Years ago, he crafted an exquisitely detailed miniature of the Nautilus submarine seen in Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The thing was perfect, right down to the tiny rivets. With that attention to detail, and his deep understanding of Star Trek lore, Brodeen recently set about to create not a replica, but a "What If?" prop. He wanted to build the phaser rifle that Kirk and Spock should have carried on The Original Series — had the show had the time or budget to produce them.