star trek enterprise canamar

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Canamar was a notorious penal colony run by the Enolians during the 22nd century .

In orbit of the colony was a processing station where prisoners were tried and sentenced before being sent down to the colony on the planet . This was the process for all prisoners regardless if they were guilty or innocent of their alleged crimes .

Sometime prior to 2152 , an Enolian criminal named Kuroda was once incarcerated at Canamar for seven years before he escaped. To ensure an easy escape should he be captured again, he had depolarizing subdermal implants placed into his wrists .

In 2152, Kuroda was again captured and was being sent back to Canamar aboard an Enolian transport . Also aboard the transport were Earth Starfleet officers Jonathan Archer and Trip Tucker , who had been wrongfully accused and arrested for smuggling . En route, Kuroda used his implants to escape from his restraints and hijacked the transport. He intended to rendezvous with another ship and escape, leaving the transport and its passengers to disintegrate in orbit of Tamaal .

The transport was ultimately boarded by Archer and Tucker's crewmates from Enterprise NX-01 and the officers and the ship's prisoners and personnel were rescued. Kuroda remained aboard the transport as it disintegrated, opting to die rather than return to Canamar.

Upon his return to Enterprise , Archer angrily informed an Enolian official his intent on reporting how he and Tucker were falsely arrested and wondered how many innocent people were unjustly imprisoned at Canamar. ( ENT : " Canamar ")

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Recap / Star Trek Enterprise S 02 E 017 Canamar

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The Enterprise finds Shuttlepod 1 in space with no lifesigns or working power. They play back the captain's log and hear Archer describe a successful first contact and a sporting match. Phlox does a forensic analysis and finds Archer and Trip's blood. This leads the crew to conclude that they were abducted and T'Pol orders a course set for Keto-Enol.

Meanwhile, Archer and Trip are shackled to benches on a spaceship. Archer tries to get the guard's attention, but the guard gives him an electric shock instead. Another prisoner, named Kuroda Lor-ehn, tells him not to ask the guard questions, so Archer asks the prisoners his question instead: where are they going? The other prisoners tell Archer and Trip that it's a penal colony named Canamar, and that they were accused of smuggling and are going to be unfairly tried.

The prisoners are fed, but Trip hates his food. A Nausican wants some, and so he and Trip fight over it, until the guard shocks the Nausican. One of the prisoners, Zoumas, asks Trip what he and Archer smuggled and doesn't believe him when he says they're innocent.

T'Pol contacts the Enolian authorities, and an official says that they're busy but willing to help, accepting a description of Archer and Trip. He then boards the Enterprise and confirms that Archer and Trip were found and charged with smuggling contraband, and they're now on a prison ship. She explains the situation, and the official promises to release Archer and Trip and inform the transport crew.

The guards are ordered to release Archer and Trip, but the other prisoners object, with one of them freeing himself, attacking a guard, and freeing the Nausican. The two escaped prisoners shackle the guard and draw out the other one, who Lor-ehn stuns. The pilot tries to close the door to the cockpit, but the Nausican jams it and knocks him out. Lor-ehn then has Archer pilot the ship at gunpoint to a binary star system.

Enterprise detects a distress signal, which the Enolian official recognises the frequency of, and starts to contact Enolian patrol ships. Meanwhile, Zoumas yaks away to a bored Trip and Lor-ehn tries to find out about Archer. Soon, they are found, making Lor-ehn suspicious that Archer activated the transceiver before it was off. Lor-ehn wants to fight, but Archer thinks that would be too risky, and instead has Trip release plasma into a cloud. This knocks out the ships' propulsion systems and Lor-ehn wants to destroy the ships, but Archer says no, since that would be murder. Now that the Enolian authorities have determined that Lor-ehn is involved, they want to destroy the ship, which T'Pol disapproves of.

Lor-ehn appreciates Archer's resourcefulness and invites him to join him, to which Archer plays along. Lor-ehn goes on, revealing that he got into crime by being wrongfully sentenced and hanging out with other prisoners as a teenager. They arrive at their rendezvous point, a planet called Tamaal, and Archer asks what the plan is. Lor-ehn replies that the plan is to put the ship in a decaying orbit to make it look like it crashed.

