A model of the Starship
Enterprise used in the pilot and title sequences of "Star Trek: The Next Generation'' sold for $576,000 Saturday at an auction of costumes, sets and props from 40
years of the "Star Trek'' sci-fi franchise.
The 78-inch-long (198-centimeter)
miniature of the "Enterprise-D,'' built by Industrial Light and Magic, debuted
in 1987 in the episode "Encounter at Farpoint,'' and then was used in many
subsequent episodes, as well as the film "Star Trek Generations.''
More than 1,000 items from
the archives of CBS Paramount Television Studios went on the
block over three days at Christie's auction house, and fans forked over a
total of $7.1 million for set furniture, pointy Vulcan ears and other props.
Some Christie's employees
taking bids by telephone wore Star Trek uniforms, and a live feed of the
auction was carried on the History Channel's Web site.
Other top sellers from
Saturday's auction included a spacesuit belonging to the series' Dr. McCoy from
the episode "The Tholian Web,'' which fetched $144,000; and a replica of
Captain James T. Kirk's chair on the bridge in the first Star Trek series.
The painted wood chair was
only a re-creation for a 1996 episode of "Star Trek:
Deep Space Nine'' that mixed action from that newer series with old
footage, but it still sold for $62,400.