The Wand Company‘s Tricorder was officially announced back in the dark depths of 2020. And now the long-awaited replica – part of their Star Trek: The Original Series landing party equipment – is finally shipping. We managed to get our hands on one, so to answer the question of: How does it measure up to expectations? Keep reading!
From Concept to Creation
The Wand Company started out, as their name may suggest, making magic wands. However, they weren’t content to just create something that looked nice on a shelf. They wanted their replicas to have a bit more personality and whimsy. Their first product, a magic wand, also had a TV remote functionality that was later replicated in another Star Trek replica – The Original Series Phaser.
This phaser was their first Star Trek licensed product. Launching at San Diego Comic Con in 2014, it was quickly followed by the TOS communicator, which was also a Bluetooth hands-free device for your phone. Following those releases, it was quiet on the Star Trek front for a few years until they announced the Star Trek licensed mood light rock. An announcement that surprised more than a few people who were expecting the Tricorder. In fact, their website’s information page for the product actually had an FAQ item addressing this exact question!
Now, over a decade after the Phaser was first revealed to the world. And almost four years later than planned (the original target launch date was summer 2021), the Tricorder is here. Not to spoil too much, but it was well worth the wait.
Artwork and Packaging
The Wand Company’s previous Star Trek ‘landing party’ releases have delivered the replicas inside a standard outer box. Inside that box is a plastic ‘travel case’ with a custom foam insert for the replica and its accessories.
The Tricorder doesn’t have the travel case, so is a bit of a step back in this respect. However, the box that it comes in is a lot higher quality than the previous releases, made of much thicker cardboard. The outer box also does feature the Enterprise typography and name/stardate blank fields that were previously on the plastic cases. So you if you just want the box for display, you will have a matching set.
For convention-goers who like to travel with their Wand Company landing party gear. It presents a tough decision. You can risk travelling with the Tricorder in just the leatherette pouch (which doesn’t completely cover it) or risk the cardboard display box being damaged in transit.
Inside the Box
When you lift the lid, you’re first met with the folded manual. On one side, you have the Tricorder and its box featured on a space backdrop. And the other has an extensive instruction set for this feature-packed prop replica.
After lifting this out of the way, you see the Tricorder in its pouch and the stand. Removing the stand then reveals the ‘function select’ removable disks. These were designed to replicate the appearance of the turned metal tube on the original prop when they are all inserted. While there is an option in the Tricorder operating system to select the mode, this is a fun bit of additional functionality that makes the Tricorder feel more real.
The disks themselves have a custom foam insert to keep them secure during transport. But otherwise, the rest of the packaging is cardboard. If you pick up a Tricorder, be careful when removing it for the first time. If you’re too aggressive, the strap may pull out the rest of the box contents!
Form and Function
The Wand Company certainly did their homework when creating this replica. As covered in their extensive blog about the Tricorder’s development journey. Their replica is based on scans of the only remaining original hero prop from the 60s, which was in Greg Jein’s collection at the time. This prop sold at auction in 2023 for $175,000. So The Wand Company’s replica is definitely more budget-friendly!
The idea for the data disks comes from Tricorder designer Wah Chang’s original concept art. Included are disks with the following functions:
The disks’ functions have various levels of interactability. Planetary is the simplest, being essentially a slideshow of planetary statistics. Archive is similar, having images and clips. These include the infamous WWII historical footage and Edith Keeler articles seen on the Tricorder during the iconic Original Series episode ‘City on the Edge of Forever‘.
More Functions and a Mystery
Taking a step up in functionality, we have the Logs function. Not only can you listen to all of the logs from The Original Series, but there’s also enough memory spare in the Tricorder’s hardware for you to record eight of your own. Though these are limited to 30 seconds each. There’s also the status disk, which allows you to check the battery level and spare memory remaining.
Then we have the real highlights of this Tricorder. These take it from being a fun replica to feeling like it just fell through a temporal anomaly from the 23rd century. The Audio, Atmosphere, Radiation, and Orientation functions all use actual sensors that are built into the device. You can check sound levels, EM fields (useful for tracing wires through your home), the temperature, humidity, and more! I doubt it will be long before somebody takes one of these Tricorders on the classic Trek pilgrimage to Vasquez Rocks in California. Hopefully, the orientation sensor keeps them going in the right direction!
There is also a mysterious micro-SD card slot on the left side of the flap. Which I assume is for adding memory. This isn’t mentioned anywhere in the manual. Perhaps it will also be a way for people to add other functions or interfaces in the future. Let’s hope for a Tricorder SDK (Software Development Kit) someday!
Charging, Power Consumption, and Security
The Tricorder stand matches the designs of the other Star Trek replicas from The Wand Company. And thankfully, it doesn’t come with an elaborate charging system. There’s a small (barely noticeable) USB-C port on the back. You’ll find the provided cable in the small box inside the bottom compartment of the packaging. Don’t forget to make sure that whatever USB-C cable you use is connected to a 5V power supply.
After an initial, recommended 4-hour charge, the Tricorder is ready to go and should last a good amount of time. I found another design feature that keeps the Tricorder true to its fictional inspiration: the hood (or flap), which needs to be closed for the device to enter its hibernation mode. It’s noted that the battery could last for about a year in hibernation, though if you leave your flap open like a certain Dr. Bashir, the power will drain a lot quicker!
If you do want to record personal logs, you can secure your device by setting a passcode. I do wonder, however, how secure that will actually be, as I suspect many will set it to 1701!
The Compromises
There are so many features and details packed into this Tricorder. So it’s just as hard to know where to stop with this review as it was to pick where to begin. I have a couple of Tricorders in my collection, but The Wand Company’s stands above them all in terms of functionality. However, there have been certain choices or compromises made.
The first of these is the hinge for the flap. Unlike the Diamond Select Tricorder, this doesn’t click into place at any angle other than closed. I’ve found myself supporting the flap with a finger behind the screen as I try to use it. Otherwise, the flap rotates as I try to use the buttons to interact with the operating system. It’s a minor design flaw, but a flaw, nonetheless. Having no way of fixing the angle of the flap is odd, especially given that you need to push the three buttons on the flap to navigate through the Tricorder systems.
The Replaceable disks are polished, so they will also tarnish. I have already observed one of the disks losing its sheen after being taken out and put in a couple of times. Despite the ‘analogue’ option being there, I’d recommend that owners save this feature for showing off only.
The other small flaw of this package is the strap. It’s made of a leatherette material and, as a result, will be subject to the usual issues with fake leathers. I’ve already had the piping/border along the strap begin to peel off after one use. I expect further peeling will occur as it ages. As far as I can see, there isn’t any easy way to swap the strap out for a higher quality version, so buyers should make sure to take good care of the one provided.
Final Readings
For me, when it comes to Original Series Tricorder replicas, this is the one to have, especially at a price point of £324. Though buyers, beware that tariffs may increase the price significantly depending on your location. And I have no doubt that there are many more features in the operating system. As The Wand Company has hidden features in previous products! I wasn’t, however, able to find them while putting together this first review, so drop us a tip if you find one!
One final thought, there is one notable missing component – where is the classic medical scanner? The manual actually mentions that dividers are included in the bottom compartment to fit one. However, for now at least, buyers will have to either source one from a propmaker or try and get hold of an older Diamond Select tricorder with the scanner included.
As of the release of this article, The Wand Company has quickly sold out of the first 200 units of the Tricorder. If you didn’t manage to get one from the first batch, they will be available from their shop on Amazon UK as soon as there is more stock.
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