Enterprise finds the transport. The Enolian official explains that Tamaal is a very busy trading post, and they can't use the transporter since the transport ship is heavily shielded. They then detect a smaller ship with Enolian life signs, which the official confirms isn't theirs.

Archer, realising that he needs to take over the ship, frees Trip to fix the docking hatch. There, Archer tells Trip about his plan and Trip knocks out the Nausican. However, when he goes to knock out Lor-ehn, a still-suspicious Zoumas warns Lor-ehn before he can do it. Lor-ehn stuns Trip and tries to do the same to Archer, but then Archer points out that Lor-ehn needs him to fix the hatch.

Tropes in this episode include:

• Big "SHUT UP!" : Zoumas gets this a few times from both Kuroda and Trip.
• Continuity Nod : The alien sitting next to Archer is of the same species as the two who mugged Trip and Malcolm on Risa in "Two Days and Two Nights."
• Electric Torture : The Enolians can electrify the rowdy prisoners' handcuffs to subdue them. Becomes a Chekhov's Gun when Archer uses it as an Improvised Weapon against Kuroda.
• Face Death with Dignity : Kuroda refuses to Abandon Ship , preferring to risk a fiery death in the atmosphere to imprisonment on Canamar. When he examines the controls and confirms that he's doomed, he leans back in his seat and braces for the inevitable.
• Grudging "Thank You" : The Nausicaan gives Trip a sarcastic "Thanks" after he helps save the prison transport and is promptly re-cuffed.
• Had to Come to Prison to Be a Crook : Kuroda explains this in his backstory. He was blamed for stealing a latinum brace and spent five years in prison. After he left, he became a hardened and ruthless criminal.
• Hellhole Prison : Canamar is heavily implied to be one, hence Kuroda's refusal to ever go back.
• Hoist by His Own Petard : Kuroda forces Archer to put the transport in a decaying orbit around Tamaal as part of his escape plan. Guess who ends up being the only fatality when it burns up?
• I Surrender, Suckers : Part of Archer's plan to escape the patrol ships, leading up to Weaponized Exhaust .
• Jerkass : One of the guards zaps Archer when he starts asking questions, and later Trip for no good reason.
• Kangaroo Court : What apparently awaits anyone who gets arrested. Trip: Is this how your justice system works? Ship people off to prison without a trial? Zoumas: There's a processing station in orbit. You'll be tried, sentenced, and sent down to the surface. Trip: What if you're not guilty? Zoumas: We're all guilty as far as they're concerned.
• Motor Mouth : Much to Trip's (and everyone else's) annoyance, Zoumas never shuts up (though he claims that this is only because he's nervous).
• Never Going Back to Prison : Kuroda chooses to remain on the transport as it's burning up rather than go back to Canamar. Archer: Kuroda! It's over! Kuroda: I WON'T GO BACK!
• Never Trust a Trailer : A Downplayed example compared to many others, but the trailer makes it look like Archer and Trip are imprisoned on the titular penal colony (which is never actually shown), rather than a Prison Ship headed for said colony.
• Obstructive Bureaucrat : Subverted with the Enolian official, who proves reasonably helpful.
• Pragmatic Villainy : Archer gives this as the reason why he doesn't destroy the disabled Enolian patrol ships. Kuroda: As soon as they repair the damage, they'll come after us again! Archer: Do you think the Enolians are just going to give up if we destroy two of their ships? All I'm wanted for is smuggling. I don't need to add murder charges to it. Let me get us out of here.
• Prison Ship : Archer and Trip are put on one. It's promptly taken over by an escaped con and his Nausicaan accomplice.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech : Archer gives one to the Enolian official—and, by extension, the entire Enolian justice system: "I'll give you [a report] right now. Kuroda's dead; the other eleven prisoners are under guard. As you're aware , my engineer and I were falsely arrested! We almost wound up in Canamar! Makes me wonder how many others don't belong there! You wanted a report? You got one."
• Save the Villain : Enterprise rescues almost all the prisoners (though how many of them are actually villains is unclear) and the transport crew. Kuroda, however, decides on Going Down with the Ship .
• Screw the Rules, I Have Money! : Archer tells Kuroda that this is why he's suddenly innocent. Archer: I have friends who wanted to keep doing business with me. They made a few discreet payments and now...I'm innocent.
• Tap on the Head : Trip knocks out the Nausicaan with a wrench during the attempted mutiny against Kuroda.
• Weaponized Exhaust : To get away from the Enolian patrol ships, Archer dumps a bunch of plasma exhaust in their faces and then ignites it. The ships are disabled but not badly damaged.
• Star Trek Enterprise S 02 E 016 Future Tense
• Recap/Star Trek: Enterprise
• Star Trek Enterprise S 02 E 018 The Crossing

