All language subtitles for Building.Star.Trek.2016.720p.HDTV.x264-DHD

[SIREN]

Narrator: CAPTAIN'S LOG.

STARDATE 11601.29.

ASSIGNMENT EARTH.

A MYSTERIOUS OBJECT

FROM A CLASS-M PLANET
IN THE ALPHA QUADRANT

IS BEING TRANSPORTED
BY SHUTTLECRAFT.

AN INTERGALACTIC TIME-TRAVELER,

IT BRINGS A MESSAGE OF HOPE
TO ALL HUMANOID SPECIES.

[POWER DRILL WHIRRING]

WHAT'S INSIDE THIS CRATE HAS
ALTERED ALL OUR YESTERDAYS

AND IS TAKING US WHERE NO MAN
OR WOMAN HAS GONE BEFORE.

BECAUSE THIS IS CAPTAIN KIRK'S
COMMAND CHAIR.

Captain Kirk: MR. CHEKOV, RESUME
ORIGINAL COURSE, WARP FACTOR 2.

Chekov: WARP FACTOR 2, SIR.

Kirk: ENERGIZE.

Narrator: ON STAR TREK'S
50th ANNIVERSARY

TWO MUSEUMS ARE IN A RACE
TO RESTORE ITS ICONIC ARTIFACTS.

Man: THIS ENTIRE HULL SECTION

COULD JUST SPLIT OPEN
LIKE AN EGG.

[ALARM]

Narrator: SCIENTISTS ARE MAKING
THE VISION OF STAR TREK

A REALITY.

Man: OUR PLAYBOOK IS BASICALLY

THE FIRST SEASON OF STAR TREK.

Kirk: KIRK TO ENTERPRISE.

Narrator: IT'S A POP CULTURE
PHENOMENON

THAT CHANGED HISTORY.

Nichelle Nichols:
IT WAS JUST A KISSING SCENE.

Kirk: PHASERS ON STUN.

Simon Pegg: STAR TREK IS PART
OF OUR CULTURAL DNA.

Narrator: AND AFTER 50 YEARS

STAR TREK IS STILL
INVENTING THE FUTURE.

Spock: FASCINATING.

¶

Narrator:
THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE

BEGAN ITS FIRST
FIVE-YEAR MISSION

ON SEPTEMBER 8, 1966.

50 YEARS LATER,
IT'S STILL GOING,

WITH THE THIRD FEATURE FILM

OF THE REBOOTED
STAR TREK FRANCHISE.

McCoy: YOU REALLY WANT TO HEAD
BACK OUT THERE, HUH?

Narrator: KARL URBAN
IS BONES McCOY.

McCoy: GOD...

Karl Urban: PART OF WHAT
WAS SO APPEALING

ABOUT STAR TREK BACK THEN

IS WHAT IS APPEALING
ABOUT IT TODAY.

Spock: DAZZLING DISPLAY
OF LOGIC.

Kirk: YOU DIDN'T THINK
I HAD IT IN ME, DID YOU, SPOCK?

Spock: NO, SIR.

Karl: IT'S ABOUT THIS FAMILY,

THIS DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY
IN SPACE

THAT DON'T ALWAYS GET ON,
BUT HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER.

McCoy: I LIKE THEM.
BETTER THAN I LIKE YOU.

[CROWD CHEERING]

Narrator: SIMON PEGG IS
CO-WRITER OF "STAR TREK BEYOND"

AND SCOTTY.

Simon Pegg: STAR TREK IS
THE ONE SHINING LIGHT

WHICH SAYS NO, WE'RE NOT
GONNA DESTROY OURSELVES,

WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE

AND WE'RE GONNA MOVE OUT
INTO THE GALAXY

AND BE REALLY HANDSOME.

[KIRK GROANS]

[LAUGHS]

Narrator: TODAY SCIENTISTS
ARE MAKING REAL

THE VISION OF STAR TREK,

UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF
WARP SPACE AND TELEPORTATION,

REVEALING THE MYSTERIES
OF THE INVISIBILITY CLOAK,

AND SOLVING THE RIDDLE
OF THE PHASER AND TRICORDER.

¶

ALL OF THESE FUTURISTIC
TECHNOLOGIES WERE INVENTED

BY A LOW-BUDGET SCI-FI SHOW--

THE CREATION
OF GENE RODDENBERRY,

WHICH WAS CANCELED
AFTER JUST THREE SEASONS.

[BANG]

THE 11-FOOT STUDIO MODEL
OF THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE,

WHICH WAS USED TO FILM
SHOTS LIKE THESE

IN THE DAYS BEFORE CGI,

WAS DONATED TO THE SMITHSONIAN
NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM,

WHERE IT'S BEEN ON AND OFF
DISPLAY EVER SINCE.

THE MUSEUM'S MAIN ENTRANCE,

THE ICONIC BOEING
MILESTONES OF FLIGHT HALL,

IS BEING REVAMPED.

SMITHSONIAN CURATOR
MARGARET WEITEKAMP

WANTS THE MODEL
OF THE ENTERPRISE

TO BE A CENTERPIECE
OF THIS LANDMARK EXHIBIT.

Margaret Weitekamp:
I'M A FAN, I LOVE STAR TREK.

IF WE COULD HAVE ONE OBJECT THAT
TELLS THE STORY OF IMAGINATION

AND INSPIRATION THAT'S
SO IMPORTANT TO SPACE FLIGHT,

TO REAL SPACE FLIGHT,

IT'S GOT TO BE
THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE.

¶

David Gerrold:
THE ENTERPRISE SHOULD BE THERE

BECAUSE IT'S THE DREAM.

THE LANDER IS THERE
'CAUSE IT'S THE REALITY.

BUT WE WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN
THE REALITY WITHOUT THE DREAM.

¶

Man: IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

Narrator: TO HELP
WITH THE CONSERVATION,

MARGARET HAS RECRUITED HER OWN
STAR TREK BRAIN TRUST--

A TEAM OF TECHNICAL WIZARDS
WHO HAVE WORKED ON DOZENS

OF STAR TREK FEATURE FILMS
AND SERIES.

THEIR CHALLENGE IS TO CONSERVE
THE MODEL FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

WITHOUT COMPROMISING
ITS AUTHENTICITY.

Ariel O'Connor: YEAH, THESE ARE
JUST THE WRONG SHAPE.

John Van Citters: IT'S AMAZING
TO BE THIS CLOSE TO IT.

Ariel: I KNOW, I KNOW.

Margaret: AS SOON AS WE WALK
INTO THE ROOM,

I COULD SEE THAT THIS WAS GOING
TO COME TOGETHER,

AND THE EXCITEMENT IN THE GROUP
WAS REALLY JUST ELECTRIC.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

Narrator: ADAM SCHNEIDER IS
A SPECIALIST MODEL COLLECTOR

AND RESTORER.

Adam Schneider:
YOU SEE THE MODEL THERE,

YOU'RE LIKE, "OH, MY GOSH,
IT'S BEAUTIFUL,"

BECAUSE REMEMBER,
ITS FUNCTION IS TO BE BEAUTIFUL.

ITS FUNCTION IS NOT TO FLY,

ITS FUNCTION IS TO BE ATTRACTIVE
IN THE MOVIE CONTEXT.

Margaret: SO, YOU KNOW,
THIS IS THE...

Narrator: BUT MARGARET'S WORRIED

IT COULD FALL APART
AT ANY MOMENT.

Margaret: THE STRENGTH
OF THESE JOINTS

IS SOMETHING THAT
I'M CONCERNED ABOUT,

BECAUSE THE MODEL
IS 50 YEARS OLD.

SO WE HAD A HUGE FLAKE OF PAINT
THAT JUST CLEAVED OFF.

Adam: IT GAVE UP.

Narrator: WITH THE HALL OPENING
IN JUST FOUR MONTHS,

IT'S NOW A RACE TO GET
THE MODEL READY IN TIME.

Malcolm Collum:
SO WE'VE GOT FOUR MONTHS

TO GET THIS PROJECT DONE,

AND SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT
THAT WE GET CRACKING

ON THIS THING IMMEDIATELY.

Kirk: RED ALERT!

[ALARM]

Narrator: FOR CONSERVATOR
MALCOLM COLLUM,

THE ENTERPRISE IS
AN HISTORIC ARTIFACT.

FOR PHYSICS PROFESSOR
DAVID GRIER,

IT PROVIDES A SCIENTIFIC
BLUEPRINT OF THE FUTURE.

IN HIS LABORATORY
AT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY,

DAVID IS ON A QUEST TO MAKE

THE GALAXY'S FIRST WORKING
TRACTOR BEAM.

David Grier: WE'VE SEEN IT
ON TV, RIGHT?

BUT CAN YOU IMAGINE
DOING IT FOR REAL?

Kirk: LIEUTENANT SULU,
ACTIVATE TRACTOR BEAMS.

Narrator:
IT'S A STAR TREK STAPLE.

WITH JUST THE FLICK OF A BUTTON,

AN INVISIBLE BEAM OF ENERGY
CALLED A TRACTOR BEAM

GRABS HOLD OF ANY PASSING OBJECT
AND PULLS IT ABOARD.

David Gerrold:
AND EVERYBODY WAS SAYING,

WELL, WHAT WILL WE DO
IN THE 23rd CENTURY?

HOW WILL IT LOOK?

AND SO THEY WERE, THEY WERE
HAVING THIS GREAT TIME

INVENTING THE 23rd CENTURY.

Adam: WE LOVE TRACTOR BEAMS.

ALTHOUGH YOU NEVER SAW A BEAM
IN THE ORIGINAL SHOW,

BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T
AFFORD TO PUT A BEAM.

[LAUGHS]

"TURN ON THE TRACTOR BEAM,"

AND THEN THE THING WOULD
SOMEHOW FOLLOW ALONG.

David Grier: ...BUT IT LOOKS
LIKE WE'RE NOT GOING

TO SET FIRE TO ANYTHING,

Man: OKAY, GOOD.
[LAUGHS]

Narrator:
A 50-YEAR-OLD TV SERIES

MAKES IT LOOK EFFORTLESS.

BUT TURNING SCIENCE FICTION
INTO SCIENCE FACT

ISN'T QUITE SO EASY.

DAVID HAS DISCOVERED
THAT A TRACTOR BEAM

IS REALLY A BEAM OF LIGHT.

David: IN MY LAB, WE'RE WORKING
WITH LIGHT WAVES,

AND THAT TURNS OUT TO BE
ACTUALLY IMPORTANT

IF YOU WANT TO WORK IN SPACE.

WHAT WE REALIZED, THERE WAS
SOMETHING WE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND,

SO WE WENT BACK
TO THE EQUATIONS,

WE WENT BACK TO FIGURING OUT HOW
DOES LIGHT INTERACT WITH MATTER.

Narrator: IT TURNS OUT
THE EQUATION FOR A TRACTOR BEAM

IS AS IMPRESSIVE
AS THIS MAN'S BEARD--

THE 19th CENTURY
SCOTTISH MATHEMATICIAN

JAMES CLERK MAXWELL.

HIS LIGHT BULB MOMENT CAME WITH
THE DISCOVERY OF LIGHT WAVES,

AND THE FACT THAT LIGHT WAVES
CAN PUSH MATTER.

HIDDEN WITHIN HIS EQUATIONS WAS
ANOTHER MATHEMATICAL PREDICTION,

DISCOVERED BY DAVID.

David: IT'S REALLY COOL.

WHAT'S NEW AND SPECIAL
AND SURPRISING

IS THAT THOSE EQUATIONS
HAVE BURIED WITHIN THEM

THE PREDICTION THAT YOU CAN
CREATE A WAVE THAT PULLS.

OKAY, SO HERE'S THE WAVE.

WHAT WE SHOWED IS THAT YOU CAN
RE-EXPRESS THIS AS TWO TERMS.

ONE TERM...

Narrator:
IF, AS THE EQUATIONS PREDICT,

LIGHT WAVES CAN BOTH
PUSH AND PULL...

David: THEN YOU COME OUT WITH
JUST A VERY SIMPLE RESULT...

Narrator: ...PROVING STAR TREK
GOT IT RIGHT AFTER ALL.

David: THEN YOU HAVE
A TRACTOR BEAM.

