same level of detailing. The early mids were painted to match the craps: Black P1, Grey P2 & Black handle. As the series went on they were repainted to be more in line with the heroes

 

[feek61]

I think the production realized that the heros were fairly delicate and they most likely would not hold up through the (hopefully many) seasons with the way the actors handled them. The craps were too rudimentary looking and could only be used for the most distant or very quick shots. I don't think it is a stretch to believe the production realized they needed a more camera friendly, less fragile version of the phaser; hence the mids. I think the 10 phasers in that scene in DITD were limited to the number of phasers, not the other way around. That's my theory anyway.

Well folks, I guess that's it until the March auction when the next miraculously found hero phaser surfaces

 

[Chrisisall]

A little history, for those not in the know: The original laser pistol props were used in the two pilot episodes (with modifications in the second). The black and white hero phasers were built when the series proper went into production. The P1 first appeared in “The Corbomite Maneuver”. The P2s first appeared in “The Enemy Within”. The vacuformed crapazoids were built as dummies.

After the inital batch of episodes, the phasers were repainted and reworked into the versions we know now. The first appearance of the revised props was in “Dagger of The Mind”.

By the end of the first season, it was determined that higher-quality dummy phasers were needed, and so the midgrades were built, with “The Devil In The Dark” being their first appearance.

Ummm... but Dagger Of The Mind clearly has a midgrade P2....

 

[Gregatron]

Ummm... but Dagger Of The Mind clearly has a midgrade P2....

That appears to be an anomaly. Hard to tell if it's just a better-vacuformed crapazoid, or some kind of proto-midgrade which was used only once prior to "The Devil In The Dark". Maybe they threw one together from leftover shells and parts, before the dedicated batch of midgrades was constructed at the end of the season.

There IS a phaser stunt moment in the episode, when Kirk knocks the phaser out of Dr. Van Gelder's hand, on the Bridge. And, as I recall, the emitter nozzle can be seen flying off. Perhaps they built a single dummy just for that scene, which also ended up being used by Marianna Hill.

The revised heroes are used all throughout the rest of the episode, though.

This needs more research.

 

[Chrisisall]

There IS a phaser stunt moment in the episode, when Kirk knocks the phaser out of Dr. Van Gelder's hand, on the Bridge. And, as I recall, the emitter nozzle can be seen flying off. Perhaps they built a single dummy just for that scene, which also ended up being used by Marianna Hill.

Tricky to pause this as it's going so fast, but this appears to be a straight up crapizoid by the curved nozzle. I cannot detect any part flying off in repeated watches. The one Hill is holding later is clearly a clean, crisp midgrade.

 

[Chrisisall]

Here is Hill holding the midgrade. Earlier she picked a hero up off the floor after she killed the guard, but since Shatner was gonna go all forceably kissy on her they probably figured it was better to give her the midgrade just in case he made her drop it.
So by MY reckoning, episode 11 is the first appearance of a midgrade, possibly more were under construction at that time for future scenes like in DITD.

 

[Gregatron]

Here is Hill holding the midgrade. Earlier she picked a hero up off the floor after she killed the guard, but since Shatner was gonna go all forceably kissy on her they probably figured it was better to give her the midgrade just in case he made her drop it.
So by MY reckoning, episode 11 is the first appearance of a midgrade, possibly more were under construction at that time for future scenes like in DITD.
View attachment 1753740

Thanks for taking a look! I'm not in a position to, at the moment.

This has to be some kind of one-off, right? If they'd had more midgrades, then they surely would have popped up in episodes like "Shore Leave".

Perhaps the batch made by the time of "The Devil In The Dark" was the result of their not having ENOUGH midgrades, rather than none at all. Maybe there was only one or two, early on. Perhaps made from spare hero parts.

Or could this "midgrade" actually be a hero which didn't yet have the added metal fins? Although that sure looks like a midgrade-specific tenturn...

 

[Captain Dunsel]

Ummm... but Dagger Of The Mind clearly has a midgrade P2....

That’s a crapazoid with a metal rear dial. The malformed emitter is a dead giveaway.

 

[Chrisisall]

Thanks for taking a look! I'm not in a position to, at the moment.

This has to be some kind of one-off, right? If they'd had more midgrades, then they surely would have popped up in episodes like "Shore Leave".

Perhaps the batch made by the time of "The Devil In The Dark" was the result of their not having ENOUGH midgrades, rather than none at all. Maybe there was only one or two, early on. Perhaps made from spare hero parts.

Or could this "midgrade" actually be a hero which didn't yet have the added metal fins? Although that sure looks like a midgrade-specific tenturn...

My guess is that they were in constant production of midgrades from this episode forward until they got to about ten. But, that's just conjecture.