Restoring The Stinger

“The idea behind this vehicle is that the tail would move –

its a one-person vehicle, very small, not unlike a Formula One race car.

The tail would allow it to move through the water, like a Shark propels itself through the water. The whole idea behind this was an underwater Hotrod, an underwater Motorcycle – its underwater signature would absolutely be stealth.

Bob Ballard saw it and wanted a computer model – now the military is building one. I just hope they don’t use it to bomb somebody or blow something up…”

James Lima – ‘Stinger’ Designer

History

Originally conceived by seaQuest Conceptual Designer James Lima as the ‘Cavalry Pony for the Marine Frontier’, the Stinger one-man Submarine was intended to form a squadron of fighters to combat the undersea Pirates of the future. Deployed from the EVA sphere of the seaQuest, the Stingers were armed with mini Plasma Torpedoes and a high-energy Electro-static ‘Sting’.

Despite show creator Rockne S. O’Bannon’s intention to introduce the Stingers in early episodes and build on the concept throughout the season, the idea was sidelined after O’Bannon’s premature departure from the show and subsequently reworked entirely in a script written by John J. Sakmar entitled ‘Stinger, Sailor, Soldier, Spy.’

Several revisions later, the episode (now retitled ‘The Stinger’) was the eighteenth to be filmed, with the fighter-sub re-imagined as a one-of-a-kind experimental vehicle built as a collaboration between wunderkind Lucas Wolenczek and Commander Hitchcock (who is determined to name the sub a ‘Gazelle’). The plot to trial the Stinger against a similar vehicle in the hope of winning a UEO contract to mass produce it is dashed when the vehicle is stolen by a rival company and dismantled. Despite the duo building another one virtually overnight, the Stinger fails the trial due to not heeding Captain Bridger’s advice regarding a critical component.

The moral of the story was sometimes you have to lose in order to win, but not only was the final outcome underwhelming, it also completely invalidated the already established continuity set by everything from the show’s bible to merchandising. The Stinger would go on to appear in a handful of episodes throughout the series (indeed, it is the only vehicle to survive season 1 unscathed) and the original concept eventually revived in season 3 with the Spector class combat subs, but nothing would come close to emulating the innovative design by James Lima or the vision of O’Bannon’s ‘Speeder Bikes’ of the ocean.

The Prop

Though the Stinger in motion was a fully CG creation, a 1:1 scale mockup was also constructed for set use. Made from fibreglass with a working canopy and fully-illuminating cockpit, the prop would appear predominantly in ‘The Stinger’ but would also show up in the season finale and sporadically in season 2.

During filming, the prop was mounted on a trolley and stored between sets on Stage 28 of Universal Studios in California – it would be shipped across to Florida for season 2 where it would eventually wind up parked outside (with no protection from the elements) Universal Orlando’s Stage 20 after the show’s cancellation –

*Sat in the corridor behind the set of Bridger’s quarters, 1993…*

*Abandoned outside stage 20 at Universal Orlando 1994…*

*Tagged and exhibited for public viewing at auction, 1995…*

By now in need of some tlc, the Stinger prop was nonetheless one of the highlights of the Absolute Auctions seaQuest sale on December 15th 1995, where it was sold on to The National Collector, Inc. who went on to offer it again alongside other seaQuest props from the original auction. After that, the fate of the prop and its location remained a mystery – until now.

After decades in storage at an undisclosed facility, the Stinger prop has not only been found, but is currently on its way back to Florida for an extensive cleaning & restoration. Longtime seaQuest fan and Universal Studios Prop aficionado Jon Billings has taken on the task of returning the long lost mini-sub to its original condition. In an exclusive collaboration with the seaQuest VAULT, Jon will be sharing his findings and documenting the whole process with images chronicling every detail. Here are the first astounding images of the prop since 1995 showing its current state –