¶

YOU KNOW, THAT WAS ONE OF THOSE
SPECIAL MOMENTS, WHEN YOU SAY,

"IT'S REALLY GOOD
TO BE A SCIENTIST!"

Narrator: THAT'S THE THEORY.

BACK TO THE TRACTOR BEAM LAB
TO SEE IT IN ACTION.

David: SO, THIS IS WHAT IT TAKES
TO MAKE A TRACTOR BEAM.

WE START WITH AN ORDINARY LASER.

THE BEAM FROM THE LASER IS THEN
RELAYED OFF OF THIS MIRROR

TO THIS DEVICE HERE.

WHAT YOU'RE SEEING RIGHT HERE

IS GOING ON IN THE OPTICAL TABLE
RIGHT NOW.

IT'S HAPPENING LIVE.

WE ARE ACTUALLY
MANIPULATING OBJECTS.

WE'RE MOVING THEM AROUND WITH
THE FORCES EXERTED BY LIGHT.

Narrator: DAVID'S BEAM STILL
ISN'T READY TO MOVE SOMETHING

THE SIZE OF A SHUTTLECRAFT.

David: TO GIVE YOU A SENSE
OF THE SCALE,

THIS TV SCREEN HERE IS ABOUT

ONE QUARTER THE SIZE
OF A HUMAN HAIR.

Narrator:
SO IT'S A MICROSCOPIC PARTICLE

THAT CAN BE PUSHED AND PULLED.

David: THESE SMALL THINGS
MOVING IN HERE

ARE UNDER HENRIQUE'S
COMPLETE CONTROL.

NOW WE'RE GOING TO TURN IT
INTO A TRACTOR BEAM.

GO FOR IT.

AND HERE YOU GO, YOU CAN SEE,
THE PATTERN IS SQUEEZING DOWN

AS THE OBJECT MOVES TOWARD US.

THAT'S A TRACTOR BEAM.

SO THEY WORK.

YOU CAN HAVE THEM TODAY
IN THE LAB.

Narrator: WITH PRACTICE,
DAVID'S TRACTOR BEAMS

CAN NOT ONLY PULL AND PUSH,

THEY CAN MAKE PARTICLES DANCE
IN THREE DIMENSIONS.

David: IT'S JUST AMAZING
THAT IT WORKS.

FROM THE, FROM THE EQUATIONS
TO THE TV SCREEN.

Narrator: IN TEN YEARS' TIME

DAVID PLANS TO TAKE
HIS TRACTOR BEAM

FROM THE LAB INTO SPACE.

David: THE IDEA IS TO USE
TRACTOR BEAMS TO SAMPLE DUST,

ICE CRYSTALS,
MICROSCOPIC MATTER FROM SPACE.

BY GATHERING THAT MATERIAL
AND ANALYZING IT,

YOU CAN LEARN WHERE
WE CAME FROM...

AND PERHAPS WHERE WE'RE GOING.

Narrator:
IT'S NOT ONLY SCIENTISTS

WHO HAVE BEEN INSPIRED
BY STAR TREK.

GENERATIONS OF FANS
HAVE GROWN UP

WITH ITS VISION OF HOPE
AND OPTIMISM.

Brooks Peck: IT'S REALLY
A WONDERFUL AND INSPIRING VISION

OF THE FUTURE.

IT'S HOW WE SHOULD BE.

Narrator: BROOKS PECK IS A FAN

AND ALSO A CURATOR
AT THE EMP MUSEUM IN SEATTLE,

NORTH AMERICA'S LEADING
POP CULTURE MUSEUM,

WHICH LOOKS LIKE IT CAME
STRAIGHT OUT OF SCIENCE FICTION.

[GROANS]

Narrator: FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN NEARLY 50 YEARS,

BROOKS WANTS TO BRING TOGETHER
AUTHENTIC PROPS

FROM THE ORIGINAL SERIES
OF STAR TREK

AND RECREATE THE BRIDGE
OF THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE.

IT'S A PLAN AS BOLD
AS CAPTAIN KIRK'S.

Brooks: SO ABOUT HERE IS WHERE
THE CENTER OF THE EXHIBITION

IS GOING TO BE.

THIS WILL BE WHERE WE PUT
CAPTAIN KIRK'S COMMAND CHAIR.

THIS IS OUR BRIDGE,

AND WE'RE GOING TO BUILD IT OUT
RIGHT AROUND THE CHAIR.

THROUGHOUT THE EXHIBIT

THERE'S GOING TO BE OVER
100 OBJECTS ON DISPLAY,

EVERYTHING AUTHENTIC,
EVERYTHING FROM STAR TREK.

ACTUAL COSTUMES WORN,
ACTUAL PROPS, THE REAL THING.

IT'LL ALL BE HERE.

Narrator: IT'S
A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EXHIBITION,

AND BROOKS HAS GOT JUST THE NEXT
FOUR MONTHS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

HE'S GOING TO NEED
ONE OF THESE...

Kirk: KIRK TO ENTERPRISE.

Narrator: ONE OF THESE...

AND AT LEAST ONE OF THESE.

BUT BROOKS'S TASK ISN'T EASY.

AFTER THE SHOW WAS CANCELLED,

MOST PROPS WERE THROWN
IN THE DUMPSTER.

ONLY A VERY FEW SURVIVE,

JEALOUSLY GUARDED BY COLLECTORS
AND TREKKIES.

Brooks: IT'S AN AMBITIOUS PLAN,
AND WE DON'T, AT THIS POINT,

HAVE MUCH TIME TO DO IT
IN MUSEUM TERMS.

SO WE HAVE TO WORK FAST,
REALLY FAST, TO GET THIS DONE.

[SQUEAK]

Narrator: THE CLOCK IS NOW
TICKING FOR BROOKS

TO FIND ALL THE PROPS HE NEEDS
FOR HIS LANDMARK EXHIBITION.

Narrator: THIS IS HOW
WE LIKE TO REMEMBER

THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE.

Peter Diamandis:
INGRAINED IN MY MIND

AS A, YOU KNOW,
7, 8, 9, 10-YEAR-OLD BOY

WHEN THE SERIES WAS AIRING

IS THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE WAS
EVERYTHING GREAT ABOUT HUMANITY.

Narrator: 50 YEARS LATER

IT LOOKS LIKE IT MAY HAVE
REACHED ITS FINAL FRONTIER.

MALCOLM COLLUM,
CHIEF CONSERVATOR

AT THE SMITHSONIAN
NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM,

ALREADY KNEW
IT WAS IN BAD SHAPE,

BUT NOW HE'S WORRIED IT COULD
FALL APART AT ANY MOMENT.

Malcolm: SO IF YOU LOOK HERE,

YOU CAN SEE HERE'S AN AREA WHERE
THAT GLUED SEAM IS SPLITTING.

AND IT MAY BE THE RESULT
OF THE WOODEN STRUCTURE

HAVING SHIFTED OR SOMETHING.

SO THE FACT THAT THE GLUE THAT'S
IN HERE IS 50 YEARS OLD NOW,

WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE CONCERNS.

[EXPLOSION]

[ALARM]

I'M VERY CONCERNED, I'M ACTUALLY
SURPRISED THAT THIS CRACK

HASN'T PROPAGATED FURTHER.

WE'VE GOT CRACKING UP HERE
IN THIS SECTION HERE.

IF YOU SEE THIS AREA HERE,

YOU'VE GOT SOME MORE
OF THIS FLAKING PAINT.

THE PAINT THROUGH HERE IS JUST
LITERALLY CLEAVING OFF

IN THESE LARGE CHIPS.

AND YOU CAN SEE THE LOAD

FROM THE WEIGHT OF THE ENGINE
NACELLE DROPPING DOWN

HAS CAUSED THE WOODEN GLUE JOINT
HERE TO SEPARATE.

SO THE FACT THAT THIS CRACK
IS RUNNING ACROSS HERE

IS THE BIGGEST FEAR THAT I HAVE,
IS THAT, YOU KNOW,

THIS ENTIRE HULL SECTION COULD
JUST SPLIT OPEN LIKE AN EGG.

[ALARM]

[EXPLOSION]

Narrator: IT'S A NATIONAL ICON

THAT'S JUST ONE DAB OF
50-YEAR-OLD GLUE FROM DISASTER.

[PHASER FIRES]

Malcolm: YES, YEAH,
I'M HAVING PANGS OF ANXIETY.

Kirk: GO TO WARP 6.

¶

Narrator: THE ENTERPRISE IS
DESTINED TO TAKE CENTER STAGE

AT THE NATIONAL
AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM

ALONGSIDE OTHER ICONS SUCH AS
THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS,

SPUTNIK, AND THE APOLLO
LUNAR MODULE.

Margaret: IT'S A VERY BIG DEAL,
THIS IS THE ICONIC SPACE

IN THE DOWNTOWN BUILDING OF THE
NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM.

IT IS OUR INTRODUCTION
TO THE PREMIER COLLECTION

OF AVIATION AND SPACE ARTIFACTS
IN THE WORLD.

IT WILL GO RIGHT HERE,
SO THAT AS VISITORS COME IN,

THEY'RE GOING TO BE GREETED
BY THE ICONIC SAUCER

WITH THE NCC-1701
OF THE ENTERPRISE

IN ITS FULL GLORY, RESTORED
TO WHAT IT WOULD'VE LOOKED LIKE

AT THE END OF PRODUCTION
IN 1967.

Narrator: NEXT TO THE ENTERPRISE

IN THE BOEING
MILESTONES OF FLIGHT HALL

WILL BE TWO INTERMEDIATE RANGE
NUCLEAR MISSILES

FROM THE COLD WAR,

WHICH IS THE KIND
OF REAL-LIFE ISSUE

THE SCRIPTWRITERS OF STAR TREK
HAVE NEVER SHIED AWAY FROM.

David Gerrold: WHILE THE
ORIGINAL PREMISE OF THE SHOW

MAY HAVE BEEN,

"LET'S JUST HAVE SOME ADVENTURES
WITH A SPACESHIP,"

VERY QUICKLY IT BECAME
SOCIAL COMMENTARY AS WELL.

Simon: THIS IS A TIME
WHEN WE WERE ALL VERY WORRIED

THAT WE WERE GOING TO DIE
IN A NUCLEAR FIRE.

DC Fontana: I THINK WE TOLD
STORIES THAT MADE PEOPLE

GO LOOK FOR OTHER ANSWERS,

UH, LOOK AT THEIR WORLD
A DIFFERENT WAY,

UH, LOOK AT THEIR NEIGHBORS
A DIFFERENT WAY.

I THINK WE GOT PEOPLE THINKING.

David: THE CHALLENGE
WITH STAR TREK

WAS TO RATTLE THE BARS
OF THE CAGE,

WAS TO PUSH THE LIMIT,
YOU KNOW, TO BE AMBITIOUS.

Lieutenant Uhura: OUTPOST 4
REPORTED UNDER ATTACK, SIR.

Narrator: IN THE EPISODE
"A BALANCE OF TERROR,"

THE ENTERPRISE FINDS ITSELF

IN STAR TREK'S VERSION
OF A COLD WAR STANDOFF.

Kirk: DID OUTPOST 4
GIVE ANYTHING AT ALL

ON THE ATTACKING VESSEL,
LIEUTENANT?

Uhura: NO IDENTIFICATION, SIR.

Narrator: JUST AS THE WEST
DISTRUSTED THE SOVIET UNION,

AT THE FAR END OF THE GALAXY,

THE ROMULANS WERE
ACTING SUSPICIOUSLY.

Simon: ALL THE VILLAINS
IN STAR TREK

WERE PROXIES FOR OUR VILLAINS,
THE REAL ENEMIES AT THE TIME.

THE ROMULANS WERE SORT OF
SNEAKING AROUND

AND DID EVERYTHING
SORT OF UNDERCOVER,

WERE DUPLICITOUS
AND UNTRUSTWORTHY,

AND ALL THAT WAS A REFLECTION

OF HOW THEY WERE FEELING
ABOUT COMMUNISM AT THE TIME.

¶

Narrator: THE BLACKBIRD SR-71
IS ONE EXAMPLE OF THAT DISTRUST.

TODAY IT'S ON DISPLAY

AT THE SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL
AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM.

