An extraordinary piece of Star Trek history, the 44" long filming miniature of the DY-100 Class sleeper ship SS Botany Bay that was seen in the fan favorite 1st Season TOS episode "Space Seed" (Original Airdate: February 16, 1967) sold as Lot #89160 in last fall's Heritage Auctions October 14-15, 2023 Greg Jein Collection Auction for a final price of $200,000 (including a 25% buyers premium) on a high bid of $160,000. "Space Seed", the 22nd broadcast episode of The Original Series, featured Ricardo Montalban in an exceptional performance as the iconic, genetically-altered superhuman Khan Noonien Singh - a role that the actor would reprise in the feature film "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" (Paramount, 1982).
Presented below is the complete Heritage auction catalog description, with accompanying photos, for this incredible piece of Star Trek history, as well as several detailed images of the SS Botany Bay model on display at The Greg Jein Collection Auction Exhibit that was set up at the Heritage Auctions headquarters building in Dallas, Texas in preparation for the historic auction event.
Special thanks to my friend and fellow Star Trek fan David Wendelburg,
who attended the auction in Dallas, and very graciously supplied all of
the exhibit photography that is shown in this article ...
LOT #89160 SS Botany Bay Filming Miniature from Episode "Space Seed" of Star Trek: The Original Series (Paramount TV, 1966-1969)
Designed by legendary Original Series art director Matt Jefferies, and built by Film Effects of Hollywood, this iconic filming miniature of the DY-100 class sleeper ship SS Botany Bay is crafted of resin with metal "antenna array" fitments mounted on the tail. Measuring 44" x 18" x 12.25", the model is expertly finished in flat brown paint with darker "distressing" accents to align with the plotline of the derelict ship having been launched nearly 300 years prior to it being discovered by the USS Enterprise in the celebrated Season 1 episode "Space Seed". The Botany Bay miniature was later repurposed as unmanned freighter Woden in the Season 2 episode "The Ultimate Computer". Exhibits expected age and wear from production, including some paint scuffing, oxidation of metal parts and a single missing metal antenna panel. Exhibited at the legendary Star Trek: The Exhibit at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C., February 1992 through January 1993. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions. From the Collection of Greg Jein.
Starting Bid: $60,000
Below are some rare behind-the-scenes images of this filming model alongside the 11 foot USS Enterprise filming miniature undergoing principal photography on the soundstage of Film Effects of Hollywood during the production of "Space Seed" in December of 1966 ...
Some screenshots of the Botany Bay model as seen in the episode "Space Seed" ...
