From the Star Trek Phase II Prop Closet: Yet Another Engineering Tool

 

During the course of Star Trek, we’ve seen many engineering tools.  As with so many props on Star Trek, these engineering tools are often an exercise in minimalist design–no buttons or fancy blinky lights–just clean lines and interesting angles.  Here are a few:

One of latest additions to the Star Trek Phase II prop closet is an engineering tool we saw just a couple of times in The Original Series.  It’s a large aluminum dowel about a foot long, tapered at the tip, with some circumferential corrugated rings cut into the dowel (something like Lieutenant Uhura’s communication earpiece).

The first time we see this large pencil-like tool, Mr. Scott has it in Engineering in the episode “Elaan of Troyius.”  He has it nearby when he discovers that the  antimatter pods have been sabotaged and the bomb cannot be dismantled:

We see the tool again a bit later in the episode–when Mr. Scott discovers that the dilithium crystal converter assembly is completely fused:

This tool’s next appearance is two episodes later–in “The Enterprise Incident.”  It is used in a similar circumstance: Mr. Scott is working in Engineering, trying to get the purloined Romulan cloaking device installed.

This tool also shows up in the Sickbay Lab in “The Tholian Web.”  Some unnamed medical technician, under the effects of spatial distortion, wields one of these tools as a weapon in his attack on Dr. McCoy:

(So evidently, this tool has not only engineering-related uses but has some kind of medical/laboratory uses as well.)

The last time we see this tool is in Wink of an Eye.”  The Scalosian Rael uses it, trying to repair the transporter which had been sabotaged by Captain Kirk.  (Rael also uses the same tool as a weapon to attack Captain Kirk in his quarters a bit later in the episode.)

It’s worth noting that this large pointy tool is probably a good tool to grab if you need a handheld weapon (as we see in both “The Tholian Web” and “Wink of an Eye”).  Folks might remember the other formidable-looking pointy tool that Dr. McCoy considered grabbing to use as a weapon in “The Omega Glory:”

These two tools are a bit more futuristic than the adjustable crescent wrench that Lieutenant Commander Ben Finney grabbed to use as a weapon in his scuffle with Captain Kirk in the episode “Court Martial;”:

As with many props on Star Trek, this futuristic prop is an exercise in minimalist design.  No fancy buttons, and no crazy lights–just clean, simple lines.  So here’s the Star Trek Phase II reproduction (two of them) of this engineering/medical tool–whatever it actually is:

As with so many of our props, I don’t know when we’ll see it in one of our productions.  But keep your eyes open.

Credit for the fabrication of this prop goes to prop maker Mr. Gaston Huckabay.

As always, questions, comments, feedback, and, of course, “shares,” “likes,” or “+1s” are always appreciated.
 
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