10 Origins Of Star Trek Props You Won't Believe
7. PADDs In The Original Series
Star Trek: The Original Series had a very limited budget considering the number of practical sets and props made for the series. Because of this, many cheap materials were used, stuff like foam, cardboard, and, interestingly, an old toy called the Magic Slate.
Magic Slate was a toy that consisted of a sheet of acetate paper over a board covered in coloured wax. When pressed down with a stylus, the wax would adhere to the acetate slightly and allow you to draw things that would then be erased when the paper was smoothed out. It was originally invented to save paper but quickly became popular as a toy.
In Star Trek, the Magic Slates were repurposed as the screens of the Enterprises PADDs (or Personal Access Display Devices). They were framed with a box and given 12-volt light to appear more futuristic. These tablet-like devices were used by a number of crewmembers throughout the series.