IN THE 1960s IT WAS ONE
OF THE UNITED STATES'

TOP SECRET "BLACK" PROJECTS

AND ONE OF THE FIRST
MILITARY AIRCRAFT

DESIGNED USING
STEALTH TECHNOLOGY

TO AVOID DETECTION
BY ENEMY RADAR.

BUT THE ROMULAN BIRD OF PREY
WENT ONE BETTER.

IT WASN'T JUST STEALTHY,

IT COULD DISAPPEAR ALTOGETHER
USING AN INVISIBILITY CLOAK.

Simon: IT WAS SOMETHING
THAT WAS USED BY THE ENEMY,

AND MAYBE BECAUSE
IT WAS A LITTLE UNDERHAND,

A LITTLE LESS THAN VALIANT,
TO KIND OF HIDE.

Kirk: I DON'T SEE ANYTHING.

Spock: INVISIBILITY IS
THEORETICALLY POSSIBLE, CAPTAIN,

THE SELECTIVE BENDING OF LIGHT.

BUT THE POWER COST IS ENORMOUS.

Narrator: INSPIRED BY STAR TREK,
SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN TRYING

TO MAKE AN INVISIBILITY CLOAK
EVER SINCE.

John Howell: OBVIOUSLY STAR TREK
IS FICTION,

SO WE DON'T, IT DIDN'T
ACTUALLY SPECIFY

HOW THEIR CLOAK OPERATED,

OTHERWISE WE WOULD HAVE
BUILT ONE A LONG TIME AGO.

Narrator: SO PROFESSOR
JOHN HOWELL AND HIS TEAM

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
HAVE MADE THEIR OWN VERSION.

THEY CALL IT
THE ROCHESTER CLOAK.

John: IS THERE A SIMPLE WAY
TO ACHIEVE CLOAKING

WITHOUT GOING INTO GREAT EXPENSE

OR GREAT DIFFICULTY
IN MAKING THE SETUP?

Narrator: THE ANSWER
TURNS OUT TO BE YES--

AND IT ALL COMES DOWN
TO CLASSIC PHYSICS.

John: INVISIBILITY IS
TAKING A LIGHT RAY

AND BENDING IT AROUND AN OBJECT

SO THAT IT GETS TO THE OBSERVER
AS IF THE OBJECT WEREN'T THERE.

Narrator: IMAGINE A ROMULAN
WHO'S UP TO NO GOOD.

[BOOM]

WE CAN SEE HE'S UP TO NO GOOD
BECAUSE LIGHT WAVES TRAVEL

IN A STRAIGHT LINE
AND BOUNCE OFF HIM.

BUT WHAT IF HE COULD
BEND LIGHT WAVES?

ACCORDING TO EINSTEIN, ONE WAY
OF DOING THIS IS TO WARP SPACE

USING SOMETHING
LIKE A BLACK HOLE.

[SCREAMING]

JOHN DOESN'T HAVE A BLACK HOLE
IN HIS LAB,

BUT HE DOES HAVE
QUITE A LOT OF THESE.

Joseph Choi:
WE HAVE THE ROCHESTER CLOAK,

WHICH IS FOUR LENSES,
AND THEY'RE SET APART

SO THAT THE LIGHT THAT COMES IN
FOCUSES, DIVERGES,

COMES THROUGH, FOCUSES,
DIVERGES, AND COMES THROUGH.

THE ROCHESTER CLOAK
CAN HIDE AN OBJECT

BUT ALSO MAKE IT
LOOK TRANSPARENT

SO THAT THE WHOLE THING APPEARS
AS IF IT'S NOT THERE.

John: PHYSICS IS NOT MAGIC.

IT'S ONLY MAGIC IF YOU DON'T
UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON.

IT WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY
INCREDIBLE

TO AN 18th CENTURY PERSON
TO SEE AN iPHONE.

IT WOULD BE TOTALLY MAGICAL.

Narrator: THE MATH REQUIRED

TO GET THE POSITION
OF THE LENSES JUST RIGHT

IS COMPLEX, BUT IT'S NOT NEW.

John: THIS TECHNIQUE IS
USING OLD PHYSICS

TO DO A SIMPLE IMAGING PROBLEM

THAT MAYBE HADN'T REALLY
BEEN THOUGHT OF.

Narrator: OLD SCI-FI
PLUS CLASSIC PHYSICS

EQUALS INVISIBILITY.

¶

MEANWHILE IN SEATTLE,

BROOKS PECK HAS STILL GOT
5,000 SQUARE FEET

OF EMPTY EXHIBITION SPACE
TO FILL.

AND 50-YEAR-OLD STAR TREK PROPS
ARE PROVING TO BE AS ELUSIVE

AS THE ROMULAN BIRD OF PREY.

John Van Citters:
AFTER THE SHOW WAS CANCELED,

IT'S HARD TO SAY EXACTLY
WHAT HAPPENED TO EVERYTHING.

A LOT OF THE STUFF
WAS TOSSED OUT,

THE SETS WERE TAKEN APART,
PUT IN DUMPSTERS.

Adam: THE ONLY THINGS
THAT WERE SAVED

WERE SAVED BY ACTUAL PEOPLE
IN THE STUDIO WHO SAID,

"OH, I WANT ONE OF THOSE,
I'LL TAKE IT HOME."

Narrator:
THE MODEL OF THE ENTERPRISE

WAS DONATED
TO THE SMITHSONIAN...

[CRASH]

BUT THE FILM SET WAS TRASHED.

BACK IN 1969 BILL WARD WAS
A GRAD STUDENT AT UCLA.

Bill Ward: WELL, HERE WE ARE
AT THE BACK LOT

OF THE SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM
AND TELEVISION AT UCLA,

AND I'M RETRACING
THE FINAL VOYAGE

OF THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE.

THIS IS WHERE FLATBED TRUCKS
DEPOSITED ALL OF THE SETS

FROM THE ORIGINAL STAR TREK.

I REMEMBER
THE TWO SLIDING DOORS.

THEY WERE QUITE MAGICAL

IN THAT THEY SEEMED TO
AUTOMATICALLY OPEN AND CLOSE.

WHEN I LOOKED AT THEM,

I FOUND THAT THERE WAS
A HANDLE ON EACH ONE

SO THAT A STAGEHAND COULD PULL
IT OPEN AND CLOSE IT MANUALLY.

Uhura: CAPTAIN, WE'RE GETTING
A SIGNAL FROM THE SPACECRAFT.

Bill: I REMEMBER LIEUTENANT
UHURA'S COMMUNICATION CENTER

WAS A SHEET OF QUARTER-INCH
PLYWOOD, ALSO PAINTED GRAY,

WITH SOME LITTLE THINGS
GLUED TO IT

THAT DIDN'T REALLY DO ANYTHING.

BUT SHE PRETENDED LIKE IT DID

AND DID QUITE
A GOOD JOB OF THAT.

[BEEPING]

I THINK IF THEY HAD KNOWN HOW
VALUABLE THIS WOULD HAVE BECOME,

THEY WOULD HAVE HELD ON TO IT,

BECAUSE IT WOULD BE WORTH
A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT TODAY.

Narrator: INSTEAD OF WHICH,

THE ENTIRE STRUCTURE
OF QUARTER-INCH PLYWOOD FLATS

WAS TAKEN APART, PIECE BY PIECE,
AND OVER THE FOLLOWING DECADES,

CANNIBALIZED
FOR STUDENT PRODUCTIONS.

Bill: WELL, HERE WE ARE

IN THE SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM
AND TELEVISION SCENE SHOP.

THIS IS WHERE THE ENTERPRISE
WAS FINALLY DISMANTLED.

IT TOOK SEVERAL YEARS TO DO IT.

IT WAS USED IN
STUDENT FILM PRODUCTION.

THERE MIGHT BE SOME PIECES
OF IT STILL HERE.

WHO KNOWS?

Narrator: BUT AT LEAST ONE ITEM
ESCAPED THE DUMPSTER

AND THE STUDENT PRODUCTIONS,

AND FOR BROOKS,
IT'S THE FIRST PIECE

TO HIS 50th ANNIVERSARY
STAR TREK PUZZLE.

Narrator: STAR TREK WAS
A CHEAP SHOW WITH CHEAP PROPS,

AND FOR ALL THAT,
UTTERLY BELIEVABLE.

[THUNDER]

Simon: WHEN YOU WATCHED IT, AS
A FAN YOU NEVER QUESTIONED IT,

YOU JUST, YOU BOUGHT IT,
IT WAS...

YOUR SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF
WAS COMPLETE,

YOU WERE LIKE, "YEAH, FINE."

Brooks: SO THIS
IS A COMMUNICATOR.

THIS IS ONE OF THE ACTUAL PROPS.

IT WAS PROBABLY USED
BY EVERYONE ON THE SHOW

AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER.

Scotty: ENTERPRISE TO
CAPTAIN KIRK, COME IN, PLEASE.

Kirk: KIRK HERE,
WHAT IS IT, ENTERPRISE?

Brooks: THIS SORT OF
SPEAKER GRILLE PIECE,

THAT'S ACTUALLY
A PIECE OF PAPER THERE

THAT'S BEEN PRINTED ON
WITH THOSE GROOVY LINES.

[CHIRP]
Kirk: KIRK HERE.

Karl: BACK IN THE '60s
THESE GUYS ARE USING

LITTLE COMMUNICATOR DEVICES,

AND YOU KNOW,
YOU HAVE A LOOK AT TODAY,

AND MOST OF US ARE WALKING
AROUND WITH THESE SMART PHONES

THAT CAN DO ALL OF THAT.

Kirk: KIRK TO ENTERPRISE.
Uhura: ENTERPRISE.

John: I SAW IT ON STAR TREK,

AND SO I COULD IMAGINE THAT IN
MY LIFETIME WE WOULD HAVE THAT.

Brooks: WOULD THESE THINGS HAVE
HAPPENED AS QUICKLY AS THEY HAVE

WITHOUT STAR TREK?

I THINK SCIENCE
AND SCIENCE FICTION

HAVE THIS SYMBIOTIC
RELATIONSHIP.

SCIENCE FICTION
INSPIRES SCIENTISTS

TO INVENT WHAT THEY SEE
IN SCIENCE FICTION.

[CHIRPING]

Narrator: BUT ONE COMMUNICATOR

DOESN'T MAKE A 50th ANNIVERSARY
STAR TREK EXHIBITION.

TIME FOR BROOKS TO HIT
THAT WARP DRIVE.

Brooks: I FOUND OUT FROM ANOTHER
STAR TREK COLLECTOR

THAT THERE'S
A GENTLEMAN NAMED GERALD

WHO HAS A REALLY, REALLY
IMPORTANT PIECE.

APPARENTLY HE HAS
AN ORIGINAL PHASER.

THIS IS REALLY MIND-BLOWING,

BECAUSE AS FAR AS WE KNOW

THERE ARE ONLY TWO PHASERS
IN EXISTENCE,

AND I DID NOT EXPECT I'D BE ABLE
TO TRACK ONE DOWN.

HI.

Gerald Gurian:
HEY, BROOKS, HOW ARE YOU?

Narrator: IT TURNS OUT
THERE ARE STAR TREK COLLECTORS,

AND THERE'S GERALD.

Gerald:
STEP RIGHT THIS WAY, BROOKS.

Brooks: LOOK AT THIS.
THIS IS FANTASTIC.

Gerald: OH, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

YOU CAN EXAMINE IT IF YOU LIKE.

Brooks: OH, OKAY, HANG ON.

I CAN'T, UH...

JUST A SECOND.

VERY COOL.

IT'S, IT'S LIGHT.

Gerald: YES.

Brooks: AS A KID
YOU ALWAYS IMAGINE

IT'S GOT THIS WEIGHT.

Gerald: IT'S HOLLOW FIBERGLASS.

Brooks: WOW, WELL, YOU'VE TAKEN
GREAT CARE OF THIS.

IT'S SOMETHING I'VE WANTED TO DO
SINCE I WAS 10,

YOU KNOW, IS, LIKE,
HOLD A PHASER.

THAT WAS REALLY HARD
TO, LIKE, KEEP IT COOL,

AND BE ALL PROFESSIONAL,

YOU KNOW, LIKE, "YEAH, YEAH,"

WHEN JUST THERE'S THIS
9-YEAR-OLD KID IN ME GOING,

"OH, MY GOODNESS, THE PHASER."

