Uncovering the Lost History of Star Trek's 3-Foot Enterprise Model 🚀

[@mikedicenso2778]

@5:11I've seen the photo of Gene looking over the model while Jeffery Hunter holds it many, many times, but what always strikes me is Jeffery's genuine look of astonishment and wonder at the model, and probably realizing that this show wasn't just the same old deal. This was something almost completely new and groundbreaking.

[@TREK-WORLD]

Hi Mike! You’re right….. I never really looked at it this way. But the wonder is brilliantly shown on his face when looking at the model.

[@nowhereman1046]

@5:33 I noticed that on the 3 foot model shot from "The Cage" there that the windows on the bottom of the saucer don't yet have the grey and yellow-ish rectangular “Inspection Door Vent Systems Connections” markings between them. This is the same on the Cage version of the 11 footer, for apparently both sides. There's photos of the model taken just after delivery to the Smithsonian that shows the surviving windows on the port side of the 11 foot model's saucer underside don't have them, either, even though they should, if they were intended to mirror the starboard side. In fact, it looks as though that side was kept the same as it was during "The Cage" and then "Where No Man Has Gone Before". This may be another indication that the 11 foot model was indeed detailed up on both sides identically for a while up until the wiring and lights were put in.

[@PetesGuide]

Amazing work Jim!

[@TREK-WORLD]

Thanks, Pete. I appreciate the kind words. It’s been a roller coaster year, that’s for sure. And I just got another amended complaint from the courthouse in LA about the lawsuit….. The entire “auction becomes finders fee” ordeal is getting deeper by the minute.

[@PetesGuide]

@ No problem! Also, that warning at the beginning that we’ve seen bits and pieces before was extremely helpful!

[@PetesGuide]

@ One modern not-sci-fi tip for you. Cosmic Perspective just posted a full two-hour 420x slow-motion video of the entire Starship flight. If you don’t want to watch the whole thing the landing burn starts at about 1:47:00.

[@TREK-WORLD]

Thanks! I will most certainly check it out. One of my most active patrons is heavily involved with the entire Moon to Mars program. He keeps us enchanted for hours on our patron calls. It's kind of nice getting to "peek behind the curtain" on NASA.

[@EricDeanCampbell]

I have original 35mm footage of the 3 foot model. Bought it from Roddenberry's company. I have a lot of original, original trek stuff. It's old.

[@tori8380]

Is it a negative or print? Have you scanned it. Thanks!

[@patrickwilson1459]

How much was all that when you bought them?

[@EricDeanCampbell]

@@tori8380 It's developed, no ship lighting, looks almost identical to the shot here at 13:38. I have a bunch of other shots too, and one of the backgrounds from the scenic animated series. There's a few production notes and other stuff, but I've had it all in storage since the mid 1980s. Blacks photography back in 1998 tried to make a few prints but they color shifted with age and especially the uniforms aren't the right shade any longer.

[@EricDeanCampbell]

@@patrickwilson1459 I don't recall. It was all editing room stuff they cut from scenes when making the master prints, and stuff they were no longer using. Gene tried to make money even from "garbage".

[@EricDeanCampbell]

@@patrickwilson1459 You know, the stupid thing was I bought a show prop phaser but it wasn't a hero model, so I made them give me my money back, because it looked like garbage up close, damaged and poorly cast. It was awful, probably thrown around. It was a few hundred at the time, but whoever bought it after me was probably smarter than I was and kept it.

[@MichelleUS66]

I just noticed that for the Tricon event, in addition to the Enterprise, Gene Roddenberry obviously toted along Andrea’s jumpsuit from the yet-unaired “What Are Little Girls Made Of?”

[@TREK-WORLD]

He certainly did! She wore that pretty much the entire con. For the cosplay competition, she had the dress - and Gene wore one of the Romulan Centurion outfits from Balance of Terror.

[@mikedicenso2778]

@@TREK-WORLD There's other photos of models wearing the series production duty uniforms and costumes (Not to be confused with photos of con-goers wearing homemade outfits at around the same time!). Some of the other photos from BayCon 1968 shows the 3 footer in an open, lighted display cabinet next to another filled with props, and other items from the show as part of the official Star Trek table. By that time the microphone gooseneck and wood base were completed and in use, though the brass plaque with etched "U.S.S. Enterprise Star Trek" is not yet installed. Perhaps it was added after the show when the model was gifted to Gene?

