Making its first original appearance in Star Trek's first season episode "Space Seed", the DY-100-class design captivated first generation "Trekkies", as it not only provided a very rare glimpse into the at the time little known (imaginary) history of the Star Trek universe, but also because class member SS Botany Bay gained notoriety as the vessel of exile of what has arguably become Star Trek's most memorable villain, Khan Noonien Singh. Therefore, and disregarding its later anachronistic original reuse in the later series episode "The Ultimate Computer" as the Woden – which was later retconned as an Antares-type vessel – the design still managed to achieve a status in Trekdom that transcended its canonnical one-time-only in-universe "real ship" appearance and the handful of post-Original Series-era references.
Design[]
DY-100-class concept art
The DY-100-class was designed by Matt Jefferies. In sketches, it was referred to as an "obsolete tramp space freighter" or an "antique space-freighter". In fact, Jefferies once stated, in 1968, "The Botany Bay was actually designed before the Enterprise. It was a little idea that popped up and was labeled 'antique space-freighter'. Later on, we made it look like something else – a vehicle from the early 2000s. (Inside Star Trek, issue 4, p. 4) One sketch also included the numbers 418 on the hull of the ship. (Star Trek: The Original Series Sketchbook, pp. 57-58)
Jefferies was pleased with the notion of modular shipping crates that could be automatically loaded and unloaded without requiring Humans to venture into space. In the sketches, Jefferies envisioned that three additional cargo containers could be attached to complete the middle section arrangement. In fact, judging from the actual model, it appears that even a second set of containers could be attached behind the first. (The Art of Star Trek, p. 19) In the original script of "Space Seed", dated 26 October 1966, this class was called "CZ-100" and almost perpetuated into the final script. [1] In effect, author James Blish, forced to work from non-final script drafts at the time, had to adhere to the "CZ-100" designation in a 1968 novelization of the episode, which he wrote, indicating that the class change had been a late decision.
Jefferies sold off his original design sketches on 12 December 2001 in Profiles in History's The Star Trek Auction, in order to raise funds for the charitable organization "Motion Picture and Television Fund".
Studio model[]
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| Film Effects shooting the DY-100-class and Enterprise studio models alongside each other | |
The studio model of the DY-100-class, measuring 43" × 18" (aft section) × 12.25" (height), was mostly constructed out of wood, as was usual in that era, embellished with miscellaneous model kit parts and metal components. The leading edge of the "sail" (a naval term for the tower structure found on most submarines) features a corrugated metal foil and the engine pod includes metal "antennas" and masts. The model was not internally lighted and was finished in a brown/red-gray hue, though that finish was washed out into an overall gray on screen, due to bright lighting conditions in the studio and the use of the blue screen filming technique causing light to bounce off the screen onto the model, an effect known as "blue spill". While not built by Jefferies, he did add the weathering on the model. According to its item description in the below-mentioned Heritage auction, the model was actually built at Linwood G. Dunn's Film Effects of Hollywood, and it was there where the only footage of the model was shot upon its completion during the winter of 1966/67. Despite "Space Seed" having been in essence an in theory cost-saving bottle show, it was actually the build and filming of the model that became the primary reasons for the episode's budget overrun by US$12,262. (These Are the Voyages: TOS Season One, 1st ed, p. 453) Its one later appearance as the Woden in the original airing of "The Ultimate Computer" was stock footage of that shoot. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 27, No. 11/12, pp. 70-71) In the 2006 remastered version of the episode, the footage of the Woden was replaced by a newly constructed CGI model.
It was later franchise studio model vendor Greg Jein, a first generation fan of Star Trek: The Original Series, who ended up in the possession of the original filming model. [2](X) Jein had the original model over at his workshop in April 1988 for refurbishment, where among others he accentuated the brown-gray hull color. [3](X) It has only made two public appearances, the first time, directly before its refurbishment, in the 1-3 April 1988 Equicon '88 Science Fiction Convention held in Los Angeles, [4](X) and after its refurbishment for the last time in 1992 when Jein loaned the model out to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for their 1992-1993 Star Trek Smithsonian Exhibit and its 1993-1994 follow-up exhibition at the Hayden Planetarium, New York City. [5]
Having remained out of sight for the next three decades, Jein's next-of-kin decided to put the model up for auction after its owner had died in May 2023. It appeared as Lot #89160 in the extensive 14-15 October 2023 "The Greg Jein Collection Hollywood Platinum Signature® Auction #7278" held by Heritage Auctions, with an estimate of US$60,000 ($75,000 with buyers premium). It eventually sold on 14 October for US$160,000 (US$200,000 with buyers premium). Incidentally, it turned out that Jein had also been the owner of Jefferies' original white on black design sketch, pictured above, as it also went under the hammer in the same auction as the at US$1,000 estimated Lot #89162, selling for US$15,000 (US$18,750 with buyers premium). [6] It had not been part of the above-referenced 2001 Star Trek auction.
