Gene Roddenberry’s intent to reduce the visual impact of the weapons reached its extreme with [the] first-season phaser, nicknamed ‘the cricket’. Though it fit with Roddenberry’s vision of the future’s immensely powerful technology, it was so small it was almost impossible to see on a television screen when an actor held it. It was only used a few times, then retired.

The final, ‘non-weapon’ look of the phaser became affectionately known as 'the dustbuster,’ and continued to evolve over the run of the series.

_{Source: Star Trek The Next Generation: The Continuing Mission [Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens] 1997
Illustrations by Robert Blackman, photographs by Robbie Robinson.}

Designing the upgrades to the station’s weapons systems (debuting in The Way of the Warrior), from Star Trek Magazine Vol. 1 Issue 17.

by John Eaves

This was one of my favorite things about Way of the Warrior. Just getting to see these things in action for the first time.