SO, GERALD, WHAT DO YOU THINK?

HOW WOULD YOU FEEL ABOUT LOANING
IT TO US FOR A LITTLE WHILE

TO DISPLAY IN THE EXHIBITION?

Gerald: I WILL SERIOUSLY
CONSIDER.

Brooks: THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

I PROMISE WE WOULD TAKE
EXCELLENT CARE OF IT.

Kirk: FIRE ALL PHASERS.

Narrator: AT HEART,
STAR TREK HAS ALWAYS BEEN

A GOOD, OLD-FASHIONED ADVENTURE

THAT APPEALS TO THE KID
IN ALL OF US.

[ZAP]

Margaret: I LOVE KIRK AS
A SWASHBUCKLER AND A GUNSLINGER

IN THE OLD AMERICAN WESTERN
TRADITION.

[BOOM]

Adam: TERRIBLY FUN,
TERRIBLY CHEESY.

THAT'S PART OF THE HALLMARK.

YOU PICK UP A PHASER
AND IT GOES, "TADAAA."

¶

Narrator: BUT WHAT HAPPENS
IF YOU'VE FORGOTTEN YOUR PHASER,

AND YOU FIND YOU'RE BEING
SLOWLY HUGGED TO DEATH

BY A SEVEN-FOOT ANGRY GREEN
LIZARD CALLED THE GORN?

Simon: "ARENA" IS
A GREAT EPISODE.

[GROWLING]

IT'S A MANO-A-MANO
KIND OF FIGHT.

LOOKING BACK AT IT NOW,
IT'S RIDICULOUS,

BECAUSE IT'S OBVIOUSLY A MAN IN
A SUIT MOVING INCREDIBLY SLOWLY.

[GROWLING]

HE DOES THIS...

[GROWLING]

AND THEN KIRK DUCKS,
AND HE DOES THIS.

[GROWLING]

[GRUMBLES]

¶

Narrator: AND IF YOU DON'T
HAVE A PHASER,

THEN YOU HAVE TO MAKE
THE NEXT BEST THING.

Spock: FIRST POTASSIUM NITRATE.

AND NOW IF HE CAN FIND SOME
SULFUR AND A CHARCOAL DEPOSIT.

Narrator: MIX IT ALL TOGETHER
AND WHAT DO YOU GET?

Spock: RECALL YOUR
BASIC CHEMISTRY, DOCTOR--

GUNPOWDER.

Simon: WHEN HE LEARNS TO MAKES
GUNPOWDER AND CREATES A GUN,

IT'S AWESOME.

[LAUGHS]

Spock: HE HAS REASONED IT OUT.

Narrator: BUT IS IT MORE
THAN GOOFY FUN?

[BOOM]

CAN STAR TREK REALLY POINT US

TOWARDS THE WEAPONS
OF THE FUTURE?

THE ANSWER IS YES,

ACCORDING TO LASER SCIENTIST
AND TREK FAN DR. ROB AFZAL.

Rob Afzal: WE'RE AT
THE LOCKHEED MARTIN FACILITY

IN BOTHELL, WASHINGTON, WHERE
WE DEVELOP HIGH-POWER LASERS.

AND I'M GOING TO TAKE YOU

INTO ONE OF THE TYPICAL
LASER DEVELOPMENT LABS

THAT WE HAVE HERE, WHERE
WE TURN IDEAS INTO REALITY.

THIS IS WHERE WE WOULD
TRY STUFF OUT.

WE HAVE TOOLS, TEST EQUIPMENT.

IT'S EARLY THINKING.

THIS IS WHERE
THOSE INITIAL IDEAS,

WE BEGIN TO THINK THEM OUT,

SEE HOW THEY CAN ACTUALLY BE
TURNED INTO EXPERIMENTS,

MEASURE THE EXPERIMENTS,
AND SEE IF THOSE IDEAS ARE REAL.

ONCE THAT'S PROVEN OUT,

WE CAN THEN BEGIN TO ENGINEER
THEM INTO A SOLUTION,

ENGINEER THEM INTO A DEVICE.

Narrator: BY COMBINING
LASER BEAMS USING FIBER OPTICS,

ROB CAN NOW INCREASE THEIR
POWER OUTPUT EXPONENTIALLY.

Rob: A LASER THAT WE WOULD
DEVELOP FOR DEFENSIVE PURPOSES

WOULD BE 1,000 TO 100,000 TIMES
MORE POWERFUL THAN THIS ONE.

Narrator: ROB'S GOAL IS TO
CREATE A DEFENSIVE WEAPON

AS POWERFUL AS
STAR TREK'S PHASER.

Rob: SO HOW COULD WE ACTUALLY
MAKE A PHASER?

WELL, WHEN I LOOK
AT A DEVICE LIKE THIS,

THE FIRST THING I THINK ABOUT
IS THE ENERGY,

THE POWER THAT'S REQUIRED
TO GET THE PHASER EFFECT.

[BANG]

THE NEXT BREAKTHROUGH
WOULD COME FROM BEING ABLE

TO STORE ENOUGH ENERGY
IN A DEVICE LIKE THIS

SO THAT YOU COULD PROJECT
THAT BEAM AND GET YOUR EFFECT.

Narrator: AND HOW CLOSE IS ROB
TO ACHIEVING THIS?

WELL, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.

Rob: YOU SEE THE ROCKET LAUNCH.

AT THIS POINT
THE LASER WEAPON SYSTEM

HAS TO ACQUIRE THE ROCKET,
TRACK IT,

PUT THE HIGH ENERGY LASER BEAM
ONTO IT,

AND THAT WHITE SPOT THERE
IS AN ACTUAL REFLECTION

OF THE HIGH ENERGY LASER BEAM
ON THE ROCKET,

OVERHEATING THE WARHEAD,
CAUSING IT TO EXPLODE.

[BOOM]

Narrator:
TESTED ON THE FIRING RANGE,

LOCKHEED MARTIN'S PROTOTYPE
LASER DEFENSE SYSTEM

IS UNDERGOING FURTHER
DEVELOPMENT IN THE LAB

BEFORE DEPLOYMENT
ON THE BATTLEFIELD.

[BOOM]

BEFORE ROB CAME ALONG,

THE ENERGY REQUIRED
TO DO THIS...

REQUIRED A GENERATOR
THE SIZE OF THIS...

OR EVEN THIS...

MAKING IT AS MOBILE
AS YOUR AVERAGE GORN.

[SNARLING]

BUT ROB'S LASERS ARE NOW
SMALL ENOUGH TO BE DEPLOYED

ON THE BATTLEFIELD FOR REAL.

[BOOM]

[HISSING]

Rob: AS YOU CAN SEE,
THE COMPLETE LASER WEAPON SYSTEM

IS ABLE TO BE CARRIED ON
THE BACK OF A FLATBED TRUCK.

Narrator: OKAY, SO STILL NOT
PHASER SIZE,

BUT ROB'S NOT ONE TO ARGUE WITH.

Rob: AND OF COURSE IT'S VERY
DIFFICULT TO PREDICT THE FUTURE,

BUT I WOULD NEVER BET
AGAINST SCIENCE.

[BOOM, BOOM, BOOM]

Narrator: BACK IN SEATTLE,
BROOKS HAS FOUND A FRIEND.

Brooks: HELLO, GORN.

CHECK HIM OUT.

[GROWLING]

[WHISPERING]
CAPTAIN KIRK.

¶

Narrator: IN THE LAB IT'S TIME

FOR THE SERIOUS CONSERVATION
WORK TO BEGIN.

Margaret: THE STAR TREK
ENTERPRISE MODEL IS RECEIVING

THE SAME STANDARDS OF CARE THAT
WE WOULD GIVE TO ANY ARTIFACT

IN THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION.

AND WE'RE TAKING WHAT WE KNOW
ABOUT HISTORIC ARTIFACTS

AND REALLY BRINGING THAT
TO THIS CULTURAL ARTIFACT.

¶

[PEOPLE CHATTING]

Narrator: AT THE STAR TREK
CONVENTION IN LAS VEGAS,

THE FANS WANT TO KNOW WHAT
EXACTLY MARGARET AND HER TEAM

ARE DOING TO THEIR STARSHIP.

John: THEY LOVE THE SHOW,
AND THEY JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH.

Margaret:
I'M THRILLED TO BE HERE,

AND, UM, BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH
KNOWLEDGE IN THIS ROOM,

AND THERE'S SO MUCH...

Adam: SO I THINK
THE WHOLE RESTORATION TEAM

KNOWS THAT THERE ARE MILLIONS
OF FANS WHO ARE WATCHING THIS.

Man: I'M CURIOUS,

WHO IS GOING TO ACTUALLY DO
THE PAINT RESTORATION?

Man: DID YOU GUYS FIND ANY,
TO USE A STAR TREK TERM,

MICRO FRACTURES ON THE HULL?

Man: DO YOU HAVE A BACKUP PLAN
TO COMPENSATE FOR THAT?

Margaret: WE ARE CONCERNED,

YOU DEFINITELY SEE CRACKING,
THE ENGINEERING...

I FEEL A RESPONSIBILITY
TO THE FANS BECAUSE I'M A FAN.

Narrator: WHILE MARGARET
LAYS OUT HER PLAN OF ACTION

TO THE FANS,

BACK AT THE SMITHSONIAN,

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH HAS ARRIVED

FOR CHIEF CONSERVATOR
MALCOLM COLLUM.

TO SAVE THE ENTERPRISE
FOR THE FANS,

HE'S GOING TO HAVE
TO TAKE HER APART.

¶

Narrator:
AT THE EMP MUSEUM IN SEATTLE,

CURATOR BROOKS PECK
IS TAKING DELIVERY

OF THE MOST ICONIC PROP
OF THEM ALL,

AND THE CENTERPIECE OF HIS
50th ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION

RECREATING THE BRIDGE
OF THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE.

Brooks: THIS IS CAPTAIN KIRK'S
COMMAND CHAIR.

Kirk: THIS IS CAPTAIN JAMES KIRK
OF THE USS ENTERPRISE.

Brooks: THIS IS, THIS IS
THE HEART OF IT ALL.

THIS IS WHERE KIRK SITS
AND GUIDES HIS SHIP,

GUIDES HIS CREW.

Kirk: STAYING WITH US.

Brooks: FACES DOWN
EVIL ALIENS...

[ALARM]

SEDUCES PRETTY WOMEN.

¶

[LAUGHS]

Aprille Ericsson:
HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH WOMEN

WAS SOMETHING THAT
I WOULDN'T ALWAYS EXPECT

TO BE WHAT HAPPENS
WITH THE CAPTAIN.

Simon: THIS SUPER BRASH,
SUPER CONFIDENT, COCKY...

Kirk: I WANT SOME ANSWERS
TO ALL THIS.

Simon: REBEL WHO EVERYONE
JUST LOVES,

'CAUSE HE'S JUST
A LITTLE BIT NAUGHTY.

Peter: SUAVE, BRILLIANT.

Kirk: NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE
YOUR PSYCHOKINETIC ABILITY,

BUT AT TWICE YOUR POWER LEVEL.

Peter: GO WITH HIS GUT.

[ZAP]

Kirk: WELL, THAT SETTLES THAT.

Peter: GREAT LEADER.

Kirk: YOU WON'T GET IT
THROUGH TORTURE.

Peter: DRIVEN BEYOND BELIEF.

Kirk: I WANT THAT
THIRD ALTERNATIVE.

David: HE WAS THE GLUE
THAT HELD THAT SHOW TOGETHER,

BECAUSE YOU ADMIRED
CAPTAIN KIRK,

AND YOU HAD TO
LOVE CAPTAIN KIRK,

OR THE SHOW DOESN'T WORK.

Adam: MOST PEOPLE WHO WANT
TO PLAY STAR TREK

WHEN THEY'RE 10 YEARS OLD

WANT TO BE CAPTAIN KIRK,

IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THE BEST JOB.

Narrator: BETTER EVEN
THAN A MUSEUM CURATOR.

