diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/expression_tokeniser.go b/pkg/yqlib/expression_tokeniser.go
index 98c2ad62..658ae45e 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/expression_tokeniser.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/expression_tokeniser.go
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ func multiplyWithPrefs() lex.Action {
 		if strings.Contains(options, "?") {
 			prefs.TraversePrefs = traversePreferences{DontAutoCreate: true}
 		}
-		op := &Operation{OperationType: multiplyOpType, Value: multiplyOpType.Type, StringValue: options, Preferences: &prefs}
+		op := &Operation{OperationType: multiplyOpType, Value: multiplyOpType.Type, StringValue: options, Preferences: prefs}
 		return &token{TokenType: operationToken, Operation: op}, nil
 	}
 }
@@ -296,7 +296,6 @@ func initLexer() (*lex.Lexer, error) {
 	lexer.Add([]byte(`\]`), literalToken(closeCollect, true))
 	lexer.Add([]byte(`\{`), literalToken(openCollectObject, false))
 	lexer.Add([]byte(`\}`), literalToken(closeCollectObject, true))
-	lexer.Add([]byte(`\*`), opTokenWithPrefs(multiplyOpType, nil, &multiplyPreferences{AppendArrays: false}))
 	lexer.Add([]byte(`\*[\+|\?]*`), multiplyWithPrefs())
 	lexer.Add([]byte(`\+`), opToken(addOpType))
 	lexer.Add([]byte(`\+=`), opToken(addAssignOpType))
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/operator_collect_object.go b/pkg/yqlib/operator_collect_object.go
index c9d5fda4..ecd81669 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/operator_collect_object.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/operator_collect_object.go
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ func collect(d *dataTreeNavigator, aggregate *list.List, remainingMatches *list.
 
 			newCandidate.Path = nil
 
-			newCandidate, err = multiply(&multiplyPreferences{AppendArrays: false})(d, newCandidate, splatCandidate)
+			newCandidate, err = multiply(multiplyPreferences{AppendArrays: false})(d, newCandidate, splatCandidate)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, err
 			}
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/operator_multiply.go b/pkg/yqlib/operator_multiply.go
index 35d43d6d..2c36fcb5 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/operator_multiply.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/operator_multiply.go
@@ -50,10 +50,10 @@ type multiplyPreferences struct {
 
 func multiplyOperator(d *dataTreeNavigator, matchingNodes *list.List, expressionNode *ExpressionNode) (*list.List, error) {
 	log.Debugf("-- MultiplyOperator")
-	return crossFunction(d, matchingNodes, expressionNode, multiply(expressionNode.Operation.Preferences.(*multiplyPreferences)))
+	return crossFunction(d, matchingNodes, expressionNode, multiply(expressionNode.Operation.Preferences.(multiplyPreferences)))
 }
 
-func multiply(preferences *multiplyPreferences) func(d *dataTreeNavigator, lhs *CandidateNode, rhs *CandidateNode) (*CandidateNode, error) {
+func multiply(preferences multiplyPreferences) func(d *dataTreeNavigator, lhs *CandidateNode, rhs *CandidateNode) (*CandidateNode, error) {
 	return func(d *dataTreeNavigator, lhs *CandidateNode, rhs *CandidateNode) (*CandidateNode, error) {
 		lhs.Node = unwrapDoc(lhs.Node)
 		rhs.Node = unwrapDoc(rhs.Node)
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ func multiply(preferences *multiplyPreferences) func(d *dataTreeNavigator, lhs *
 			(lhs.Node.Kind == yaml.SequenceNode && rhs.Node.Kind == yaml.SequenceNode) {
 
 			var newBlank = lhs.CreateChild(nil, &yaml.Node{})
-			var newThing, err = mergeObjects(d, newBlank, lhs, &multiplyPreferences{})
+			var newThing, err = mergeObjects(d, newBlank, lhs, multiplyPreferences{})
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, err
 			}
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ func multiply(preferences *multiplyPreferences) func(d *dataTreeNavigator, lhs *
 	}
 }
 
-func mergeObjects(d *dataTreeNavigator, lhs *CandidateNode, rhs *CandidateNode, preferences *multiplyPreferences) (*CandidateNode, error) {
+func mergeObjects(d *dataTreeNavigator, lhs *CandidateNode, rhs *CandidateNode, preferences multiplyPreferences) (*CandidateNode, error) {
 	shouldAppendArrays := preferences.AppendArrays
 	var results = list.New()
 
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ func mergeObjects(d *dataTreeNavigator, lhs *CandidateNode, rhs *CandidateNode,
 	return lhs, nil
 }
 
-func applyAssignment(d *dataTreeNavigator, pathIndexToStartFrom int, lhs *CandidateNode, rhs *CandidateNode, preferences *multiplyPreferences) error {
+func applyAssignment(d *dataTreeNavigator, pathIndexToStartFrom int, lhs *CandidateNode, rhs *CandidateNode, preferences multiplyPreferences) error {
 	shouldAppendArrays := preferences.AppendArrays
 	log.Debugf("merge - applyAssignment lhs %v, rhs: %v", NodeToString(lhs), NodeToString(rhs))