Practical Uses of Star Trek Transporters on the Sci-Fi Show’s Set

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Paramount

Within the realm of the iconic “Star Trek” universe, the transporter stands out as a revolutionary gadget. While the universe is filled with awe-inspiring technology like faster-than-light starships, energy weapons, holograms, and androids, the transporter holds a unique position. This device, which “energizes” matter and reconstructs it at a different location, is a signature invention of “Star Trek”.

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The inception of this device is traced back to “The Making of Star Trek,” a 1968 behind-the-scenes book penned by Stephen E. Whitfield and Gene Roddenberry, the series creator. The transporter was born out of the necessity for a narrative tool that could also accommodate the budget constraints of television production.

The fundamental theme of “Star Trek” revolves around a predominantly human starship crew exploring unknown worlds. Naturally, the crew needed a way to transition from the orbit to the planet’s surface. The idea of landing the Enterprise was dismissed by Roddenberry:

“The proposition of landing a 14-story ship on a planet’s surface every week? It would have exhausted our entire budget, not to mention it would have destroyed my reputation in the industry.”

Thus, the concept of the transporter was born. The book also sheds light on how various other principles of space travel in the series were developed for similar reasons. For example, the majority of the worlds visited by the Enterprise are “M-Class,” or Earth-like, to save on the cost of creating alien set designs and costumes.

The transporters fuelled Star Trek’s cost-saving efforts

Star Trek The Next Generation TNG transporter Riker Data Tasha Yar Troi
Paramount

Producing “Star Trek” cost approximately $185,000 per episode (excluding any production issues), equivalent to about $1.75 million in 2024. The production was already a significant investment, so finding ways to cut costs was a sensible strategy for the creative team.

The Howard Anderson Company designed the transporter effect. Two shots were taken of the transporter set, one with the actors in position and one of the empty set. The actors’ outlines on the film were “masked,” and the shimmering transporter effect was created by dropping aluminum powder in front of a brightly lit black background. Below is a glimpse of a transporter shot being filmed:

Roddenberry states in “The Making of Star Trek” that the transporter saved the show’s writers considerable time, enabling them to dive into the action more quickly:

“If someone had offered us the budget to land the ship, our stories would have started slow, much too slow. The lack of budget forced us to conceive the transporter device — ‘beam’ them down to the planet — which allowed us to be well into the story by script page two.”

Modern “Star Trek” series have the budget and technology to digitally create the transporter effect, but the concept has remained a staple in the franchise’s nearly 60-year history. Roddenberry was correct; the transporter is an incredibly convenient storytelling tool.


Credit: www.slashfilm.com

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