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Re-Used Props - Miscellaneous Equipment
by Jörg Hillebrand and Bernd Schneider

Containers - Other Equipment

Many props of Star Trek were later modified or even recycled without changes to represent equipment for a different purpose or of another civilization. Here are quite a few examples of devices of which some defy a classification. Please note that every statement made here should be taken with a grain of salt. There is no need to seek for explanations. Certainly we are not supposed to watch closely enough to notice that the same props are used for just every conceivable purpose.

Containers

Onion-shaped containers These characteristic spherical containers appear in the Cardassian labor camp in DS9: "The Homecoming". We can also see the prop in VOY: "Unity" on the planet of the Cooperative. The Vori use this design for containers as well as for a generator of unknown purpose. The same prop is used on Hirogen ships as a sort of control console. Later, in season 6, the container appears on the Brunali planet.

Cardassian containers in DS9: "The Homecoming" (screen capture by Jörg)	Container of the Cooperative in VOY: "Unity" (screen capture by TrekCore)
Vori container in VOY: "Nemesis" (screen capture by Jörg)	Vori generator in VOY: "Nemesis" (screen capture by Jörg)
Hirogen consoles in VOY: "Hunters" (Fact Files, scan by Bernd)	Brunali container in VOY: "Child's Play" (screen capture by TrekCore)

Finally, the onion-like container can be seen aboard the ECS Fortunate, at the entrance of the mine in ENT: "The Xindi" and in the background, beside the spherical container, in ENT: "Anomaly".

Containers in ENT: "Fortunate Son" (screen capture by Jörg)

Container in ENT: "The Xindi" (screen capture by Jörg)

Containers in ENT: "Anomaly"
(screen capture by Michael Minnick)

The onion-shaped containers even show up in the new continuity in "Star Trek (2009)". Two of them can be seen on the Narada when Spock and Kirk board the ship towards the end of the movie.

Container in "Star Trek (2009)"
(screen capture by Michael Minnick)

Outside the Trek Universe one of these containers shows up in the Firefly episode "War Stories".

Container in Firefly: "War Stories"
(screen capture by Philip Bober)

Spherical containers The EPS regulators on DS9 can also be seen at the time portal of Golana (DS9: "Time's Orphan"), where they must have been around for many centuries. The prop can be seen in at least ten more episodes, most often as freight containers. Only in one of its latest known incarnations as flower pots in ENT: "Oasis" the spheres are used in a similar fashion as originally intended. It is a composter named "Bio Orb".

EPS regulator in DS9: "In the Cards" (screen capture by Jörg)	Part of Golana time portal in DS9: "Time's Orphan" (screen capture by Jörg)
Containers in DS9: "What You Leave Behind" (screen capture by Jörg)	Plasma regulators in VOY: "Concerning Flight" (screen capture by Jörg)
Containers in four episodes (screen capture by Jörg)	Containers in ENT: "Anomaly" (screen capture by Michael Minnick)

Still more containers, and the origin of the prop
(screen capture by Jörg) 

The round compost containers appeared not only in Star Trek but also in "Babylon 5", "Crusade" and "Galaxy Quest".

Containers in "Babylon 5" and "Galaxy Quest" (screen capture by Jörg)

Containers in "Crusade" (screen captures by Philip Bober)

Self-replicating mine Speaking of composters, the self-replicating mine from DS9: "A Call to Arms" showed up in at least six other episodes, each time as cargo containers. In VOY: "Memorial" and ENT: "Favorite Son" there was even a combination of this type of composters and the one above. Most remarkably the containers formed a part of the hull of the Tellarite freighter in ENT: "Bounty".

Self-replicating mine in DS9: "Call to Arms" (screen capture by Jörg)	Containers in two episodes (screen capture by Jörg)
Containers in four episodes (screen capture by Jörg)	Containers in ENT: "The Xindi" (screen capture by Jörg)

The former self-replicating mine, just like the other types of containers, also shows up in ENT: "Anomaly" (at the very left edge).

Containers in ENT: "Anomaly"
(screen capture by Michael Minnick)

Bolian container & mining drill The Bolian container from DS9: "Who Mourns for Morn?" was only slightly modified to act as the upper part of a drill on the New Sydney colony in DS9: "Prodigal Daughter".

