Building Star Trek World Premiere

The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian Channel provided fans with a Trek doubleheader on Saturday at Mission New York. First, there was the panel To Spacedock and Back: Putting the Enterprise on Exhibit at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. And that was followed by a special, MNY-exclusive preview screening of the Smithsonian Channel documentary, Building Star Trek.

Smithsonian curator Margaret Weitekamp spoke extensively about the recently completed conservation for the original 11-foot The Original Series shooting model of the Enterprise and it going back on display at the National Air and Space Museum in the Boeing Milestones of Flight gallery. She also addressed the dual nature of the Enterprise as both an artifact as a working studio model and also as the Enterprise, the character on the show.

“Part of what is particularly smart about Matt Jefferies’ Enterprise design as a whole," she said, "is it brought a sense of logic and weight to the ship in a way that had never been brought into space science fiction before.”

Weitekamp noted that she's glad she was able to bring the Enterprise into the Milestones gallery and onto the main floor of the museum, a journey that began back in 2011. "The Enterprise studio model really deserved the space (on the main floor)," she told the audience. "It’s a permanent part of our exhibit. It’s here now, and it will be right there for years to come.”

And then it was on to the screening of Building Star Trek. The world premiere played for a packed audience, and the screening was followed by a lively panel discussion with the creators and several of the subjects of the documentary.

Here's a sneak peek and don't miss the Smithsonian Channel premiere on Sunday, September 4th at 8/7C.