On this book cover, Wah Chang poses with the jeweled dragon he built and animated for "The Singing Bone" segment of George Pal's The Wonderful World of Brothers Grimm.

Wah Ming Chang (August 2, 1917–December 22, 2003) was an American designer, sculptor, and artist. He is known primarily for his sculpture and the props he designed for Star Trek (the original series), including the original phaser pistol, tricorder, and communicator designs for the first series pilot, "The Cage". For Star Trek, Chang also built costumes for the salt vampire ("The Man Trap"), the Gorn ("Arena") and Balok's false image ("The Corbomite Maneuver"). He also created Tribbles by using artificial fur stuffed with foam, the Neanderthals in "The Galileo Seven" and the Romulan Bird of Prey ("Balance of Terror"). Wah Ming Chang This image is a book cover. ... Wah Ming Chang This image is a book cover. ... Chinese dragon, colour engraving on wood, Japanese Chinese school, 19th Century A dragon is a mythological creature, typically depicted as a large and powerful serpent or other reptile, with magical or spiritual qualities. ... George Pál (February 1, 1908 - May 2, 1980) was a Hungarian-born American animator and film producer. ... August 2 is the 214th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (215th in leap years), with 151 days remaining. ... 1917 was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Designer is a broad term for a person who designs any of a variety of things. ... Sculptor redirects here. ... Artist is a subjective term which describes a person creative in, innovative in, or adept at, their endeavors. ... In the performing arts, a prop (the common short form for the more formal property) is anything that is carried by a performer during the performance. ... The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ... In Star Trek a Phaser is a fictional weapon commonly used by the protagonists. ... Tricorders (TNG era) In the Star Trek fictional universe, the tricorder is a handheld device used for scanning an area, interpreting and displaying data from scans to the user, and recording information to isolinear chips. ... The Cage is the original pilot episode of the Star Trek science fiction franchise. ... This article contains information that has not been verified. ... The Man Trap was the first episode of Star Trek: The Original Series to air on NBC. It is episode #6, and was broadcast on Thursday, September 8, 1966 at 8:30pm. ... Arena is an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. ... The Corbomite Maneuver is a first season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, first aired November 10, 1966, and repeated May 11, 1967. ... The word tribble can also mean a horizontal frame with wires stretched across it for drying paper. ... Binomial name Homo neanderthalensis King, 1864 The Neanderthal or Neandertal was a species of genus Homo (Homo neanderthalensis) that inhabited Europe and parts of western Asia from about 230,000 to 29,000 years ago (in the Middle Palaeolithic, early Stone Age). ... The Galileo Seven is an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. ... The Romulans, a fictional race in the Star Trek universe, are descended from Vulcans and are characterized as being deceitful, cunning, and treacherous. ... Bird-of-prey is a common name for various makes of Romulan and Klingon warship in the Star Trek fictional universe. ... Balance of Terror is a first season episode of the Star Trek: The Original Series. ...

Chang's communicator design has been credited as an inspiration for modern flip-type cell phones. His Balok effigy—repeated after each episode as part of Star Trek's closing credits—with its small chin, almond-shaped eyes and large cranium, did much to establish and popularize the archetype of humanoid extraterrestrial life. Cellular redirects here. ... The term humanoid refers to any being whose body structure resembles that of a human. ... The existence of extraterrestrial life remains hypothetical though human beings continue to search Extraterrestrial life is life that may exist and originate outside our planet Earth. ...

His other film credits include sculpting the maquette of Pinocchio which was used as the reference for the animators of the classic Walt Disney feature, and the spectacular headdress worn by Elizabeth Taylor in the feature film Cleopatra. Other work included building the title object from 1960's movie The Time Machine. This film would win Academy Award recognition for its special effects, but Chang did not share in this honor, probably due to a clerical error. This page describe terms and jargon related to sculpture and sculpting. ... Pinocchio is the second animated feature in the Disney animated features canon. ... Walt Disney Walter Elias Walt Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966), was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, and animator. ... Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Taylor (born February 27, 1932) is an American-based British actress famous for her 8 marriages, her two Academy Awards, her condemnation by the Vatican in the 1960s, and her beauty characterised by raven hair and violet eyes. ... Cleopatra is the name of several movies about the last Egyptian queen of the same name. ... 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Time Machine is a novel by H. G. Wells, first published in 1895, later made into two films of the same name. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... Special effects (abbreviated SPFX or SFX) are used in the film, television, and entertainment industry to create effects that cannot be achieved by normal means, such as depicting travel to other star systems. ...

In addition, Chang built the artificial creature in "The Architects of Fear" episode of the original The Outer Limits, some props for the original The Planet of the Apes film, the frightening skeleton animated in The Power, the flying machine in The Master of the World, and the dinosaurs in Land of the Lost. Opening titles — 1960s The Outer Limits was an American science fiction anthology television series. ... Planet of the Apes is a novel by Pierre Boulle, originally published in French as La Planète des Singes and also translated as Monkey Planet (translator Xan Fielding). ... The article is about the Frank M. Robinson science fiction novel and 1968 film. ... Orders Saurischia    Sauropodomorpha    Theropoda Ornithischia Dinosaurs are animals that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for over 100 million years. ... Land of the Lost title screen Land of the Lost (1974–1976) is one in a variety of popular, uniquely produced childrens television series created and produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. ...

For additional reading, see Wah Ming Chang: Artist and Master of Special Effects, by Gail Blasser Riley, 1995, Enslow Publishers, Inc., Berkeley Heights, NJ.

External link

• Wah Chang at the Internet Movie Database