Who do you call when you need to know everything there is to know about the Star Trek starship Enterprise studio model? The object's curator, Margaret Weitekamp, assembled a team of experts from across the country to offer information, research, and advice to help the Museum make the final aesthetic and structural decisions about the conservation and display of this cultural icon.
The Museum sought to restore the starship Enterprise studio model to the appearance it had in August of 1967. In order to do that, we asked to public to send us their first-hand, primary source photos or film of the ship’s early years, from 1964 to 1976. Conservators used these images to help restore the model to what it used to look like.
Each section of the starship Enterprise studio model was meticulously studied to determine its construction and condition and was be documented with visible, ultraviolet, and infrared photography.
Advisory committee member Gary Kerr worked diligently to to document missing parts and secure the hardware needed for the restoration of the model.
The paint colors used in the conservation of the studio model were matched to colors uncovered during the Museum’s exhaustive research on the artifact. In addition, there were some places on the model where original paint could be seen directly.
When advisory committee member Michael Okuda met at the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center with other members of the team involved in the restoration, he called it "Nerd Camp." As life-long Star Trek fans, virtually every line, every detail of the starship model felt instantly familiar.
