Star Trek fans got good news when the missing Enterprise model from the Original Star Trek was found.
Star Trek is as much defined by its ships as it is by its captains. They are just as integral to the franchise as one another, and for decades, fans have attached themselves emotionally to the haul of these ships. They have their favorites and find ways to embrace them, which stretches from thousand-piece ship models to the iconic Hallmark Star Trek ornament collection.
The show and films have thrived on these ships, normally built and filmed practically, a process that has since fallen out of favor in modern Hollywood. But those iconic ship props from long ago are a big deal to many fans and they’re often sought after.
Yet, the holy grail of ship models was the original Enterprise ship prototype, which had been lost for nearly 60 years, and now it’s apparently resurfaced. The son of Star Trek’s creature Gene Roddenberry, Rod Roddenberry, is helping the franchise determine if the newly rediscovered ship is the ship.
And if it is, Rod Roddenberry has a desire to see it in a specific place.
Rod Roddenberry wants the original Star Trek prototype preserved
If Roddenberry gets his way, the prototype will be handed off to curators at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. In a statement
“Beyond its physical value, the greater significance is this prototype Enterprise model really represents the underpinning ideas my father imbued into the series,” Roddenberry said in his statement. “That we are clever, resilient and can learn from our mistakes. We can and will move beyond archaic belief systems. And once we truly embrace the infinite diversity all around us, both in form and idea, we will then take those next step into a prosperous and unlimited future.”
While Roddenberry did not provide information about the person in possession of the model or their plans for it, he did share his thoughts on where the piece of Star Trek history belongs.
“I firmly believe that a piece of such importance should not be confined to any private collection,” he said. “This iconic artifact should be enshrined alongside the 12-foot shooting model at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, where it can serve to help tell the story of television history, the history of space exploration, and ultimately, a beacon of hope for the future.”