star trek tos lost episode

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Star Trek: The Original Series episode guides - All TOS episodes rated, reviewed

In those days before the Federation had continuity, there was Star Trek: The Original Series. Watch the TOS stories in any other you wish; it rarely matters, as essentially every single episode in TOS is a bottle episode. Ultimately, however, many TOS episodes are retconned into prequel stories (e.g. “The Menagerie”, “Space Seed”, “City on the Edge of Forever”), sequels (e.g. “Mirror Mirror”) or even crossovers (“The Trouble with Tribbles”) for the other series and movies.

Star Trek: The Original Series – the seaons, the key episodes

Season 1 – In the 1960s, TV was a different beast. Serialization (and thus continuity) was essentially non-existent. Each story plays out over a single episode only (with one exception in three years of Star Trek), thereby not allowing for much character development each season of Star Trek’s original run is really barely indistinguishable from another – but at lest that means that season 1 isn’t filled with the “growing pains” every other ST series goes through. The biggest highlights in Star Trek’s first year has got to be “The Menagerie” (episode #s 11 and 12), an eerie story of Captain Kirk’s doomed mentor Captain Pike, and “City on the Edge of Forever” (#29), a neat twist on the traditional “preserve the past” time travel tale. Also of note: “Space Seed” (#22), the introduction of Star Trek II baddie Khan.

Season 2 – Ensign Chekov joins the bridge crew for season 2, which manages to have some fun in the explicitly comic “Trouble with Tribbles” (#15) and the absolutely bananas “Assignment: Earth” (#26). And Spock fans dig on “Amok Time” (#1) and Journey to Babel (#10) for the info doled on that wacky Vulcan culture.

Season 3 – As mentioned above, a fan campaign saved Star Trek for a third series, but NBC executives were not enthused about supporting the marginally successful series and cut the show’s operating budget in half. However, Star Trek Guide must say that tripling the budget could not save scripts like those for “Spock’s Brain” (Can all Vulcans live without a brain or just Spock?), “Specter of the Gun” (Scotty’s dead because he *thinks* he’s dead?) and “The Savage Curtain” (Kirk, Spock, Vulcan hero Surak and Abe Lincoln vs. Genghis Khan, Klingon Empire founder Kahless, 21st-century Earth dictator Mr. Green – who did it in the kitchen with a revolver – and fuzzy chick Zora?) Dude.

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Published Jan 14, 2018

FIRST LOOK: Star Trek: Lost Scenes

Think you’ve seen every episode of Star Trek: The Original Series and know everything about them? Think again. Star Trek: Lost Scenes , due out in August from Titan Books, is written by Trek experts – and frequent StarTrek.com guest bloggers – David Tilotta and Curt McAloney, and packed with hundreds of carefully curated, never-before-seen color photos. All images have been professionally restored to their original, vibrant colors and are used to chronicle the making of the series, reassemble deleted scenes that were left on the cutting-room floor, and showcase bloopers from the first pilot through the last episode.

More specifically, Lost Scenes :

Takes an unprecedented look at more than 50 deleted scenes, many of which have never been seen before, assembled from hundreds of photos and original script excerpts.

Goes behind the scenes of TOS with previously unpublished photos of the optical effects, filming miniatures, makeup, exterior shooting locations, bloopers and more.

Is packed with more than 700 full-color photos, each restored to pristine condition.

Star Trek: Lost Scenes will be released as a 272-page hardback book. It will cost $39.95 in the U.S. and £29.99 in the U.K. Keep an eye on StarTrek.com for details about pre-ordering the book.

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All About the Lost Star Trek Pilot

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Original Star Trek Pilot Episode

On September 8, 1966, the original science-fiction series Star Trek aired its first episode, "The Man Trap." The episode introduced characters such as William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as First Officer Spock, and DeForest Kelley as Doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy. However, "The Man Trap" wasn't the original pilot for the series. The original pilot was called "The Cage." When the network saw this original pilot, they didn't like it and ordered a new one. Viewers eventually got to see some of "The Cage" as an episode of the first season called "The Menagerie." But the content of "The Cage," the reasons why it was replaced, how it was lost and eventually found, have become the stuff of legend. Let's explore the history of this fascinating and mysterious episode.

Writer and producer Gene Roddenberry approached several TV networks with his concept for a new and realistic science fiction series called Star Trek. Like all TV series, Roddenberry needed to provide the network with a description of his new show, called a "pitch." The pitch included a list of potential episodes to prove the show had staying power. "The Cage" was one of twenty-five proposed stories for Star Trek . At the time, the concept was simply: "The desperation of our series lead, caged and on exhibition like an animal, then offered a mate."

Originally, the pilot was supposed to be sixty minutes, but the pitch meeting to NBC went poorly. In an attempt to sell the series, co-producer Herbert Solow suggested they film a ninety-minute pilot instead of a one-hour pilot. If it didn't go to series, he argued, NBC could air it as a TV movie to recoup their investment. The network agreed, and “The Cage” was selected as the story to be the pilot.

In the original pilot, almost none of the regular cast members appeared. The captain was Christopher Pike, not Captain Kirk. The first officer was a woman known only as Number One, played by Majel Barrett. The doctor, Philip Boyce, was played by John Hoyt. In fact, the only regular character to survive to the full series from "The Cage" was Mister Spock, who wasn't the first officer.

Plot Overview of "The Cage"

When the episode was written, "The Cage" became about the starship USS Enterprise investigating a distress call from a remote planet Talos IV. When the ship sends an away team to the planet's surface, they discover a group of old men and one woman who claim to be stranded. But before they can take the survivors back to the Enterprise , the captain is kidnapped and imprisoned. He finds himself trapped in an alien zoo by a group of powerful alien beings . The alien Talosians possess incredible psychic powers, capable of making anyone see or feel anything they want. As his crew tries to rescue him, the captain is forced into a series of illusions, from his recent attack on Rigel VII to his hometown on Earth. As Pike tries to escape from an ever-changing prison of horrific and idyllic surroundings, he finds himself seduced by a mysterious human woman imprisoned with him.

