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

So focused are we on our favourite Starfleet models, we often forget that other alien species in Trek have their own versions of the tricorder. Even the warrior race needs to scan things — all the better to bat'leth you in the end. The first time we saw a Klingon tricorder (Hoqra' [singular] in the language) on screen was in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock when Kruge whipped one out on the Genesis planet.

The piece was designed by Industrial Light & Magic, who also created the Klingon Bird-of-Prey, communicator, d'k tahg knife, and an updated Starfleet tricorder for the film. The reference book The Art of Star Trek has the preliminary sketch of the Klingon tricorder with spring-loaded 'on' mechanism as well as practical lights and a note stating, "will have one (or two) [lights] in the back as well".

The first Romulan tricorder to be named as such in dialogue appeared in Star Trek: Generations and was designed by John Eaves. Eaves also designed the distinctly less hefty Jem'Hadar/Dominion tricorder for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode Hippocratic Oath. His original concept art, showing the tricorder with Velcro prop attachments for a Jem'Hadar forearm, was auctioned for $200 by icollector.com.