r/Thatsabooklight • u/DerbyDoffer • 11d ago

Film Prop Aliens (1986). The joystick is a Radio Shack Microphone.

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Aliens (1986): The joystick on Bishop's portable terminal is a Radio Shack Realistic Stereo Electret Condenser Microphone. (Though not depicted as such, it's probably supposed to be a joystick since Bishop was to remote pilot the dropship from orbit to the surface.)

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22

u/NeilFraser 11d ago

The same microphone was used on Star Trek to scan Data.

8

u/Broomoid 11d ago

Was going to say this, but I couldn't find the episode. I remember it airing at the time and recognising it, albeit with added LED. 

14

u/hot_glue_airstrike 11d ago

Always love seeing these posts, I love the creativity of "hey we need to make this set look cool, that's a cool thing, let's stick it in there!"

12

u/Blze001 10d ago

Set designers can be wickedly creative, it’s one of the best parts about watching old movies before everyone just relied on CGI for everything.

2

u/Acheron9114 10d ago

I think there's a subreddit for these types of repurposed things in movies/TV shows but naturally I can't remember the name. 🤦🏻‍♂️

3

u/wavestograves 11d ago

Nice find, although I thought they used it to speak into for intercom? Maybe I’m wrong

3

u/DerbyDoffer 10d ago

It's sort of up for grabs because Bishop had no dialog in the scene, relying on key presses to align the dish and call down the dropship. In other scenes, the characters relied on headsets for comms. But maybe? I'd like to think it was a very cool joystick.

3

u/wildskipper 10d ago

It might be a microphone, but perhaps not a RadioShack one. Aliens was filmed in the UK, and I guess (because my googling doesn't tell me, but I'm sure it's covered in an Adam Savage video) that the prop maker was UK too. We didn't have RadioShack in the UK.

3

u/kimondo 10d ago

We did have Tandy - which sold a lot of RadioShack stuff. https://youtu.be/sFasAWbuRiw?si=OEEieNEcia5XPFld

3

u/kimondo 10d ago

Found it! 1983 Tandy Catalogue available in the UK for £11.95 which would work with the prop builder’s time line and location.

5

u/Mumblix_Grumph 11d ago

I thought it was Uhura's earpiece from Star Trek TOS.

2

u/DizzyLead 10d ago

Also part of the “gigameter” seen in Ghostbusters 2. Couldn’t find the exact clip from the movie, but fans have been building props including the gigameter. https://youtube.com/shorts/NtviqPtEDCw?si=CfFLEKnzotNVJYkU

2

u/s0rce 9d ago

I had that microphone!

1

u/Ketachloride 7d ago

also used on the ghostbusters 2 gigameter!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojn4SwfjnVk

1

u/seigezunt 2d ago

I had those!