The alien Talosians were thin beings with enormous pulsating heads. They were originally supposed to be crab-like creatures in the script. This was changed to be cheaper and to avoid the stigma of “bug-eyed monsters” in cheap science fiction movies at the time. The Talosians were played by women and voiced by men to give them an androgynous feel. Ironically, the big-brained psychic alien has itself become a cliché.

Another interesting moment came when the human woman Vina appears to Pike as a green-skinned Orion slave girl. Behind the scenes, her makeup caused some unnecessary headaches. The makeup team spent three days painting the actress various shades of green, but the test film kept coming back a normal flesh color. On the third day, they discovered the processing lab thought the green was a mistake and kept adjusting the skin color back to normal.

One striking difference many viewers notice in the episode is that Spock is much more emotional than usual. At one point, he even laughs. According to Nimoy, the idea of Spock being unemotional wasn't in his character. Number One was intended to be calm and stoic, and Captain Pike was restrained as well. Spock being more energetic and vibrant was a way to balance them out.

"The Cage" ended up costing more than $500,000, a huge amount for the fledgling studio. It also cost more than any other episode in the original series. However, NBC rejected the pilot.

"The Cage" Was Rejected for a Number of Reasons

For one thing, network executives thought the episode was too cerebral. Much of the episode explores themes of the conflict between illusion and reality. Also, this was a time when shows like Lost in Space with flying saucers and alien monkeys were the standard of science fiction. A show like Star Trek's "The Cage" with its military structure and psychic aliens seemed far too deep.

The network also thought the show was too sexy. The moment where Vina dances seductively as a slave girl, and the Talosians openly saying they wanted Captain Pike to "mate" with her left the network uncomfortable with its overt sexuality.

Third, the network thought the pilot didn't have enough action. Other than a brief fight with a giant warrior and some laser cannon fire, there isn't too much excitement in the story. In particular, the story ends with both parties separating peacefully. Roddenberry himself later said, "I should actually have ended it with a fistfight between the hero and the villain if I wanted it on television [...] because that's the way shows were being made at the time. The great mass audience would say, 'Well, if you don't have a fistfight when it's ended, how do we know that's the finish?' and things like that." 

The network also wasn't happy with the female first officer. While this has often been criticized as sexist, it seems the network objected more to Majel Barrett as a poor actress than her being a woman. The fact she was also having a public affair with Roddenberry probably didn't help. Though Majel ended up leaving the regular cast, she returned to the show as a recurring character, Nurse Chapel.

Changes to the Original Star Trek

Even though they didn't like the pilot, it seems like "The Cage" convinced the studio the concept could work. Reportedly, Lucille Ball (the co-owner of Desilu Studios) herself convinced NBC to make the rare move of paying for a new pilot. The second pilot was "Where No Man Has Gone Before." "Where" focused on the Enterprise crossing the edge of the Galaxy , and becoming caught in a "magnetic space storm." The storm grants two crew members god-like powers, which causes them to turn on the ship. The network demanded the firing of almost the entire cast, except for Leonard Nimoy as Spock and Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Pike . However, Hunter declined to return, convinced by his wife that the show was "beneath him." William Shatner was hired as Captain James Kirk to replace him.

There were also a lot of minor changes. For instance, in the original pilot, female Starfleet officers wore pants just like the men. In the new pilot, the female crew wore extremely short mini-skirts. While some people criticized this as being a sexist move by the studio, it was actually initiated by a cast member. Grace Lee Whitney (who played Yeoman Rand) wanted to show off her "dancer's legs," and the crew liked it so much that they made the miniskirt standard uniform for all the women on the ship.

Struggles and Survival With Network

Though "Where No Man" was approved and took the show to series, it ended up airing as the second episode. The first aired episode became "The Man Trap," about a shape-shifting alien disguised as a human who ravages the ship and crew. The original pilot was shelved until later in the first season. The studio was having trouble coming up with enough episodes to fill NBC's order, and footage from "The Cage" was used to save money. Instead of filming an entirely new episode, "The Cage" was cut into a framing story about Spock seizing control of the Enterprise to return Pike to Talos. "The Cage" became a flashback in the episode. The result was a two-part episode called "The Menagerie." While this allowed fans to see much of the original pilot, there was a disastrous side effect. The master copy of "The Cage" was cut into the negative of "The Menagerie," and any scenes not used for the episode were lost.

After three seasons, the show was canceled in 1969. Gene Roddenberry was left out of work for most of the 1970s while struggling to sell various failed pilots like Planet Earth and Genesis II . While he struggled to try to produce other TV shows, Roddenberry supported himself by lecturing at colleges and Star Trek conventions. Roddenberry often screened his personal black-and-white 16mm print of "The Cage" for audiences. His copy was thought to be the only remaining version of the original pilot. But in 1987, a film archivist named Bob Furmanek found an unmarked print in the archives. It turned out to have the missing pieces of the original color print of "The Cage." Paramount was able to combine the new color film strips with the negative of "The Menagerie" and audio from Roddenberry's print to restore the full episode.

In 1988, a strike by the Writer's Guild halted production on Star Trek: The Next Generation . During the strike, no episodes could be written, leaving the season started without enough time to write four episodes. In order to make up for the missing episodes, Paramount decided to air the newly restored episode of "The Cage." Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard on TNG) introduced the two-hour special, The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next . It included "The Cage" in color on television for the first time ever.

While "The Cage" wasn't well received at the time, it's since been praised by the cast and crew. In her 1994 autobiography Beyond Uhura , Nichelle Nichols wrote, "Viewing it today [...] the show stands as the purest earliest representation of what Gene hoped Star Trek would achieve." In 1996, Grace Lee Whitney listed "The Cage" as one of her favorite TOS episodes, alongside "Charlie X", "The Devil in the Dark," and "The City on the Edge of Forever." In 1997, Majel Barrett named "The Cage" as her favorite episode of TOS, along with "The City on the Edge of Forever." She thought both episodes "are more Star Trek than anything else that has been conceived" and "pure Star Trek ." Now that the full episode is available, we can all enjoy it.

http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/The_Cage_(episode) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cage_(Star_Trek:_The_Original_Series)

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Star Trek: The Lost Episode (audiofic)

You may be looking for the print zine Star Trek: The Lost Episodes (zine) .

