| Communicator | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek franchise element | |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:20090704-1971_StarTrekTOSCommunicatorReplica.jpg) A 23rd-century communicator as used in Star 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 |
The communicator is a fictional device used for voice communication in the fictional universe of Star Trek. As seen in at least two instances, the Original Series episodes "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" and "Day of the Dove," it can also serve as an emergency signaling device/beacon, similar to a transponder. The communicator allows direct contact between individuals or via a ship's communication system.
The communicator was designed by Wah Ming Chang, who also designed other Star Trek props such as the Phaser and Tricorder, as well as the first Romulan ship.[1]
The communicator in the Star Trek universe surpasses the capabilities of modern mobile phone technology, the prototypes of which it inspired. It allows crew members to contact starships in orbit without relying on a satellite to relay the signal. Communicators use subspace transmissions that do not conform to normal rules of physics in that signals can bypass EM interference, and the devices allow nearly instantaneous communication at distances that would otherwise require more time to traverse.
In Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS), communicators functioned as a plot device, stranding characters in challenging situations when they malfunctioned, were lost or stolen, or went out of range. Otherwise, the transporter could have allowed characters to return to the ship at the first sign of trouble, ending the storyline prematurely.[2]
- ^ "Wah Ming Chang". Star Trek. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- ^ Whitfield, Stephen; Roddenberry, Gene (1968). The Making of Star Trek. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0345340191.