Star Trek Communicator - Palm-sized communication device used by members of
the futuristic Federation on the science fiction adventure STAR
TREK/NBC/1966-69. Used for both ship-to-ship and planet-to-ship
communication, the crew of the starship USS Enterprise carried a
communicator device whenever they beamed down to alien planet. The crew
communicated back to their ship to report their status, which eventually
involved some dangerous situation. The communicator was a handy thing to
have when a person needed to call in ground support or be beamed off a
planet in a life or death situation. ("Scotty, beam us out of here!")
The Star Trek communicator looks like a modern cell phone. When the lid is
lifted to expose the main dialing panel, a sharp chirping sound occurs -
indicating the phone is charged and functioning. The communicator's housing
is made of a black plastic like material.
The flip-lid of the communicator is a thin rectangular sheet of brass with
many small holes which covers the main control panel. The control panel
beneath the lid features a dial with a swirling design. The center of the
panel sports a row with three lights (amber, red and green). And the bottom
of the panel has a wire-mesh grid that houses the microphone and two silver
metal knobs to the right for adjusting frequency and volume.
On later episodes of the STAR TREK franchise beginning with the STAR TREK
THE NEXT GENERATION, the hand-held communicator was replaced by
triangular-shaped lapel pins that attached to the uniform. A simple tap of
the communicator opened a line of communication throughout the ship or a
general area.
TRIVIA NOTE: On the ABC legal drama BOSTON LEGAL, William Shatner (Captain
James T. Kirk from the original 1960s STAR TREK series) plays the role of an
attorney named Denny Crane. On the January 10, 2006 installment of the show,
the familiar sound effect from a Star Trek communicator was heard when Denny
opened his cell phone.
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