Star Trek : The Lost Episode (The Lost Gay Episode) is an audiofic . It is what audio engineers refer to as a "razortape". It is composed of soundbites from various episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series , edited together to create a "lost episode" in which Captain Kirk and Spock become lovers. Included are soundbites of Scotty seemingly becoming involved in the erotic goings-on.

It was subsequently aired on numerous radio stations in the early 1990s and on The Dr. Demento Show .

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• Star Trek Erotic Sound Collage (1972)
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Description, History, and Tech Information: 2021

Eric Worden, one the tapes creators wrote:

...it astounds me how many people were exposed to and are aware of this morning radio "bit" that Mark Goodman and I created nearly 30 years ago. The audio, heard largely on YouTube posts and the line-by-line documentation (including episodic reference notes!) is, in fact incomplete...as the original version (actually one of THREE!) began with a specific reference to the Radio station of origin...which IS correct...KLCX FM in Eugene, Oregon. Here's the story: Mark Goodman and I hosted the "Worden & Goodman" morning show in the early 90's on 104.7 KLCX. I was also the Program Director at the time, and KLCX was a rock station that today operates under the call letters KDUK (K-DUCK). Our station, over a three-year period, were the local media sponsors of a regional Star Trek Convention, and as a tie-in, Mark and I came up with a plan to produce a "Lost Episode" in which Kirk, Spock, Scotty and Bones were all engaged in an intergalactic orgy of sorts. Goodman and I rented as many VHS Star Trek original series videos...and literally spent an entire weekend drinking beer, eating pizza, and recording every comment the four main stars made, together with music beds that accompany most dramatic scenes, onto a simple cassette deck. As we did, Goodman wrote each quote by hand on a canary yellow pad, notating the digital counter number on the cassette deck where I could later go back and find each quote, if needed. Goodman then, painstakingly created a "dialogue" from the random quotes he had transcribed. Then, the time consuming part. Using the "script" Mark had constructed, I fast-forwarded and re-winded the cassette to each index number using the cassette deck digital counter. I taped each segment onto a 1/4" reel-to-reel tape in the order they would appear. Then once the entire story was transferred, I physically spliced each line with a razor blade. This literally took hours, not to mention while mastering, the need to ride the volume controls due to varying audible levels available from the original episodes themselves. It's one thing to hear Kirk scream when deep in our mix...but hearing Spock whisper, equally well? Getting an acceptable mix was trial and error all the way, as we did not have a multi-track Reel-to-Reel (not to mention the time, future digital work stations could have saved us!) Well, as you can imagine, the vast majority of this dialogue was between Kirk and Spock, as it is in the show...so the "Lost Episode" or Episode one, was nearly all the Captain and his First Officer. I also had a commercially available "Star Trek Sound Effects" cd with which I could enhance our "scenes" (alert klaxons, doors opening, photon torpedoes firing, "beaming up", phaser firing, etc.) The result was funny, but entirely too staccato. We needed more connector phrases often used in conversations. What it came off sounding like was more statement after statement, blurted out crudely with not enough cohesiveness. You could under stand the gist and give an A for effort, but it wasn't the fine taste of Tranya we were hoping for. It was more like Jolt Cola. This original "Lost Episode" was aired a few times on our show, but was never heard elsewhere. Perhaps the biggest influence in our first pass, was that it was the perfect guidepost to the process, allowing us to refine it further the next go-round. And the following year's Star Trek Convention paved the way for pay dirt. Having already established the closeted couple, Goodman took it a step further, honing a brilliant script that included proper connectors and a convenient interruption from Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott. For the most part, we stayed with all original quotes, sound effects and music, though we did have to include a sound effect from our world...the zipper effect. This second episode, what we called the "Really Lost Episode," is the one that made its rounds throughout morning shows all over the country and lives on today on YouTube and other galaxies on the Worldwide Web...at least FOR THE MOST PART. What IS missing in the dialogue on this page of Fanlore and on the airwaves of the stations that dared to play the bit, is the correct original introduction. As KLCX was 104.7 on the dial, the episode opened with Kirk's familiar Captain's Log entry...but we had found instances where Kirk had said all the numbers we needed to create our own station frequency...so the original "Really Lost Episode" begins with..."Captain's Log Stardate One-Oh-Four-point-seven." The bit was created by us, for us...and it would have ONLY been heard on KLCX if it were not for a Radio Publication writer for The Album Network, named Robert England. Robert, an L.A.-based Brit, or "Bob-UK" as many called him, was on a Northwest Swing to visit radio stations that were affiliates of the Album Network, when he heard the "Really Lost Episode." He would not leave town without a copy on cassette. With that in hand, he returned to LA, where he liberally shared copies of the bit with other affiliate Rock Program Directors across the country. The PD would then share it with their morning hosts, who would of course edit out the "1-Oh-4-point-7" part and run with it. In all honesty the bit was basically 4 minutes, so any version you hear out there is likely edited in a few places. Plans for the 1994 "Really, Really Lost Episode" were well underway, this one would be with Dr. McCoy entering the fray. We already knew we would be sponsoring the NEXT local Star Trek Confab, but our work would be in vain. The third chapter would never be heard, as just before completion of the opus...the entire air-staff was fired to make way for another Top 40 option they would re-name KDUK (the call letters used prior to the KLCX rock format). I am still in radio, though my good friend Mark left the business years ago. I do mornings at 93.7 FM WNOB "BOB-FM" in Norfolk/Virginia Beach. I have been here now for 28 years, and even heard OUR bit, on a COMPETITOR rock station here in our market around the year 2000. It was a two-man morning show much like the "Worden & Goodman" Show that had fun with listeners on the air, did sketch comedy and song parodies. But when I heard them air OUR bit??? I had to call one of the hosts, who I knew well, just to ask where the bit came from? He basically fibbed and passed it off as some original work that he and his partner had pieced together. Can't tell you how proud I was to be able to put him in his place and catch him in he lie. It was the first time I had the chance to tell the REAL story...the one that is now here for all to see. I just really have trouble...with fibbles. Long live Worden & Goodman's "Really Lost (Star Trek) Episode."

