• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Matt Jefferies and the TOS Enterprise...

Which is wonderful, the content of the "letter" or the fact I'm clarifying it's just a stupid joke on my part?

Sincerely,

Bill
 
A new website is opening tomorrow. If you click on the arrow there is some information. http://projectenterprise.space/
It says...
"The Magicam / Paramount team of Jim Dow, Richard Taylor and Paul Olsen, who designed and built the original Starship Enterprise..."

I thought Jefferies pretty much designed it and Andrew Probert changed the surface details (mostly)

Am I wrong?
Signed;
Confused :)
 
It appears that Richard Taylor mistook the model as having been made for Phase II and disposed of it. Consequently, when Roddenberry contacted Bob Abel to get the model back, Abel was unable to locate it.

If that is the case, I'd prefer the other legend of the model's fate - that it met its end at the bottom of the Roddenberry family swimming pool. :devil:
 
I think Harvey and Shaw should join forces to debunk the myths about the Enterprise model for Harvey's Star Trek Fact Check blog.
 
Together they could rule the galaxy and end this conflict!

Wait...wrong franchise. ;)

Sincerely,

Bill
 
So one of the guys involved in this new website http://projectenterprise.space actually THREW OUT the original 33 inch Enterprise model?

!!!
Taylor was the last person I can find to have had physical possession of the model, and he didn't seem to realize what he had. Responsibility for the safety of the model was given to Abel, but Taylor was the last person to see it and didn't know what it actually was. Roddenberry knew who had it, and was the only person who really could have held anyone accountable for it... and expressed his displeasure over the situation with Abel. At the time it wasn't the type of artifact that we'd consider it today (being the original, first model of the Enterprise).

Considering Taylor's disdain for anything Phase II, dislike of TOS and animosity for Star Trek in general when Abel and Associates was removed from TMP production, do you think he saved it as a souvenir?

I had hoped that Greg Jein had broken it up the same way he did the original Klingon studio model and that it was sitting around as a box of parts somewhere... but he never had access to the model in that way.

From what I can tell, Taylor did the equivalent of someone throwing out an old bible which later turned out to be a Gutenberg Bible. Confronting him about it is pointless, it isn't going to bring the model back... I came to terms with that reality years ago. It is gone.


If that is the case, I'd prefer the other legend of the model's fate - that it met its end at the bottom of the Roddenberry family swimming pool. :devil:
The fact that Rod Roddenberry has had fans hold him responsible via that story is pretty sad. This set of photos represents the only access to the model Roddenberry Jr. would have had before it was lost...

1701-33_1974.jpg

From what I can tell, he never caused the Enterprise any damage. His mother holding him over the model like that wasn't the safest thing to do, but the model doesn't appear to have been damaged when seen years later.
 
A new website is opening tomorrow. If you click on the arrow there is some information. http://projectenterprise.space/
It says...
"The Magicam / Paramount team of Jim Dow, Richard Taylor and Paul Olsen, who designed and built the original Starship Enterprise..."

I thought Jefferies pretty much designed it and Andrew Probert changed the surface details (mostly)

Am I wrong?
Signed;
Confused :)

I am GMT+4, so that will be 9:00 P.M. here. Hope it is worth it!

1.jpg
 
Well thanks for the information David. Your extensive knowledge on the subject and artistic skill is amazing as always.

I really wish I hadn't read your statements however.
You say that he:
A) Lost the 33 inch model!
B) Tried to take credit for work he did not do "changed the cigar shaped nacelles"
C) Hated Star Trek.
Then I discovered...
D) Is starting a website tomorrow http://projectenterprise.space/
that claims "The Magicam / Paramount team of Jim Dow, Richard Taylor and Paul Olsen, who designed and built the original Starship Enterprise"

I agree with you that confronting Richard Taylor will not bring the model back, but I am pretty ticked off that someone like that is trying to take credit for Matt Jefferies work.

Very sad.
 
Last edited:
Which again begs the question - why are Taylor & Company doing this? Unless it's sitting in an Afghan cave or Iraqi museum somewhere, the original TMP model (while in desperate need of a Smithsonian-level restoration) is in no danger of ending up like the TOS 33 incher. Studio scale replicas can be made for far cheaper (and with much better tech, like LEDs and even built-in sound fx) than what these three were asking for (what was it, three million?). Dochterman, Richter, Bailey and others have crafted CG replicas indistinguishable from the real thing at HD that could easily be pressed into onscreen service anytime Paramount wants to cough up the cash. I just don't get it...
 
I believe that several CG artists contributed to the ST:TMP Enterprise computer model, among them Lee Stringer.
 
I think Harvey and Shaw should join forces to debunk the myths about the Enterprise model for Harvey's Star Trek Fact Check blog.

I wish I had much to contribute on the subject, but I must confess that I know little about this sector of Star Trek history. I'm just happy to be reading this thread, which has been very informative.

Shaw, I hope you keep writing on this subject. If you ever launch your own blog or website I will surely recommend it.

Of course, if you ever wanted to talk about some sort of collaboration, or just needed someone to dig around in the UCLA files for you, send me a PM.
 
Which again begs the question - why are Taylor & Company doing this? Unless it's sitting in an Afghan cave or Iraqi museum somewhere, the original TMP model (while in desperate need of a Smithsonian-level restoration) is in no danger of ending up like the TOS 33 incher. Studio scale replicas can be made for far cheaper (and with much better tech, like LEDs and even built-in sound fx) than what these three were asking for (what was it, three million?). Dochterman, Richter, Bailey and others have crafted CG replicas indistinguishable from the real thing at HD that could easily be pressed into onscreen service anytime Paramount wants to cough up the cash. I just don't get it...

Obviously they want 3 million so they can get paid for their "time" :)
Wouldn't it be better to restore the one that was actually in the films?
I also agree that Dochterman, Richter, and Bailey's ships are excellent for filming if that was their purpose.

:)
 
Last edited:
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top