Observations in TNG: "The Most Toys"

A joint project with TrekCore, by Jörg Hillebrand and Bernd Schneider

Here are some observations about sets, props and visual effects in TNG: "The Most Toys" without a specific theme, and a comparison of the original TV release (TNG) with the remastered episode (TNG-R).


"The Most Toys" HD Screencaps @ TrekCore

Description TNG Other caps Comparison TNG to TNG-R Description TNG-R
The footage of the USS Enterprise-D was newly filmed for "The Most Toys", using the new 4-foot model. Comparison shots from earlier episodes show what the 6-foot model looks like from a similar angle.
The Saucer Rim on the Galaxy Class

"Elementary, Dear Data"

"A Matter of Honor"
The ship encounter in HD.

"The Outrageous Okona"
Kivas Fajo's ship, the Jovis. The footage from "The Most Toys" is re-used in "Silicon Avatar", where the ship is identified as the Kallisko. The comparison with "The Survivors" shows that the Jovis is a modification of the Husnock warship.
Redresses of the Husnock Ship

"The Survivors"
A very nice shot of the full-scale version of the Type-15 shuttlepod Pike. Note that a couple of episodes ago in "The Price", the name "Ley" was printed in considerably smaller letters than on the Pike.
"The Price"
The shuttlepod in HD.
This is the first time the aft compartment of a Type-15 shuttlepod is seen. When it appears again in "The Mind's Eye", it looks very different. In either case, we have to wonder how the whole impulse engine fits into the thin "trunk lid".
Variations of the Type-15 Shuttle

"Devil's Due"

"The Mind's Eye"
No changes
For some unknown reason, the whole teaser of the episode appears very blurry in SD. In TNG-R there is no problem with the teaser.
The Zibalian fingerprint PADD seen here was re-used in several later episodes. It appears as a scanner in "The Masterpiece Society", as a Tilonian PADD in "Frame of Mind", as Galen's PADD in "Gambit II" and as an Enaran PADD in the VOY episode "Remember".
"The Masterpiece Society"

"Gambit II"
In HD we can clearly recognize that the ten keys of the prop are interdigitated capacitive touch sensors on a 20th century PCB.

"Frame of Mind"

VOY: "Remember"
Data is electrified by the fingerprint scanner. The reconstructed effect in the remastered episode.
The Zibalian scanner later appeared as a Kes scanner in "Attached".
"Attached"
The prop in HD.

This footage of the USS Enterprise-D was newly recorded for this episode, using the 4-foot model. A comparison shot from "Booby Trap" shows the older 6-foot model from a similar angle. One way to tell the models apart (from a distance) are the windows in the neck.

The footage of the USS Enterprise-D and the Jovis was re-used in "The Perfect Mate" where the alien ship appears as a Valtese transport ship. The Jovis is, as previously said, a redress of the Husnock warship.


"The Survivors"

"Booby Trap"
We can see more details of the ship models in HD.
The shuttlepod Pike leaves the shuttle hangar of the Jovis. The comparison shot from "The Survivors" shows the Husnock ship from a similar angle.
"The Survivors"
The shuttlepod Pike shortly before it explodes. This is the third appearance of the filming miniature after "Time Squared" and "The Price". Notice how the large number under the window was removed between seasons 2 and 3.
"Time Squared"

"The Price"
A schematic of the Type-15 shuttlepod Pike is displayed on the engineering station monitor. An HD close-up of the diagram, showing the correct designation as Shuttlepod 12.
A shuttle nacelle and the port side of the shuttlepod can clearly be made out amidst the debris. The reworked explosion in TNG-R.
The footage of the USS Enterprise-D flying past the Jovis was newly filmed for this episode. Another screenshot from "The Survivors" illustrates that the Jovis is an extensive modification of the Husnock warship.
"The Survivors"
More great HD shots of the Jovis.
Reshoot Originally, British actor David Rappaport was cast as Kivas Fajo in "The Most Toys". Tragically, he attempted suicide over the weekend after a few days of filming and had to be replaced by Saul Rubinek. The shots of David Rappaport are remastered raw footage (available in the season 3 Blu-ray disc set). The same shots with Saul Rubinek in the actual episode, inserted into the bridge viewscreen.
The characteristic octagonal ceiling of Kivas Fajo's collection room was originally created for the cybernetics lab in "The Offspring". It will be seen again in the medical lab in "Transfigurations" and in the hospital on Malcor III in "First Contact".
"The Offspring"