• Opening music of original Star Trek Theme
• K: "Captain's Log: Specimen gathering mission on planet Alpha 177" ( The Enemy Within )
• K: "Mr. Spock is much stronger than the ordinary human being. Aroused, his great physical strength could kill, but it's a risk I'll have to take." ( This Side of Paradise )
• Sound effect: door opening
• K: "Something bothering you, Mr. Spock?" ( What Are Little Girls Made Of )
• S: "May I say that I have not thoroughly enjoyed serving with humans. I find their illogic and foolish emotions a constant irritant." ( Day of the Dove )
• K: "Unlike you, we humans are full of unpredictable emotions." ( What Are Little Girls Made Of )
• S: "Love, tenderness..." ( The Enemy Within )
• K: "Yes, yes..."
• S: "If I seem insensitive to what you're going through, Captain, understand, it's the way I am." ( The Enemy Within )
• (romantic music)
• K: "Don't be afraid, here's my hand, hold on." ( The Enemy Within )
• S: "You are beautiful, more beautiful than any dream of beauty I've ever known." ( All Our Yesterdays )
• K: "What is your point Mr. Spock?" ( The Enemy Within )
• S: "I love you. I can love you." ( This Side of Paradise )
• K: "Kiss me." ( What Are Little Girls Made Of )
• Music, uh, swells, and the sound of zipper being unzipped (or zipped) is thrown in.
• K: "Are you out of your mind?" ( This Side of Paradise )
• S: "The prospect appeared quite attractive to you a moment ago." ( All Our Yesterdays )
• K: "You don't really want to hurt me, do you. Put that thing away." ( All Our Yesterdays )
• S: "No, I don't think so." ( This Side of Paradise )
• K: "No...I... can't..." ( This Side of Paradise )
• S: "...It is painless and quick..." ( The Enemy Within )
• K: *scream*
• S: “Entry made by Second Officer Spock..." ( The Enemy Within )
• K: "It's possible we may have hit the wrong entry point." ( What Are Little Girls Made Of )
• S: "Yes, very well, Captain." ( What Are Little Girls Made Of )
• K: "Try again." ( Miri )
• S: "If it pleases you." ( All Our Yesterdays )
• K: "What are you waiting for, hurry!" ( All Our Yesterdays )
• S: "If you'll excuse the intrusion, Captain." ( The Enemy Within )
• K: "Bury the hatchet." ( Day of the Dove )
• S: "An appropriate choice of terms, Captain." ( Day of the Dove )
• (door swishes open)
• Scotty: "Achhh - Keep your Vulcan hands off. Just -- keep away! You green blooded half breed!" ( Day of the Dove )
• K: "Scotty...no, wait!" ( Day of the Dove )
• Scotty: "Are you all right, Captain?" ( The Enemy Within )
• K: "S'alright. Just a little dizzy." ( The Enemy Within )
• K: "I have to take him back...inside myself. I can't survive without him. I don't want to take him back. He's like an animal, a thoughtless, brutal animal." ( The Enemy Within )
• Scotty: "Let me give you a hand." ( The Enemy Within )
• Sound effect: zipper being unzipped again
• Scotty: "This thing could go anywhere!" ( Day of the Dove )
• S: "You've not yet explained the nature of this thing." ( This Side of Paradise )
• Scotty: "She's a projectile, at warp nine!" ( Day of the Dove )
• K: "Get below - take command..." ( Day of the Dove )
• Scotty: "Aye, sir!" ( Day of the Dove )
• Scotty: "You're a beauty!" ( Day of the Dove )
• K: "I won't fight you anymore. (sigh) I feel so weak. (garbled) I'll be glad when this is over." ( The Enemy Within )
• S: "I am substantial." ( All Our Yesterdays )
• S: "You are not imagining this." ( All Our Yesterdays )
• Sound effects: sound of scuffle, repeated slaps ( A Private Little War )
• S: "Harder!" ( A Private Little War )
• K: *s-c-r-e-a-m* Sound effect: heart rate monitor
• K: *scream* Sound effect: heart rate monitor (faster)
• K: "What... are we doing to each other?" ( Day of the Dove )
• S: "Fascinating. The result of...stress?" ( Day of the Dove )
• K: "We've been under stress before." ( Day of the Dove )
• S: "This is impossible! I am a Vulcan." ( All Our Yesterdays )
• K: "What can you expect from a simpering, devil-eared freak. Whose father was computer, and his mother an encyclopedia?" ( This Side of Paradise )
• S: "I'm behaving disgracefully. I have eaten animal flesh and I have enjoyed it." ( All Our Yesterdays )
• K: "Believe me, Mr. Spock, it was painful -- in... more ways than one." ( The Enemy Within )
• Scotty: "Aye, sir!"
• K: "Captain's Log: Supplemental. I've seen a part of myself no man should ever see." ( The Enemy Within )
• K: "Thank you, Mr. Spock. From both of us." ( The Enemy Within )
• Music swells up and it's over!--

Reactions and Reviews

That little ditty was aired on a Colorado Springs (!) station called The Max (which has since been taken over by a satellite country/western station) about a year and a half ago. The Max played alternative music--and other odds and sods, obviously. I heard this, one morning about 6:00 AM, and woke chortling. Called the station and asked them to play it again. The DJ told me he'd already archived it, but promised to drag it out for the early morning show about three days later. Gave me quite a razzing over the phone about my wanting to hear it again. Said he was REALLY looking forward to the Next Gen version that would probably involve Picard and Worf . I was up bright and early the promised morning, tape in place, prepared to capture this immortal idiocy for posterior's, ah, posterity's sake. I succeeded, as most of you have heard, and still have the original (packed away awaiting the move). [K S] was instrumental in disseminating it to the world at large. Just thought all of you might like to hear how it came about. [1]