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Following a seemingly successful first contact mission, Archer and Trip are charged with smuggling and imprisoned aboard a penal vessel. When prisoners hijack the ship, Archer and Trip must pass as outlaws.

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Original ‘Star Trek’ Enterprise Model Resurfaces Decades After It Went Missing

The model used in the original series’ opening credits is now back with Eugene Roddenberry Jr., the son of the show’s creator

Julia Binswanger

Daily Correspondent

Nearly 50 years after it went missing, the original model of the  USS Starship Enterprise from the hit show “ Star Trek ” is finally voyaging home. The 33-inch model—the same one that appears in the opening credits of the original series—is now back with Eugene Roddenberry Jr., the son of the show’s creator.

“After five decades, I’m thrilled that someone happened upon this historic model of the USS Enterprise ,” says Roddenberry, who goes by “Rod,” in a Heritage Auctions statement . “I remember how it used to adorn my dad’s desk.”

The tiny model has been missing since Roddenberry’s father, Gene Roddenberry (who died in 1991), lent it to the makers of 1979’s  Star Trek: The Motion Picture , the first Star Trek feature film. Unfortunately, he never got it back. What happened to it at that point is unknown.

Last fall, the spaceship popped up on  eBay —with a starting bid of $1,000. The listing was titled “Rare Custom Star Trek USS Enterprise Spaceship by Richard Datin .” Datin, a model maker from the Howard Anderson special-effects company, built the original model out of solid wood. The  New York Times ’ Emily Schmall reports that the seller came across the item after discovering it in a storage unit. After receiving many inquiries about the item, the seller contacted Heritage Auctions.

“Once our team of experts concluded it was the real thing, we contacted Rod because we wanted to get the model back to where it belonged,” says Joe Maddalena, executive vice president at Heritage Auctions, in the statement. “We’re thrilled the Enterprise is finally in dry dock.”

The ship’s whereabouts after its disappearance remain a mystery; unfortunately, the missing years aren’t described in a captain’s log. The younger Roddenberry says there had even been rumors that he’d thrown it into a pool as a boy, per Jamie Stengle of the Associated Press (AP).

While the model would “easily” sell for over $1 million at auction, it’s a “priceless” piece of television history, Maddalena tells the AP.

Since Star Trek ’s debut in 1966, the Enterprise has become an instantly recognizable image—and a pioneering design that inspired many other fictional spacecraft.

“We didn’t want the Enterprise to look like something currently planned for our space program,” said Walter Jefferies, the Star Trek art director who designed the fictional craft, in the 1968 book The Making of Star Trek , per the auction house. “We knew that by the time the show got on the air, this type of thing would be old hat. We had to go further than even the most advanced space scientists were thinking.”

The younger Roddenberry rounded up a group of Star Trek production veterans to help authenticate and restore the model. One of them was Gary Kerr, a “Trek x-pert” who worked on the 2016 restoration of an 11-foot model of the Enterprise for the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum . Kerr still had old photos of the model sitting on the elder Roddenberry’s desk.

“We spent at least an hour photographing it, inspecting the paint, inspecting the dirt, looking under the base, the patina on the stem, the grain in the wood,” Roddenberry tells the Times . “It was a unanimous ‘This is 100 percent the one.’”

