“Captain’s log, stardate 1312.4. The impossible has happened.” – Captain Kirk

After television executives considered Star Trek's first pilot, The Cage, too “cerebral,” Gene Roddenberry persuaded the network to commission a second pilot.

Featuring a young William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, Where No Man Has Gone Before succeeded where the first pilot had not, leading directly to Star Trek being ordered as a weekly television series.

Although produced as the second pilot, the episode was ultimately broadcast as the third episode of Star Trek's first season in 1966.

THE ORIGINAL PROP

To save both time and money, several props from The Cage were reused and modified for Where No Man Has Gone Before, including the distinctive laser pistol sidearms.

The props underwent several visual changes involving the addition of ‘found’ parts. To give the prop a more futuristic appearance, two gear-like metal cogs were added to the rear, typewriter keys were incorporated into the body, and the grip details were altered and repainted. Most noticeably, the red "laser" effect seen in The Cage was replaced with a blue energy effect.

Every surviving Cage laser pistol was modified for the second pilot, meaning no original, unaltered examples are known to survive today.

Some versions also featured a simple wire clip intended to attach the weapon to an actor’s costume, though the idea proved impractical and was quickly abandoned.

The modified pistols would continue to appear beyond the second pilot, including in the first-season episodes The Man Trap and What Little Girls Are Made Of.

THE REPLICA

Factory Entertainment was fortunate to gain access to a surviving original Where No Man Has Gone Before laser pistol prop for detailed study and measurement. Using this rare artifact as a reference, the team created a highly accurate digital model and precision-engineered replica of this important piece of Star Trek history.

Like many television props of the era, the original was built quickly and featured numerous hand-crafted details and minor asymmetries. Factory Entertainment has subtly refined these imperfections while preserving the appearance and character of the original prop, creating a replica that holds up to modern close-up inspection.

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.