Just two days ago, a friend sent me a file named 'lovetrek'. I had no idea what it was about. We had just discovered our love for Star Trek and all of a sudden, he's sending me this file. I downloaded it and just before going to bed, I played it. Imagine my expression when I hear Kirk talking about Spock's strength, then Spock comes in talking about human emotions. Then Kirk asks Spock's point and our Vulcan replies; 'I love you. I can love you'. I spluttered and I spent the rest of the 'performance' spluttering; the fly being opened, Kirk's screams. By the way, Spock's "If you'll excuse the intrusion, Captain", just prior to Kirk's yell had me rolling on the floor. Well, you can imagine. One thing is imagining them doing it and another thing is 'hearing' them at the top of their voices! Now I keep the file as a treasure. [2]

For several years there has been an audio tape circulating through fandom, a compilation of lines and snippets from the episodes put together to form a most fascinating whole. It exists in several different forms, some including Scotty, others excluding him, edited in different ways. We played the tape at the first K/S Press Party at Shore Leave three years ago. Since then it has also shown up on the Internet in a pretty funny way. The presentation includes doctored pictures of our fellows together (Spock’s lipstick on Kirk’s cheek!). [3]

External Links

• Star Trek : L’épisode égaré - French translation of this page (traduction français)
• ^ comment at Virgule-L , quoted anonymously (September 25, 1994)
• ^ from The K/S Press #20
• ^ from The K/S Press #41
• Star Trek TOS Fanworks
• 1992 Fanworks

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Our episode database profiles every episode of Star Trek: The Original Series . Each episode entry features background information, trivia, behind the scenes information, and Blu-ray screencaps.

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‘Star Trek’: Long-Lost Original USS Enterprise Model Finally Makes the Voyage Home

The model was used for the pilot and credits of the original 'Star Trek' series.

The Big Picture

• The original USS Enterprise model has been found in a storage locker after going missing for decades.
• The model was used for the original unaired pilot and opening credits of Star Trek: The Original Series .
• Rod Roddenberry plans to restore and display the iconic starship model in a museum for public viewing.

The original model of the USS Enterprise from Star Trek: The Original Series has been located, after spending several decades missing — not in some distant region of space, but in a storage locker. The model has been returned to Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry , the son of original Trek creator Gene Roddenberry . ABC News reports that the three-foot-long model was given to Gene Roddenberry after the original Trek series ended in 1969, and graced his desk for several years before he loaned it to the makers of 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture . The model disappeared shortly afterward and remained missing until it turned up on eBay last year. It had been discovered in a storage locker by parties unknown, who contacted action site Heritage Auctions. Although the model would fetch an enormous price at auction as a one-of-a-kind pop-cultural artifact, an arrangement was made between the finders and Roddenberry, whose father died at 70 in 1991.

The model in question was the first finished model of the iconic starship; it was used for the series' original unaired pilot episode, "The Cage," which was later incorporated into a two-part episode , "The Menagerie," before it was released in full in the 1980s. It was also used for the shots of the Enterprise seen in the show's opening credits. A larger model was later created for the rest of the series; that model is currently on display at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum . Roddenberry intends for the original model to find a permanent home, as well:

"This is not going home to adorn my shelves. 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."

What Is the USS Enterprise?

The flagship of the United Federation of Planets' Starfleet, the USS Enterprise is a Constitution-class starship from the 23rd century. It was originally captained by Robert April, who appeared on Star Trek: The Animated Series before appearing in live-action for the first time in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . April later passed on command to Christopher Pike , whose adventures are currently being chronicled in the prequel series Strange New Worlds . After Pike was promoted to fleet command, James Kirk was given command of the ship, taking it on a five-year mission that kicked off one of science fiction's most enduring franchises.

In Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , then-Admiral Kirk stole the Enterprise to journey to the unstable Genesis Planet and reunite his friend Spock's mind with his body; during that adventure, Kirk had the ship self-destruct to prevent it from being seized by the Klingons. It was later replaced by a near-identical ship, the Enterprise-A ; many subsequent Federation ships have borne the name, up to the rechristened Enterprise-J in the series finale of Star Trek: Picard .

The son of Roddenberry and actor Majel Barrett , Rod Roddenberry is the chief executive officer of Roddenberry Entertainment. He currently executive produces the latest generation of Star Trek series, including Discovery , Strange New Worlds , Picard , Lower Decks , and Prodigy .

The original model of the Enterprise is now back in the Roddenberry family. Viewers can see it in action in Star Trek: The Original Series , which can be streamed on Paramount+.

Star Trek: The Original Series

In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.

Watch on Paramount+

Screen Rant

Star trek's lost uss enterprise model returned to roddenberry.

Lost since the 1970s, the original model of the Starship Enterprise used in Star Trek: The Original Series has been returned to Rod Roddenberry.

• The original USS Enterprise model from Star Trek has been returned to Gene Roddenberry's son after being missing since the 1970s.
• The 3-foot version of the Enterprise featured in the 1960s Star Trek is now authenticated and set to be restored for public exhibition.
• Rod Roddenberry plans to find a museum to showcase the iconic Enterprise model.

The first model of the USS Enterprise used in Star Trek: The Original Series has been returned to Gene Roddenberry's son, Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry. Missing since the 1970s when Gene Roddenberry loaned it to the filmmakers of 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture , the 3-foot model of the Starship Enterprise was used in Star Trek' s original pilot episode, "The Cage," as well as the opening credits of Star Trek: The Original Series . The model popped up on eBay last fall , and the sellers took it down and then contacted Dallas-based Heritage Auctions to authenticate it.

Yahoo! News reports that last weekend, the lost original model of Star Trek' s USS Enterprise was returned to Rod Roddenberry. The now-found and authenticated Enterprise model was the prototype for the 11-foot version featured in the episodes of the 1960s Star Trek . The larger model is on display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. Rod Roddenberry commented on the Enterprise model's return:

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

Rod Roddenberry also officially commented on the return of the lost USS Enterprise model on his Instagram (@eugeneroddenberryofficial):

TOS episode airdates

• View history

List of TOS episodes in the order they were first broadcast.