[POWER DRILL WHIRRING]

Brooks: OF COURSE THAT
11-YEAR-OLD BROOKS

THAT WATCHED STAR TREK AS A KID,

I WOULD LOVE TO SEE
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE

TO REALLY SIT IN THAT CHAIR.

Narrator: TEMPTING, ISN'T IT?

Brooks: I NEVER, EVER WILL.

IT'S AN OBJECT
THAT WE HAVE TO PROTECT.

WE ARE THE STEWARDS
OF THIS CHAIR.

AND SO, NO SITTING.

Narrator: HE'S GOT NO TIME FOR
SITTING ON HIS LAURELS, EITHER.

¶

HE'S GOT AS MANY
ORIGINAL PROPS TO FIND

AS THERE ARE TRIBBLES
IN THE VENTILATION DUCTS.

[SQUEAKING]

AS FOR MALCOLM COLLUM,

IT DOESN'T GET ANY MORE
NERVE-RACKING THAN THIS.

Karl: I CERTAINLY FEEL THAT
WE DO FEEL FOR THE SHIP.

THE MORE TIME THAT, YOU KNOW,
YOU SPEND WITH THESE CHARACTERS,

THE MORE YOU CARE FOR THEM.

I REMEMBER, AS A BOY,
WATCHING THE FIRST TIME

I SAW THE ENTERPRISE
DESTROYED IN A MOVIE,

AND IT HAD AN IMPACT.

AND THEN THEY DESTROYED IT
IN QUITE A FEW MOVIES.

[LAUGHS]

Narrator: IF MALCOLM THINKS
HIS MODEL IS IN BAD SHAPE,

HE SHOULD TAKE A LOOK
AT THIS ONE.

THIS WAS THE GALILEO,
THE STAR TREK SHUTTLECRAFT,

DISCOVERED IN A PARKING LOT

BY TREK FAN AND MODEL COLLECTOR
ADAM SCHNEIDER,

WHO TOOK IT UPON HIMSELF
TO RESTORE IT.

Adam: I THINK EVERY NOW AND THEN

SOMEONE HAS TO TAKE A BULLET
FOR THE TEAM.

GALILEO WAS A MESS.

THERE WAS RACCOON DEBRIS
IN THE BACK,

A FEW DEAD ANIMALS IN THE BACK.

SO IT WAS IN TERRIBLE SHAPE,
ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE SHAPE.

Narrator: NOW IT'S ON DISPLAY
AT SPACE CENTER HOUSTON,

THE OFFICIAL VISITOR CENTER FOR
NASA'S JOHNSON SPACE CENTER.

Adam: THIS THING CAME ALONG,

IT WAS ABSOLUTELY
A LABOR OF LOVE.

THERE WAS MANY THOUSANDS
OF DOLLARS EXPENDED

TO GET IT FIXED UP, AND
NO FINANCIAL BENEFIT WHATSOEVER.

Narrator: AS ANY STAR TREK FAN
WILL TELL YOU,

THERE IS MORE THAN ONE
KIND OF SPACE SHUTTLE.

WHILE NASA'S ENGINEERS WERE
DEVELOPING A REAL SPACE SHUTTLE,

THIS GUY WAS BUILDING
THE MODEL OF THE GALILEO.

AND HE AIN'T NO
ROCKET SCIENTIST, NEITHER.

Gene Winfield:
MY NAME IS GENE WINFIELD,

AND I'VE BEEN BUILDING
CUSTOM CARS AND MOVIE CARS

FOR OVER 70 YEARS.

I LOVE TO DO THINGS
THAT ARE DIFFERENT,

THINGS THAT ARE JUST UNUSUAL.

I LOVE IT.

Adam: THE INTERESTING THING
ABOUT IT

IS THAT IT SPARKED A LOT
OF ENERGY AND ATTENTION,

BECAUSE AT THAT TIME,
THIS IS 19--BUILT IN '66,

AIRED BEGINNING IN '67--

WE DIDN'T HAVE A SPACE SHUTTLE.

Narrator: BOTH SPACE SHUTTLES,
REAL AND IMAGINED,

ARE DESIGNED TO TACKLE
THE SAME TECHNICAL CHALLENGE--

HOW TO GET ASTRONAUTS TO OR FROM
THE SURFACE OF A PLANET

AND BACK AGAIN.

Announcer: 2, 1, AND LIFTOFF
OF SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS.

Adam: THINK OF SOMETHING

THAT'S ABOUT THE SIZE
OF A SMALL BUS.

AND NOTHING THAT YOU WOULD
EVER THINK WOULD FLY.

IT LOOKED LIKE
IT WAS FUTURISTIC,

BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T SEE
CLASSICAL WINGS.

Gene: I LOVED STAR TREK
FROM DAY ONE, YOU KNOW,

AND I JUST LOVE ALL KINDS OF
MODERN THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING

AND FUTURISTIC THINGS,
I JUST LOVE IT.

Narrator: BUT JUST AS THE REAL
SHUTTLE WAS AN EXPENSIVE WAY

OF GETTING ASTRONAUTS
INTO SPACE,

THE SPECIAL EFFECTS NEEDED
FOR GENE'S MODEL

ALSO PROVED TOO MUCH
FOR A LO-FI SCI-FI SHOW.

John: THERE JUST WAS
NO BUDGET AVAILABLE

ON A TV SHOW IN THE '60s TO SHOW
A SHUTTLECRAFT LEAVING THE SHIP

AND FLYING DOWN TO A PLANET
AND LANDING EVERY WEEK,

THEY JUST DIDN'T HAVE
THAT KIND OF MONEY

TO SHOOT THAT MANY SHOTS.

Spock: ENERGIZE.

Narrator: WHICH IS THE ORIGIN

OF THE MOTHER OF ALL FUTURISTIC
PLOT DEVICES--THE TRANSPORTER.

Simon: AS A NARRATIVE DEVICE,
IT'S BRILLIANT,

BECAUSE YOU CAN GO
FROM ONE PLACE TO THE NEXT

VERY, VERY QUICKLY,

AND IT'S A GENIUS PIECE
OF INVENTIVE WRITING,

AND ALSO FEELS
VERY SCIENCE FICTION,

YOU KNOW, LIKE
A MATTER TRANSFER.

BUT IN STAR TREK YOU BUY IT,
BECAUSE IT'S THE FUTURE,

AND THINGS LIKE THAT
EXIST IN THE FUTURE.

David: WE WERE MAKING IT UP
AS WE WENT ALONG.

THAT TRANSPORTER BEAM,
NO, I DON'T BELIEVE IT.

Kirk: ENERGIZE.

Narrator: AND HE WAS THE ONE
WRITING THIS STUFF.

BUT THIS GUY BELIEVES IT,

AND HE'S ONE OF NASA'S
TOP RESEARCH ENGINEERS.

Francesco Marsili:
WHEN THE DETECTOR SWITCHES...

Narrator:
AT THE JET PROPULSION LAB

IN PASADENA, CALIFORNIA,

FRANCESCO MARSILI HAS CREATED

THE WORLD'S MOST SENSITIVE
PHOTON DETECTOR.

Francesco: SO THIS IS A FRIDGE.

Narrator: NOT JUST
ANY OLD FRIDGE,

BUT PART OF NASA'S
VERY OWN TELEPORTER.

Francesco: ...THE FILAMENT.

YOU CAN SEE A DARK SPOT
AT THE CENTER OF THE CHIP,

AND THAT IS THE ACTIVE AREA
OF THE DETECTOR.

THAT'S WHERE THE PHOTONS
ARE ABSORBED

AND TRANSDUCED
INTO ELECTRICAL PULSES.

Spock: FASCINATING.

Narrator: NASA'S TELEPORTER
OPERATES AT THE SCALE

OF THE SUBATOMIC QUANTUM WORLD,
WHERE STRANGE THINGS CAN HAPPEN.

Francesco: WE TELEPORTED
THE STATE OF A PHOTON,

WHICH IS A VERY, VERY
SMALL PARTICLE.

Narrator: IMAGINE FRANCESCO
IS A PHOTON--

A FUNDAMENTAL PARTICLE
OF LIGHT.

IN OTHER WORDS, HE'S SMALL.

Francesco: VERY, VERY SMALL.

VERY SMALL,
IT'S ONE MILLIONTH OF A METER.

Narrator: NOW IMAGINE LOTS
OF MINI-SIZED FRANCESCO-PHOTONS,

AND THIS IS WHERE IT STARTS
TO GET REALLY WEIRD.

AT THE LEVEL
OF THE QUANTUM UNIVERSE,

ANY TWO PARTICLES CAN
BECOME ENTANGLED.

Francesco:
TWO ENTANGLED PARTICLES

ARE SO INTIMATELY LINKED,

THAT IF YOU CHANGE THE STATE
OF A PARTICLE,

THE STATE OF THE OTHER ENTANGLED
PARTICLE CHANGES, TOO,

EVEN THOUGH THE TWO PARTICLES
ARE VERY FAR APART,

EVEN IF IT'S KILOMETERS AWAY,

MILES AWAY.

QUANTUM IS VERY WEIRD.

EINSTEIN CALLED IT
"SPOOKY ACTION AT A DISTANCE,"

WHICH IS WHAT IT ACTUALLY IS.

Narrator:
OKAY, SO MUCH FOR PHOTONS.

BUT TELEPORTING REAL PEOPLE
IS MORE PROBLEMATIC.

Brooks: A LITTLE SCARY
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT,

HAVING ALL YOUR MOLECULES
TURNED TO INTO ENERGY

AND SHOT DOWN THIS RAY
TO MILLIONS OF MILES AWAY,

AND YOU'VE GOT TO TRUST
THAT THAT'S GOING TO WORK.

I MEAN, WE PUT OUR TRUST
IN SOMETHING

WHICH BASICALLY MINCES YOU.

¶

Narrator: IT'S ONE OF THE GREAT
MYSTERIES OF SCIENCE FICTION--

WHAT DOES HAPPEN
TO THE ORIGINAL KIRK?

DOES HE STILL EXIST?

OR IS THE NEW KIRK A CLONE?

Simon: YOU DON'T HAVE TO
EXPLAIN IT.

IN FACT, IT'S VERY EASY WHEN
YOU THINK ABOUT IT AS A CONCEPT.

YOU'RE IN ONE PLACE,

THIS FORCE FIELD KIND OF
TAKES YOU APART,

PUTS YOU BACK TO TOGETHER AGAIN,
AND BOB'S YOUR UNCLE.

[LAUGHS]

Francesco: WE'RE NOT TELEPORTING
CAPTAIN KIRK

BECAUSE THE TELEPORTATION
SHOWN IN STAR TREK

TRANSFERS MATTER.

AND WHAT WE ACTUALLY DID

WAS TO JUST TELEPORT
THE STATE OF A PHOTON,

MEANING YOU CAN THINK ABOUT IT
AS THE COLOR,

A PROPERTY OF A PHOTON,
THE COLOR OF A PHOTON,

FROM POINT A TO POINT B.

BUT THERE WAS NO
TRANSFER OF MATTER

IN BETWEEN THE TWO POINTS.

WE'VE ACHIEVED
QUANTUM TELEPORTATION.

Spock: FASCINATING.

Narrator: AND, YES,
FRANCESCO DOES HAVE

A LITTLE SCIENTIFIC CRUSH
ON YOU-KNOW-WHO.

Francesco: SPOCK.

Spock: I HAVE A BLIP
ON THE MOTION SENSOR, CAPTAIN.

Francesco: THE REASON WHY I LIKE
HIM IS BECAUSE OF THE VULCANS.

THEY ARE ADVANCED,
THEY ARE LOGICAL MIND.

Spock: WE'VE LOST THEM, CAPTAIN.

Francesco: IT'S LIKE
THE PERFECT SCIENTIST.

[ALARM]

¶

Brooks: THIS IS SPOCK'S TUNIC.

I'M...I'M TREMBLING A LITTLE.

¶

SO YOU CAN SEE
THAT THE COLLAR UP HERE,

IT'S A LITTLE BIT FRAYED,

IT LOOKS LIKE
IT'S BEEN REPAIRED.

BUT REALLY
IT'S IN EXCELLENT SHAPE.

THIS, LIKE ALL THE ORIGINAL
SERIES UNIFORMS,

IS SO IMPORTANT AND IT'S SO
EMBLEMATIC OF STAR TREK,

AND IT'S REALLY,
REALLY PRECIOUS.