Bolian container in DS9: "Who Mourns for Morn?" (screen capture by Jörg)

Drill on New Sydney in DS9: "Prodigal Daughter" (screen capture by Jörg)

Cylindrical container The containers used to store the drug felicium in TNG: "Symbiosis" appeared as Starfleet sample containers later in TNG.

Felicium container in TNG: "Symbiosis" (screen capture by Jörg)

Sample container in TNG: "The Ensigns..." (screen capture by Jörg)

Blue bottle A blue bottle acts as a Zalkonian data storage device in TNG: "Transfigurations". The same bottle appears on a market place on the Mari homeworld in VOY: "Random Thoughts".

Zalkonian storage device in TNG: "Transfigurations" (screen capture by Jörg)

Bottle on Mari market in VOY: "Random Thoughts" (screen capture by Jörg)

Plasma bottle Since we could previously see it as a plasma bottle in VOY: "Prototype", Janeway's thermos flask in VOY: "Endgame" probably holds the hottest tea ever. The prop looks like it could be a real thermos flask.

The same bottle in VOY: "Prototype" and "Endgame"
(screen capture by Jörg)

Other Equipment

Transparent dome The transparent dome of Lazarus' shuttle in TOS: "The Alternative Factor" was later re-used to cover the three Provider brains in TOS: "The Gamesters of Triskelion". A console was integrated into the existing hemispherical cut-out in the dome.

Cockpit dome in TOS: "The Alternative Factor" (screen capture by TrekCore)

Brain dome in TOS: "The Gamesters of Triskelion" (screen capture by TrekCore)

"CD rack" In TOS: "I, Mudd", in "The Immunity Syndrome" and (modified) in "Elaan of Troyius" there is a strange strobing device that we call the "CD rack" because it looks like one (yes, we know there weren't CDs in the 1960's). The third appearance looks to have been modified with the orb thing from the Romulan cloaking device (later used in conjunction with Nomad to form that little robot in "Requiem for Methuselah".

"CD rack" in TOS: "I, Mudd" (screen capture by Michael Minnick)

"CD rack" in TOS: "The Immunity Syndrome" (screen capture by Michael Minnick)

"CD rack" in TOS: "Elaan of Troyius"
(screen capture by Michael Minnick)

Columns with black top In TOS: "The Galileo Seven" (as a transporter test container), TOS: "This Side of Paradise" (as a container on Omicron Ceti III), TOS: "I, Mudd" (on the android planet), TOS: "The Trouble with Tribbles" (on K-7) and TOS: "The Enterprise Incident" (in the Romulan cloaking room) we can see the same type of cylindrical columns with a black top. On the three latter occasions they may be air conditioning systems.

Column in TOS: "This Side of Paradise" (screen capture by Bernd)	Columns in TOS: "I, Mudd" (screen capture by Michael Minnick)
Columns in TOS: "The Trouble with Tribbles" (screen capture by Michael Minnick)	Column in TOS: "The Enterprise Incident" (screen capture by TrekCore)

Nomad & Co Nomad, the famous deadly robot from TOS: "The Changeling", was later redressed with a new spherical central section to appear as Flint's M-4 in TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah". We can see parts of Nomad also on the Romulan cloaking device in TOS: "The Enterprise Incident".

Nomad in TOS: "The Changeling"
(screen capture by Jörg)

Romulan cloaking in TOS: "The Enterprise Incident" (screen capture by Jörg)

M-4 in TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah" (screen capture by Jörg)

Sphere and pedestal Three spheres (of which one would later act as the Romulan cloaking device) serve as receptacles for Sargon and his people in TOS: "Return to Tomorrow". The tripod pedestal of Sargon's sphere, now turned upside down, reappears on Mr. Atoz' desk in TOS: "All Our Yesterdays".

Sargon's sphere in TOS: "Return to Tomorrow"
(screen capture by Jörg)

Romulan cloaking in TOS: "The Enterprise Incident" (screen capture by Jörg)

Tripod in TOS: "All Our Yesterdays" (screen capture by Jörg)

Engineering rack & examination couch A rack used for the construction of the prototype unit in VOY: "Prototype" later appears as an examination couch on Dr. Gegen's starship in VOY: "Distant Origin".

Construction rack in VOY: "Prototype" (screen capture by Jörg)

Examination couch in VOY: "Distant Origin" (screen capture by Jörg)

"Robodog" Dr. Graves has something in his office that looks like a primitive robotic dog (probably rather as a nostalgic decoration than as a display of his present work). The same prop can be seen in Ard'rian's house on Tau Cygna in TNG: "The Ensigns of Command". Here it is obviously meant to be something modern by the standard of the planet's technology, like the other robots that almost make even Data smirk. 