While other models of the Enterprise exist, the newly discovered ship is the original. Looking ahead, Roddenberry wants to ensure that this one-of-a-kind artifact is accessible to the public.

“This is not going home to adorn my shelves,” he tells the AP. “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.”

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Julia Binswanger is a freelance arts and culture reporter based in Chicago. Her work has been featured in WBEZ,  Chicago magazine,  Rebellious magazine and  PC magazine. 

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Published May 2, 2024

It's The (Other) Enterprise! How Discovery's I.S.S. Enterprise Connects Three Eras of Star Trek

The Mirror Enterprise had a long road getting from there to here.

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains story details and plot points for Star Trek: Discovery's "Mirrors."

StarTrek.com

In the classic 1967 episode, " Mirror, Mirror ," when Kirk, Bones, Scotty, and Uhura accidentally beamed across dimensions, and onto another version of the Enterprise , the first clue that this was a parallel universe was the fact that the ship was orbiting around the Halkan homeworld from right-to-left, rather than left-to-right. So, the first glimpse of the I.S.S. Enterprise was simply that it was taking a different path, literally, zagging when it should have been zigging.

Ever since the debut of "Mirror, Mirror," the idea of an evil Enterprise grew in our imaginations, even if we didn't get to actually see it on-screen again. Even as the Mirror Universe expanded in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Star Trek: Enterprise , and Star Trek: Discovery , an on-screen glimpse of the I.S.S. Enterprise — traveling on a very different path from the U.S.S. Enterprise — remained elusive. That is, until now.

In the Discovery episode " Mirrors ," the final destination of this version of the Enterprise has been revealed, and in that revelation, the entire timeline of the Star Trek universe has been traversed. Unlike the classic 1701 of the Prime Universe, the I.S.S. Enterprise 's journey has lasted centuries. Here's how that journey unites at least three different aspects of the larger Star Trek story.

How Discovery Brings Back the Mirror Enterprise

"Mirrors"

In "Mirrors," the fifth episode of Discovery 's fifth season, Book and Burnham take a shuttlecraft into an unstable wormhole, hoping to find a trace of Moll and L'ak and the next piece of the puzzle that can lead them to the Progenitor 's elusive technology. But instead, adrift and displaced by nine centuries, and an entirely different dimension, they find the I.S.S. Enterprise , a ship Burnham never actually encountered while she was in the Mirror Universe in Discovery 's first season, but is nonetheless instantly familiar with.

While aboard, we learn that while this ship was part of the Terran Starfleet. At some point after the events of "Mirror, Mirror," a group of rebellious reformers commandeered this Enterprise , turning it into a ship of hope. Book finds a plaque on the ship which commemorates the ship's journey, pointing out that "The Terran High Chancellor was killed for trying to make reforms." This could reference Mirror Spock, though Burnham and Book would have no way of knowing that.

In "Mirror, Mirror," Kirk challenged Mirror Spock to be better, and try to reform the Empire which, we learned, actually did happen. But, interestingly, Burnham and Book only have one piece of the puzzle, the audience of all of the Star Trek franchise, has the rest.

The Deep Space Nine Connection

"Crossover"

In the 1994  Deep Space Nine episode " Crossover ," Kira and Bashir find themselves in the Mirror Universe after a warp bubble kerfuffle spits them out the Bajorian wormhole and into very unfamiliar territory. They’re in the Mirror Universe all right, but this is the 24th Century version of the Mirror Universe, not the 23rd Century time frame from "Mirror, Mirror." Kira comes face to face with her Mirror self, Intendant Kira, who tells her all about how Spock became the leader of the Empire, and began "preaching reforms" and "peace."

This neatly parallels what Book says in "Mirrors," but now, we learn that some Terrans who believed in peace escaped on the I.S.S. Enterprise . While the DS9 future of the Mirror Universe was bleak for Terrans, we now learn that some survived, and even made it to the Prime Universe thanks to the Enterprise . 

