Original model of USS Enterprise returned to Gene Roddenberry’s son

The first model of the USS Enterprise, which disappeared in the 1970s, has returned to creator Gene Roddenberry’s son, Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry after being missing for decades.

The miniature had become the subject of much discussion, fueled by its brief appearance on eBay in Autumn 2023.

It was used in the opening credits of the original ‘Star Trek’ show.

It was quickly taken down, and the sellers contacted Heritage Auctions in Dallas Texas to authenticate it.

The auction house helped facilitate its return to Roddeberry’s son.

“This is not going home to adorn my shelves,” said Mr Roddenberry, CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment to the Associated Press. “This is going to get restored and we’re working on ways to get it out so the public can see it and my hope is that it will land in a museum somewhere.”

Joe Maddalena, Heritage’s executive vice president said they were contacted by people who discovered the model in a storage unit and brought it into their office at Beverly Hills.

Once it was there, he and his colleague “instantly knew that it was the real thing”.

Roddenberry said he appreciates that everyone agreed returning the model to him was the right thing to do

While he didn’t go into any details on the agreement reached, Roddenberry commented “I felt it important to reward that and show appreciation for that”.

The first episode of ‘Star Trek: The Original Series’ aired in 1966 in the USA, and was created by Gene Roddenberry.

Gene Roddenberry died in 1991 aged 70.

The franchise is still going strong, spawning multiple TV shows and films.