Graves' robodog in TNG: "The Schizoid Man" (screen capture by Jörg)

Ard'rian's robodog in TNG: "The Ensigns..." (screen capture by Jörg)

SCM & trajector matrix Wesley shows Salia a device he calls an "SCM model III" in TNG: "The Dauphin". The same component can be seen in Riker's quarters in TNG: "Conundrum" and in the hands of the aliens in "Schisms". Years later the prop is prominently featured as the Sikarian trajector matrix in VOY: "Prime Factors".

SCM model III in TNG: "The Dauphin" (screen capture by Jörg)	Device in Riker's quarters in TNG: "Conundrum" (screen capture by Jörg)
Solanagen-based alien device in ENT: "Schisms" (screen capture by Jörg)	Trajector matrix in VOY: "Prime Factors" (screen capture by Jörg)

Alien & Starfleet field generator Here is the alien field generator that Bashir takes to the Enterprise for closer investigation in TNG: "Birthright, part1". The prop was simply turned by 90 degrees and slightly modified to look more "Starfleetish" and to serve as Voyager's polaron generator (the one that causes the paradox in the first place) in VOY: "Time and Again".

Field generator in TNG: "Birthright, part 1" (screen capture by Jörg)

Polaron generator in VOY: "Time and Again" (screen capture by Jörg)

Harvester annihilator & temporal field generator The container devised to destroy the Harvester weapon in DS9: "Armageddon Game" was repainted, and additional antennae were added to serve as the temporal field generator on Golana in DS9: "Time's Orphan". On both devices the central part is extendable, to insert the Harvester cylinders and to activate the time portal, respectively.

Harvester annihilator in DS9: "Armageddon Game" (screen capture by Jörg)

Temporal field generator in DS9: "Time's Orphan" (screen capture by Jörg)

Phase discriminator & scanner The phase discriminator from TNG: "Time's Arrow" that allows to enter the phase in which the Devidians exist reappears as some sort of scanner in B'Elanna's hands in VOY: "Tattoo".

Phase discriminator in TNG: "Time's Arrow" (screen capture by Felix Ernie)

Scanner in VOY: "Tattoo" (screen capture by Felix Ernie)

Tooth sharpener Tooth sharpeners seem to be important tools in the Ferengi culture, and Worf is visibly fond of them too. But the real usefulness of these little devices becomes obvious considering that they can as well be used for trimming your toe nails.

Tooth sharpener in DS9: "Family Business" (screen capture by Jörg)

Tooth sharpener in DS9: "Little Green Men" (screen capture by Jörg)

Pedicure device in DS9: "Tacking into the Wind"
(screen capture by Jörg)

Blinking tubes without function This is the ultimate re-used prop, and there is not a single of its numerous appearances where its purpose would be explained or only hinted at. The fist time we see the blinking tubes is in the Regula lab in "Star Trek II". They are also visible in the Enterprise-A's shuttlebay in "Star Trek V".

Tubes on Regula 1 ("Star Trek II" (screen capture by Jörg)

Tubes on the Enterprise-A ("Star Trek V" (screen capture by Jörg)

Furthermore the tubes appear in a number of TNG episodes, like in TNG: "Datalore", "Suddenly Human" and "The Quality of Life".

Tubes on Talarian ship in TNG: "Suddenly Human" (screen capture by Jörg)	Tubes in Soong's lab in TNG: "Datalore" (screen capture by Jörg)
Dr. Farallon's tubes in TNG: "The Quality of Life" (screen capture by Jörg)	Entharan Tubes in VOY: "Retrospect" (screen capture by Jörg)

The tubes also show up in VOY: "Retrospect" and "Inside Man". Finally the prop, now with blue light (because lately blue has become a more fashionable color for light effects), can be seen in Soong's hideout (with red tubes) as well as on the research station (with blue tubes) in ENT: "Cold Station 12". Like many Trek props, it appears in other science fiction series and movies as well, such as "V" (the 1983 miniseries), "Airplane II" (with William Shatner) or "The Last Starfighter".

