#startreknextgen

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 1, Episode 25 (May 1988), "Conspiracy", was one of my favorites. It featured a mind-controlling alien parasite referred to as the "Nubbin bug", or at least by The Greatest Generation Star Trek podcast.

Back in 1998, there was not a lot of computer CGI, so it was a stop-motion prop. Years later, the co-hosts of The Greatest Generation, a fun Star Trek podcast, stumbled upon the original silicone molds used to create the Nubbin bug while a listener found in a warehouse clearance sale in Van Nuys, California.

The podcasters acquired the mold. Shortly after, a listener from Atlanta who works at a prop studio offered to help preserve the prop since the original rubber material would decay over time. This led to the creation of archival-quality plaster casts to preserve the iconic alien for generations to come.

And they did some more, using 3D scanners - the Nubbin bug was recreated as a 3D model, allowing for exact replicas to be printed. Over 100 of these replicas were made, each one hand-painted and assembled to match the original as closely as possible. Their handmade / 3D-printed versions look almost identical to the bugs that appeared in the episode.

They also designed a Playschool-style retail packaging box to package the bugs. Fans of the podcast can purchase the limited-edition replicas. I don't know if they will post the 3D files, but I'll email and ask.

This is a really cool project from one of the weirdest/best episodes, and I am thrilled that someone was able to preserve this piece of Sci-Fi history in such a cool way - the entire story is on this TikTok video.

Season 5: “Dread of the Fladderbles, Part II”:

With the Fladderble Inquisition closing in on Earth, the crew of the Enterprise have no choice but to reclaim the zinkazonkfinklestein before Jarkon Chabblenasty Junior can Tappelnize the Ridgepuss into oblivion! As Riker performs his daring escape from Warden Tzderok’s Hawntinighty Prison, Data and Troi try to activate the ancient Vivvlegart relic of Hanjersnort Mountain before Emperor Ugglemumps can shashawinate the Cuckoobutt weapon.

The episode had to be cancelled because the script for part 1 to this incredible two-part story was lost in a bathtub-based-accident, and no one could remember what the heck was supposed to be going on in part 2, since all the nonsense words were explained in the part 1 script.

TNG, Season 1 - “Five Yar Mission” - Whilst reading up on the five-year format that exploration missions used to take back in the 23rd century, Picard spots an amusing typo in the book, claiming Kirk was assigned to a “5 Yar Mission”. However, Q chooses this moment to show up and have some fun of his own by putting the crew on a literal version of that typo, creating four duplicates of Tasha Yar, placing each of them, as well as the original Tasha in seperate cells on the brig, and tasking the senior staff to deduce which Tasha is the original. In the end, Riker deduces that the original Tasha is back in Q’s “penalty box”, and that the fifth Tasha in the Brig was also one of Q’s creations.

The episode was cancelled, as by this point, “Skin of Evil” was in pre-production” and it was deemed unsatisfying to have so much tension over Tasha’s continued existence only to then kill her off anyway so soon after.