The Omni
"Omni" by definition means "In all things" or "In all ways or places." It's a fitting name for this simple, yet stylish time-travel device Voyagers use to travel through the ages. The Omni, guided by unseen omnipotent forces– Most likely, the hardworking Historians and Administrators at Voyager Headquarters – knows exactly when and where to send Voyager Field workers on assignment. But it'd help if the Omni Techs re-tooled those bumpy landings!
The Omni is the tool all Voyagers use to travel through time. The Omni or Omnichron (as it was originally named in the script) comes in different state-of-the-art models, but Phineas Bogg uses a standard brass version. He often curses the Omni for getting "Stuck in the automatic mode!" with the red and green lights flashing and constant buzzing. While in automatic mode, a Voyager's unable to leave the time-zone until the Omni is field-stripped.
In the episode "World's Apart," inventor Thomas Edison (Played by Steven Keats) was so enthralled with the Omni he took it apart down to the last dirty gear, nut, and bolt and cleaned it. He'd unwittingly field-stripped it. Poor Jeffrey had a fit and thought he ruined history and his ability to see Bogg again. Edison, fortunately, had the genius to put it all back in perfect working order. The Omni had the filthiest movement he'd ever seen. When Jeffrey admitted to it being a time-machine, Edison laughed heartily, "Now that would be an invention!"
According to various magazine articles and reviews, the Omni was originally called by its full name: “The Omni-Chronometer.” That name was never used in the final cut of the series nor did the mysterious Tribunal members use it in the episode, "The Trial of Phineas of Bogg."
The Omni is truly a one-of-a-kind time-traveling device. As a television prop, it was exquisitely crafted down to the tiniest detail. While the red/green light function is simple, like stop and go, I'd venture to say the hardest part may be learning to adjust the tiny dials. This Omni clearly follows the standard Roman Calendar. English may be the mandatory language at VHQ, and all students are taught to read English numerals/months/days.
I'd wondered about character-based languages such as Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc. One theory is that when prompted, the omni uses a state-of-the-art brain wave transference. It allows the Voyager to hear and see his native language and vice-versa. It's a cool concept that's been widely accepted in Voyagers and other sci-fi shows.
The Omni lid is beautiful. It has a carved "V" symbol in the center and one of the Voyager credos, "Time waits for no man," engraved across the bottom. The origin of this quote is uncertain. It may have come from a short Medieval morality play called Everyman. It's the character "Death" that utters these words. The line reads – "For wete you well the tyde abydeth no man." Later translations eventually changed it to – "Time and the tides wait for no man."
Bogg was furious after losing his Guidebook because it most likely gave directions on how to Field-strip the "darn thing" for himself. The mechanical parts of the Omni work just like a watch; in fact, any competent watchmaker can successfully service the parts. Field-Stripping doesn't involve a complete dismantling; it's more cleaning and lubricating certain parts and performing some adjustments when necessary. Kind of like an Engine tune-up as opposed to a complete overhaul.
If you look at a close-up of the Omni in the first episode, you'll see peculiar red markings around the dials. It's believed that a Voyager must line the red markings up until they are directly under the magnifier in the 'V' shape. When the activator button is pressed, they're sent to VHQ. This theory isn't proven because the red marks appear and disappear depending on which Omni prop was used in the episode or scene.
On the Omni from "The Trial of Phineas Bogg," you'll notice the lights are dead and the globe is blacked out – because VHQ is presumably beyond our world, perhaps even in another dimension or realm. But it could also mean that VHQ simply deactivated it for the Trial. VHQ can manipulate and control an Omni without the Voyager touching it.
Bogg was furious after losing his Guidebook because it most likely gave directions on how to Field Strip the darn thing for himself. The mechanical parts of the omni work just like a watch; in fact, any competent watchmaker can successfully service the parts. Field Stripping doesn't involve quite so complete a dismantling; it's more cleaning and lubricating certain parts, and performing some adjustments when necessary. Kind of like an Engine tune-up as opposed to a complete overhaul.
The Omni dials/rings are divided in 5 sections – starting with the globe. The tiny ball bearings are used for grip and to manipulate the dials.