"First Contact"
No changes
This unusual sofa was designed by Mario Cananzi and Roberto Semprini in 1989. It is based on the Tatlin tower by the eponymous Russian artist, a monument that was never actually erected.
Commercially Available Chairs in Star Trek
The sofa in HD.
Zibalian members of the Collectors Guild such as Kivas Fajo also appear in LOW: "Kayshon, His Eyes Open" and LOW: "Reflections". They all have the same general clothing style.
LOW: "Kayshon, His Eyes Open"

LOW: "Reflections"
Kivas Fajo in HD.
Kivas Fajo's personal forcefield in effect. The reconstructed light effect in TNG-R.
Fajo's forcefield generator/controls were later re-used as medical tools in various episodes. Amongst others, they appeared as medical monitors in "Ethics" and as a dermal regenerator in "Emergence". The prop ended up as an engineering tool on Voyager, such as in "Dreadnought" and "Memorial".
"Ethics"

"Emergence"
The device in an HD close-up.

VOY: "Dreadnought"

VOY: "Memorial"

The basotile in Fajo's collection doesn't seem to be as rare as he thinks. The prop was also seen in Deep Space 9's assay office in DS9: "Necessary Evil", in the Symbiosis Commission building on the Trill homeworld in DS9: "Equilibrium" and even in Bahrat's office aboard the space station close to the Nekrit Expanse in VOY: "Fair Trade".

The vase on the right is Sèvres porcelain, originating in 18th/19th century France.


DS9: "Necessary Evil"

DS9: "Equilibrium"
The sculpture and vase in HD.

VOY: "Fair Trade"
Similarly, Fajo's unique Mark Off-Zel vase doesn't seem to be as unique as he thinks, as K'mpec kept a similar vase in his quarters aboard his Vor'cha-class attack cruiser in "Reunion" and Worf kept the same prop in his quarters in "Rightful Heir" and "Parallels".
"Reunion"

"Rightful Heir"
The two vases in their full HD glory.

"Parallels"
The small black and blue jar also seen on this cap would later appear in countless crew quarters over the course of the series. It showed up in Worf's, Data's and O'Brien's quarters on TNG and was even seen in Joe Carey's quarters on Voyager. Finally, it was dug up for Troi's quarters in ENT: "These Are The Voyages".
Re-Used Props - Various Objects

"The Wounded"

ENT: "These Are The Voyages"
The blue vase on the right is another example of Sèvres porcelain. The vase in HD.
Kivas Fajo is of the impression he has an original Dalí in his collection. The actual painting "Persistence of Memory", however, is considerably smaller than the one he owns.
"New Ground"
No changes
A close look at the Roger Maris baseball card in Fajo's collection. An HD close-up of the card.
A lapling replica also appears in the science lab of the USS Enterprise-D in "New Ground". And no, this is not the same puppet as the belching creature from "Flight of the Navigator".
"New Ground"
The creature in HD.
This painting was previously seen in Data's quarters in "Tin Man", where it was also covered with red fabric. It looks like the energy vortex in "Time Squared".
"Time Squared"

"Tin Man"
An HD close-up of the painting.

Data's Shakespeare edition is not identical to the one that Maddox reads in "The Measure of a Man", although it is supposed to be the same book.
Picard's Shakespeare Books

The drawer in Data's desk is a new addition for this episode.


"The Measure of a Man"

Complete Works, cover
In the HD version Data's Shakespeare book can be identified. It is The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Comprising His Plays and Poems, Also the History of His Life, His Will and an Introduction to Each Play, with a contribution on the Shakespeare and Bacon controversy by Sir Henry Irving.