Tubes in Pathfinder lab in VOY: "Inside Man" (screen capture by Jörg)	Tubes in Soong's hideout in ENT: "Cold Station 12" (screen capture by Bernd)
Tubes at Cold Station 12 in ENT: "Cold Station 12" (screen capture by Bernd)	Tubes in "V" (screen capture by Jörg)

The prop was not custom-made in the Star Trek Art Department, but it is available from a company called Modern Props. The prop is described as "dual generators with rotating neon lights inside an acrylic tube; light-controlled panel with knobs and buttons." It can be rented from the company, although we would expect the Art Department to finally build a similar prop of their own.

"Dual Generators" 195-0290
(Modern Props)

Round console A console of unknown purpose with a round superstructure and large blinking lights can be seen in the Captain Proton simulation in VOY: "Night" as well as on the Talaxian asteroid in VOY: "Homestead" and on the Orpheus station in ENT: "Demons".

"Captain Proton" console in VOY: "Night" (screen capture by Jörg)

Talaxian console in VOY: "Homestead" (screen capture by Jörg)

Drill console in ENT: "Demons"
(screen capture by Jörg)

Spherical device A small sphere resembling a Death Star appears in the overhead neural interface that Barclay constructs in TNG: "The Nth Degree". Later, as something found in the debris of a Borg vessel, it is identified by Harry as an "autoregeneration unit" in VOY: "Dark Frontier". The device resurfaces as a Monean scanner in Rega's inventory in VOY: "Thirty Days" and also appears in an unknown role in ENT: "Silent Enemy" when Reed and Tucker try to convince Archer to let them install the phase cannons.

Barclay's interface in TNG: "The Nth Degree" (screen capture by Jörg)	Autoregeneration unit in VOY: "Dark Frontier" (screen capture by Jörg)
Monean scanner in VOY: "Thirty Days" (screen capture by Jörg)	Device on Enterprise in ENT: "Silent Enemy" (screen capture by Ivan Bozic)

Chronodeflector & power generator The chronodeflector shown in VOY: "Endgame" later serves as a power generator in ENT: "Precious Cargo".

Chronodeflector in VOY: "Endgame" (screen capture by Jörg)

Power generator in ENT: "Precious Cargo" (screen capture by Jörg)

Glass tube A large glass (or rather transparent plastic) tube was used as a quarantine unit in ENT: "Cold Station 12" and as an agony booth in the Mirror Universe in ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly" (the latter inspired by the TOS episode "Mirror, Mirror".

Quarantine chamber in ENT: "Cold Station 12" (screen capture by Jörg)

Agony booth in ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly" (screen capture by Jörg)

Exocomp The Exocomp from TNG: "The Quality of Life", one of the rather prominent props, reappears as a medical apparatus from the repair station in ENT: "Dead Stop", now painted silver. It has another appearance in ENT: "Future Tense" and as Xindi device in ENT: "Anomaly" (albeit it is just a picture this time).

Exocomp in TNG: "The Quality of Life" (screen capture by Jörg)	Medical device in ENT: "Dead Stop" (screen capture by Jörg)
Unknown device in ENT: "Future Tense" (screen capture by Jörg)	Depiction of a Xindi device in ENT: "Anomaly" (screen capture by Jörg)

Pralor body parts in VOY: "Prototype" B'Elanna assembles the Pralor prototype unit using an arm of Johnny Five from the movie "Short Circuit". The foot looks like it is taken from "Terminator 2".

Pralor arm in VOY: "Prototype" (screen capture by Jörg)

Pralor foot in VOY: "Prototype" (screen capture by Jörg)

Debris field The Defiant encounters the remains of a Cardassian vessel in DS9: "Way of the Warrior". The very same debris field can be seen once again as Neelix' scrapyard in VOY: "Caretaker".

Cardassian debris in DS9: "Way of the Warrior" (screen capture by Jörg)

Neelix' scrapyard in VOY: "Caretaker" (screen capture by Jörg)

Credits

Thanks go to Ivan Bozic and Jernej L. for noticing the spherical device, to Philip Bober and Lin Jingqiu for sightings of containers, to Felix Ernie for finding out about the phase discriminator, to Simon Allen for spotting the temporal device from "Endgame", to Liquidcross who found the quarantine chamber re-use, to Shawn Havery and Michael Minnick for spotting several more of the props and to Robert Heckadon for the hint about the transparent dome and the Exocomp!

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	Last modified: 01.09.10
http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/inconsistencies/reused_props2.htm