It disappeared without a trace in the 1970s, but the very first model of the spaceship Enterprise from the TV series Star Trek is now back with Eugene Roddenberry, son of Gene Roddenberry, who created the series.
In recent spin-offs of the original Star Trek series, such as Strange New Worlds, the Enterprise is depicted with digital effects. But for the generic from the 1960s, a handmade, 91 centimeter model was used. That model stood on the desk of Gene Roddenberry, who died in 1991, for a long time. Sometime in the 70’s it disappeared.
Last fall it suddenly resurfaced: it was going to be auctioned on eBay, after someone found it in a storage room. But the auction ultimately fell through, and the science fiction heirloom was returned to the son of its rightful owner.
Eugene Roddenberry promises the recovered piece will go to a museum. This original model was used in the pilot episode of Star Trek and in the generic. A three-meter tall version can be seen in the later episodes.
