What happened to the original model?

The original model was sent to Paramount when they finished with it. They had it libraried, or at least stored there. But it was very fragile. The paint chipped off and the wood deteriorated and by the time we finished the shooting the model head, the dome, was warped. And it was not in very good shape.

About 1995 we got a call from The Smithsonian Institute that they wanted the original of the Enterprise if they could get it, but they finally worked with Paramount, and we helped a little bit at it and they rebuilt a total new Enterprise. And that is in the Smithsonian Institute as of today.