The Story of Another Wayward, Vintage Starship

"In A Mirror Darkly, Part 2"

The Constitution -class I.S.S. Enterprise 's journey from the Mirror Universe of the 23rd Century to the 32nd Century is also reminiscent of another TOS Mirror Universe starship crossover. Back in Discovery 's first season, the crew learns everything they need to know about the Mirror Universe thanks to information about the U.S.S. Defiant , a ship, which like the I.S.S. Enterprise , eventually moved across universes and time, as well.

In the 1968 Original Series episode " The Tholian Web ," the U.S.S. Defiant vanishes, only to reappear in the 2005 Enterprise two-parter, " In a Mirror, Darkly ." As Burnham puts it in "Despite Yourself," this journey is unorthodox, "Data suggests that in the future, the Defiant will encounter a phenomenon that'll bring it into this alternative universe's past." This means that not only did the Defiant cross universes, but time-traveled too, from the 23rd Century setting of The Original Series , to the 22nd Century setting of Star Trek: Enterprise . 

The I.S.S. Enterprise didn't travel from the 23rd century Mirror Universe straight to the 32nd century Prime Universe. As we learned in Discovery 's third season, crossing over directly between these universes at this point in time is impossible. But, it did crossover sometime before the end of the 24th Century; one of the mysterious 24th Century scientists, Dr. Cho, was Terran. And, that detail, brings the journey of the I.S.S. Enterprise , all the way back to the story of Discovery .

Discovery 's Hopeful Mirror Universe Tale

Book reads the journey of the I.S.S. Enterprise to Burnham, mentioning that this crew escaped all thanks to the help of a "Keplian slave turned rebel leader." Instantly, Book and Burnham know this can only mean "Action Saru" himself, from the Mirror Universe.

This detail ties into Season 3's two-parter, " Terra Firma ," in which Georgiou re-entered the Mirror Universe in the 23rd Century, at a point in time prior to Burnham's crossover in Season 1. But, in this version of the Mirror Universe, Georgiou, like Mirror Spock, tried to affect some positive change, which had dire consequences for her. But, at the same time, in this Mirror Universe, Georgiou had also freed Saru, and we did see him leading a rebellion toward the end of the episode. As the Guardian of Forever told Georgiou in " Terra Firma, Part 2 ," her actions in at least one version of the Mirror Universe had a big, positive impact, "You saved a Kelpien. And you didn't have to do that. And he'll save others. A lot of them."

So, thanks to Georgiou, Mirror Spock, and Action Saru, the story of the Mirror Universe in Star Trek: Discovery 's final season has become an optimistic one. Like the idealistic Terran rebels in Deep Space Nine 's " Through the Looking Glass ," not all stories about the darkest dimension in Star Trek have to end in despair. And thanks to crossover between dimensions, the I.S.S. Enterprise has now become a beacon of hope in not one universe, but two.

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Ryan Britt is the author of the nonfiction books Phasers on Stun! How the Making and Remaking of Star Trek Changed the World (2022), The Spice Must Flow: The Journey of Dune from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies (2023), and the essay collection Luke Skywalker Can’t Read (2015). He is a longtime contributor to Star Trek.com and his writing regularly appears with Inverse, Den of Geek!, Esquire and elsewhere. He lives in Portland, Maine with his family.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Star Trek: Discovery's Enterprise Plaque Reveals New Mirror Universe History Details

Warning: This Article Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 5 - "Mirrors"

• Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors", reveals new details about the Mirror Universe's history on the ISS Enterprise.
• The dedication plaque on the starship sheds light on events in the late-23rd century after "Mirror, Mirror" from TOS season 2.
• Burnham and Booker found the ISS Enterprise in interdimensional space and brought it into the 32nd century Prime Universe.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors", shockingly brought the ISS Enterprise into the 32nd century, and the starship's dedication plaque reveals new details about the Mirror Universe's history. Written by Johanna Lee and Carlos Cisco and directed by Jen McGowan, "Mirrors" brought Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) into interdimensional space in pursuit of the next clue to the ancient treasure of the Progenitors, which was hidden aboard the 23rd century ISS Enterprise from the Mirror Universe.

