![A wooden model of Starship Enterprise 1701 from the iconic TV show 'Star Trek' has been authenticated. [Credit: Willrow Hood / Shutterstock]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/shutterstock_2246864759-scaled-e1698961374375.jpg)
The first model of Star Trek‘s Starship USS Enterprise that was the personal property of franchise creator Gene Roddenberry and has been missing for more than 45 years has been positively identified as the real deal.
The model showed up on eBay in 2023, but the auction was quickly taken down when the seller learned the model might have been stolen.
Images of the model were sent to Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry. Rod is the son of Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, who played multiple roles in the franchise, including Number One in the pilot episode, nurse Christine Chapel in the original series, Lwaxana Troi, and the voice of the computer in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager.
During an interview with John Champion, an entertainment professional who specializes in pop culture commentary with a particular focus on the Star Trek universe, Rod Roddenberry stated the 3-foot-long wooden model is the one that belonged to his father.
The model of Starship Enterprise 1701 was designed and built for the first Star Trek pilot, which aired in 1964. Matt Jefferies came up with the concept model that featured the saucer section, a cylindrical main lower body, and the warp nacelles. He designed many other models and sets for the original series, such as the Klingon battle cruiser, the K-7 space station from “The Trouble With Tribbles,” and the interior of the Galileo shuttle craft, as well as the vertical tubes with ladders that connected the decks of the starships. These became known as the “Jefferies tubes” and were used on all the starships on all of the franchises.
Gene Roddenberry died in October 1991, four years into the first run of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Majel Barrett-Roddenberry died in 2008.
According to Rod Roddenberry, the model was designed to be used as a prop for publicity for the very first Star Trek pilot in 1964, and as a guide for the development of the 11-foot-long model that was used in the filming of the show and now resides in the Smithsonian.
The original series ended its first run in 1969, then went into syndication, where it remains today.
Rod said he has seen photographs of the wooden model sitting on his father’s desk, but doesn’t remember if he actually saw it there or if he just remembers the photos. He recalled being told his father would take the model with him when he attended Star Trek conventions. The model disappeared around 1978.
According to an interview with the late Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, in 1978 Gene loaned the model to a production company for preliminary work during the filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture but never got it back. She was not sure if Gene simply forgot to get it back, or if it got lost or was stolen.
Over the decades there have been numerous stories about what happened to the model, which features a hand-painted underside and decals on top of the saucer section.
During the interview with Champion, Rod put to rest one of the stories that had him as a small child taking the model from his father’s desk and throwing it into the swimming pool and destroying it.
Roddenberry told Champion, “I remember hearing that when I was at conventions, probably in the ’90s. I felt kind of, not bad, but even I wouldn’t do this. I wouldn’t take something off my father’s desk, but I was somewhat of a destructive kid, so it’s not out of a realm of possibility,” to which Champion replied, “I feel like if you had done it, you would not be standing here today to tell the story.”
Flash forward to 2023 when the model reappeared on eBay with a starting bid of $1,000. Multiple news outlets reported that the model was allegedly found in a storage unit, but when it was learned that the model might have belonged to Gene Roddenberry and kept without his permission, the auction was pulled down. The seller then made contact with Rod Roddenberry and made arrangements to return the item to the family.
According to Roddenberry, Star Trek model makers Doug Drexler and Gary Kerr, along with Mike and Denise Okuda, have inspected the model for authenticity. They have spent decades building models and sets for the franchise and have studied information gleaned on the design over the years.
“They matched everything from the grain in the wood to the potential rust over time on the stand,” Roddenberry said. “I mean, they looked at every detail, they were able to tell what had changed, what happened when it left off my father’s desk, they were able to more than authenticate it.”
Several model makers on the shows and movies have created versions of the USS Enterprise. In addition to NCC 1701 and NCC 1701-A, commanded by Kirk, there is the NX-01 from the series Enterprise, NCC-1701-B, as seen in the movie Star Trek: Generations, the NCC-1701-C lost in battle defending a Klingon outpost at Narendra III, as mentioned in Next Generation, and the NCC-1701-D and NCC-1701-E, both commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard. All have the same saucer-cylinder-twin warp nacelle design.
Roddenberry said there will be more clean-up and preservation for the model, then he wants to have it displayed someplace where others can see it, such as a museum.
