The Gamma Dummy

This page is an accumulation of our various studies and essential screencaps of this not-yet-found communicator.

Here's our guess as to what this prop might look like today:

Gamma's Jewels

Thanks to its great close-up in Assignment: Earth, we know with confidence this comm's rhinestones.

The dark red on the right is assuredly a 16ss Siam, the center likely 16ss Light Siam and the left a 20ss Emerald AB. However, there is one highly unusual feature among those three items.

The evidence for this little discovery had been starring us in the face for years, right there on the original photo plate used in "The Making of Star Trek" book... Wah glued on the center stone crooked:

	Left	Center	Right

Top Choice Other Possibilities	20ss Emerald AB 20ss Blue Zircon	16ss Light Siam 16ss Hyacinth	16ss Siam 16ss Ruby .
Gamma's Moiré Pattern
From Page 24 of The Science of Moiré Patterns book, Wah cut out a circle for Gamma from exactly right here: More information on its moiré pattern can be found on our A Moiré Story page. And a high-resolution print-ready scan of the original source material can be found here. .
Gamma's Bezel RIng Grooves
This one's easy... three: .
Gamma's Extra-Long Antenna
This communicator, unlike any other, has its antenna extending beyond the control well when closed. This is due to two reasons: the perforated brass sheet is a total of 28 hole rows long (27 intact and two half holes at the ends) instead of the usual 27¼ total, plus the antenna assembly is glued further into the control well than most. This extra axle distance from the outside is perhaps what also gave the midwheel midplate enough room to stay glued in place for the whole series duration, whereas most looked to have fallen out of their dummies right away. Also, based on the lack of any yellow color in the antenna wire in this and in every other screencap below, this comm's antenna wire must be not the usual brass but instead steel, like in Epsilon. .
Gamma's Mic Grill
Based on the holes and bright spots, which act as a distinct "fingerprint" on the radio mesh, we can deduce the exact pattern: .
Gamma's Screws
The two front screws are the regular brass slotted oval heads: The rear ones are a different story. The left looks to be a slotted steel flat head, as there is no hint of yellow in that spot. The right rear (slotted?) screw has a prominent tall yellow highlight off its top, suggesting a brass round head. .
Essential Screencaps
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Plus these extra promo shots, in addition to others, are on our Vintage and Current Pics page:
(900x1393)		(1257x1600)	(900x708)