Complete Works, first page
The chair behind Data's desk in "The Most Toys" is already the third model used in that spot in his quarters. The first chair (originally Klingon from "Star Trek: The Motion Picture") appeared in seasons 1 and 2, such as in "Peak Performance". "The Offspring" and "Tin Man" featured the second type.
"Peak Performance"

"Tin Man"
No changes
The playing cards were seen in use in "Allegiance". Poker scenes before that showed different cards.
"Allegiance"
The cards in an HD close-up.
Data's medals were last seen in "The Measure of a Man". As can be seen, the arrangement of the pins has changed a little.
"The Measure of a Man"
An HD close-up of the medals.
The hologram of Tasha Yar also appeared in "The Measure of a Man". It is based on footage from her memorial in "Skin of Evil".
"Skin of Evil"

"The Measure of a Man"
The Tasha hologram in TNG-R.
Another shot of the Jovis that leaves no doubt the ship is based on the Husnock warship from "The Survivors".
"The Survivors"
A look at the ship in HD.
Another interesting exhibit in Fajo's collection is Sarjenka's radio transmitter from "Pen Pals". It seems to include three simple plastic bottles. For this re-use, the prop was repainted in ghastly pastel colors.
"Pen Pals"
A look at the prop in HD.
This particular Anubis mask was made for the film "Young Sherlock Holmes" (1985).
"Young Sherlock Holmes"
A look at the prop in HD.
The comparison with the shot from "The Naked Now" shows how the ready room couch has changed since the first season.
"The Naked Now"
No changes
This is a pan & scan shot, the only one ever set in the ready room. This technique was needed because the window in the background features warp streaks added in post production.
Pan & Scan Effects in TNG
No changes
When Picard reads from Data's Shakespeare volume, the purple bookmark moves from the right page to the left page.
Complete Works,
pages 948-949
We can read the pages of Hamlet in HD. Our reference picture shows the 1927 edition of the aforementioned Complete Works, which is not quite the same as the one Picard is holding.

The Zibalian replicator in Kivas Fajo's trophy room is a re-use of the sickbay replicator first seen in "Evolution". For this re-use, some wall panels and a second display were added to the prop. After "The Most Toys", the Zibalian displays were replaced with 24th century LCARS displays and the prop was reinstalled in sickbay, as can be seen in the screenshot from "Sarek".

Now, something funny happens in "Transfigurations", filmed after "Sarek": The sickbay replicator all of a sudden displays a Zibalian graphic. It is possible that this happened due to necessary refilming after David Rappaport (the first actor to play Kivas Fajo) attempted to commit suicide and several scenes from "The Most Toys" needed to be refilmed with Saul Rubinek as Kivas Fajo after "Sarek". Maybe it was forgotten to remove the Zibalian graphic when the prop was needed again for "Transfigurations".


"Evolution"

"Sarek"
The replicator in HD.

"The Enemy"

"Transfigurations"
Data's uniform slowly dissolves. A look at the dissolving effect in HD.
Geordi's quarters haven't been seen since the first season episode "Code of Honor". The painting and the paneling behind his bed have changed since then. The painting was created by Rick Sternbach and is titled "Neptune seen from Triton".
Space Art in Star Trek: The Next Generation

"Code of Honor"
An HD close-up of the painting.
Troi and Worf are entering the new turbolift close to the holodeck/shuttlebay/cargo bay doors. It was added between seasons 2 and 3. We could previously see Geordi use the door in "Booby Trap".
"Booby Trap"
No changes

Troi and Worf's turbolift ride is interesting for several reasons. They are seen entering the turbolift, with a corridor wall behind them, and leave the turbolift at the end of the scene, entering the bridge. This was filmed as one continuous shot, so how did the corridor change into the bridge? Something similar was done in with Doctor Pulaski's turbolift ride to the bridge in "The Schizoid Man", but in that episode, the effect was achieved using a blue screen.

In "The Most Toys", no blue screen was used. Instead, Troi and Word are standing in the turbolift, attached to the bridge set, right from the beginning. This is made clear because the inner turbolift door is gray (as it is on the bridge). When somebody enters a turbolift from the corridor set, the door is normally orange, from the inside and outside. The effect of a corridor wall was achieved by positioning a fake corridor wall behind the turbolift door. The wall was removed during the turbolift ride, revealing the bridge behind the wall. Now, the wall is wrong for two reasons as well: It is much too close to the turbolift door and the actual wall directly opposite the new turbolift is beige and has no panels, unlike regular corridor walls. This can be seen in the shots from "A Matter of Perspective" and "Hollow Pursuits", showing the wall as seen through the holodeck/cargo bay door which is just a few feet to the right of the turbolift door.


