American property master who supplied and looked after the hand props of the original Star Trek, and whose improvised medical and engineering gadgets were nicknamed Feinbergers.
Irving Feinberg was the property master of the original Star Trek throughout its three seasons, responsible for every object the actors handled, from phasers, communicators and tricorders to trays of coloured food.
With little money for specially designed pieces, he often bought unusual manufactured items and adapted them. Dr McCoy's surgical instruments, for example, were made from a set of modern salt and pepper shakers. Such devices became known on the set as Feinbergers, a term that also found its way into fan and reference literature for any unexplained futuristic gadget.
The hero props themselves were largely designed by Matt Jefferies and built by Wah Chang and the studio workshops, with Feinberg maintaining them during filming.