On his X account, Jörg Hillebrand (@gaghyogi49), who was a researcher for Star Trek: Picard season 3 renowned for his attention to detail, posted a clear translation of the ISS Enterprise's dedication plaque from Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5 . The illuminated text reveals what happened in the late-23rd century Mirror Universe after the events of Star Trek: The Original Series season 2's "Mirror, Mirror." Read the post below:

Here is the image in the X post:

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

A timeline of star trek's mirror universe, from the terran empire to the temporal wars.

The Mirror Universe was introduced in Star Trek: The Original Series season 2's "Mirror, Mirror" and its canonical history can be tracked through Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Enterprise, and Star Trek: Discovery. The earliest chronological glimpse of the Mirror Universe is on April 5, 2063, when Zephram Cochrane (James Cromwell) murdered a Vulcan after making First Contact in Enterprise 's "In A Mirror, Darkly". In the 22nd century of Star Trek: Enterprise 's Mirror Universe , Commander Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) captured the USS Defiant from the 23rd century, but he was betrayed by Hoshi Sato (Linda Park), who declared herself Empress of the Terran Empire.

In the 23rd century of Star Trek: Discovery , the Mirror Universe was ruled by Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh). Georgiou jumped to Star Trek 's Prime Universe aboard the USS Discovery after defeating a coup by Gabriel Lorca (Jason Issacs) . The Terran Empire continued unabated, but after Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) briefly switched places with his Mirror Universe counterpart, he convinced the Mirror Spock (Leonard Nimoy) to institute reforms to save the Terran Empire from its inevitable collapse.

Refugees fled the Mirror Universe aboard the stolen ISS Enterprise.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 episode 5 reveals that High Chancellor Spock did change the Terran Empire, but he was assassinated for weakness. Refugees fled the Mirror Universe aboard the stolen ISS Enterprise, thanks to the Mirror Saru (Doug Jones), a rebel leader. The ISS Enterprise's personnel did make it to the Prime Universe. However, in the Mirror Universe, the Terran Empire was conquered by the Klingon/Cardassian Alliance , as detailed in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . By Star Trek: Discovery 's 32nd century, the Mirror and Prime Universe timelines have split further apart thanks to the Temporal Wars, making crossing over impossible.

Source: Twitter/X

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 stream Thursdays on Paramount+

Cast Blu del Barrio, Oded Fehr, Anthony Rapp, Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Wilson Cruz, Eve Harlow, Mary Wiseman, Callum Keith Rennie

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Showrunner Alex Kurtzman

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Long-lost first model of the USS Enterprise from ‘Star Trek’ boldly goes home after twisting voyage

The first model of the USS Enterprise is displayed at Heritage Auctions in Los Angeles, April 13, 2024. The model — used in the original “Star Trek” television series — has been returned to Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, the son of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, decades after it went missing in the 1970s. (Josh David Jordan/Heritage Auctions via AP)

Joe Maddalena, executive vice president of Heritage Auctions, left, and Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, the son of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, shake hands over the recently recovered first model of the USS Enterprise at the Heritage Auctions in Los Angeles, April 13, 2024. The model — used in the original “Star Trek” television series — has been returned to Eugene, decades after it went missing in the 1970s. (Josh David Jordan/Heritage Auctions via AP)

Joe Maddalena, executive vice president of Heritage Auctions, left, and Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, the son of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, view the recently recovered first model of the USS Enterprise at Heritage Auctions in Los Angeles, April 13, 2024. The model — used in the original “Star Trek” television series — has been returned to Eugene, decades after it went missing in the 1970s. (Josh David Jordan/Heritage Auctions via AP)

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DALLAS (AP) — The first model of the USS Enterprise — used in the opening credits of the original “Star Trek” television series — has boldly gone back home, returning to creator Gene Roddenberry’s son decades after it went missing.

The model’s disappearance sometime in the 1970s had become the subject of lore, so it caused a stir when it popped up on eBay last fall. The sellers quickly took it down, and then contacted Dallas-based Heritage Auctions to authenticate it. Last weekend, the auction house facilitated the model’s return.

Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment, said he’s thrilled to have the model that had graced the desk of his father, who died in 1991 at age 70.

“This is not going home to adorn my shelves,” Roddenberry said. “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.”

AP AUDIO: Long-lost first model of the USS Enterprise from ‘Star Trek’ boldly goes home after twisting voyage.

AP correspondent Margie Szaroleta reports on the return of the original model of the USS Enterprise from the TV show “Star Trek.”

Heritage’s executive vice president, Joe Maddalena, said the auction house was contacted by people who said they’d discovered it a storage unit, and when it was brought into their Beverly Hills office, he and a colleague “instantly knew that it was the real thing.”

They reached out to Roddenberry, who said he appreciates that everyone involved agreed returning the model was the right thing to do. He wouldn’t go into details on the agreement reached but said “I felt it important to reward that and show appreciation for that.”

Maddalena said the model vanished in the 1970s after Gene Roddenberry loaned it to makers of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” which was released in 1979.

“No one knew what happened to it,” Rod Roddenberry said.

The 3-foot (0.91-meter) model of the USS Enterprise was used in the show’s original pilot episode as well as the opening credits of the resulting TV series, and was the prototype for the 11-foot (3-meter) version featured in the series’ episodes. The larger model is on display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

The original “Star Trek” television series, which aired in the late 1960s, kicked off an ever-expanding multiverse of cultural phenomena, with TV and movie spinoffs and conventions where a fanbase of zealous and devoted Trekkies can’t get enough of memorabilia.

This USS Enterprise model would easily sell for more than $1 million at auction, but really “it’s priceless,” Maddalena said.

“It could sell for any amount and I wouldn’t be surprised because of what it is,” he said. “It is truly a cultural icon.”

Roddenberry, who was just a young boy when the model went missing, said he has spotty memories of it, “almost a deja vu.” He said it wasn’t something he’d thought much about until people began contacting him after it appeared on eBay.

“I don’t think I really, fully comprehended at first that this was the first Enterprise ever created,” he said.

He said he has no idea if there was something nefarious behind the disappearance all those decades ago or if it was just mistakenly lost, but it would be interesting to find out more about what happened.

“This piece is incredibly important and it has its own story and this would be a great piece of the story,” Roddenberry said.

Thankfully, he said, the discovery has cleared up one rumor: That it was destroyed because as a young boy, he’d thrown it into a pool.

“Finally I’m vindicated after all these years,” he said with a laugh.

Screen Rant

Star trek: discovery's mirror universe enterprise was cool, but also missed 3 opportunities.

The appearance of the ISS Enterprise was a nice surprise, but Star Trek: Discovery could have done more with the Mirror Universe ship.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 5 - "Mirrors"

• It was a missed opportunity for Mirror Universe legacy characters like Spock or Kirk to make an appearance in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5.
• Burnham's reflection on the ISS Enterprise could have tied back to her time in the Mirror Universe with Georgiou.
• The story of ISS Enterprise's escape from the Mirror Universe teases a powerful rebellion and hope narrative.

Star Trek: Discovery brought back the ISS Enterprise that was introduced in the classic Star Trek: The Original Series episode, "Mirror, Mirror," but the show could've done so much more with the Mirror Universe version of Star Trek's most iconic ship. In its fifth and final season, Star Trek: Discovery has sent its characters on an intergalactic treasure hunt centuries in the making. In their search for the powerful technology of the Progenitors, Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and her crew have already faced numerous trials, and their most recent clue took them to a relic from the 23rd century.

In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5 , "Mirrors," written by Johanna Lee and Carlos Cisco and directed by Jen McGowan, Captain Burnham and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) must enter interdimensional space in search of the next clue on their quest to find the Progenitors' technology. After Burnham and Booker make it into the wormhole, they find the heavily damaged, but still intact ISS Enterprise. As they search the ship, they discover that refugees used the Enterprise to escape from the brutal Mirror Universe in search of a better life. While it was certainly fascinating to learn more about the ISS Enterprise and its journey, the appearance of the centuries-old ship could have had more of an impact.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

The iss enterprise provided the perfect excuse for a strange new worlds cameo, michael could've found a recording from mirror universe spock or kirk..