"A Matter of Perspective"
No changes

"Hollow Pursuits"

Set plan
A rare shot where Worf's forehead appliance is very noticeable and not properly blended with Michael Dorn's face in the area behind his eye. A similar turbolift shot from "Déjà Q" shows that it normally is barely noticeable where the appliance ends.
"Déjà Q"
The make-up flaw in HD.
The Jovis in orbit of Lya IV. The planet in the remastered episode is new, but close to the original.

We do not know the species of Palor Toff. But another member of his species appears in LOW: "Reflections", also as a collector and with similar clothes, including the odd headband.

His brooch was later worn by Lwaxana Troi in "Half a Life" and by a background alien in DS9: "Q-Less" and "The Forsaken".


LOW: "Reflections"

"Half a Life"
A better look at the make-up and the brooch in HD.

DS9: "Q-Less"

"The Forsaken"

Toff's golden headband would reappear in Aquiel Uhnari's quarters on Relay Station 47 in TNG: "Aquiel". It can even be seen in the Star Trek spoof "Star Patrol", worn by the a Zenuvian captain.


"Aquiel"

"Star Patrol"
Palor Toff briefly digs in his middle nostril. No changes
Palor Toff's magnifying glass originally appeared in "Evolution" and was partially visible in "The Offspring". It was later seen in the VOY episode "Innocence".
"Evolution"

VOY: "Innocence"
A better look at the prop in HD.
Palor Toff's costume (sans brooch) was later worn by an unnamed archaeologist in "Qpid".
"Qpid"
The costume in HD.
In this shot, one change that was made to the bridge can be clearly seen: The black wall panel with the graphic of the USS Enterprise-D and the bridge replicator is no longer completely made from a reflective material. The border of the panel is covered with a non-reflective black material now. This was changed after "The Offspring" but before "Sins of the Father".
The Evolution of the Enterprise-D Bridge

"The Offspring"
No changes
This footage of the USS Enterprise-D firing a class 2 probe at Beta Agni II is a re-use of footage originally filmed for "Pen Pals". In that episode, the Enterprise fired 5 Class-1 probes in photon torpedo cases at Drema IV. In both episodes, the footage of the USS Enterprise-D is flipped, the hull writing is mirror-inverted.
"Pen Pals"
The orientation of the lettering "NCC-1701-D" was fixed for TNG-R.

"Pen Pals"
Beta Agni II is a re-use of Drema IV, only colored green.
Re-Used Planets in TNG

"Pen Pals"
Whereas Drema IV was redesigned, Beta Agni II was faithfully reconstructed for TNG-R, so the two are not identical any longer.

"Pen Pals"
This is the Follia Chair, designed in 1934. The chair in HD.

The sculpture on the right is a bust of Niobe, a Roman copy of a Greek original.

The colorful lamps in Kivas Fajo's collection room are called Rainbow Model A-5040 by Artup Lighting. The same lamps will be seen again in Dr. Soong's lab in "Brothers".
Commercially Available Lighting in Star Trek


"Brothers"
The sculpture in HD.
This second shot of Beta Agni II also re-used footage of Drema IV from "Pen Pals". Again, the planet was colored green. The red lava rifts on the surface of Drema IV appear black on Beta Agni II.
"Pen Pals"
Another look at the reconstructed planet.
The caves on Beta Agni II were also seen on Risa in "Captain's Holiday", on Galorndon Core in "The Enemy" and on Dytallix B in "Conspiracy".
"The Enemy"
A look the set in TNG-R.

"Captain's Holiday"
The facts about Kivas Fajo, displayed on an observation lounge monitor here.
LCARS translight
This can be seen much better in HD.
The footage of the USS Enterprise-D flying away is flipped, as can be seen by the mirror-inverted writing on the hull. The lighting was significantly improved for TNG-R, but the lettering is still reversed.
This is a rare look at the door leading to the bridge head. We can't really read it, but it seems that the door label is "Head" indeed.
A star map showing the possible locations of the Jovis. We can recognize the labels somewhat better in HD.
This shot of the Jovis also appeared in the DS9 episode "The Circle" when the footage was re-used for the Kressari freighter Calondon in that episode. The red engine lights were turned off for the re-use and the ship flies backwards, though.
DS9: "The Circle"
A look at the ship in HD.
Zibalian writing can be seen on the safe interface and in a couple of other places on Kiva's Fajo's ship. As can be seen, Iconian writing and the Zibalian language are identical.
"Contagion"
The letters in HD.
The interior of the Zibalian shuttle (including the console in the foreground) seems to be a re-use of the Romulan scout ship, seen in "The Defector". The console was first seen in the cockpit of the Ferengi shuttle in "The Price".
Redresses of TNG's Alien Shuttle Cockpit

"The Defector"
The cockpit in HD.