1. The Globe - Location on the world map/landmass
2. The first is a Lock Ring to hold the globe in place
2. The Second ring represents the month. (January – December)
3. The Third ring represents the day. (1-31)
4. The Fourth ring is the latter year – On Bogg's Omni it would be 0-99, but his specific parameters were set for 1970. The Omni was not meant to travel into the future.
5. The Fifth dial is the century – On Bogg's Omni it's 1900 – 1999AD – The prop art director wasn't sure how Bogg was able to travel 1450 BC. Fans later created their own Omni parameters as you can read below.
Voyagers had better brush up on their geography because the globe only pinpoints the landmass. Perhaps future models will act like modern-day GPS devices and give the name of the country and region or employ holographic maps and landscapes. Regardless, the Omni knows exactly where to send the Voyager for his next assignment despite lacking specific visible details.
Above is an original Omni Schematic drawn by Art Director Richard B. Lewis.
A Photo of the real Omni and a knapsack. It's possible Bogg was supposed to carry the bag for his supplies. Maybe he lost it somewhere in time before he met Jeffrey.
Voyager Drake's silver Omni Model 316-50. It boasts open-time calibration and is state-of-the-art by Voyager Headquarters standards. An open-time calibration means that his Omni can be set for any time-zone without year restrictions. We never see the innards of Drake's Omni, but we can assume it resembles Bogg's version. Since Bogg and Jeffrey were assigned to track down Voyager Drake, it would've been wise of the Council to grant Bogg the same open-time calibration Omni. This also would've opened up more story-lines if the show hoped to visit the future beyond 1982. However, the Voyagers don't even stay long enough to get a replacement Guidebook! Le Sigh!
As seen by Bogg's deactivated Omni before his trial, VHQ has the power to remotely access an Omni and make adjustments. However Drake had other Voyagers working for him, and they might've reprogrammed his Omni to remain untraceable.
James Parriott drew the first Omni images on a legal pad, and they weren't a wristwatch. The wristwatch version was quickly rejected as being too modern. The Wristwatch took away from the exciting stories where the Omni gets lost or stolen. (The image was provided by fan Mike Peterson, given to him by Voyagers! Art Director Richard B. Lewis.)
On the Voyagers Guidebook Facebook Group, James Parriott provided fans with a few never before known Omni facts:
“I have the two Hero Omnis. One was for close-ups and had more powerful lights and a post out the back so you could move the globe around. The other is more self-contained and, yes, had switches for red and green on the side. Unfortunately, the lights really didn't read well on film.”
“And we also had a bunch of wooden ones with brass faces, that we could lose during stunts, etc. I'd say those were in 95% of the scenes.“
Parriott also added that: “Unfortunately, the magnifier broke off long ago, and I can't find it.“
All of the Omni sounds were added later after filming the episodes, the prop only had a solid green-light and a blinking red light, no sound.
Jim Parriott also told the Voyagers Guidebook Fan Group that the Omni lights were controlled by a prop man. The Omni was hard-wired to a large 9-volt battery. In close-up shots, a hand model was also used, rather than the actors.
ADDITIONAL OMNI FACTS FROM MAGAZINE SOURCES:
* According to a fan who spoke to Meeno Peluce, the original Omni cost about $3,500.
* The Omni was 100% custom-designed, no found parts were used.
* The Omni lids were custom made, then the details of the "V" in the center were carefully hammered onto it, as well as the Lettering for "Time Waits For No Man."
Voyagers Guidebook Replica Facts
Thanks to Jake Crepeau for the information.
Field-stripping the Omni requires an experienced professional, it takes a minimum of three hours on a model 316-50; for a novice on a 313 (the one Bogg has), it can take up to eight hours. It's no wonder Phineas complained to Jeffrey in the pilot episode, "Do you know how long it takes to field-strip one of these things?"
Omnis model 313 goes from 1450 BC to 1970. That's pretty interesting, considering Bogg's first voyage with Jeffrey starts during the time of Moses' infancy, 1450 BC. The Omni automatically reset itself after going so far out of its time parameters when Bogg picked up Jeffrey in 1982. When Bogg and Jeffrey landed, the dials reverted back to the start date on the Omni and stuck in automatic mode.