Tabletop model[]
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The later franchise featured table-top model – smaller than the original and outfitted with booster rockets, used in the post-TOS references, first appearing in a photo-shopped launch photograph in Star Trek Chronology, 2nd ed., p. 22 and subsequently in Star Trek Encyclopedia – was built by Greg Jein who, as owner of the original studio model, was singularly well suited for the task. (Star Trek Encyclopedia, 3rd ed., p. 52) The launch photo made subsequent in-universe appearances as a wall ornament in the episodes ENT: "First Flight", "Home", and VOY: "Future's End", the latter of which also featured the model itself as a desktop model in Rain Robinson's office. The (framed) photograph, part of a set of four, was offered up for auction as Lot 193(X), in the 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection auction, estimated at US$200-$300, and was eventually sold on 5 October 2006, with a winning bid of US$3,000 (US$3,600 including buyer's premium).
After Jein's death, the tabletop model, albeit without the booster rocket assembly and measuring 12"×3", did itself turn up at auction as well as Lot #53 in the 7-10 October 2023 "The Greg Jein Collection" auction of the small auction house Studio Auctions with an estimate of US$2,000, eventually selling for US$4,800 (including 20% buyer's premium). [7]
CGI models[]
The CBS Digital CGI model showing the docking port
For the 2006 remastered version of TOS, a CGI variant of the model was used at CBS Digital, where digital animators worked with the model under the supervision of Niel Wray and David Rossi, for representation of the craft in its respective episode. The model was built by Finnish fan and digital modeler Petri Blomqvist, and was bought from him by CBS Studios for use in the series. Blomqvist's work was brought to the attention of Wray and Visual Effects Supervisor Michael Okuda by Technical Consultant Gary Kerr. The quality of his work was a compelling reason for the acquisition, as it saved valuable production time. Nevertheless, the digital animators still had their work cut out for them as Blomqvist's model was constructed in LightWave 3D software, whereas they used Autodesk Maya CGI software at the time, and had to translate the digital model from one format into the other, which inevitably led to some information loss. Additionally, they had to cut down on the resolution level of Blomqvist's highly detailed high-resolution model, in order to speed up computer rendering time. It, and the other models CBS bought from him for the project, has earned Blomqvist an official "Technical Consultant" credit. (Sci-fi & fantasy modeller, Vol. 26, pp. 49-50) However, the CBS Digital modellers also introduced some new detail in this specific case with their addition of a top docking port, which Okuda justified as follows, "The top of the 'conning tower' now has a tiny circular docking port, very similar to those used on the real-life International Space Station. The docking port was added at the suggestion of a former NASA engineer who noted that a spacecraft built in 1996 would probably have included such equipment to dock at the station." [8](X)
Previously, in 2003, Doug Drexler had already built a CGI model of a DY-100-class vessel for a fan film in the Star Trek: New Voyages series. His in Lightwave 3D constructed model was later used for licensed Star Trek: Ships of the Line calendars and the book derivatives of those publications. [9](X)[10](X) A new CGI model was built by former Foundation Imaging employee Jose Perez in 2004 for a "Fleet File" article in Star Trek: Communicator issue 148 (pp. 62-65). Drexler incidentally, had five years earlier already created a class illustration in Adobe Illustrator for intended representation in Okuda's Star Trek Encyclopedia, 3rd ed., p. 52, 126, and it was this version that was used in the only other canon in-universe class reference as the LCARS seen in VOY: "Drone" before the Encyclopedia was even published.
Yet another CGI model was constructed later by Perez's former Foundation colleague Robert Bonchune, [11] and it was his model that became used for representation in the British Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection partwork publication from Eaglemoss Collections. [12] Not only that, but his in LightWave 3D constructed model, the publisher's software package of choice, was also used as the template for the CAD files needed for the construction of the master from which the accompanying display model was constructed. Bonchune's model was chosen over that of CBS Digital, as a courtesy to Bonchune who was then an "on-staff" CGI supervisor at the publisher. This was despite the fact that former TOS-R VFX Supervisor Rossi had already sent over the entire CBS Digital starship database to Ben Robinson, [13] the publication's project manager and Bonchune's superior at Eaglemoss, for publication use. Ironically, Robinson could eight years later no longer recall which of the two models was ultimately used for the publication, [14] but the absence of the top docking port on Bonchune's model was the dead giveaway.
Further reading[]
- Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection, issue 60, November 2015
External links[]
- Models – The Enterprise – behind the scenes blue screen shots of various TOS models, including the DY-100
- SS Botany Bay miniature(X) at cloudster.com(X) – photographs of the original model
- Length of DY-100 SS Botany Bay(X) at Therpf.com(X), featuring photos of the model at Gregory Jein, Inc. taken by Scott Schneider