Communicator (Star Trek)
Encyclopedia
Communicators are devices used for voice communication in the fictional universe
of Star Trek
. They allow direct contact between individuals or via a ship's communication system.
The communicator in the Star Trek universe surpasses the capabilities of modern mobile phone
technology. It allows crew members to contact starships in orbit without relying on an artificial 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
would have allowed characters to return to the ship at the first sign of trouble, ending the storyline prematurely.).
Throughout Star Trek: Enterprise
and TOS, on-ship communication is achieved via communicator panels on desks and walls, and sometimes through the use of videophone
s. While on away missions, the crew carried hand-held communicators that flip open. The top section contains a transceiver
antenna
and the bottom contains user controls, a speaker and a microphone. The device was designed and built by Wah Chang
, who also built many of the other props used in the series.
Wrist-worn communicators were used in Star Trek: The Motion Picture
and remained in use by some Starfleet installations and vessels during the time of The Wrath of Khan
. However, the traditional handheld communicator returned in later films. The reason for the switch was not explained. The non-canon
source Mister 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 failure after suffering minor impacts.
In Star 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 the Starfleet
insignia
and are activated with a light tap. They also incorporate the universal translator
. The first version of the communicator badge was used throughout the TNG series and during the first two seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
(DS9). The second was used in later seasons of DS9, Star Trek: Voyager
, and the TNG films. Use of the badges dates back at least as far as the time of the Enterprise-C
(Lt. Richard Castillo is shown wearing a communicator badge in the TNG episode "Yesterday's Enterprise
").
According to Data in the episode "Time's Arrow, Part One" at a poker game in 1893, the badge is made out of a crystalline composite
of silicon
, beryllium
, carbon 70 and gold.
In Deep 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 their right breast. Cardassians are shown to wear 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.
, credits the TOS communicator as being his inspiration for the technology. Although the first "brick" mobile phones were much larger, modern flip phones strongly resemble the original series communicator.
In 2002, Vocera introduced an 802.11 Wi-Fi
networked communications badge system similar to the Star Trek badges. The system uses voice recognition to determine whom a user wishes to call, just as the fictional badges did.
On July 12, 2010, CBS released an iPhone application created by Talkndog Mobile called Star Trek Communicator. The application replicates the design and iconic chirp of the communicator.
No real-world equivalent to subspace
communication has been developed, proposed, or theorized. However, many other aspects of Starfleet communications technology are commonplace. For example, locator functionality is implemented via GPS
, LoJack
, RFID, and radio direction finder
devices.
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
of Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
. They allow direct contact between individuals or via a ship's communication system.
The communicator in the Star Trek universe surpasses the capabilities of modern mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
technology. It allows crew members to contact starships in orbit without relying on an artificial satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
to relay the signal. Communicators use subspace
Subspace (Star Trek)
In the Star Trek fictional universe, subspace is a feature of space-time which facilitates faster-than-light transit, in the form of interstellar travel or the transmission of information. Subspace obeys different laws of physics...
transmissions that do not conform to normal rules of physics in that signals can bypass EM
Electromagnetic radiation
Electromagnetic radiation is a form of energy that exhibits wave-like behavior as it travels through space...
interference, and the devices allow nearly instantaneous communication at distances that would otherwise require more time to traverse.
In Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
(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
Transporter (Star Trek)
A transporter is a fictional teleportation machine used in the Star Trek universe. Transporters convert a person or object into an energy pattern , then "beam" it to a target, where it is reconverted into matter...
would have allowed characters to return to the ship at the first sign of trouble, ending the storyline prematurely.).
Development of communicators
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
and TOS, on-ship communication is achieved via communicator panels on desks and walls, and sometimes through the use of videophone
Videophone
A videophone is a telephone with a video screen, and is capable of full duplex video and audio transmissions for communication between people in real-time...
s. While on away missions, the crew carried hand-held communicators that flip open. The top section contains a transceiver
Transceiver
A transceiver is a device comprising both a transmitter and a receiver which are combined and share common circuitry or a single housing. When no circuitry is common between transmit and receive functions, the device is a transmitter-receiver. The term originated in the early 1920s...
antenna
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
and the bottom contains user controls, a speaker and a microphone. The device was designed and built by Wah Chang
Wah Chang
Wah Ming Chang was a Chinese American designer, sculptor, and artist. He is known primarily for his sculpture and the props he designed for Star Trek , including the tricorder, and communicator...
