Presented below are some detailed photos of the U.S.S. Enterprise D primary hull or saucer section filming miniature that was created by Industrial Light and Magic especially for the memorable crash landing sequence on the planet Veridian III in the closing scenes of the seventh major Star Trek feature film, Star Trek: Generations, released in November, 1994. Measuring approximately 12' 1" long by 9' 10" wide, this is the largest filming model ever produced in the history of Star Trek. The Original Series Enterprise model on display at the Smithsonian measures approx. 11' 2" in length; while the Enterprise D model used in the pilot and title sequences of TNG measures approx. 6' 6" in length. This saucer section is fabricated primarily of wood with a fiberglass outer shell and features an extraordinary level of artistic detail. It was built with functional internal lighting and was mounted on a motion control model mover at ILM's studios and filmed against a blue screen background to create the scenes featuring the saucer hurdling through space and the planet's upper atmoshpere, and was then filmed being propelled on a hidden track across a 40' by 80' miniature landscape set of Veridian III to capture the final descent of the saucer through a lush, heavily forested terrain.
Immediately below are some modern day images of the filming model ...
Below are some images of the filming miniature as it was used on location in 1994 to shoot the final descent to the surface of Veridian III. The rolling pedestal on which the model was mounted was propelled by a truck connected via a pulley system and this enabled the saucer to "glide" at 15 to 20 mph along a hidden track running underneath and through the center of the forested landscape set ...
Below are some images of the saucer section undergoing blue screen photography with motion control equipment at the ILM studios. Multiple filming passes - including a matte pass, an interactive light pass with illumination on the leading edge of the ship, an internal light pass and a beauty pass were performed to create the upper atmospheric entry sequences ...
The following screen captures from Star Trek: Generations illustrate the finished appearance of the crash landing sequence with the addition of special effects enhancements to the filmed footage ...
From January 18 - February 17, 2008, this filming miniature was on display at the Queen Mary Dome in Long Beach, California as part of the Star Trek: The Tour exhibition of screen used Star Trek props, costumes and filming models ...
The modern day images of this filming model are displayed with the gracious permission of its new owner; who is seen below inspecting and posing with the miniature shortly after it was delivered early this month ...
Special thanks are owed to Alec Peters, C.E.O. of Propworx, and Jarrod Hunt of Propworx for the outstanding assistance they provided throughout the acquisition process and the utmost care that was exercised to ensure the transportation of the filming model proceeded flawlessly.