• 4 First pilot

Season 1 [ ]

• 8 September 1966 : " The Man Trap " ( TOS Season 1 premiere)
• 15 September 1966 : " Charlie X "
• 22 September 1966 : " Where No Man Has Gone Before " (Pilot episode)
• 29 September 1966 : " The Naked Time "
• 6 October 1966 : " The Enemy Within "
• 13 October 1966 : " Mudd's Women "
• 20 October 1966 : " What Are Little Girls Made Of? "
• 27 October 1966 : " Miri "
• 3 November 1966 : " Dagger of the Mind "
• 10 November 1966 : " The Corbomite Maneuver "
• 17 November 1966 : " The Menagerie, Part I "
• 24 November 1966 : " The Menagerie, Part II "
• 8 December 1966 : " The Conscience of the King "
• 15 December 1966 : " Balance of Terror "
• 29 December 1966 : " Shore Leave "
• 5 January 1967 : " The Galileo Seven "
• 12 January 1967 : " The Squire of Gothos "
• 19 January 1967 : " Arena "
• 26 January 1967 : " Tomorrow is Yesterday "
• 2 February 1967 : " Court Martial "
• 9 February 1967 : " The Return of the Archons "
• 16 February 1967 : " Space Seed "
• 23 February 1967 : " A Taste of Armageddon "
• 2 March 1967 : " This Side of Paradise "
• 9 March 1967 : " The Devil in the Dark "
• 23 March 1967 : " Errand of Mercy "
• 30 March 1967 : " The Alternative Factor "
• 6 April 1967 : " The City on the Edge of Forever "
• 13 April 1967 : " Operation -- Annihilate! "

Season 2 [ ]

• 15 September 1967 : " Amok Time "
• 22 September 1967 : " Who Mourns for Adonais? "
• 29 September 1967 : " The Changeling "
• 6 October 1967 : " Mirror, Mirror "
• 13 October 1967 : " The Apple "
• 20 October 1967 : " The Doomsday Machine "
• 27 October 1967 : " Catspaw "
• 3 November 1967 : " I, Mudd "
• 10 November 1967 : " Metamorphosis "
• 17 November 1967 : " Journey to Babel "
• 1 December 1967 : " Friday's Child "
• 8 December 1967 : " The Deadly Years "
• 15 December 1967 : " Obsession "
• 22 December 1967 : " Wolf in the Fold "
• 29 December 1967 : " The Trouble with Tribbles "
• 5 January 1968 : " The Gamesters of Triskelion "
• 12 January 1968 : " A Piece of the Action "
• 19 January 1968 : " The Immunity Syndrome "
• 2 February 1968 : " A Private Little War "
• 9 February 1968 : " Return to Tomorrow "
• 16 February 1968 : " Patterns of Force "
• 23 February 1968 : " By Any Other Name "
• 1 March 1968 : " The Omega Glory "
• 8 March 1968 : " The Ultimate Computer "
• 15 March 1968 : " Bread and Circuses "
• 29 March 1968 : " Assignment: Earth "

Season 3 [ ]

• 20 September 1968 : " Spock's Brain "
• 27 September 1968 : " The Enterprise Incident "
• 4 October 1968 : " The Paradise Syndrome "
• 11 October 1968 : " And the Children Shall Lead "
• 18 October 1968 : " Is There in Truth No Beauty? "
• 25 October 1968 : " Spectre of the Gun "
• 1 November 1968 : " Day of the Dove "
• 8 November 1968 : " For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky "
• 15 November 1968 : " The Tholian Web "
• 22 November 1968 : " Plato's Stepchildren "
• 29 November 1968 : " Wink of an Eye "
• 6 December 1968 : " The Empath "
• 20 December 1968 : " Elaan of Troyius "
• 3 January 1969 : " Whom Gods Destroy "
• 10 January 1969 : " Let That Be Your Last Battlefield "
• 17 January 1969 : " The Mark of Gideon "
• 24 January 1969 : " That Which Survives "
• 31 January 1969 : " The Lights of Zetar "
• 14 February 1969 : " Requiem for Methuselah "
• 21 February 1969 : " The Way to Eden "
• 28 February 1969 : " The Cloud Minders "
• 7 March 1969 : " The Savage Curtain "
• 14 March 1969 : " All Our Yesterdays "
• 3 June 1969 : " Turnabout Intruder "

First pilot [ ]

• 15 October 1988 : " The Cage " (first pilot episode, not aired as part of original run)

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Original ‘Star Trek’ Enterprise Model Is Found After Being Missing for Decades

The 33-inch model surfaced on eBay after disappearing around 1979. An auction house is giving it to the son of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of “Star Trek.”

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By Emily Schmall

The first model of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the starship that appeared in the opening credits of the original “Star Trek” television series , has been returned to Eugene Roddenberry Jr., the son of the creator of the series, decades after it went missing.

“After a long journey, she’s home,” Mr. Roddenberry wrote on social media on Thursday.

For die-hard Trekkies, the model’s disappearance had become the subject of folklore, so an eBay listing last fall, with a starting bid of $1,000, didn’t go unnoticed.

“Red alert,” someone in an online costume and prop-making forum wrote, linking to the listing.

Mr. Roddenberry’s father, Gene Roddenberry, created the television series, which first aired in 1966 and ran for three seasons. It spawned numerous spinoffs, several films and a franchise that has included conventions and legions of devoted fans with an avid interest in memorabilia.

The seller of the model was bombarded with inquiries and quickly took the listing down.

The seller contacted Heritage Auctions to authenticate it, the auction house’s executive vice president, Joe Maddalena, said on Saturday. As soon as the seller, who said he had found it in a storage unit, brought it to the auction house’s office in Beverly Hills, Calif., Mr. Maddalena said he knew it was real.

“That’s when I reached out to Rod to say, ‘We’ve got this. This is it,’” he said, adding that the model was being transferred to Mr. Roddenberry.

Mr. Roddenberry, who is known as Rod, said on Saturday that he would restore the model and seek to have it displayed in a museum or other institution. He said reclaiming the item had only piqued his interest in the circumstances about its disappearance.

“Whoever borrowed it or misplaced it or lost it, something happened somewhere,” he said. “Where’s it been?”

It was unclear how the model ended up in the storage unit and who had it before its discovery.

