The Refitted Enterprise - Episode 98

70s Trek: Star Trek in the 1970s

When Paramount decided to make Star Trek The Motion Picture, executives wanted to make sure that everything got updated from the 60s show. That included the Enterprise. This week we tell you about how the starship was redesigned.

The Origins

The legendary Matt Jeffries designed the original Enterprise. And when Star Trek Phase II was in pre-production, Jeffries was asked to update his design.

Jeffries began his work using a drawing he made back in 1964. This was an alternate version of the ship that he created as a back up. He wanted to make sure he had something ready just in case Gene Roddenberry didn’t like the Enterprise design that Jeffries pitched for the show.

He also thought that if Star Trek lasted for several seasons, the Enterprise might need updating. So he saved these designs. Jeffries thought that if anything would change on the ship, it would be the warp engines.

In those early drawings you can see the flatter engines and the swept back support pylons that would eventually show up on the Enterprise in The Motion Picture.

The Devil is in the Details

But when Paramount execs made the decision to make The Motion Picture, the Phase II design needed updating again. They were highly influenced by the movie Star Wars. In that film, the spaceship models all had a high level of details. Executives at Paramount believed that this was one of the factors that helped make that film a success.

So, it only seemed natural that the Enterprise needed lots of detail too! This started the creation of an entirely new model for The Motion Picture, one that would take nine months to create, have leading-edge technology installed in it, cost $1 million and face several accidents on the way to the studio.