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Without the advantage of today's CGI effects many of the special effects seen on the original Star Trek were made special by applying photographic techniques to ordinary items. The production houses that specialized in these techniques were Howard Anderson Company, Westheimer Company, Film Effects of Hollywood Inc and Linwood G. Dunn. Studio special effects experts on staff were Jim Rugg and Roger Dorney.
From the episode The Tholian Web. This is the pre-effects, unlit prop used to represent the Tholian alien Cmdr. Loskene. It appears that the prop is made from the same material as used in the Elaan of Troyius costuming, which in fact were kitchen table place mats.
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Here the prop is lit from within as well as the outside and with ordinary crumpled aluminum foil hung from behind.
To achieve the effect seen in the episode a technique is used called posterization.
This is a special effect that is the result of the sequential printing of a
number of high contrast copies of an original but where each copy is of different
overall density. These copies are typically printed in registration and the
final density of the reproduction at any given area on the print is a result
of the contributions of the partial exposure that resulted from exposure to
each of the several partial "masks" that were created from the original.
Posterization as well as many other special effects processes can be done in
B&W as well as color. Original subject tones can be made to achieve almost
any desired color.
Information from the Rochester
Institute of Technology.
The final effect as seen in the episode.
One of the "planets" used in the series. The painted globe was tinted in various hues by the color timer creating multiple planets.
Pre-effects clip of Kirk returning to the library in the episode All Of Our Yesterdays. In the background is a rolling cart used for storing/moving studio lighting equipment.
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The model sky city of Stratos from the episode, The Cloud Minders.
The space buoy from The Corbomite Maneuver.
Detail of the Fesarius's puppet from The Corbomite Maneuver. The puppet has a resemblance to the Japanese kabuki masks.
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An example of how a matte composite is used to place effects imagery into the view screen.
Shown here are scratches put into the film work print by the editor to show two options for which direction the phaser beam should point. *After deciding to use the left "beam", the right side is crossed out with x's and the film is sent to the effects house to be used as a reference.
A technician can barely be seen in the background *operating a pair of dimmers to make the model ship, Fesarious, pulsate with power.
More then just a bunch of blinking lights. Detail on Uhura's communication station panels. The dimmed text reads Process Control.
As the slate indicates, this shot will have optical effects added to it. To create the illusion of an energy stream of anti-matter, pictures of tree branches and stick shapes are photographed and processed to appear negative (white on black) and then enlarged, cut out and applied to several sheets of clear acetate film. These sheets are then animated. A duplicate of the film is flopped to mirror the image and combined in an optical printer to produce a film with "branches" on both sides. The animation is looped and printed with color film stock to add blue coloring to the effect.*
Colored inks are filmed in a water tank to produce a variety of interesting patterns. The footage is combined with other techniques to achieve the results shown below.
From Is There In Truth No Beauty? The Medusan ambassador is in reality crumpled aluminum foil. You can see the top of the technicians head from behind the box prop. By the way, we are not responsible for you going insane from observing this picture.
Thanks to Christopher B. for the lit Tholian clip, Stratos city, space buoy and Fesarius puppet.
Thanks to Dave T. for the All our Yesterdays clip, the composite matte clips and the phaser animation clip.
Thanks to Joseph A. for the Corbomite Maneuver clip.
Thanks to Joe L. for the That Which Survives and cloud effects clips.
Thanks to Don M. for the Is There In Truth No Beauty? clip.
*Conjecture.