The original U.S.S. Enterprise, a 33-inch model, was mostly made of solid wood by Richard C. Datin, a model maker for the Howard Anderson Company, a special-effects company that created the opening credits for some of the 20th century’s biggest TV shows .

An enlarged 11-foot model was used in subsequent “Star Trek” television episodes, and is now part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum , where it was donated by Paramount Studios in 1974.

Mr. Roddenberry, who said he gave the seller a “reward” for its recovery but did not disclose the terms, assembled a group of “Star Trek” production veterans, model makers and restoration specialists in Beverly Hills to authenticate the find.

The group included a “Star Trek” art supervisor, Michael Okuda, and his wife, Denise, an artist on “Star Trek” television series and films, and Gary Kerr, a “Trek x-pert” who served as technical consultant for the Smithsonian during a 2016 restoration of the 11-foot model.

“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,” Mr. Roddenberry said.

“It was a unanimous ‘This is 100 percent the one,’” he said.

Gene Roddenberry, who died in 1991 , kept the original model, which appeared in the show’s opening credits and pilot episode, on his desk.

Mr. Kerr compared the model to 1960s photos he had of the model on Mr. Roddenberry’s desk.

“The wood grain matched exactly, so that was it,” he said on Saturday.

The model went missing after Mr. Roddenberry lent it to the makers of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” which was released in 1979, Mr. Maddalena said.

“This is a major discovery,” he said, likening the model to the ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz,” a prop that was stolen in 2005 and recovered by the F.B.I. in 2018, and that Heritage Auctions is selling.

While the slippers represent hope, he said, the starship Enterprise model “represents dreams.”

“It’s a portal to what could be,” he said.

Emily Schmall covers breaking news and feature stories and is based in Chicago. More about Emily Schmall

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A Long-Lost Piece Of Star Trek History Has Been Found – And Returned To The Roddenberry Family

T he next time you fire up eBay looking for a lightly used PS5 or a random everyday item that kind of resembles the face of Jesus Christ (look, do whatever you want with your hard-earned money, folks), take a closer look -- you might just come across a priceless pop-culture relic that has been missing for decades. Anyone who's used these sorts of online marketplaces for long enough undoubtedly has their fair share of horror stories, but this is one case that ultimately resulted in a happy ending for all involved.

It's a tale that has gone down as part of "Star Trek" lore over the long years. A franchise as long-lasting as this one will inevitably rack up its fair share of fan-favorite props and other objects of import, created by talented and pioneering artists to bring genuinely out-of-this-world visuals and legendary concept art to life. Historically, "Trek" has relied on matte paintings, cutting-edge VFX techniques, and all sorts of innovative production designs to help turn various shows and movies into the beloved entries they became. One in particular that had been lost to time, a 33-inch model of the USS Enterprise used in the classic opening credits for  "The Original Series," has managed to find its way back where it belongs.

The news was announced on Twitter (only the Borg would call it "X") by Eugene Roddenberry, Jr., the son of late franchise creator Gene Roddenberry, via a report by the New York Times . Roddenberry had some eagle-eyed fans to thank for it, who spotted an eBay listing auctioning the starship for $1000. The seller, upon being alerted to its significance, authenticated the find and eventually handed it over to Roddenberry for an unspecified reward. How's that for a feel-good story?

Read more: Star Trek's Gene Roddenberry Always Regretted Cutting One Character From The Show

Back Where It Belongs

Perhaps no other fanbase understands the value of memorabilia and franchise history quite like Trekkies do. This probably explains why, rather than selling the Enterprise model for a quick buck, the unnamed seller instead went through the proper channels and made sure the priceless artifact was returned to its rightful owner. But how did it end up lost in the first place, you ask? Well, Gene Roddenberry originally lent the model to be used during production of 1979's criminally underrated "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," whereupon it mysteriously went missing. For their part, the seller claimed to have found the model in a storage unit -- the exact path it took to end up there, however, will likely never be known.

In order to fully authenticate the find, according to the New York Times report, Eugene Roddenberry enlisted the help of "Star Trek" art supervisor Michael Okuda, "Trek" VFX artist Denise Okuda, and technical consultant Gary Kerr, the latter of whom used an old photo of the model from the 1960s as a point of comparison. According to Eugene:

"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 ... It was a unanimous, 'This is 100 percent the one.'"

With that, an age-old cold case in the "Star Trek" universe has finally been solved.

Read the original article on SlashFilm

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets. In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets. In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.

• Gene Roddenberry
• William Shatner
• Leonard Nimoy
• DeForest Kelley
• 276 User reviews
• 99 Critic reviews
• 16 wins & 31 nominations total

Episodes 80

Photos 1999

• Captain James Tiberius 'Jim' Kirk …

• Mister Spock …

• Lieutenant Leslie …

• Nurse Chapel …

• Ensign Freeman …

• Yeoman Rand …

• Announcer …

• Beta 5 Computer …
• Security Guard …
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Stellar Photos From the "Star Trek" TV Universe

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Did you know

• Trivia In the hallways of the Enterprise there are tubes marked "GNDN." These initials stand for "goes nowhere does nothing."
• Goofs The deck locations for Kirk's Quarters, Sickbay and Transporter Room vary (usually between decks 4-7) throughout the series.

Dr. McCoy : "He's dead, Jim."

• Crazy credits On some episodes, the closing credits show a still that is actually from the Star Trek blooper reel. It is a close-up of stunt man Bill Blackburn who played an android in Return to Tomorrow (1968) , removing his latex make up. In the reel, He is shown taking it off, while an off-screen voice says "You wanted show business, you got it!"
• Alternate versions In 2006, CBS went back to the archives and created HD prints of every episode of the show. In addition to the new video transfer, they re-did all of the model shots and some matte paintings using CGI effects, and re-recorded the original theme song to clean it up. These "Enhanced" versions of the episodes aired on syndication and have been released on DVD and Blu-Ray.
• Connections Edited into Ben 10: Secrets (2006)
• Soundtracks Star Trek Music by Alexander Courage

User reviews 276

• May 6, 2003

Lovable Creatures: Our Favorite Screen Pals

• How do they maintain Gravity on the the U.S.S. Enterprise ? .
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• What does "TOS" mean?
• September 8, 1966 (United States)
• United States
• Star Trek: The Original Series
• Backlot, Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
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Long-Lost First Model of the USS Enterprise From 'Star Trek' Boldly Goes Home After Twisting Voyage

The first USS Enterprise has boldly gone back home, solving a decades-long mystery

Long-Lost First Model of the USS Enterprise From 'Star Trek' Boldly Goes Home After Twisting Voyage

Josh David Jordan

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)

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.”

