The Federation may be a post-scarcity society, but current day America definitely is not. So you’re going to need a whole lot of money if you wanted to buy this Enterprise concept model.
Star Wars designer Ralph McQuarrie made it for the 1976 Trek revival film, Star Trek: Planet of the Titans. The revival film was never produced, but this model lives on. Nate D. Sanders Auctions was in charge of the bidding. The $40,000 minimum bid was not met though.
McQuarrie designed some concepts most people are familiar with. Doing a lot of work for Star Wars in the 1970’s he’s responsible for creating that franchise’s more iconic looks, including Darth Vader’s.
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The model being auctioned is15 inches long (38 centimeters). If it looks familiar it’s because it bears more than a passing resemblance to the USS Discovery. A Star Wars influence is pretty clear when you look close. McQuarrie’s design for the Star Destroyer influenced the Enterprise’s triangular body. The nacelles also appear to have an X-Wing engine look more than a traditional Starfleet one.
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Planet of the Titans was never made. However, the ship has seen screen time. The ship cameoed in the TNG episode, The Best of Both Worlds part 2. In the aftermath of The Battle of Wolf 359, you can see it as one of the destroyed shipsin the armada. So if it looks familiar, that’s why.
The Enterprise model went unsold as the minimum was not met. Plans have not been announced as to whether the seller will lower the minimum or what the plans are for it. No word on how much $40,000 translates into self-sealing stem bolts or favors you’d have to trade after. If auctioned again, we’ll let you know. In the meantime, save up those Federation Credits. If you want to check out some other designs that made their way into Discovery then check here.