As Captain Burnham and Cleveland Booker explore the bridge of the ISS Enterprise, Michael gets emotional looking at what would have been her brother, Spock's (Ethan Peck), terminal. While this is a nice moment, it would have been a great opportunity to include a recorded message from Mirror Universe Spock or someone else who was on board the ship. Not only would it have been fun to see Ethan Peck with Mirror Spock's goatee, but it could have been a nice moment for Michael to see an alternate version of her brother.

It's a missed opportunity that no Star Trek legacy characters made an appearance in "Mirrors."

Whether due to budget constraints or scheduling conflicts, it's a shame that Star Trek: Discovery did not get Ethan Peck or Paul Wesley, who plays Lt. James T. Kirk on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , to make a quick cameo. Seeing the Mirror Universe Captain Kirk would have been a nice way to shout out Star Trek: The Original Series , while also connecting Discovery to Strange New Worlds . Star Trek: Discovery has shown recordings of legacy characters before, such using old footage of Leonard Nimoy's Spock in the Discovery season 3 episode "Unification III", and it's a missed opportunity that no Star Trek legacy characters made an appearance in "Mirrors."

The ISS Enterprise Should've Reminded Burnham Of Her Time In The Mirror Universe With Georgiou

Didn't all of the mirror universe iconography remind burnham of her experiences there.

While Captain Burnham did have a moment of reflection regarding Spock, she never mentioned the time she spent in the Mirror Universe or her connection with Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) . The Mirror Universe played a major role in Star Trek: Discovery season 1, and Burnham spent a fair amount of time there. Michael also grew close to Georgiou after she traveled back with the USS Discovery to Star Trek 's Prime Universe. It stands to reason that Michael would likely have been reminded of her time in the Mirror Universe as she was exploring the ISS Enterprise.

Two of Star Trek's best modern villains, Emperor Georgiou and Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs), came from the Mirror Universe. Michelle Yeoh will reprise the role of Georgiou in the upcoming Star Trek: Section 31.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4 , "Face the Strange" revisited several moments from Captain Burnham's past, but didn't touch on the Mirror Universe. Allowing Michael to have a moment of remembrance on the ISS Enterprise would have been a nice connection to season 1 and another way to show how far Burnham has come. Whether or not Burnham has spoken with Book about her experiences in the Mirror Universe, she could have shared a memory of her time with Georgiou. Discovery season 5 already has a lot going on, but they missed out on what could have been a nice moment of reflection for Captain Burnham.

Star Trek 10’s Best Mirror Universe Variants

Star trek should tell the story of the iss enterprise's escape from the mirror universe, discovery teases what could be a powerful story of rebellion and hope..

One of the most interesting aspects of the ISS Enterprise is the story of how the ship ended up in interdimensional space in the first place. After Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) visited the Mirror Universe in Star Trek: The Original Series, he inspired Spock to initiate a series of reforms to prevent the Terran Empire from falling. Unfortunately, the Empire fell anyway, but some people took Spock's ideas to heart and rebelled against the new regime. After "a Kelpian slave turned rebel leader" — aka Mirror Universe Saru (Doug Jones) — told others about the Prime Universe, they began searching for a way to get there.

Star Trek: Discovery could have done more with the ISS Enterprise, but at least they turned the former warship into a symbol of hope.

The ISS Enterprise became a lifeboat, as Saru helped refugees steal the ship and take it to the Prime Universe. Book reads their story from a plaque on the wall, but it sounds like a tale that deserves more than a few sentences of dialogue. The story of a group of rebels who steal the Enterprise, ride it into another universe, and then have to adapt to an entirely different way of life would make a great movie or mini-series. Star Trek: Discovery could have done more with the ISS Enterprise, but at least they turned the former warship into a symbol of hope.

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery stream Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery