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TO BOLDLY RETURN —


LONG-LOST MODEL OF THE USS ENTERPRISE RETURNED TO RODDENBERRY FAMILY


IT SHOWED UP IN AN EBAY LISTING; NOW RODDENBERRY'S SON WANTS TO SHOW IT TO FANS.

Samuel Axon - 4/19/2024, 2:05 PM

Enlarge / This mysterious model appeared on eBay with little fanfare.
eBay

READER COMMENTS

92

The first-ever model of Star Trek's USS Enterprise NCC-1701 has been returned to
the Roddenberry family, according to an ABC News report.

The 3-foot model was used to shoot the pilot and credits scene for Star Trek's
original series in the 1960s and was used occasionally for shots throughout the
series. (Typically, a larger, 11-foot model was used for shots after the pilot.)
The model also sat on series creator Gene Roddenberry's desk for several years.



It went missing in the late 1970s; historians and collectors believe it belonged
to Roddenberry himself, that he lent it to a production house working on Star
Trek: The Motion Picture, and that it was never returned. Its whereabouts were
unknown until last fall, when a listing for a mysterious model of the Enterprise
appeared on eBay.




FURTHER READING

After decades lost, Star Trek’s original Enterprise model may have been found
Enthusiasts analyzed the pictures in the listing and came to believe it was the
long-lost 3-foot production model. They contacted the seller, who quickly took
down the listing.

The eBay account that posted the item specialized in selling artifacts found in
storage lockers that end up without an owner, either because of failure to pay
or death.

The model appeared in this promotional image with Roddenberry.
CBS

The model was turned over by the eBay seller to Texas-based Heritage Auctions.
News spread that it had been discovered, and Gene Roddenberry's son, Eugene
"Rod" Roddenberry, made public statements that he would like to see it returned
to his family.

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After that, there were months of silence, and its fate was unknown—until now.
Heritage Auctions announced that it had given the model to Rod Roddenberry.
Details of the exchange have not been shared, but Roddenberry said he did
compensate Heritage in some way.

Heritage reached out directly to Roddenberry upon acquiring the object and
reportedly decided to return it because it was "the right thing to do."
Roddenberry said that he "felt it important to reward that and show appreciation
for that" but didn't disclose a sum.

Promotional images of the model with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.

Roddenberry also revealed what he has planned for the model:

> This is not going home to adorn my shelves. This is going to get restored and
> we’re working on ways to get it out so the public can see it, and my hope is
> that it will land in a museum somewhere.

He runs a group called the Roddenberry Foundation that has scanned and digitized
many relics from Star Trek's ideation and production over the years, so it's
likely the Foundation will get a crack at the model, too.

Listing image by eBay



READER COMMENTS

92
Samuel Axon Samuel is a senior editor at Ars Technica. He primarily covers
software development, gaming, Apple, consumer technology, and mixed reality. He
has been writing about gaming and technology for 15 years, and is a
Chicago-based game developer.

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