Several pentagonal wall panels are seen in the Jovis's shuttlebay. These panels usually appear as cargo crates in the USS Enterprise-D's cargo bay but first showed up in "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier".


"Star Trek V"

"Hollow Pursuits"
We can see this area better in HD.

The metallic bottles on the ground are later seen in "Frame of Mind" in the Tilonus Institute for Mental Disorders.

The wall console in the background was last seen on the bridge of the Pakled ship Mondor in "Samaritan Snare".


"Frame of Mind"

"Samaritan Snare"
The conical cargo containers aboard the Jovis were first seen in the Genesis cave in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan". They also showed up on Gamma Hromi II in "The Vengeance Factor". These containers were Apollo Space Capsule Toy Chests, painted silver to look less like toys.
"Star Trek II"

"The Vengeance Factor"
The shuttlebay in HD.
We can see shields on the shuttlebay wall that are usually part of Klingon decorations.
"Sins of the Father"

"Reunion"
The Zibalian shuttle is re-used as the Zalkonian escape pod a few episodes later in "Transfigurations". It also appears as the Arcos escape pod in "Legacy" and (with a new aft section) as the Nenebek in "Final Mission".
Redresses of the Nenebek

"Transfigurations"

"Final Mission"
The shuttlepod in HD.
The console seen in the background previously appeared in "Home Soil", "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" and "Peak Performance". It could be rented from the company Modern Props.
Consoles by Modern Props in Star Trek

"Home Soil"

"Peak Performance"
A good look at the set in HD.

"Star Trek V"
A prototype of the Varon-T disruptor appeared in "The High Ground". Kyril Finn uses a pistol that is nearly identical to Kivas Fajo's weapon. The prop is also used by the terrorist Kelsey in "Starship Mine", by Tallera in "Gambit II" and by Macias in "Preemptive Strike".
Re-Used Props - Beam Weapons

"The High Ground"

"Gambit II"
A better look at the weapon in HD.

"Starship Mine"

"Preemptive Strike"

Varria is gruesomely killed by the Varon-T disruptor.

Note the chair in the background. This is one of the earliest of countless appearances of the Ergoform workseat in Star Trek.

The reconstructed effect in TNG-R.
Reshoot This is another scene that was originally filmed with David Rappaport. The same shot with Saul Rubinek in the actual episode.
On the floor, to the right of Kivas Fajo, the names Kei and Yuri are written twice in Japanese script (starting from the gap in both directions). This is a reference to the anime Dirty Pair, as they can be found in several other TNG episodes. The floor markings in HD.
Two views of the brig set. The console the security officer works on, like other pieces of the set, was originally created for drafting room 5, seen in "Booby Trap". This console was still behind an arch in "The Hunted". It was moved forward and now replaces a different desk that was seen in this exact place in "Déjà Q".
"Booby Trap"

"Déjà Q"
The brig set in HD.

"The Hunted"

"Déjà Q"

The console behind Data first appeared in the classroom in "When the Bough Breaks".

We can also see that in "The Most Toys" the room behind the arch is smaller than when the brig set appeared in "The Hunted" and "Déjà Q".


"When the Bough Breaks"
The brig cell still looks exactly as in "Déjà Q".
"Déjà Q"
Reshoot The final shot of the episode too was originally filmed with David Rappaport. The same shot with Saul Rubinek in the actual episode.

 

Credits

The stage layout comes from Star Trek Stages History. Thanks to @goddessofcheese for the hint about the Sèvres porcelain, to @wobbles and @Bladdertrio for identifying the Roman bust and to @CyrilChakal for the origin of the Anubis mask. Special thanks to Angelo Cifaldi for the photo of the LCARS translight!

 


Back to Observations index

TopShare
View as gallery