Spock: STEADY ON 111 MARK 14,

BACK ON THEIR ORIGINAL COURSE,
CAPTAIN.

Peter: SPOCK, OBVIOUSLY LOGICAL,
A SCIENCE GEEK.

Spock: THE ODDS AGAINST
YOU AND I BOTH BEING KILLED

ARE 2,228.7 TO 1.

Peter: BUT ALSO SOMEONE
WHO YOU WOULD WANT

AT YOUR RIGHT HAND.

Kirk: THIS INSANE
TORTURE CHAMBER.

Margaret: FANS OF STAR TREK

HAVE A GREAT AFFECTION
FOR SPOCK,

BECAUSE I THINK HE'S
A WONDERFULLY NOBLE VERSION

OF THE NERD THAT
WE ALL SECRETLY ARE.

John: BENEATH THAT THERE IS
A RAGING HUMAN IN SPOCK,

ABSOLUTELY.

[LAUGHS]

Narrator: AND HIDDEN
IN THESE BOXES

AT A LITTLE KNOWN
STAR TREK ARCHIVE

IS THE SECRET OF MR. SPOCK
THE MAN, NOT THE VULCAN.

¶

Narrator: IN THE UCLA LIBRARY'S
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT,

PEGGY ALEXANDER IS KEEPER OF
SOME OF THE ORIGINAL FAN LETTERS

SENT TO LEONARD NIMOY,

THE ACTOR WHO PLAYED SPOCK
AND PASSED AWAY IN 2015.

Peggy Alexander:
LEONARD NIMOY STARTED GETTING

MUCH MORE FAN MAIL THAN

THE OTHER STARS OF THE SHOW,

INCLUDING WILLIAM SHATNER.

Spock: FASCINATING.

DC: THE FIRST WEEK
WE GOT A BAG OF MAIL. OKAY.

THE SECOND WEEK WE GOT
SEVERAL BAGS OF MAIL,

THIRD AND FOURTH WEEK IT GOT
COMING IN SO FAST AND SO MUCH,

WE HAD TO HIRE A MAIL SERVICE
TO HANDLE IT.

Peggy: "DEAR MR. RODDENBERRY,

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT I ENJOY
THAT WONDERFUL PROGRAM OF YOURS,

STAR TREK.

IT IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SHOWS.

AND I DON'T MEAN TO TRY TO TELL
YOU HOW TO RUN THE PROGRAM,

BUT SPEAKING FOR MANY
TEENAGE GIRLS HERE IN VIRGINIA,

PLEASE LET LEONARD NIMOY,
MR. SPOCK,

DO MORE LEADING PARTS.

HE'S SEXY."

Brooks: IS SPOCK SEXY?

ABSOLUTELY.

DC: A WHOLE LOT
OF YOUNG WOMEN THOUGHT SO.

Peggy: "I LOVE MR. SPOCK,

HE'S THE GREATEST THING
TO HIT TV."

DC: WHEN YOU CAN'T
GET SOMETHING,

THERE'S AN ATTRACTION THERE.

[LAUGHS]

Peggy:
"PLEASE DON'T CHANGE MR. SPOCK."

Adam: HE'S SIMULTANEOUSLY
COMPELLING AND UNAVAILABLE.

Peggy: "YOU WOULDN'T CHANGE
HIS PERSONALITY, WOULD YOU?

I'D PROBABLY DIE IF YOU DID."

Brooks: DON'T GO FOR
UNAVAILABLE GUYS,

THEY'RE GOING TO
BREAK YOUR HEART.

UM, SPOCK IS ALWAYS
BREAKING HEARTS.

Narrator: AT THE EMP MUSEUM

BROOKS PECK NOW HAS
LESS THAN TWO MONTHS

TO RECREATE THE ORIGINAL BRIDGE
OF THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE

FROM SCRATCH.

KIRK'S COMMAND CHAIR--CHECK.

PHASER, ON LOAN...

CHECK.

COMMUNICATOR--CHECK.

AND HIPSTER EARPIECE--CHECK.

Uhura: CAPTAIN, WE'RE GETTING
A SIGNAL FROM A SPACECRAFT.

Narrator: IT BELONGED
TO THE MOST GROUNDBREAKING

FICTIONAL CHARACTER OF THE 23rd,
OR INDEED ANY OTHER, CENTURY--

LIEUTENANT UHURA.

Uhura: THE SYMBOL REPEAT.

Brooks: THIS IS ONE
OF THE FUNKIER PIECES

OF STAR TREK DESIGN.

IT HAS A REAL '60s LOOK
ABOUT IT.

UNLIKE SO MANY TV PROPS,
WHICH, WHEN YOU LOOK UP CLOSE,

YOU SAY, "OH, I CAN TELL
THIS IS A PROP,"

THIS IS COOL TECHNOLOGY
ALL THE WAY DOWN.

IT NEVER STOPS LOOKING
COMPLETELY REAL

AND COMPLETELY CONVINCING.

Uhura: HAILING FREQUENCIES
OPEN, SIR.

Nichelle Nichols: HAILING
FREQUENCIES OPEN, CAPTAIN.

I'M NICHELLE NICHOLS,

AND I PLAYED LIEUTENANT UHURA
IN STAR TREK.

Uhura: CONTACT ESTABLISHED,
CAPTAIN.

Kirk: ENTERPRISE.
KIRK HERE.

Aprille: SEEING SOMEONE LIKE
LIEUTENANT UHURA ON THAT STAGE

AND ALWAYS RIGHT BEHIND
THE CAPTAIN'S SHOULDER

WAS A BIG THING.

YOU KNOW, I FELT I COULD
PROBABLY DO THAT, TOO.

David: WELL, SHE'S THE MOST
IMPORTANT PERSON ON THE BRIDGE.

WHEN LIEUTENANT UHURA
SAYS "CAPTAIN,"

EVERYBODY TURNS AROUND TO LOOK.

YOU CANNOT HELP
BUT FALL IN LOVE WITH HER.

[DING]

[LAUGHS]

Uhura: STARFLEET COMMAND
EXTENDS GREETINGS

TO COMMISSIONER BELE
OF THE PLANET CHERON...

Narrator: AND REMEMBER, THIS
WASN'T REALLY THE 23rd CENTURY.

IT WAS THE 1960s, AT THE HEIGHT
OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

AND THE STRUGGLE
FOR RACIAL EQUALITY.

Crowd: FREEDOM!

Uhura: SECURITY SWEEPS OF ALL
DECKS ARE NEGATIVE, MR. SPOCK.

Margaret: JUST THE VISION
OF HER ON THE BRIDGE

AS A MEMBER OF THE CREW

WAS SUCH A POWERFUL MESSAGE

TO AFRICAN AMERICANS AT THE TIME
OF WHAT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE.

Uhura: ANALYSIS SECTOR.

Aprille: I DIDN'T SEE ANY OTHER
WOMEN PLAYING ROLES LIKE THAT

WHEN I WAS GROWING UP.

YOU KNOW, THEY HAD
EITHER SOME DOMESTIC JOB,

THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN
AN ACTRESS OR A DANCER.

Nichelle: AFRICAN AMERICANS
SAW THE SHOW AND WENT, "WHAT?"

YOU KNOW, LIKE, "WE'RE ON TV!"

Aprille:
SHE PRESENTED A TOTALLY,

SORT OF OUT-OF-THE-BOX
OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO THINK,

HEY, THAT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE.

DC: THERE WERE SOUTHERN STATIONS
THAT TOLD NBC,

"WELL, WE'RE NOT GOING
TO RUN THE SHOW,

BECAUSE YOU HAVE A BLACK WOMAN
ON THE BRIDGE."

AND GENE RODENBERRY TOLD NBC,
TELL THEM TO GO TO HELL.

PARDON MY LANGUAGE,
BUT THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HE SAID.

David: THERE'S A PLACE FOR YOU
ON THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE,

WE'RE ALL GOING TO THE STARS,

NOT SOME OF US,
NOT JUST WHITE MEN,

WE ARE ALL GOING.

Nichelle: THERE WERE
MANY LITTLE GIRLS--

BLACK, WHITE, YELLOW,
BROWN, RED, GREEN--

[LAUGHS]

WANTED TO BE UHURA, LOVED UHURA.

Narrator: BUT THANKS TO NICHELLE

AND THE WORK SHE SUBSEQUENTLY
DID WITH NASA,

THE DOOR WAS NOW FIRMLY OPEN
FOR MAE JEMISON

TO BECOME NASA'S FIRST

AFRICAN AMERICAN
FEMALE ASTRONAUT.

Aprille: DR. MAE JEMISON,
OF COURSE, IS A HERO,

"SHERO" FOR ME.

Nichelle: I RECRUITED THE FIRST
WOMEN AND MINORITY ASTRONAUTS

FOR THE SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM.

I REALLY AM PROUD OF THAT.

BECAUSE AT THAT TIME

PEOPLE WERE SAYING
IT'LL NEVER HAPPEN, YOU KNOW?

AND I SAID,
"WELL, IT ALREADY HAPPENED."

Uhura: I'M GETTING NO SIGNAL
FROM IT, SIR.

Narrator: IT TURNS OUT THAT FOR
THE CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

OF THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE,

THERE'S COMMUNICATING,
AND THEN THERE'S COMMUNICATING.

Uhura: I WOULD SEE YOU SO BUSY
AT YOUR COMMAND.

Brooks: THIS IS
A VERY IMPORTANT EPISODE

IN BOTH STAR TREK HISTORY
AND TELEVISION HISTORY,

BECAUSE IN IT,
CAPTAIN KIRK, WILLIAM SHATNER,

KISSES LIEUTENANT UHURA.

AND THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST,
MOST FAMOUS

INTERRACIAL KISSES ON TV.

AND AT THE TIME IN THE '60s,

THIS WAS CONSIDERED
A VERY BIG DEAL.

Nichelle: IT WAS JUST
A KISSING SCENE.

¶

Brooks: IN ITS DAY, THIS WAS AN
INCREDIBLY CONTROVERSIAL THING

TO SHOW ON TELEVISION.

AFTER IT AIRED,
EVERYONE WAITED TO SEE

WHAT WILL THE REACTION BE,
WILL THERE BE ANY COMPLAINTS?

THERE WERE NONE.

NONE WHATSOEVER.

Nichelle: I SAID,
"WELL, IT'S JUST TWO PEOPLE

LIKE MY GRANDMOTHER
AND GRANDFATHER."

THEY SAID, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN,

YOUR GRANDMOTHER
AND GRANDFATHER?"

AND I SAID, "WELL, GRANDPA WAS
WHITE AND GRANDMA WAS BLACK."

[LAUGHS]

Kirk: WE ARE ON
A PEACEFUL MISSION

IN THIS PART OF THE GALAXY.

WE HAVE NO HOSTILE INTENTIONS.

Narrator: RESOLVING CONFLICT
THROUGH COMMUNICATION

WAS AT THE HEART
OF THE STAR TREK VISION.

AND SCIENTISTS
HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING

STAR TREK'S LEAD EVER SINCE.

IN THE SMITHSONIAN
NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM

THERE IS A MOCK-UP OF VOYAGER 1.

LAUNCHED IN 1977, IT'S ONE
OF THE FIRST SPACE PROBES

TO LEAVE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

AND IN CASE IT'S EVER FOUND
BY INTELLIGENT ALIENS,

SCIENTISTS ATTACHED
A GOLDEN RECORD

WITH GREETINGS RECORDED
IN 55 DIFFERENT HUMAN LANGUAGES.

[OVERLAPPING GREETINGS
IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES]

Margaret: AND IT WAS
A VERY SIMPLE MESSAGE

TO WHOEVER MIGHT FIND THIS,

A MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE,
IF YOU WILL, OF WHO HUMANITY IS.

[OVERLAPPING GREETINGS
IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES]

Spock: AND IT SIMPLY TRANSLATES
ITS FINDINGS INTO ENGLISH.

Narrator: IN THE 23rd CENTURY,
GALACTIC HARMONY WAS ACHIEVED

BY BREAKING OUT
THE UNIVERSAL TRANSLATOR,

A HANDY DEVICE,

ESPECIALLY IF YOU DON'T LIKE
READING SUBTITLES.

