Star Trek: The Assault Phaser Rifles of AD 2293

This submission highlights the newest addition to my arsenal of "Star Trek" costumes and props from what's called the Classic Movie Era (2271-2350), the time period that I like to call the "Golden Age of Starfleet" and also the period of "Star Trek" history that I cosplay from.

But there is a big difference this time. This compact Phaser Rifle isn't like the other props that I've had Casey Sullivan and the team at Triple-Fiction Productions in Florida work up for me. Unlike the others, which were based on canon props or on props that never made it on screen but were still part of official "Star Trek" lore, this new rifle isn't an official Paramount design. Instead, it's a fan-created original.

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This is Casey's interpretation of a unique Assault Phaser Rifle designed by a Deviant Art acquaintance of mine who lives in Germany. A few years ago, he designed and built the original version of the prop from a broken-down wooden door - but he doesn't seem to have made any other since the first one passed on to another owner.

After one of Casey's other customers requested that he reproduce the design, I put him in touch with - who kindly gave his permission as well as high-quality reference images - and a handful of rifles have been made since. Each one is individually numbered, so I know that mine is the 8th one (several of the others are on sale, both on eBay and at Triple-Fiction Productions' website). But there's more to it than even this.

Like all of the Assault Phaser-derived weapons that I own, my copy of the Assault Phaser Rifle has been customized to my exacting personal standards. It's been fitted with a rifle strap which allows me to sling it across my back at conventions. And its colors have been modified - it uses the same distinctive "Copperhead" color scheme that all of my Assault Phasers feature, a set of colors that only I am allowed to use by personal agreement with Casey.

These colors - either charcoal grey or matte black against warm metallic copper with silver highlights on the control surfaces - are a stark contrast against the colors of the original Assault Phaser (known as the Mark 8 Battle Phaser in the Expanded Universe), which was almost 100% flat black. They're actually taken from a very specific real-life handgun, the notorious Swiss-made S.I.G. Sauer P238 Copperhead .380ACP semi-automatic pocket pistol.

Therefore, this rifle isn't just a prop, but a symbol. It represents the will and aspirations of three individuals: 's original design, Casey's labor, and my personal custom colors, making it unique even among a collection full of unique, special pieces.

This photo shows all three of my surviving Assault Phaser-derived rifles, representing two designs - one semi-canon, the other non-canon.  Both of them are directly based on the Mark VIII Battle Phaser, the so-called "Assault Phaser" pistol seen in "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" and "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country," all built and modified to my personal specifications by Casey Sullivan and the team at Triple-Fiction Productions in Florida.  

The top and middle represent the so-called "Assassin's Phaser," originally designed for Colonel West to use during his attempt to snipe the Federation President in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" before the script changed, necessitating him to be disguised as a Klingon (and, therefore, unable to use a Federation rifle).  It's a dedicated sniper's weapon, modified from the standard Mk.VIII pistol in a manner similar to the transformation of the Walther P-38 handgun into the "U.N.C.L.E. Special," by attaching a muzzle brake, an extending shoulder stock, and a telescopic gunsight.  The topmost version was an early prototype from August 2013 - the first-ever prop reproduction of the Assassin Phaser - while the one beneath it is an improved model built for me in May 2014.

The bottom version, of course, is my customized version of the Assault Phaser Rifle designed by which has been repainted into my signature black-on-copper paint scheme and fitted with a rifle sling (which has been removed in this shot).  It's clearly smaller and more compact when compared with the ST:VI Assassin's Phaser, and it's a completely different animal.  With a large series of circular power cells in an elongated rear section and a seemingly one-piece construction entirely separate from any other Starfleet-issued weapons of the period as opposed to a rifle converted from a pistol, it seems like this weapon is more like the Assault Phaser equivalent of the current U.S. Army's ubiquitous M4 Carbine, a quick-firing, heavy-hitting weapon meant to be taken into a firefight.