Picard's desk crystal

simonwaters

Well-Known Member
Through my own research, the crystal Picard uses is the same as the shard from the dark crystal. Obviously the clear version. Can any one confirm this 100 percent from sources on the set???
 
Pics always help! I'd love to find a good replica of this as well.

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that is what i have used to compare the two. But i was curious if anyone had confirmation. I have located a dark crystal shard shipped for $120 and purchased it. But it would be nice to have final confirmation.
 
Now you've got me super curious.
I'm guessing you found one cast from a screen used copy?

Please take photos at various angles and see if it matches up to the Picard shots!

Has this been a prop urban myth? I've never heard of it before.

There are so many geodes, fossils and weird glassware in TNG, I'd always assumed it was real.
 
The crystal had a partner in season two there were two for two episodes then just one on and off. Became most regular in season 3. The dark crystal shard and picards look alike, as far as i can tell.
 
I thought I kinda remember a second one. This thread made me go through a bunch of episodes last night looking for crystal pics.

I really dig the super obscure stuff like this.

Fun stuff. :)
 
Someone have contacts to the Okudas, or some of the prop people? I am sure someone should know.

- - - Updated - - -

it is and simple to replicate, yet no one talks about it.
 
I've been obsessively collecting pics of the desk crystals from all the different seasons and think I might try sculpting my own version. Will keep you guys updated.
 
update the Dark Crystal Shard is much too thin to be the desk top crystal. I am afraid this is a dead end. Unless someone can make one or find the original and make copies. I would love to have an authentic Picard crystal!!!
 
Turns out we will need to make our own. It was something personally owned by Herman Zimmerman. And it went back to him after production. But to have an accurate Picard crystal would be awesome. And theroretically cheap.
 
hydin - You've done so much work with crystals in the past, and I wonder if you have any advice on how best to approach replicating this? It's a real challenge to even lock down the geometry of the thing.
 
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Not gonna lie guys, replicating clear crystals is a bitch and a half because of the refraction. "Is that a facet? Well, maybe, or it might be a reflection, or the facet on the OTHER side.. hmmm".

From what I can tell about the crystal from the screencaps earlier in the thread, it's not a crystal so much as a shaped piece of acrylic. That's easier, because you can replicate (or try to anyway) with a belt sander, some elbow grease and some polish.

However, if someone wants to 3d model it, I'll be glad to shoot the idea over to the guys I use and see if it's something they can make. Shouldn't be that much different than a returns design.

What I normally do is screencap the hell outta the thing, load up mspaint (don't laugh) and draw different colored lines over each section that matches up from cap to cap and then redraw it a few times on paper until it looks right. I take those drawings and shoot em to a guy I use for 3d modeling, and he makes a wireframe model, we tweak it some more, and then I shoot a rendered avi over to the factory with the measurements we work out.

It's basically just a lot of guesswork and zooming in for detail on everything. It's a little maddening sometimes, but in the end if the design works out, you can have some amazing pieces made :)

Thanks for thinking of me :)
Chris
 
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