"Check the circuit." – Spock
"All operating, sir." – Tyler

When Captain Christopher Pike and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise answer a distress call from the planet Talos IV, a television legend begins.

Completed in January 1965, The Cage was the first Star Trek pilot and the beginning of a franchise that has captivated audiences for more than sixty years.

THE ORIGINAL PROP

Among the many iconic elements introduced in The Cage were the sidearms carried by the Enterprise crew. Designed by legendary Star Trek artist Wah Chang, these weapons were originally known as laser pistols.

According to Star Trek lore, technical adviser and physicist Harvey Lynn Jr. pointed out to Gene Roddenberry that real lasers did not behave as shown on screen. Roddenberry responded by inventing a new name that would become part of science fiction history: Phaser.

Hero and stunt versions of the prop were built. The stunt props were cast in rubber, while the hero versions featured metal components, moving parts, and a distinctive extending barrel.

When a second pilot, Where No Man Has Gone Before, was commissioned, the surviving laser pistol props were modified for reuse. As a result, no original, unmodified Cage laser pistols are known to exist today.

THE REPLICA

Factory Entertainment was fortunate to gain access to an original Where No Man Has Gone Before laser pistol for detailed study. Combined with extensive archival research, this allowed the team to digitally recreate the original Cage version by reversing the later modifications.

The result is a highly accurate replica of the original laser pistol seen in The Cage. While remaining faithful to the original prop, subtle refinements have been made to correct minor asymmetries inherent in the hand-built 1960s original, creating a precision-engineered replica that looks perfect from every angle.

Constructed from aluminum, brass, polycarbonate, and injection-molded plastic, the replica features:

• Rotating emitter
• Extending barrel
• Flip-up sight
• Functional power/mode ring
• LED light effects
• Digital sound effects
• USB rechargeable power supply

Each replica is presented in a wooden display box with an individually numbered, laser-etched metal plaque.