Photo taken during the production of the episode “Space Seed”

The Series Years

   Star Trek - The Original Series, would not have been possible without the imaginations of its' creator, Gene Roddenberry, and the talents of writers, producers, directors, actors and every other individual involved in the show's production to make it a reality every week during the series run in the 1960's. One of these important individuals was Art Director Walter “Matt” Jefferies. He was responsible for designing sets and props during the show's production run. Jefferies' most important contribution however came in 1964 when Roddenberry asked him to create the show's most essential “star”. This “star” was none other than the “star”ship itself. Roddenberry gave the ship it's name (originally Yorktown), but Jefferies created its' design; a saucer-shaped primary hull connected to a cynlindrical secondary hull with two “warp” engines attached. Not only is Jefferies responsible for Enterprise's design but also for the ship's famous number, NCC-1701.

   The design was completed on paper. However, to give Roddenberry an idea what the ship would look like in “real life”, an approximate three-foot balsa wood and cardboard model was built by professional modelbuilder Richard C. Datin. This “three-footer” model was never intended for film, be it still or motion, however; the model was used for publicity photos with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy in costume and visual effects shots for the show's first pilot “The Cage”. [See Note 4]

   With Gene's initial approval of the “three-footer”, construction began on the filming model (or miniature) in November of 1964. Under Datin's supervision, the filming miniature was constructed by Vern Sion and Mel Keys at Velmor Jensen's Production Models Shop in (or near) Burbank, California, USA. Construction of the miniature took approximately six weeks and the cost of materials at that time was about $600.00 (approximately $5,955 in 2023 USD, according to the U.S. Inflation Calculator website) with the overall cost to build the model being $3,000 (approximately $29,775 in 2023 USD using the aforementioned website). Materials used to build the model can be found in the list below.

   Among the various sources used for this page, the information provided on the type of paint used on the miniature when it was built is contradictory. One source indicates that the type of paint used was a custom- made, non-gloss lacquer grey-colored paint with a light tint of green. Another source suggests that the color of paint used on the model was the same grey color used on 1964 model Ford pick-up trucks. When the model was completed and “delivered” on Dec 29 1964, it was transferred to the Howard Anderson Company for visual effects filming for the first, then second pilot episodes. In order for the “11-foot” miniature to be transported, it could be disassembled into three parts: the primary hull (saucer), the secondary hull and the engine nacelles & pylons.

   Based on the concerns of Gene Roddenberry and/or others, who considered the model “too clean” or “too static”; modifications to the miniature were done in late summer of 1965, spring of 1966 or both, after the filming of the second pilot had been completed. These modifications included window lights, lightly penciled-in “deflector grid” and the spinning effect on the front of the engine nacelles inside new Plexiglass caps. Prior to these modifications however, stock footage of the model had been taken at the Howard Anderson Company and subsequentually used during production of the regular series episodes. According to Mr. Howard Anderson, Jr. the Star Trek Art Department would continually add details to the miniature throughout the time of the series' production.

   An interesting factoid about the model is that the port or left side of the model's secondary hull and engine support pylon were “finished” without the modifications (i.e. window lights) because the electrical wiring that powered the miniature was attached through this side of the model. This also resulted in the port side almost never appearing on film.

   Production on Star Trek ended in early 1969 when NBC cancelled the show and the final episode entitled “Turnabout Intruder” aired on June 3, 1969, six weeks before man landed on the moon. The filming miniature was transferred from Howard Anderson to Paramount Pictures' Props Department were it was stored, unpacked, for nearly five years. There is only one documented instance of the model being lent out by the Props Department in April, 1972. This instance can be read about here at the archived website “The IDIC Page” [See Note 2].

The Smithsonian Years

The First Renovation & First Ten Years

   In February, 1974 Paramount donated the “11 foot” miniature as a gift to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum (NASM). The model received a three month renovation at NASM's Silver Hill restoration facility in Maryland, today known as the Garber Facility, between late April and July of 1974. This first renovation involved replacing lost parts of the miniature and repairing damage to the model. For the next ten years the model would be on display in two different exhibits. These exhibits were in Galleries 107 [“Life in the Universe” (1974-79)] and 113 [“Rocketry and Spaceflight” (1979-84)].

The Second Renovation

In August of 1984, NASM personnel removed the miniature from display to undergo a second renovation. The second renovation replaced most of the model's internal wiring and sealed the electrical wiring intrusions into the secondary hull of the model with molded air tubing. Also the “spinning lights” effect had been partially restored to the model. Between September 1984 and September 1985, the Enterprise filming miniature was on display in Gallery 211 (“Flight and the Arts”) during the Art of Robert McCall Exhibition. Once this exhibition ended the model was returned to Gallery 113. For the next six years the model would be on display until it was removed for another renovation in late 1991.

