Creating The Voyager Communicator Badge

Because we’re sticklers for quality, we at QMx track down original reference materials from your favorite TV shows or movies whenever possible to ensure screen-accuracy of our products. No matter how big or small the prop we’re replicating, we always take extra steps to ensure that the product in your hands is as authentic as possible. Our recently released Star Trek: Voyager Communicator Badge replica is a prime example.

John Eblan, head of our FX Cinema Arts Division, was tasked with restoring the original molds to get the Star Trek: Voyager Communicator Badge replica ready for reproduction.

“[It] was very old, but in good shape,” said Eblan of the original mold set acquired by QMx and used by the prop masters of Star Trek: Voyager to create screen-used badges. “It was pretty cool to have [it] in the shop and to cast our own resin badges.”

In essence, the badge you purchase from QMx is a direct descendant of actual production props used by the actors in Star Trek: Voyager.

Using reference that’s more than a decade old required a skill and experience. The age of the silicone left the molds slightly brittle. “I was concerned that we might not be able to get enough castings out of it,” Eblan recalled.

But with a little ingenuity, Eblan and his team were able to restore the molds enough to pull clean masters and squeak out just enough castings before the mold started to break. “We had to glue it back together a few times… [but] in the end we were able to send cast masters to our manufacturer to produce the metal version.”

The shop was also able to squeeze out enough castings to produce a limited number of resin badges that were hand cast and hand painted exactly like the on-screen versions for our sold-out, limited-run Star Trek Communications Badge Replica Set, Artisan Edition and our Star Trek: Voyager Communicator Badge.

Visit QMXOnline to purchase your very own Star Trek: Voyager Communicator Badge.