Earpiece An earpiece was a wireless receiver device used by communications officer s , science officer s and navigator s during the 22nd and 23rd centuries . ( ; , " et al . " ) Designs and uses . In the 22nd century , a Starfleet earpiece was usually a white , round module with a blue center , adjacent to six oblong holes . The user of the earpiece would press it against their right or left ear , enabling them to hear the device . This style of earpiece was commonly used by Communications Officer Hoshi Sato aboard the starship . ( , " et al . " ) In 2154 , a black Denobulan earpiece was worn by the pilot of Denobulan medical ship " Barzai " . Once the craft was commandeered by Arik Soong and a group of Augment s , the earpiece was worn by Persis while the ship was flown by the Augments to Cold Station 12 . ( ) Earpieces were used by officers on the bridge of the , which doubled as communicator s . A variant lacking the communicator end was worn by the ship ' s tactical officer . ( ) By 2265 , a black ear device was in use . This could be used in conjunction with a ship ' s library computer , accessed through the vessel ' s science station . Like the earpieces of the previous century , a person would use this device by holding it against their ear . ( ) By the mid - 2260s , earpieces were more commonly used aboard Starfleet vessels . They consisted of several metallic rungs , attached to a virtually transparent lead that was inserted into the user ' s ear , negating the need for tactile support . The signals they received could be amplified throughout the user ' s ship , although the devices had no automatic protection that might mute or lower loud transmissions . Aboard the , this style of earpiece was frequently used by Communications Officer Uhura , Science Officer Spock , and several relief navigators . ( , " et al . " ) The same type of earpiece was also aboard the when the ship went missing from 2268 of the prime universe . " After the vessel arrived in 2155 of the mirror universe and was seized by the Terran Empire , the earpiece was briefly used by at the communications station on the " Defiant " s bridge ; she used it when arranging visual contact with the . " ( ) Later , earpieces were also used by Uhura and Spock aboard the and the . ( ; ; ) Another earpiece was subsequently used by the communications officer of the , during the maiden voyage of that ship . ( ) History . " Enterprise " ( NX - 01 ) . The earpiece was first used aboard the prototype starship in April 2151 . While the starship was being attacked by two Suliban cell ship s in the atmosphere of a gas giant and hid in a layer of liquid phosphorus that disabled the ship ' s sensors , Hoshi Sato managed to use her earpiece , pressed against her left ear , to learn that a Suliban projectile weapon was about to collide with " Enterprise " before it actually did . Using the information determined via her earpiece , Sato was able to alert the other officers on the bridge to brace themselves before the collision . She later used the device to help locate Captain Archer and Commander Tucker , who were aboard a Suliban helix in a lower layer of the atmosphere . ( ) On two separate occasions later in the same year , Sato listened to her earpiece while attempting to contact both an Axanar craft and a group of Human colonist s who had settled on the planet Terra Nova . She received no response on either occasion , however . ( ) USS " Enterprise " . In 2265 , Spock used an earphone , which was hard - wired to the library computer station , in order to review and relay the log of the . ( ) In 2266 , Uhura , who had been assigned to serve as the " Enterprise " s communications officer , used an earpiece in her left ear to determine that the starship was not receiving any signals from an odd cube encountered in uncharted space . After the " Enterprise " destroyed the cube , Spock wore an earpiece in his right ear while he reported to Captain Kirk that there was no sign of the cube , and considered possible consequences if the starship continued on its course . While later wearing her earpiece , Uhura hail ed an object approaching the " Enterprise " that was actually a ship under the command of Balok , who had meant the cube to be a warning buoy . Shortly after she contacted Balok ' s ship , relaying a message from Captain Kirk , navigator Dave Bailey put another earpiece to his right ear . He used the device to receive a message transmitted over his navigation beam . Uhura , still wearing her own earpiece , was able to play Balok ' s message aloud so that the other officers aboard could also hear what was being sent . Both Bailey and Uhura continued to hear the message through their earpieces but , when a piercing crackle of static was transmitted from Balok ' s ship , the two officers immediately pulled the devices from their ears , in pain due to the disturbingly