Every famous film or television franchise has its mysteries, rumors, and missing objects. Star Trek is no exception, and considering the original series aired for almost three years in the late '60s... let's say there's plenty to discover. One of the most important developments emerged in November last year, when the first model of the USS Enterprise used in filming the pilot appeared on eBay to be auctioned…
Few spacecraft demand as much attention and respect as the USS Enterprise. We all love battles, but the original Enterprise never really had that profile. It's a ship for resolving differences with diplomacy and creating new contacts, a ship of exploration and learning... a ship of peace. The canon tells us that the original USS Enterprise was destroyed in 2285 to prevent its capture by the Klingons, but if we focus on the initial filming model, the truth is that it was missing... until now.
The First USS Enterprise Model
The model was built by Richard Datin Jr. under instructions from Gene Roddenberry during the preproduction stage of the original series (in fact, it hadn't even been commissioned yet). At 3 feet long (almost a meter), this USS Enterprise was used to film both the pilot and the opening of episodes, and it precedes a larger 11-foot model. That enormous Enterprise ended up assuming the primary role for most of the series (it would have been used in the pilot, but it wasn't ready), however, the 'small' Enterprise had some additional appearances, including an episode where it's seen on a table.
Available information suggests that Gene Roddenberry lent the 3-foot Enterprise to a production company while working on Star Trek: The Motion Picture, but the model never returned to his hands. Fast forward to November 2023, and an eBay listing brought it back from the shadows in an auction with a $1,000 starting bid. Naturally, both Star Trek fans and Rod Roddenberry (Gene's son) initiated contact for its swift return to the 'Roddenberry Estate', and five months later, there's news.
The people at ABC News confirmed that the model has returned to the Roddenberry family. Apparently, the original seller got in touch with Heritage Auctions, which in turn facilitated the model's return. Although the details of the agreement are unknown, Rod himself suggested that there was some kind of compensation. Heritage's vice president, Joe Maddalena, indicated that in a traditional auction, the 3-foot Enterprise would easily exceed one million dollars.
What happens now? Rod Roddenberry said it won't stay in his collection, and the plan is for it to be restored and displayed to the public. This already happened with the 11-foot Enterprise, currently on display at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution.
Sources: ABC News, Ars Technica