Kirk: WE WISH TO TALK TO YOU.

Simon: YOU CAN SPEAK TO ANYBODY
IN THE GALAXY,

BECAUSE YOU HAVE THIS THING,

AND YOU DON'T REALLY QUESTION
HOW IT WORKS,

AND IT'S NOT YOUR POSITION
OR PLACE TO KNOW HOW IT WORKS.

YOU'RE NOT A SCIENTIST,
YOU'RE A TELEVISION WATCHER.

Narrator: OR MAYBE YOU'RE
A MUSEUM CURATOR

DESPERATE TO TURN UP
MISSING PROPS.

Kirk: ...THE APPROXIMATION
OF WHATEVER THE CREATURE IS...

Brooks: THAT'S
THE UNIVERSAL TRANSLATOR.

AND THIS IS THE ONE EPISODE
IN STAR TREK

WHERE WE ACTUALLY
SEE THE DEVICE.

NO ONE KNOWS WHERE THAT PROP IS.

I REALLY WISH THAT PROP
HAD SURVIVED

AND WE COULD DISPLAY IT,
BUT THAT ONE, THAT ONE'S GONE.

Kirk: CERTAIN UNIVERSAL IDEAS
AND CONCEPTS COME...

Narrator: STAR TREK'S VERSION
OF A UNIVERSAL TRANSLATOR

MIGHT LOOK LIKE A TOILET ROLL
WRAPPED UP IN ALUMINUM FOIL.

BUT BEHIND THE SHINY PLATE GLASS
WINDOWS OF GOOGLE HQ,

THE COMPUTERS ARE IN OVERDRIVE

IN A RACE TO CREATE A UNIVERSAL
TRANSLATOR OF THEIR OWN.

IN ORDER TO TRANSLATE THIS...

Barak Turovsky: COFFEE WITH
SUGAR, BUT NO MILK, PLEASE.

Narrator: GOOGLE'S COMPUTERS
HAVE BEEN SCANNING THE WEB

FOR EVERY DOCUMENT
THAT HAS BEEN TRANSLATED,

LEARNING OVER
A HUNDRED LANGUAGES,

SO YOU CAN ORDER
A SKINNY SHOT LATTE IN RUSSIAN.

[TRANSLATION IN RUSSIAN]

Kirk: COMPANION,
TRY TO UNDERSTAND...

Barak: OUR GOAL IS TO JUST,
LIKE IN STAR TREK,

JUST SPEAK FREELY,

AND THE MOBILE PHONE,

GOOGLE TRANSLATE, IDENTIFIES,

AUTOMATICALLY IDENTIFIES
THE LANGUAGE YOU SPEAK.

Computer: WORKING.

Narrator: BUT GOOGLE WANTS
TO DO MORE

THAN ITS OWN VERSION
OF THE UNIVERSAL TRANSLATOR--

IT WANTS TO BOLDLY GO WHERE
NOT EVEN STAR TREK EVER WENT.

[BEEPING]

Otavio Good:
EXPLORE STRANGE NEW WORLDS.

Narrator: AT GOOGLE HQ

THEIR MISSION IS TO SEEK OUT
NEW TRANSLATIONS

LIKE YOU'VE NEVER
SEEN THEM BEFORE.

Otavio: WHAT I REALLY WANT TO DO
IS I WANT TO MAKE A WINDOW

INTO A WORLD
THAT'S IN YOUR LANGUAGE.

SO YOU CAN TAKE YOUR PHONE,
YOU CAN HOLD IT UP,

AND JUST WHEREVER YOU POINT IT,
EVERYTHING IS IN YOUR LANGUAGE.

SO WHAT I HAVE HERE IS A CAMERA
HOOKED UP TO MY COMPUTER.

IT TRIES TO FIND LITTLE BLOBS

THAT ARE GENERALLY
THE SAME COLOR,

AND THESE LITTLE BLOBS
TEND TO BE LETTERS.

AND THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT
KINDS OF BLOBS,

LIKE IT FINDS A LOT OF STUFF
IN MY ZIPPER HERE,

AND IT THINKS
THERE'S LETTERS THERE,

IT THINKS THERE'S LETTERS
IN MY HAIR.

AND SO NOW WE'VE GOT TO DO
A PROCESS OF REFINING THIS.

AND TRYING TO ELIMINATE
WHAT'S ACTUALLY A LETTER

AND WHAT'S NOT A LETTER.

YEAH, YEAH.

I HAVE FUN AT MY JOB.

THIS IS THE TRUTH.

IT'S KIND OF
A WEIRD-LOOKING FILTER.

THIS IS MY ANGRY FACE.
AHHH!

Narrator: THIS IS WHAT OTAVIO
CAN NOW DO WITH IT.

Otavio: CHOOSE
RUSSIAN TO ENGLISH,

CLICK THE CAMERA
AND SEE WHAT THIS SAYS.

"FIVE-YEAR MISSION."

Narrator: AND HE MAKES IT
LOOK EFFORTLESS.

[BEEPING]

Otavio: EXPLORE
STRANGE NEW WORLDS--

A LOT OF HARD WORK,
JUST SITTING ON MY COUCH.

I DON'T KNOW IF...THAT MAYBE
DOESN'T SOUND LIKE HARD WORK,

BUT JUST SITTING ON MY COUCH
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT

HOW TO MAKE THIS THING WORK.

Narrator: AND IT'S FASTER
THAN THE BLINK OF AN EYE.

Otavio: THAT TAKES
A COUPLE MILLISECONDS.

Narrator: BUT NOT AS FAST
AS WARP SPEED--JUST YET.

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

Translator: TO BOLDLY GO WHERE
BEFORE WAS NOT A SINGLE PERSON.

[CHUCKLES]

Narrator: APPARENTLY, WHETHER
YOU'RE ON ALPHA CENTAURI

OR PLANET EARTH, THERE IS
ONE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE.

Barak: ACROSS ALL LANGUAGES,

THE TOP THREE TRANSLATED PHRASES
ARE "THANK YOU,"

"HOW ARE YOU?" AND "I LOVE YOU."

Nichelle:
WE CAN SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE

OR A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE
WITH ONE ANOTHER.

WE'RE HUMAN BEINGS,
AND WE'RE PROUD OF IT.

I KNOW I AM.

Scotty, whispering:
BRIDGE TO CAPTAIN.

Kirk: CAPTAIN.

Scotty: THAT MECHANICAL BEASTIE
IS UP HERE.

Kirk: ON MY WAY, SCOTTY.

Narrator:
FOR ALL ITS SERIOUS INTENT,

STAR TREK WAS ALSO GREAT FUN.

Margaret: STAR TREK CAN BE
WONDERFULLY CAMPY.

THERE'S A STRAIN OF HUMOR
THAT COMES ALONG

WITH TAKING SOME OF THE SCIENCE,

TAKING SOME OF THE POLITICS
SERIOUSLY,

THAT MAKES IT FUN TELEVISION

AND NOT JUST, YOU KNOW,
EATING YOUR VEGETABLES

OR WATCHING THE NEWS.

Narrator: THE RENOVATED BOEING
MILESTONES OF FLIGHT HALL

IS JUST WEEKS FROM COMPLETION,

AND THE RACE IS ON TO GET
THE MODEL OF THE ENTERPRISE

READY IN TIME.

Margaret: THE ENTERPRISE
DESERVES TO BE IN THE SAME SPACE

AND IN CONVERSATION
WITH THESE OTHER ARTIFACTS.

Narrator: BUT IN THE SPACE DOCK
OF THE CONSERVATION LAB,

THE MODEL IS STILL IN PIECES.

CONSERVATORS MALCOLM COLLUM
AND ARIEL O'CONNOR

ARE GOING TO HAVE TO
GIVE HER ALL SHE'S GOT

TO MAKE HER STRUCTURALLY SOUND.

THEY'RE DISCOVERING
OLD WIRING AND ELECTRICS,

WHICH COULD POSE
REAL LONG-TERM PROBLEMS.

Adam: IT'S A TV PROP.

IT'S MADE OUT OF OLD AUTOMOBILE
LIGHTS DOING THE LIGHTING,

CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTS
DOING THE BLINKY THING.

THE REALITY IS VERY DIFFERENT

THAN THE BEAUTIFUL THING
YOU SAW ON TV.

Narrator: THE PLAN IS TO REPLACE
THE OLD INCANDESCENTS

WITH MODERN LEDs.

Adam: PEOPLE REALLY WANT
A BEAUTIFUL ENTERPRISE

THAT LIGHTS UP AND LOOKS GREAT.

Ariel O'Connor: WE HAVE BEEN
TASKED WITH THIS MODEL

NOT CATCHING ON FIRE,

SO THAT'S, THAT'S
AN IMPORTANT THING, I THINK.

Malcolm: WE'RE UTILIZING
A BORESCOPE

TO GET INTO THE FAR REACHES
OF THE SAUCER,

PRIMARILY BECAUSE WE CAN'T
TAKE THE SAUCER APART.

ORIGINALLY IT WAS COMPOSED
OF TWO LARGE SECTIONS

WHICH WERE THEN GLUED TOGETHER.

Ariel: ALL RIGHT, SO YOU'RE
ON THE STARBOARD LIGHT.

Malcolm: AND I'M FOLLOWING
THIS HIDDEN CHANNEL

THAT WE CAN'T GET
OUR HANDS INTO,

AND USING A BORESCOPE TO REACH
DOWN TO THE FAR OUTER EDGE

AND SEE WHERE
THIS LIGHT FIXTURE IS.

Narrator:
REACHING IT IS ONE THING;

REMOVING IT IS ANOTHER.

Malcolm: SO WE'RE TRYING
TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO CAREFULLY

REMOVE THAT LIGHT FIXTURE
WITHOUT DAMAGING ANYTHING.

Ariel:
...HOLDING THE ORIGINAL LIGHT.

Narrator: THE FATE OF THE MOST
ICONIC STARSHIP OF THEM ALL

NOW RESTS WITH MALCOLM
AND HIS BORESCOPE.

BUT THE ENTERPRISE ISN'T
THE ONLY SPACESHIP

THE SMITHSONIAN IS CONSERVING.

ARIEL O'CONNOR IS ALSO WORKING
ON THE APOLLO LUNAR MODULE.

Ariel:
MANY PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE

THAT THE STAR TREK STARSHIP
ENTERPRISE FILMING MODEL

AND THE APOLLO LUNAR MODULE
ARE CONTEMPORANEOUS SPACECRAFT.

SO THEY WERE BOTH BUILT
IN THE 1960s

DURING A PERIOD OF TIME WHERE
FICTIONAL SPACE EXPLORATION

IS BECOMING REALITY.

THE ENTERPRISE MODEL
AND THE LUNAR MODULE

DON'T LOOK LIKE EACH OTHER,

BUT THEY'RE MORE SIMILAR TO
EACH OTHER THAN ANYTHING ELSE

THAT'S IN THIS
MILESTONES OF FLIGHT GALLERY.

THEY'RE BOTH ENGINEERING MARVELS
OF THEIR TIME.

THEY WERE BUILT
WITHOUT PRECEDENT.

THEY WERE BOTH DESIGNED WITHOUT
THE NEED FOR AERODYNAMICS.

Margaret: THE ENTERPRISE IS
A VERY DIFFERENT DESIGN

THAN THE UNDIFFERENTIATED
FLYING SAUCERS OR POINTY ROCKETS

THAT YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN
IN 1950s SCIENCE FICTION.

AND THE LUNAR MODULE IS A REALLY
INNOVATIVE BIT OF ENGINEERING,

THINKING ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY
DID THEY NEED

TO GET HUMAN BEINGS SAFELY
TO THE LUNAR SURFACE

AND GET THEM BACK SAFELY
AND NO MORE.

SO, NOT ONE OUNCE MORE
OF CLADDING ON THE OUTSIDE,

NO STREAMLINING,
BECAUSE IT WASN'T NEEDED,

NO SEATS, BECAUSE IT
SAVED THEM WEIGHT

AND ALLOWED THEM TO
HAVE SMALLER WINDOWS.

Ariel: AND THERE WAS A LADDER
THAT WOULD HAVE--

THE HATCH IS THERE,

THEY WOULD HAVE EXTENDED
AND CLIMBED DOWN ON A LADDER.