The gold Omni Isaac Wolfstein used was a model 310, which had a variable range that went up to 1925 AD. There was a model 305, which was pewter and went from 1450 BC to 0 AD. The earliest Omni, the 314, was platinum and went from 0 AD to 1500 AD. The 316-50's "Open time calibration" meant that it has no territorial parameters, and can go anywhere in time.
The "Hero Omni" (As seen above) was made of resin and painted gold. They were clipped to Hexum's belt for action scenes, like running, fighting, etc., and were glued closed to prevent them from flopping open and off the belt - potentially injuring or stumbling the actor. The light-up metal Omnis with turn-dial functions were larger and bulkier and used for the close-up shots as needed.
In the close-up photos of the Hero Omni used by Jon-Erik Hexum and Meeno Peluce, the 'V' and "Time waits for no man" text has faded. The inner portion has no dials or globe, you can see the glue spots where it was sealed and there's still dirt trapped in the belt clip.
Some sources say 3 Omnis were made and James Parriott still has the originals in his possession. There are about 2-3 Hero Omnis somewhere in time. The Hero Omni above was given to a long-time fan with a letter from Parriott – "Glad you enjoyed Voyagers! We all loved making it. This is an Omni that we used for stunts (The metal ones were too dangerous.) Only 2 or 3 of these are still in existence. (I have the real Omnis.) Enjoy."
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 The Omni Memory Recorder |  |  |
 |  Building an omni – The workshop from |  The Resin Stunt Omni FramedA gift to a fan from James Parriott. |
 The Resin stunt Omni |  The back of the Resin stunt omni. |  |
 Beautiful image from fan Dennis Daugherty. A reproduction created by Replica Props. |  Beautiful image from fan Dennis Daugherty. A reproduction created by Replica Props. |  Beautiful image from fan Dennis Daugherty. A reproduction created by Replica Props. |
 Beautiful image from fan Dennis Daugherty. A reproduction created by Replica Props. |  Beautiful image from fan Dennis Daugherty. A reproduction created by Replica Props. |  Beautiful image from fan Dennis Daugherty. A reproduction created by Replica Props. |
 Beautiful image from fan Dennis Daugherty. A reproduction created by Replica Props. |
THE OMNI MEMORY RECORDER
The Omni Memory Recorder is a rickety device used to extract the data from a Voyager's Omni. It is particularly useful in the courtrooms and makes its first and last appearance in "The Trial of Phineas Bogg."
The Omni Memory Recorder is a whimsical machine made of clock cogs, sprockets, and springs ... like something you would see in a kooky inventor's shop at the turn of the century. The Omni Recorder is a full-on Steampunk Machine. It takes nearly half a minute to even warm-up and it somehow releases the data in a showy display of mist within an oval imaging mirror. Voyagers better keep on their toes because the device reads the Omni recorder data and it clearly documents almost every move the Voyager makes. This harmless looking device can make or break a Voyager, and like a movie, parts can be edited. Voyager Drake learned how to edit an Omni's data, or had a lackey in the Omni Production Dept. do it. He had many innocent Voyagers needlessly banished.
The Omni Memory Recorder has a safety mechanism and brims with electric energy. It can stun a man unconscious, or if put to a higher voltage, kill them.
The Recorder whirls to life as it reads and exposes the tampered contents on Bogg's Omni.
Don't mess with the power of the Omni Memory Recorder! Someone, should have warned Phineas ahead of time that he couldn't just grab his Omni off the setting? Perhaps in his desperation to escape the trial, he forgot the shocking consequences.
With all that blue energy surrounding Bogg, he looks ready to take a Quantum Leap ... very curious, when you consider the comparisons made between the two NBC shows! Dr. Sam Beckett leaps with a burst of blue electrum. This blue energy also resembles the time energy that makes contains all of the Doctor's regenerations. Everything he's ever been and ever was. It forms his unique grave in the episode "Name of the Doctor."
Excerpt from the Voyagers Guidebook Replica
Created by Chris Canniff, and Matt Everingham