The original matte paintings and backdrops are pretty cool. They have tons of character, and they connect Star Trek to a bygone era of pre-computer film making.
"The Cage"
1. Talos IV, rocky peaks against sky with storm clouds.
This is a big cyclorama, very effective. The sky is foreboding.
Re-used as Delta Vega in "Where No Man..."
2. Rigel VII, castle against sky with enormous moon.
This matte painting works incredibly well, including the scene with live-action Pike and Vina composited into it. It's an iconic image that really says Star Trek for a lot of people.
Re-used as Flint's house in "Requiem for Methuselah."
3. City of Mojave skyline with arch in foreground.
This is a backdrop. It was always a little hazy and hard to see in standard def, especially as syndication prints faded in the 1970s, and that gave it a mystique for me. I used to doodle it in high school, among many other things from ST and Lost in Space. I was pretty bored.
Re-used as Planet Q in "The Conscience of the King."
"Where No Man Has Gone Before"
4. Lithium cracking station on Delta Vega (matte painting).
The industrial fuel bins are pretty cool; the office building in the foreground is some amazingly ugly architecture. Like world-class ugly. It reminds me of the gas company plant where my father worked when I was a boy.
Re-used (altered) as Tantalus Colony in "Dagger of the Mind."
"Court Martial"
5. Starbase 11 colony.
This painting was done on glass and lit from behind. It's gorgeous, but the main tower has windows so large that they make the tower seem like it must be a small structure, which would make the adjacent buildings much too small. Still pretty cool when not under long scrutiny. To my eye it looks vastly better and more convincing than similar "planet surface" paintings that were seen years later on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
"The Menagerie" Part 1
6. Starbase 11 city.
Matte painting composited with a small live-action set. With its sidewalk receding into the background and an abstract sculpture in the foreground set (not part of the painting), the overall scene is very reminiscent of a particular 1960s photo of TRW Space Park, where "Operation: Annihilate!" would later go on location.
"A Taste of Armageddon"
7. Eminiar VII capital city.
This matte painting is composited with the same live-action set from "The Menagerie," but the sculpture is swapped out for a different one. In the 1970s, before I had any off-air references in hand, I used to think 6 and 7 were the same exact painting; faulty memory on my part.
Re-used as Scalos city in "Wink of an Eye." Pretty effective there if, by chance, the Scalosians were supposed to be standing in front of a mural.
"The Devil in the Dark"
8. Janus VI mining operation.
This painting sets the scene for a mining planet, but for me it doesn't quite come alive.
Re-used as underground in "The Gamesters of Triskelion."
"The Cage"
1. Talos IV, rocky peaks against sky with storm clouds.
This is a big cyclorama, very effective. The sky is foreboding.
Re-used as Delta Vega in "Where No Man..."
2. Rigel VII, castle against sky with enormous moon.
This matte painting works incredibly well, including the scene with live-action Pike and Vina composited into it. It's an iconic image that really says Star Trek for a lot of people.
Re-used as Flint's house in "Requiem for Methuselah."
3. City of Mojave skyline with arch in foreground.
This is a backdrop. It was always a little hazy and hard to see in standard def, especially as syndication prints faded in the 1970s, and that gave it a mystique for me. I used to doodle it in high school, among many other things from ST and Lost in Space. I was pretty bored.
Re-used as Planet Q in "The Conscience of the King."
"Where No Man Has Gone Before"
4. Lithium cracking station on Delta Vega (matte painting).
The industrial fuel bins are pretty cool; the office building in the foreground is some amazingly ugly architecture. Like world-class ugly. It reminds me of the gas company plant where my father worked when I was a boy.
Re-used (altered) as Tantalus Colony in "Dagger of the Mind."
"Court Martial"
5. Starbase 11 colony.
This painting was done on glass and lit from behind. It's gorgeous, but the main tower has windows so large that they make the tower seem like it must be a small structure, which would make the adjacent buildings much too small. Still pretty cool when not under long scrutiny. To my eye it looks vastly better and more convincing than similar "planet surface" paintings that were seen years later on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
"The Menagerie" Part 1
6. Starbase 11 city.
Matte painting composited with a small live-action set. With its sidewalk receding into the background and an abstract sculpture in the foreground set (not part of the painting), the overall scene is very reminiscent of a particular 1960s photo of TRW Space Park, where "Operation: Annihilate!" would later go on location.
"A Taste of Armageddon"
7. Eminiar VII capital city.
This matte painting is composited with the same live-action set from "The Menagerie," but the sculpture is swapped out for a different one. In the 1970s, before I had any off-air references in hand, I used to think 6 and 7 were the same exact painting; faulty memory on my part.
Re-used as Scalos city in "Wink of an Eye." Pretty effective there if, by chance, the Scalosians were supposed to be standing in front of a mural.
"The Devil in the Dark"
8. Janus VI mining operation.
This painting sets the scene for a mining planet, but for me it doesn't quite come alive.
Re-used as underground in "The Gamesters of Triskelion."
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