, who also built many of the other props used in the series.
Wrist-worn communicators were used in Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the first film based on the Star Trek television series. The film is set in the twenty-third century, when a mysterious and immensely powerful alien cloud called V'Ger approaches the Earth,...
and remained in use by some Starfleet installations and vessels during the time of The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a 1982 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the second feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise. The plot features James T...
. However, the traditional handheld communicator returned in later films. The reason for the switch was not explained. The non-canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
source Mister 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 failure after suffering minor impacts.
In Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
(TNG) and later series, Starfleet officers and enlisted personnel wear small communicator badges on their left breast. These devices are in the shape of the Starfleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
insignia
Starfleet ranks and insignia
Starfleet ranks and insignia are fictional titles and badges that form the hierarchy of Starfleet in the Star Trek television shows and movies.-Overview:...
and are activated with a light tap. They also incorporate the universal translator
Universal translator
A universal translator is a device common to many science fiction works, especially on television. First described in Murray Leinster's 1945 novella "First Contact", the translator's purpose is to offer an instant translation of any language...
. The first version of the communicator badge was used throughout the TNG series and during the first two seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
(DS9). The second was used in later seasons of DS9, Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
, and the TNG films. Use of the badges dates back at least as far as the time of the Enterprise-C
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C)
The USS Enterprise is a fictional starship that appears in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Yesterday's Enterprise". This Ambassador-class starship, under the command of Captain Rachel Garrett , is the fourth Federation starship to carry the name Enterprise...
(Lt. Richard Castillo is shown wearing a communicator badge in the TNG episode "Yesterday's Enterprise
Yesterday's Enterprise
"Yesterday's Enterprise" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the science fiction television show Star Trek: The Next Generation. The episode first aired in syndication the week of February 19, 1990...
").
According to Data in the episode "Time's Arrow, Part One" at a poker game in 1893, the badge is made out of a crystalline composite
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
of silicon
Silicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, it is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon, the nonmetal directly above it in the periodic table, but more reactive than germanium, the metalloid directly below it in the table...
, beryllium
Beryllium
Beryllium is the chemical element with the symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a divalent element which occurs naturally only in combination with other elements in minerals. Notable gemstones which contain beryllium include beryl and chrysoberyl...
, carbon 70 and gold.
In Deep Space Nine, Bajoran
Bajoran
In the Star Trek science-fiction franchise, the Bajorans are a humanoid extraterrestrial species native to the planet Bajor. They were first introduced in the 1991 episode "Ensign Ro" of Star Trek: The Next Generation and subsequently also featured in episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and...
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 their right breast. Cardassians are shown to wear 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.
Relation to current technology
Dr. Martin Cooper, inventor of the modern mobile phoneMobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
, credits the TOS communicator as being his inspiration for the technology. Although the first "brick" mobile phones were much larger, modern flip phones strongly resemble the original series communicator.
In 2002, Vocera introduced an 802.11 Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
networked communications badge system similar to the Star Trek badges. The system uses voice recognition to determine whom a user wishes to call, just as the fictional badges did.
On July 12, 2010, CBS released an iPhone application created by Talkndog Mobile called Star Trek Communicator. The application replicates the design and iconic chirp of the communicator.
No real-world equivalent to subspace
Subspace (Star Trek)
In the Star Trek fictional universe, subspace is a feature of space-time which facilitates faster-than-light transit, in the form of interstellar travel or the transmission of information. Subspace obeys different laws of physics...
communication has been developed, proposed, or theorized. However, many other aspects of Starfleet communications technology are commonplace. For example, locator functionality is implemented via GPS
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
, LoJack
LoJack
The LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System is an aftermarket vehicle tracking system that allows vehicles to be tracked by police, with the aim of recovering them in case of theft. The manufacturer claims a 90% recovery rate...
, RFID, and radio direction finder
Radio direction finder
A radio direction finder is a device for finding the direction to a radio source. Due to low frequency propagation characteristic to travel very long distances and "over the horizon", it makes a particularly good navigation system for ships, small boats, and aircraft that might be some distance...
devices.