Wah Chang Hawaiian prop and creature designer Wah Ming Chang , surreptitiously contracted by Desilu Productions Inc . , had been responsible for the design and construction of many familiar items used in . Chang ' s association with " Star Trek " began in when he was hired to create make - up and props for by Producer Robert Justman . His first contribution was the prosthetic Talosian head make - up . He then designed the laser pistol for the pilot , after Justman was unsatisfied with the original designs . He was later hired to design various items for the regular series , including the famous tricorder , flip - top communicator props and the studio model . He was usually sent a copy of the script for the episode he was hired to work on , and he began to work on design , make sketches and models in his home . Chang ' s association with " Star Trek " ended in middle of the second season after the fabrication of dozens of tribble props , conceivably due to the budget cuts resulting from Desilu ' s purchase by Paramount . Originally his work was not credited , nor did Chang take the credit afterwards and his work for " Star Trek " went unnoticed well into the 1970s . It was through fan dom and its corresponding " Star Trek " convention circuit of the 1970s that his contributions became known . The reason for this state of affairs was eventually revealed when Producers Herb Solow and Justman published their book " " in 1996 . In it ( pp . 119 - 120 ) Justman described that it all originated from a conflict with the propmaker ' s union . Chang as a non - member was neither allowed per their rules to fabricate props for the show , nor was he allowed to join , creating a catch - 22 situation . On Justman ' s urging , who considered Chang ' s work superior to anything elsewhere available by far , the studio devised a ruse to make it appear that the props were bought as pre - existing and off - the - shelf from Chang , which was allowed under union rules , and it was reflected as such in Desilu ' s purchase orders sent to Chang . As a result Chang could neither be officially credited for his contributions , nor be mentioned in the , otherwise thorough , contemporary reference book " The Making of Star Trek " , where most of his hand - held props were prominently featured . The ruse however , was uncovered by the union just prior to the start of the second season , as mentioned by Justman in his book , and might have served as an additional reason why Chang ' s talents were not called upon again from the mid - second season onward , as the union was now alerted to Chang ' s involvement . Career outside " Star Trek " . Chang and his company Project Unlimited , Inc . designed puppets , costumes , sets , make - up , and special effects for a number of films , most notably producer / director ' s science fiction and fantasy features , including " tom thumb " ( 1958 ) , " The Time Machine " ( 1960 , with Whit Bissell and for which he designed the title object ) , and " The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm " ( 1962 , with Ian Wolfe and Jon Lormer ) . He also worked on classic pictures such as " The King and I " ( 1956 ) , " Spartacus " ( 1960 , with Jean Simmons , Peter Brocco , John Hoyt , Arthur Batanides , William Blackburn , Paul Lambert , Dick Crockett , Seamon Glass , and narration by Vic Perrin ) , and " Mutiny of the Bounty " ( 1962 , with Antoinette Bower , Torin Thatcher , and stunts by Paul Baxley ) . Chang designed the famous headdresses worn by in " Cleopatra " ( 1963 , with John Hoyt ) . On television , Chang designed masks , creatures , and special effects for " The Outer Limits " ( 1963 - 1965 ) , where his cooperation with " Star Trek " associate producer Robert Justman began . He was also a dinosaur model maker on the television series " Land of the Lost " ( 1974 - 1976 ) and also worked on the special effects of the original " Planet of the Apes " ( 1968 , with Lou Wagner , James Daly , Paul Lambert , Billy Curtis , Jane Ross and Felix Silla and music by Jerry Goldsmith ) . In 1994 , he was given the George Pal Memorial Award by the Academy of Science Fiction , Fantasy & Horror Films for his contributions to the genres . Contributions . The extent of Chang ' s " Star Trek " contributions is preserved for posterity , as Desilu ' s purchase orders were later donated to the UCLA – where they are kept in their archives – , several of which reproduced in the aforementioned " Inside Star Trek " reference book , as well as in the 1997 book " " ( indicated below by their price quotations ) .