25 Years of Trek & The Third Renovation

   To celebrate Star Trek's 25^th Anniversary, NASM planned a retrospective exhibit during 1992. NASM personnel felt that the centerpiece of the exhibit - the model - required a third renovation. This renovation would not be a small challenge but a monumental one. NASM contracted the renovation to Ed Miarecki of the Springfield, Massachusetts-based SFMA Modelers. Prior to the renovation, Mr. Miarecki's credentials include work on the motion pictures Star Trek V: The Final Frontier & Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and the television show Star Trek: The Next Generation.

   Under contract Mr. Miarecki was to renovate the entire miniature except the dorsal (topside) portion of the saucer which had been virtually untouched since Paramount donated the model in 1974. Ken Isbell from NASM supervised Miarecki during the renovation which began on Dec 10, 1991 and would be completed six weeks later on Jan 24, 1992. During the renovation process, Isbell would contact Miarecki by telephone and occasionally received “a dose of profanity”, especially if the process was not going well. The miniature, including the Decks 2 & 3 wooden teardrop on the top of the saucer, received new paint, refurbished lighting and a fully restored “spinning lights” effect on the front of the engine nacelles. Also the “deflector grid” which had been lightly penciled on in the late sixties would be heavily emphasized. The restored filming miniature of the USS Enterprise went on display for the 25^th Anniversary Exhibition on February 28 1992. Orginially scheduled to end on September 7 1992, the exhibition continued until the end of January 1993. Once the exhibition ended the model was placed in storage for the next seven years.

The Gift Shop Exhibition

    In March 2000 NASM removed the model from storage and put it back on display. Instead of returning it to Gallery 113, where the model was located prior to the 1991 renovation; NASM constructed an extra large glass enclosure on the lower level of the museum's gift shop, to house the miniature which is where it resided for the next 14 years.

The Fourth Renovation & 50 Years of Trek

   On April 3, 2014 NASM announced that, following a generous donation from the aircraft manufacturer Boeing, the museum's central exhibition hall, known as the “Milestones of Flight” Hall, would undergo a massive renovation and be ready in time for hall's 40^th Anniversary in 2016. Once the renovation is completed a number of artifacts will be added those that are already on displayed. Amoungst those being added to the hall include the Star Trek filming miniature of the Starship Enterprise. In preparation for its' move to the “Milestones of Flight” Hall; on September 11, 2014 NASM removed the miniature from the gift shop to undergo conservation.

   Over the next two years, various online articles were published documenting the conservation efforts undertaken by the NASM staff to perserve the Starship Enterprise filming model for future generations. After nearly two years of work, the restored miniature was unveiled on June 28, 2016 in time for the opening of the renovated “Milestones of Flight” Hall on July 1, 2016 and Star Trek's Golden 50^th Anniversary.

   Photos documenting the “life” of the miniature can be seen here.

Enterprise “11-foot” Filming Miniature Details

Building Materials (broken down by section)

Primary Hull - Series of wooden ribs holding Royalite vacuum-formed plastic together

Secondary Hull - Built up sections of sugar pine wood

Nacelle Pylons - Some sort of Hardwood such as oak or walnut

Nacelles
   Hemisphere caps: Wood, painted red? w/ gold sensor spikes, changed to sandblasted Plexiglass with rotating metal fins & Christmas lights
   Forward of and at Pylons: Wood (unknown kind)
   Aft of Pylons: Wooden ribs supporting thin, rolled sheet metal
   Nacelle Details (i.e. intercoolers): Wood (unknown kind)

Dimensions

The following table shows measurements of the Enterprise filming miniature provided from NASM and The IDIC Page.

NOTES

1.) This page was inspired by a thread at TrekBBS that was started on DEC 29 2004 by TrekBBS member ‘Warped9’ and researched to the point of giving me headaches. Sources used on this page are cited here.

2.) The IDIC Page was hosted by America Online (AOL). On Nov 1 2008, AOL shut down their web hosting service. The IDIC page has been archived and can be found at archive.org. The 1972 instance involving the loaning of the miniature is documented on The IDIC Page's article: “The Voyage to the Bottom of the Starship Enterprise Miniature”. The link for the article is available in the text above.

3.) The Star Trek wiki, Memory Alpha has an article entitled; “Constitution class model (original)” which features extensive information about the ST:TOS filming miniature.

4.) The three-foot model would be owned by Roddenberry between the mid to late 1970's then disappear, possibly loaned to Paramount or a visual effects studio during production of The Motion Picture and never returned. The model would be discovered after a storage locker auction in October 2023. Examined and authenticated by the Dallas, TX-based auction house Heritage Auctions, the model would be returned to the Roddenberry estate through his son, Rod Roddenberry in April 2024 who hoped to restore it and have it placed in a museum. [Sources]