Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Tricorders

10. A Brief History Of The Ones That Occasionally Explode

The world's most famous scanning device had a threefold name, but the story of its creation is twofold. The original impetus for the idea came from Gene Roddenberry as a way to expand the role of the Yeoman. In a memo to Robert H. Justman from 14th April 1966, as cited in The Making of Star Trek, Roddenberry noted:

It has been suggested that she [the Captain's Yeoman] carry as part of her regular equipment […] some sort of neat, over-the-shoulder recorder-electronic camera […]. Haven't given much creative thought to what this would look like.

Such thought went to Oscar-winning artist, designer, and sculptor Wah Ming Chang. As brilliant as he was prolific, Chang had already designed the Talosian heads for The Cage, and later created the M-113 salt creatures, the Balok effigy, the Gorn, the tribbles, the Vulcan lute, the Romulan Bird-of-Prey, the classic flip communicator, and built the phaser props based on Matt Jefferies' design.

For his tricorder design and build, Chang charged Desilu Studios a mere $275 apiece. His initial sketch that can be found in Inside Star Trek: The Real Story is both elegantly simple and finely detailed, featuring the familiar screen, information discs, top pivot, and push buttons that made the device iconic — with or without a certain tendency to explode.