| Communicator | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek franchise element | |
 A 23rd-century communicator as used inStar Trek: The Original Series. | |
| Production company | Desilu Productions |
| First appearance | |
| Created by | Gene Roddenberry |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| In-universe information | |
| Type | Communication device |
| Function | Allows subspace communication |
Thecommunicator is a fictional device used for voice communication in thefictional universe ofStar Trek. As seen in at least two instances, theOriginal Series episodes "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" and "Day of the Dove," it can serve as an emergency signaling device/beacon, similar to atransponder, and can function as anautomatic direction finder ("This Side of Paradise"). The communicator allows direct contact between individuals or via a ship's communication system.
The communicator was designed and built byWah Ming Chang,[1]: 239 who also created otherStar Trek props, models, and costumes such as theTricorder, Vulcanharp,Balok mannequin,M-113 "Salt Vampire", and theRomulan "Bird of Prey."[1][2]
The communicator in theStar Trek universe surpasses the capabilities of modernmobile phone technology, the prototypes of which it inspired. It allows crew members to contact starships in orbit without relying on asatellite to relay the signal. Communicators usesubspace transmissions that do not conform to normal rules of physics in that signals can bypassEM interference, and the devices allow nearly instantaneous communication at distances that would otherwise require more time to traverse.
InStar Trek: The Original Series (TOS), communicators functioned as aplot device, stranding characters in challenging situations when they malfunctioned, were lost or stolen, or went out of range. Otherwise, thetransporter could have allowed characters to return to the ship at the first sign of trouble, ending the storyline prematurely.[3]
ThroughoutStar Trek: Enterprise andStar Trek: The Original Series, on-ship communication is achieved via communicator panels on desks and walls, and sometimes through the use ofvideophones. While formed into alanding party, the crew carried hand-held communicators that flip open. The top section contains atransceiverantenna and the bottom contains user controls, a speaker and a microphone. The device was designed and built byWah Chang, who also built many of the other props used in the series.
Wrist-worn communicators were used inStar Trek: The Motion Picture and remained in use by some Starfleet installations and vessels during the time ofThe Wrath of Khan. However, the traditional handheld communicator returned in later films. The reason for the switch was not explained, but the non-canon sourceMister Scott's Guide to the Enterprise offered the explanation that Starfleet discontinued use of the wrist-worn communicators when they were determined to be prone to repeated failures after suffering minor impacts.
InStar Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) and later series, Starfleet officers and enlisted personnel wear small communicator badges on their left breast. These devices are in the shape of theStarfleetinsignia and are activated with a light tap. They also incorporate theuniversal translator. There have been four versions of the communicator badge seen on screen. The first was a prototype used by members of Section 31 during the second season ofStar Trek: Discovery (DIS). The second was used throughTNG and in the first two seasons ofStar Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9). The third was used in the last five seasons ofDS9, throughoutStar Trek: Voyager (VOY), the fourTNG films, and in flashback scenes inStar Trek: Picard (PIC). The fourth was seen in use in 2399 inPicard. Use of the modern badges dates back at least as far as the time of theEnterprise-C. (Lt. Richard Castillo is shown wearing a communicator badge in the TNG episode "Yesterday's Enterprise," the Starfleet insignia of his TOS movie-era uniform now functioning as a communicator badge.)According to Data in the episode"Time's Arrow, Part One" at a poker game in 1893, the badge is made out of acrystalline composite ofsilicon,beryllium, carbon 70 and gold.
InDeep Space Nine,Bajoran officers and enlisted personnel also wear a small communicator badge that functions much the same as their Starfleet counterparts. However, Bajorans wear their badges on the right breast of their uniform tunics. Cardassians are shown wearing their communicators on their left wrist.
While wall and desk panels are still present, officers and crew consider them a secondary system, relying primarily on the badges. Viewscreens are used for visual communications. In Starfleet vessels and installations, communication can also be accomplished by verbally directing the computer to initiate communications with another person.
In theStar Trek: Strange New Worlds episode "Those Old Scientists", First OfficerUna Chin-Riley shows the time-traveling EnsignBoimler's communicator delta to CaptainChristopher Pike. Upon seeing that the communicator activates with a simple button press, Pike remarks that "flipping it open's the best part."
On July 12, 2010, CBS released an iPhone application, created by Talkndog Mobile, calledStar Trek Communicator. The application replicated the design and iconic chirp of the communicator.[4]
In June 2016,[5]The Wand Company Ltd. released an accurate and working replica of theStar Trek: The Original Series Communicator using Bluetooth to enable it to pair with, and connect to, a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone so as to allow it to be used in the way envisioned in the originalStar Trek TV show; to make and receive calls. It also offerscosplay functions featuring sound effects and voice clips.[6] Advances in voice recognition and cloud-based artificial intelligence allow the user to use voice dialing via the rather simple interface, but also to ask questions usingSiri,Google Assistant,Cortana or any other digital personal assistant through the Communicator. This is much the same as when a member of theEnterprise crew in the original series poses a query to the ship's computer or asks for a status update.
In December 2016, Fametek LLC. released theStar Trek: The Next Generation CommBadge[7] using Bluetooth 4.2 technology to enable it to pair with a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone or tablet to make and receive calls and utilizes voice commands via Siri, Google Assistant or Cortana. The Bluetooth ComBadge also has a "cosplay mode" which when pressed activates the same Chirp sound effect as seen on the show.[8]
No real-world equivalent tosubspace communication has been developed, proposed, or theorized. However, many other aspects of Starfleet communications technology are commonplace. For example, locator/transponder functionality is implemented viaGPS,LoJack,RFID, andradio direction finder devices, and cloud-based digital assistants perform in a way similar to the artificial intelligence of a Starfleet ship's computer.
Wah was working as a partner in the special effects and design firm Projects Unlimited during the production of the firstStar Trek pilot, "The Cage." Thereafter, Wah dissolved his relationship with Projects Unlimited and worked independently from his home studio in Altadena, California. He soon became the "phantom" supplier of most ofStar Trek's alien beings and hand props.
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