[@PetesGuide]

What is that kid at 7:10 looking at? And what did his mom say when she saw this photo?

[@TREK-WORLD]

Perhaps the model was experiencing a “wardrobe malfunction”. lol. Theiss used to have to glue the actresses into the dresses.

[@PetesGuide]

@ So was that an outfit from TOS? I’ve seen every episode but may have forgotten that I saw that.

[@TREK-WORLD]

Yup. It was worn by Sherry Jackson as Andrea in What Are Little Girls Made Of?

[@frankksantoyo]

I see in the studio addresses a AD Studios on Cahuenga West. That is in the pass connecting Hollywood to the San Fernando valley. Since the model was found in a storage unit in the SFV, is it likely to have been shot at that facility versus the sunset blvd one?

[@TREK-WORLD]

Hi Frank! I missed them being on Cachuenga West. But we know the model was filmed at the Burton Holmes site because that is where the model was located from for almost 10 years. And we have confirmation from an ex-employee that was at BHI during the time the model came in to have the hologram made.

[@paulreid7697]

So Lucille Ball secret trekker.... I love IT

[@MrChief101]

Touch up question: what is Heritage's legal claim to the ownership vs those two guys?

[@TREK-WORLD]

Hi there! Heritage’s current opinion is that the model is the property of Rod’s. Which is how they got ensnared in the lawsuit to begin with. It’s so crazy, because if everyone could turn the clock back enough to redo what happened on Nov 2 of last year - I’m pretty sure they would have done things very differently.

[@tori8380]

Is one of the nacelles chronically bent on the three foot model?

[@thomasackerman5399]

The model appears early in its existence to have been made so the nacelles, and possibly the saucer could be easily taken apart from the secondary hull, probably for easy storage and transport. The 11 foot one certainly was. So, if someone was a bit hasty, they might not have properly installed the right side nacelle for that particular display. Later, at BayCon in '68, the model is seen in a more complete state in the transition to the so-called "Production Version" standard that the 11 foot model was, and all the parts are properly aligned.

[@TREK-WORLD]

Correct! The saucer was actually made from two parts. An upper and a lower. Datin actually hired a local woodworker to make the pieces, and then Datin assembled it himself before taking it for Gene to look it over. That’s why he got back to Gene so quickly on the first pass. He knew they would need time for anything that Gene may have requested.

[@vengeance1701]

Have you ever been in contact with the gentlemen over at FactTrek? You guys might get along:) They also do tons of deep research projects.

[@manyrounds5468]

If the Roddenberry estate ever reported it to the police, or even if they do now, it could then be returned to the estate, like if you find a gun, and the serial number matches a reported stolen gun, it is usually returned to the original owner. Too bad the pettifogging lawyers are in the mix now.

[@TREK-WORLD]

Unfortunately, no one from the family ever filed a police report. Which would have changed everything if they had. But that ship has long sailed. And they can’t report it stolen know because everyone has the letter Gene wrote to Kattzenberg saying the model was loaned out and never returned. And that makes it not a theft if it was voluntarily loaned out. So in complete hindsight, Gene made two very bad mistakes: 1 - he didn’t peruse it as a stolen item, & 2 - he wrote a letter to Paramount admitting that the model was loaned out.

[@manyrounds5468]

@@TREK-WORLD They should just drive it over to the House, and give it back straight up, Who knows but that the Lord would leave a blessing they can't even imagine? Just a matter of doing the right thing, Where are those kind of people?

[@hadleymanmusic]

Can someone tell me what happened to the 50 foot long model that was hangin in exhibit at nasa houston in 78-79'??????

[@electrode74]

That model is the 11' filming model. it was donated in '74 to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, where it still resides after a couple of restorations.

[@mikedicenso2778]

It never existed? The largest single Enterprise model at that time was the 11 foot studio model and it was only on display at the National Air and Space Museum. As electrode74 said, it's still there and 8 years ago was fully restored to close to its 1968 appearance. It was never on display in Houston.

[@Anth230]

I'm taking the pine sol story to my grave.... 😂😉