Our Heroes

LUCILLE BALL

 

Let's start at the very top, as it is so often forgotten that Lucy, screwball ditz onscreen and savvy head of Desilu Studios off screen, was the very person who actually said "yes" to a strange Wagon Train to the Stars concept pitched by…

 

GENE RODDENBERRY

 

It goes without saying that owe an enormous "Thank you, Great Bird" for launching and keeping alive a whole new galaxy of imagination that has enthralled generations, and allowing a place for great people to do great work, such as the amazing…

 

WAH MING CHANG

The man we most honor here: a creative genius, master craftsman and gentle soul who designed and built so many of the props and creatures we loved and feared when watching Star Trek, including of course the classic communicator.  Wah brought to captivating life Gene Rodenberry's vision in a way that still affects us today (witness this website and your visit here).

Besides his life retold in The Creator's Story we offer one telling excerpt from Inside Star Trek - The Real Story1 as Trek Co-Producer Bob Justman recounts how then-new Producer Ed Milkis and Unit Manager Gregg Peters came to know the multiple strengths of Mr. Chang at their first meeting; this one regarding the making of tribbles:

But they weren't ready for what they saw.  I hadn't told them that Wah Chang was crippled from the effects of polio.  So Ed and Gregg could only watch and react in stunned sympathetic silence as Wah Chang made a stiff-legged torturous entry, both of his legs encased in jointed metal braces that had to be unlocked before he could sit.  After introductions were made, Gene Warren unlocked Wah Chang and we all sat down.

Other than saying, "Glad to meet you," Gene Warren was silent throughout the whole meeting.  But I knew he'd be making mental notes about delivery dates, costs, and billing procedures.  Wah Chang and I did all the talking.  We discussed design, cost, and delivery date while Eddie and Gregg just sat there, listening.

When the meeting was over, Wah Chang straightened out the braces and locked them into place, a process that resulted in lots of metallic clicking noises.  With Wah Chang's legs now rigidly extended out in front of him, he needed help to rise.  Gene Warren, in a well-practiced move, helped lift him to his feet.  Wah Chang departed, the way he entered, clicking and clanking as he slowly strode, stiff-legged, towards the door.  Braces locked at the knees, Wah Chang had to swing each leg from the hip.  Throughout it all, Gene Warren stayed close, for support, but still said nothing other than "good-bye."

After our two guests were gone, there was a long moment when no one spoke.  Eddie and Gregg exchanged glances.  Then Eddie said, "I'm impressed, Bob."

"Me, too," said Gregg, "really, really impressed."

Eddie continued, "But I've got a problem.  I know what Wah Chang does."  He hesitated.  "But tell me, just what does Gene Warren do?"

I took my time, looked at them very seriously, and then replied, "He oils Wah Chang every morning."

After a few seconds of stunned silence, the laughter erupted.  Tears ran down Eddie's cheeks, and Gregg laughed so hard that he fell out of his chair onto the floor.

1 Herbert F. Solow and Robert H. Justman, Inside Star Trek - The Real Story, Pocket Books, 1996, pg. 338.

 

JOHN M. DWYER

Being Set Decorator for the original show and nearly every Trek series and movie after, not to mention an unending list of other movies concluding in 2002, Mr. Dwyer has been as close to Trek action as anyone.  As he has told us, about three months after the series was cancelled in early 1969, John passed by a dumpster and saw boxes of some of the props from the show he enjoyed recently working on.  Having hands free, he grabbed a box.  It contained four dummy communicators:  Delta, Epsilon, and two unidentified others - one sold to an east coast collector (and said to still exist) and another given early to his young son as a toy and presumed destroyed - plus four tricorders and two rubber stunt P1 phasers.  Thank goodness he did.  For saving and preserving so many of our favorite toys, we salute!!

 

GREG JEIN

Greg was a master Hollywood special effects modeler who also was a rare combination of tenacious sci-fi collector, genuine fan and generous easy-going nice guy.  His early start in the golden era of TV provided him access to the now-priceless backlot stuff the studios were then throwing out as junk.  Ships and sets and robots and costumes and props and on and on made their way into his now legendary storage lockers.  And he built upon that propitious start with ever more acquisitions, often just to protect them from disbursement and destruction.  To see him talk about his trade, try this link on YouTube.

Mr. Jein had also graciously opened up his collection to us and many others for comprehensive photographs, measurements and even castings.  Without him, we would all still be pretty much utterly clueless.  Hats off, Greg, and God speed!

 

PAUL G. ALLEN

 

Winning the Delta comm prop at auction doesn't make you a HeroComm hero, but putting it on public display in a museum dedicated to science fiction does.  Also for his role as venture capitalist for such amazing science-reality projects as Burt Rutan's suborbital SpaceShipOne, we applaud his putting his money where our dreams are.

 

ANONYMOUS COLLECTOR #1

One lucky collector purchased from a California memorabilia store in mid-1990s a shoebox-worth of assorted props that looked altogether different from any replicas or fakes he had ever seen before:  a hero communicator, one midgrade P1 and P2 phaser, a hypo spray, plus the hero medical scanner, Garth remote and Stratosian weapon.  The last three props were sold off (eventually being acquired by Paul Allen) to cover the total expense.  This collector, still not knowing if his stuff was authentic, asked us our opinion, and we rendered a very solid favorable answer indeed of his Alpha comm.  (HC Note - we wholly believe the P1, P2 and hypo are authentic too as we have not seen any significant evidence to suggest otherwise, but we will leave more fully-research opinions to others.)  Since that time, the collector has generously granted full access to his remaining four vintage props not only to us but to other prominent names in the Trek community.  We all get to use the information however we see fit.  His only request is to keep his name confidential.  Who could argue with that deal?  Mega kudos to you, sir!

 

... AND WHAT OF WE, THE CHANG GANG (and The Chang Gang II)?

HeroComm was a labor of love created by a large anonymous group of Trek enthusiasts called "The Chang Gang," who allowed their work, and that of the comm's creator Wah Chang, to speak for themselves.  When it comes to naming names, we're all mum.

Many contributors have also added their own spices to this stew.

In the movie The Princess Bride (at right),  the masked Man in Black rebuffed the Spaniard swordsman when asked of his identity.  "I must know," pleaded the Spaniard.  "Get use to disappointment," was the Man in Black's reply.  Wonder as you might, we too are pledged to secrecy.  Feast on the fruits of our labor, and leave it at that.

Star Trek is a Registered and Copyrighted Trademark of Paramount Pictures.  All Rights Reserved.  All subject matters referring to Star Trek are trademarks of Paramount Pictures.

The Princess Bride is a Registered and Copyrighted Trademark of MGM.  All Rights Reserved.  All subject matters referring to The Princess Bride are trademarks of MGM.

This website has not been produced or endorsed by Paramount Pictures.  Any material belonging to Paramount’s Copyrighted Material that may appear on this site complies with fair and/or acceptable use for the purposes of review, study, criticism, or news reporting.