When Robert Wise and his new production team embarked upon the "Director's Edition" version of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" in 1999, they had 20 years of technological advancement available to them. The special effects that Wise envisioned were now best realized through computer graphics, but the foremost challenge was to create a cyber-Enterprise indistinguishable from the physical model photographed in the original film.

That challenge was undertaken by Daren R. Dochterman, a talented illustrator and computer graphics artist who has done production art and contributed to visual effects on dozens of films, including "The Abyss," "Se7en" and many others. David C. Fein, producer of the Director's Edition, recalls, "In the earliest of discussions with Bob, we discussed the use of digital technology to touch up and complete the new effects shots for the film. It was essential to us that the remarkable work of Doug Trumbull and John Dykstra had to be complemented by our work, not challenged. Our goal was to use CGI technology, but carefully ensure that every shot had the same visual balance and appearance as the original model shots generated in 1979. Having worked for a number of years with Daren, I knew that he would be essential in bringing this level of quality to the project, and asked him to join us as Visual Effects Supervisor."

Dochterman describes the "re-refitting" of the U.S.S. Enterprise in his own words:

"Early in the process of preparing to do the Director's Edition we realized one of the most essential elements necessary would be a digital version of the refitted NCC-1701. This being a complex and expensive undertaking, I took it upon myself to start the process of developing the model in Lightwave3d, the software package that Foundation Imaging, the company we planned on working with for the project, used. So, in December of 1999, 20 years after the release of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," I broke out my old copy of the Enterprise blueprints, an extensive collection of photographs of the shooting miniature, and unbridled enthusiasm and then spent the next four weeks of the holiday season building and texturing my favorite movie starship.

"Six months later, after reaching a moderate success at capturing some of the grace and majesty of the ship, I was relieved to be able to hand it over to the artists at Foundation so they could use their Emmy-winning talent to take it to the next level. I had broken down the Director's Edition project with Dave Fein and Mike Matessino and we had gone through the notes from Mr. Wise by this time ... and we were able to establish a proposed shot list. From this, and the original storyboards that we had access to, I enlisted Art Director Steve Burg to refine the storyboards and help determine what areas we needed to concentrate on for the new digital model. We determined that we needed a much higher level of detail on the saucer section for the shots we were planning. Mojo, FI's effects supervisor for the project, suggested that this task would be perfect for Rob Bonchune and Lee Stringer, who were finishing up work on Star Trek: Voyager at the time. Although we had very good photo reference, it was determined that the existing blueprints were inaccurate, and that we needed much better reference if we were to be successful re-creating the ship. There was only one thing to do. We needed her there.

"With the aid of Peter Lauritson, supervising producer on Voyager, we gained access to the original filming model. I called Ron Thornton, co owner and Effects producer at FI, and said, 'Hey Ron, I bet the guys there would benefit from some better reference for the Enterprise, wouldn't they?' He responded, 'Of course ... any way we can get accurate information would be a great help … did you find some better photos?' I grinned. 'Can you guys handle delivery of quite a large box next week?' 'How big a box?' A week later, a box roughly the size of a Federation dry-dock arrived. A crowd gathered as the box was rolled into the motion capture stage in the back of the building. An air of excitement surrounded it. We had tried to keep it as much of a surprise as possible, but already the rumor network had been working overtime ... and some had guessed what was coming. Someone finally found an electric screwdriver, and we opened the crate. Even the most jaded and grouchy of the crew couldn't help smiling as the front panel was removed ... revealing the one and only movie Enterprise. (I could have sworn I heard Jerry Goldsmith's stirring score in my ears ... but in reviewing the video of that moment, I realize it was only in my head.)

"Over the next few weeks, all the questions had been answered. From the most obscure measurements to the tiny detail of the panels next to the shuttle bay doors, Rob and Lee made the necessary changes to the digital model to make it match precisely her real-world forbearer. We had known that it would be an important aid to have in the technical side of the Director's Edition, but it also served a more subtle but equally important role besides reference. It was an immeasurable boost of morale and excitement for the effects crew. It was both a reminder of the love for this project and a concrete connection to the amazing original crew of the film that inspired all of us."

On this page, we have some of the actual video footage he spoke of, showing the uncrating of the Enterprise movie model. This model, created for "ST:TMP," was re-used in all six Original Series movies, so it is now labelled "NCC-1701-A" (prompting Daren to joke, "Oh, we got the wrong box!"). The Klingon battle cruiser — also created for the first movie but last altered for "Star Trek VI" — was also pulled from storage for reference, though that CGI model was ultimately unneeded for the project.

The second video is an early animation of the digital Enterprise which Daren produced to test movement, texture and lighting. (It replicates the final shot of "ST:TMP" but was never intended for actual use in the "Director's Edition.")

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