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.”

Photos You Should See - April 2024

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.

Copyright 2024 The  Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Picture This

George takei 'lost freedom' some 80 years ago – now he's written that story for kids.

Samantha Balaban

George Takei was just 4 years old when when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066:

"I hereby authorize and direct the Secretary of War, and the Military Commanders... to prescribe military areas in such places and of such extent as he or the appropriate Military Commander may determine, from which any or all persons may be excluded..."

It was Feb. 19, 1942. Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor two months earlier; For looking like the enemy, Japanese and Japanese American people in the U.S. were now considered "enemy combatants" and the executive order authorized the government to forcibly remove approximately 125,000 people from their homes and relocate them to prison camps around the country.

Book Reviews

George takei recalls time in an american internment camp in 'they called us enemy'.

Star Trek actor George Takei has written about this time in his life before — once in an autobiography, then in a graphic memoir, and now in his new children's book, My Lost Freedom.

It's about the years he and his mom, dad, brother and baby sister spent in a string of prison camps: swampy Camp Rohwer in Arkansas, desolate Tule Lake in northern California. But first, they were taken from their home, driven to the Santa Anita racetrack and forced to live in horse stalls while the camps were being built.

"The horse stalls were pungent," Takei remembers, "overwhelming with the stench of horse manure. The air was full of flies, buzzing. My mother, I remember, kept mumbling 'So humiliating. So humiliating.'"

He says, "Michelle's drawing really captured the degradation our family was reduced to."

Michelle is Michelle Lee, the illustrator — and researcher — for the book. Lee relied heavily on Takei's text and his excellent memory, but it was the research that both agree really brought the art to life.

"I'm telling it from the perspective of a senior citizen," Takei, 87, laughs. "I really had to wring my brains to try to remember some of the details."

So Takei took Lee to the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, where he is a member of the board. They had lunch in Little Tokyo, got to know each other, met with the educational director, and looked at the exhibits. Then Lee started digging into the archives.

Movie Interviews

From 'star trek' to lgbt spokesman, what it takes 'to be takei'.

"I looked for primary sources that showed what life was like because I feel like that humanizes it a lot more," Lee explains. She found some color photographs taken by Bill Manbo, who had smuggled his camera into the internment camp at Heart Mountain in Wyoming. "While I was painting the book, I tried as much to depict George and his family just going about their lives under these really difficult circumstances."

Takei says he was impressed with how Lee managed to capture his parents: his father, the reluctant leader and his mother, a fashion icon in her hats and furs. "This has been the first time that I've had to depict real people," Lee adds.

To get a feel for 1940s fashion, Lee says she looked at old Sears catalogues. "What are people wearing? All the men are wearing suits. What kind of colors were clothes back then."

But a lot of information has also been lost — Lee wasn't able to see, for example, where Takei and his family lived in Arkansas because the barracks at Camp Rohwer have been torn down — there's a museum there now. "I didn't actually come across too many photos of the interior of the barracks," says Lee. "The ones I did come across were very staged."

She did, however, find the original floor plans for the barracks at Jerome Camp, also in Arkansas. "I actually printed the floorplan out and then built up a little model just to see what the space was actually like," Lee says. "I think it just emphasized how small of a space this is that whole families were crammed into."

One illustration in the book shows the work that Takei's mother put in to make that barrack — no more than tar paper and boards stuck together — a home.

"She gathered rags and tore them up into strips and braided them into rugs so that we would be stepping on something warm," Takei remembers. She found army surplus fabrics and sewed curtains for the windows. She took plant branches that had fallen off the nearby trees and made decorative sculptures. She asked a friendly neighbor to build a table and chairs.

"You drew the home that my mother made out of that raw space, Takei tells Lee. "That was wonderful."

Michelle Lee painted the art for My Lost Freedom using watercolor, gouache and colored pencils. Most of the illustrations have a very warm palette, but ever-present are the barbed wire fences and the guard towers. "There's a lot of fencing and bars," Lee explains. "That was kind of the motif that I was using throughout the book... A lot of vertical and horizontal patterns to kind of emphasize just how overbearing it was."

Takei says one of his favorite drawings in the book is a scene of him and his brother, Henry, playing by a culvert.

Asian American And Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2022

George takei got reparations. he says they 'strengthen the integrity of america'.

"Camp Rohwer was a strange and magical place," Takei writes. "We'd never seen trees rising out of murky waters or such colorful butterflies. Our block was surrounded by a drainage ditch, home to tiny, wiggly black fishies. I scooped them up into a jar.

One morning they had funny bumps. Then they lost their tails and their legs popped out. They turned into frogs!"

"They're just two children among many children who were imprisoned at these camps," says Lee, "and to them, perhaps, aspects of being there were just fun." The illustration depicts both childlike wonder and — still, always — a sense of foreboding. Butterflies fly around a barbed wire fence. A bright sun shines on large, dark swamp trees. Kids play in the shadow of a guard tower.

"There's so much that you tell in that one picture," says Takei. "That's the art."

"So many of your memories are of how perceptive you are to things that are going on around you," adds Lee, "but also still approaching things from a child's perspective."

Even though the events in My Lost Freedom took place more than 80 years ago, illustrator Michelle Lee and author George Takei say the story is still very relevant today.

"These themes of displacement and uprooting of communities from one place to another — these are things that are constantly happening," says Lee. Because of war and because of political decisions ... those themes aren't uncommon. They're universal."

Takei agrees. "People need to know the lessons and learn that lesson and apply it to hard times today. And we hope that a lot of people get the book and read it to their children or read it to other children and act on it."

He's done his job, he says, now the readers have their job.

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