Updated: November 07, 2023

One-of-a-kind William Shatner Phaser Rifle from his debut appearance as "Capt. James Kirk" In Star Trek: The Original Series Second Pilot "Where No Man Has Gone Before" ( Paramount TV, 1966-1969 ). Vintage original Phaser Rifle highly visible used by "James Kirk" ( Shatner ) in the third Star Trek episode aired on TV, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," on September 22, 1966. This was the second pilot which ultimately launched the series, and was the debut of William Shatner in his iconic role as "Captain James Kirk", replacing "Commander Pike" ( Jeffrey Hunter ) from the original pilot.

Constructed of unique carved wooden body finished in automotive quality metallic blue paint, with tooled aluminum barrel shaft emanating from a grooved conical turret and ending in a focusing-dish emitter tip. The central body of the weapon is bisected by 3-clear Lucite cylinders, each containing brass conduit embedded in multi-color ports. The wooden grip houses a tooled aluminum core with a working, spring-loaded trigger, there is a sliding switch representing force adjustment and the butt of the gun features a black grab-handle for added stability of user. The futuristic weapon is expertly finished with ornamental multi-color buttons, panels and grills, a telescoping antenna and even the nuanced detail of a serial number plate behind the grip on each side of the body. For the second pilot Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry wanted "a really big gun" to help amp up the action for his space adventure. The 33.75" x 14" x 6" Phaser Rifle is incredibly sturdy and solid considering the designer and manufacturer, Reuben Klamer, was only given 2-weeks to deliver the prop, from design to fabrication to finishing. In the episode, the Phaser Rifle was originally used by "Spock" ( Leonard Nimoy ) prior to Kirk using it to capture rogue "Lt. Commander Mitchell" ( Gary Lockwood ) and "Dr. Dehner" ( Sally Kellerman ). While the instantly identifiable prop was used in promotional materials leading up to the episode, as well as appearing on the early Star Trek lunch box, it was never used on screen again.

The prop is accompanied by its original custom wooden hinge-lidded case with fitted styrofoam interior. Labeled "Reuben Klamer Assoc," measuring 37.5" x 17.5" x 7.5." Also includes vintage original 22" x 14" schematic drawing of the final, Roddenberry approved design, ( 7 ) pages of inter-department correspondence between Gene Roddenberry, Bob Justman, Bernie Weitzman and Ed Pearlstein discussing the commission and creation of the rifle - including 1-typed letter on Desilu Productions stationery from Roddenberry to Reuben Klamer, signed, "Gene Roddenberry." Also includes ( 7 ) 3" x 5" black and white Polaroid photos of the gun and ( 1 ) 8" x 10" production photo of "Kirk" holding the prop beside "Dr. Dehner" ( Kellerman ). This one-of-a-kind Phaser Rifle is among the very top "Holy Grails" of the science fiction collector's universe, as it helped sell Star Trek to the network, forever influencing the genre. The prop exhibits minor age, production wear and handling. It remains in vintage production used fine condition.

Value: $75,000.