loud noise . Uhura continued to use her earpiece as she relayed messages from Captain Kirk to Balok , often removing it at her own accord . However , she twice removed the device from near her ear when , both times , the bridge began to resonate with a whining noise that steadily increased in pitch . She also later used the earpiece to detect a repeating distress signal from Balok - while he was in a smaller personal ship that had apparently lost power - to the craft he had departed , the " Fesarius " . ( ) While the " Enterprise " pursued an unidentified vessel actually belonging to Harry Mudd , Uhura used her earpiece to ascertain that the occupants of the craft were either refusing to answer her hails or not receiving them . After the vessel entered an asteroid belt and began to superheat , Uhura heard a distress signal from the craft through her earpiece , but Harry Mudd and three female companions of his were rescued and beamed aboard the " Enterprise " shortly thereafter . Uhura later used her earpiece to arrange a meeting between the " Enterprise " s senior staff and two miners from Rigel XII , as the starship required replacement lithium crystals . While officers from the ship reluctantly arranged a trade in which they would receive the crystals if they provided the miners with Mudd ' s companions , one of the women and a pursuing miner became lost in a magnetic storm on the planet . As part of the subsequent search , Uhura used her earpiece to maintain communications with the miners , until the storm worsened and audio contact was consequently broken . Both the miner and the woman were ultimately recovered , although Uhura ' s earpiece was not responsible for locating them . ( ) Appendices . Background information . The name of this device was never stated in any episode and comes from the scripts of and . The and the " Star Fleet Technical Manual " call it an " ear receiver " , while some TOS novels use the term " Feinberg receiver " , an in - joke reference to Irving A . Feinberg . In the second revised draft script of and the final draft script of , the device was called an " earphone " . In the script of , it was called an " earpiece device . " In the script of , it was referred to as a " little ear plug . " The audio device used by Spock in " Where No Man Has Gone Before " was described in that episode ' s script first merely as a " listening device " and later , when Spock is finished using it , as an " earphone " . Despite its appearance somewhat differing from the earpieces seen in subsequent episodes and TOS films , the earphone used by Spock has much the same purpose as an earpiece . Even in her first appearance as Uhura , as the camera pulls back from an elevated position above the bridge in " The Corbomite Maneuver " , actress Nichelle Nichols is seen with an earpiece in her ear . Later in the same episode , Spock wears an earpiece that features in a continuity error , as it suddenly disappears in the next shot . For , production forgot to design and create a new earpiece for Uhura , so they decided to use one that still remained from production on . ( " " , p . 146 ) As such , the earpiece was the only prop to survive between the original " Star Trek " series and " The Motion Picture " . ( " Beyond Uhura " , p . 236 ) The earpiece was required to be remade by props master Gregory Jein for . " " It was all machined aluminum , " " commented Jein . The prop was mostly the same as one built for , though the props department tried to improve on that model by giving the new earpiece the ability to light up when Uhura pressed a particular button . As the additional electronics made the prop too heavy for Nichelle Nichols to wear in her ear , however , the battery was removed from inside the prop , making it lighter while also obviously removing its intended light - up function . ( " The Making of the Trek Films " , 3rd ed . , p . 127 ) Sato ' s earpiece was scripted to make an appearance in . However , the device doesn ' t actually appear in that episode . When an earpiece was required for the alternate reality Uhura of the film , some preliminary artwork – illustrating at least nine different styles – was sketched . J . J . Abrams wanted to use the same earpiece that Nichelle Nichols ( as Uhura ) wore in the original " Star Trek " series . However , a replica of that prop that props master Russell Bobbitt obtained did not fit actress Zoë Saldana . Bobbitt ultimately manufactured seven different sizes before the perfect fit was achieved . ( " Star Trek - The Art of the Film " , p . 108 ) An earpiece believed to be used in " Star Trek VI " was sold off on the " It ' s A Wrap ! " sale and auction on eBay . It measures approximately 2 . 75 × 1 . 5 × 1 inch . The number of times " Uhura touches earpiece " was one of numerous tracked " " Trek " Stats " featured in the interactive " Star Trek 2 . 0 " .