SO NEIL ARMSTRONG WOULD HAVE
TAKEN HIS FIRST STEP ON THE MOON

RIGHT HERE.

Neil Armstrong:
THAT'S ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN,

ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND.

Margaret: THERE IS A MOMENT
AROUND THE ACTUAL SPACE LANDING,

THE FIRST LANDING ON THE MOON,

WHEN THE WHOLE WORLD DOES TURN
AND PAY ATTENTION

TO THIS SINGULAR
HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT.

Brooks: THE FIRST MOON LANDING
HAPPENED JUST ABOUT SIX WEEKS

AFTER THE ORIGINAL SERIES ENDED.

SO, I SEE THAT AS LIKE
THIS CULMINATION,

OF YOU HAVE THREE YEARS
OF STAR TREK

AND ALL THIS VISION
OF THE FUTURE,

AND THEN BOOM,
PEOPLE GO TO THE MOON.

I MEAN, HOW COULD PEOPLE
AT THE TIME

HAVE NOT BEEN THINKING,

"YEAH, IT'S HAPPENING,
STAR TREK IS COMING."

David:
STAR TREK WAS THE DREAM,

BUT THE APOLLO MISSION
WAS THE REALITY.

AND WHEN NEIL ARMSTRONG
LANDED ON THE MOON,

I MEAN, I WASN'T THE ONLY ONE,

THERE WERE A LOT OF US
IN TEARS OF JOY.

DC: IT WAS
AN EXTRAORDINARY TIME,

WE HAD FANS AMONG
THE APOLLO ASTRONAUTS,

"IF STAR TREK CAN DO IT,
WE CAN DO IT."

Brooks: IT SEEMED ALMOST LIKE
AN INEVITABLE FUTURE,

YES, WE'RE GOING TO KEEP
GOING OUT THERE,

WE'RE GOING TO HEAD INTO SPACE,
WE'RE GOING TO EXPLORE,

THERE WILL BE SHIPS,
THERE'LL BE HEROES LIKE THIS.

Narrator: MEET ONE OF TODAY'S
HEROES, TERRY VIRTS,

A NASA ASTRONAUT
WHO'S NOTCHED UP

OVER 200 DAYS IN SPACE.

BUT HE CAN BARELY REMEMBER
THE MOON LANDINGS.

Terry Virts:
IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME

SINCE WE'VE BEEN TO THE MOON.

I'VE BEEN AN ASTRONAUT
FOR A WHILE ALREADY,

AND WHEN I WAS A KID, EVEN THEN
APOLLO WAS ALREADY HISTORY.

Armstrong: I'M AT THE FOOT
OF THE LADDER...

Narrator:
APOLLO'S MISSION CONTROL,

WHICH IN 1969 GUIDED
NEIL ARMSTRONG

ONTO THE SURFACE OF THE MOON,

IS TODAY CAREFULLY PRESERVED
AT THE JOHNSON SPACE CENTER,

IN HOUSTON, TEXAS--

A RELIC OF THE SPACE RACE.

Armstrong: VERY FINE GRAINED,
AS YOU GET CLOSE TO IT.

Terry: IN SOME WAYS WE CAN SAY
THAT "WE" HAVE BEEN TO THE MOON,

BUT WE, MEANING
THE CURRENT CROWD

OF ENGINEERS AND TECHNICIANS
AND ASTRONAUTS,

HAVE NOT BEEN TO THE MOON.

THAT WAS A LONG TIME AGO.

Narrator: WITHIN THE NEXT
TWO DECADES

NASA'S AMBITION IS TO SEND
ASTRONAUTS TO MARS.

Announcer: 3, 2, 1, FIRE.

Announcer: WE HAVE IGNITION
OF NASA'S SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM.

Narrator: TO GET THERE,
NASA IS TESTING

THE NEXT GENERATION
OF PROTOTYPE ROCKETS--

THE SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM, OR SLS.

Terry: THE SLS WILL BE
THE MOST POWERFUL ROCKET

EVER LAUNCHED INTO SPACE.

I HAVE A FEELING THAT SEEING SLS

WILL BE THE MOST AWESOME
ROCKET LAUNCH EVER.

Narrator:
EVEN USING BOOSTERS THIS BIG,

IT WILL STILL TAKE US AROUND
EIGHT MONTHS TO REACH MARS,

AND IF WE WERE TO KEEP ON GOING,
ANOTHER 80,000 YEARS

TO REACH OUR NEAREST
STAR SYSTEM.

¶

OF COURSE, THE ENTERPRISE
DIDN'T RELY ON ANY ROCKETS.

Brooks: WARP TECHNOLOGY
ALLOWS THE STARSHIP

TO GO FASTER THAN LIGHT.

AND THAT IS ESSENTIAL
IF YOU ARE GOING TO EXPLORE

AND TRAVEL
INTERSTELLAR DISTANCES,

AND NOT HAVE IT TAKE
HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS

OR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

Terry: IF YOU CAN GET SOMEWHERE
IN MINUTES OR HOURS

OR EVEN DAYS OR WEEKS,
YOU CAN DO A LOT.

AND SO PROPULSION IS REALLY
THE ONE THING

THAT CAN MAKE
REALLY EXOTIC SPACE TRAVEL

POSSIBLE IN THE FUTURE.

Kirk: ORIGINAL COURSE,
WARP FACTOR 2.

Chekov: WARP FACTOR 2, SIR.

Adam: WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT 7 WAS
OR WHAT WARP WAS,

BUT WE DID KNOW THAT
IT WAS FASTER THAN 5.

AND THAT WAS KIND OF ENOUGH
OF AN EXPLANATION,

"OH, 7 IS REALLY FAST."

Karl: IT'S LIKE WHEN YOU PUT
YOUR CAR INTO SPORT MODE

AND DRIVE REALLY FAST.

Simon: I DON'T PARTICULARLY
UNDERSTAND IT,

AND I'M IN CHARGE OF
THE ENGINE ROOM AT THE MOMENT.

IT JUST MEANS YOU GO FAST,
AND THAT'S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW.

[LAUGHS]

Kirk: WARP FACTOR 8.

Narrator: OF ALL THE IMAGINED
TECHNOLOGIES OF STAR TREK,

WARP SPEED IS THE ONE
THAT IS STILL OUT OF OUR REACH.

Chekov: AT PRESENT SPEED OUR ETA
IS 3 HOURS, 4 MINUTES, SIR.

Narrator: IS IT EVEN
SCIENTIFICALLY POSSIBLE?

THE ANSWER TO THAT ONE
IS A RESOUNDING NO.

BUT ALSO A POSSIBLE MAYBE.

Terry: UNFORTUNATELY PHYSICS
LIMITS US TO THE SPEED OF LIGHT,

AND OUR CURRENT TECHNOLOGY
LIMITS US

TO WAY, MUCH LESS
THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT.

Narrator: ACCORDING TO EINSTEIN,

NOTHING CAN TRAVEL FASTER
THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT.

BUT IF YOU COULD WARP
SPACE-TIME,

YOU COULD GET FROM HERE TO THERE
NOT JUST FAST,

BUT INSTANTANEOUSLY.

AND A TOOL FOR WARPING SPACE
MAY ACTUALLY EXIST.

GRAVITATIONAL WAVES.

A HUNDRED YEARS AFTER EINSTEIN
PREDICTED THEIR EXISTENCE,

AT THE LIGO OBSERVATORY
IN LOUISIANA,

THEY'RE NOW BEING DETECTED
FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.

IT'S A WORLDWIDE COLLABORATION

OF MORE THAN A THOUSAND
SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS,

INCLUDING OPERATIONS MANAGER
RICHARD ORAM,

WHO, WHEN HE'S NOT MAKING

THE SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY
OF THE CENTURY,

LIKES TO WATCH RERUNS
OF STAR TREK.

Richard Oram: I'VE WATCHED
ALL OF THEM MULTIPLE TIMES,

AT LEAST FOUR OF FIVE TIMES.

BUT I'VE NEVER CONSIDERED MYSELF
TO BE A TREKKIE,

BUT I'M BEGINNING TO REALIZE
PERHAPS I MIGHT BE.

Narrator:
RICHARD IS LIGO'S ANSWER

TO THE ENTERPRISE'S
CHIEF ENGINEER, SCOTTY.

Scotty: THE SHIP'S NOT
STRUCTURED TO TAKE THAT SPEED

FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME.

Adam: HE'S THE GUY WHO YOU CAN
DEPEND ON IN A BAD TIME

TO GET THE JOB DONE.

Simon: "OOH, I DON'T KNOW
ABOUT THAT,

IT'S GONNA TAKE THIS LONG,"

WHEN REALLY HE CAN PROBABLY
DO IT IN A BIT SHORTER,

BUT HE'S GIVING HIMSELF THE ROOM
TO MAKE MISTAKES, YOU KNOW.

Peter: A BRILLIANT ENGINEER,
A MAN WHO, IF HE COULD,

WOULD BEND THE LAWS OF PHYSICS
TO FULFILL YOUR NEEDS.

Scotty:
CAPTAIN, WE CAN'T MAINTAIN

WARP 8 SPEED MUCH LONGER.

PRESSURES ARE APPROACHING
A CRITICAL POINT!

Narrator: RICHARD'S JOB IS TO
KEEP HIS LASER INTERFEROMETER

RUNNING SMOOTHLY.

Richard: THIS IS THE LARGEST
VOLUME ULTRA HIGH VACUUM SYSTEM

IN THE WORLD.

IT GOES TWO AND A HALF MILES

ALL THE WAY DOWN
TO THE X-END STATION.

THAT'S AN INCREDIBLE FEAT
OF ENGINEERING.

Narrator: THIS GIANT
SPACE OBSERVATORY HAS DETECTED

THE COLLISION OF TWO MASSIVE
BLACK HOLES--

AN EVENT THAT OCCURRED
HALFWAY ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

AND CREATED
A GRAVITATIONAL WAVE--

A RIPPLE IN SPACE-TIME

THAT WAS DETECTED
BY RICHARD'S INTERFEROMETER.

Richard: WE'RE ONLY REALLY
AT THE VERY STARTING POINT

OF UNDERSTANDING
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES.

BUT IT'S NOT TOO FAR-FETCHED,

YOU KNOW, FROM THAT
STARTING POINT,

TO THINK, WELL, IF WE CAN
UNDERSTAND THEM,

WE CAN MAYBE LEARN
HOW TO USE THEM.

Narrator: IF WE CAN DETECT
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES,

COULD WE ONE DAY HARNESS THEM
AND WARP SPACE-TIME OURSELVES

TO REACH THE FURTHEST CORNERS
OF THE GALAXY?

Richard: IN THEORY, WARP DRIVE
IS JUST NOT POSSIBLE.

THE THEORETICIANS CAN SAY

THAT IT BREAKS THE PHYSICS
THAT WE KNOW TODAY.

I GUESS, AS AN ENGINEER,

I KIND OF VIEW THAT
AS A CHALLENGE, I SUPPOSE.

Kirk: SPEED, MR. CHEKOV.

Chekov: WE'RE MOVING AT WARP 8.

Narrator: IN STAR TREK,
ALL MR. CHEKOV HAD TO DO

AT THE NAVIGATION CONSOLE
WAS PRESS A BUTTON

TO PUT ENTERPRISE
INTO WARP SPEED.

[WHIRRING]

AND INSIDE THIS CRATE
IS THAT SAME CONSOLE--

ONE OF THE CENTERPIECES

OF BROOKS PECK'S
50th ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION

AT THE EMP MUSEUM
OF POP CULTURE.

Kirk: MR. CHEKOV,
DEFLECTOR SHIELDS ON FULL.

Chekov: DEFLECTORS ON FULL, SIR.

Kirk: GUN CREWS, LOCK ON TARGET.

Simon: HE WAS LIKE
A SORT OF POP STAR RUSSIAN.

TO SEE THIS CHARACTER WHO WAS
EXTREMELY ATTRACTIVE AND LOYAL

AND NOT AT ALL
A BUSHY-EYEBROWED COMMUNIST.

Kirk: UM, MR. CHEKOV.

Simon: HE WAS A PART
OF THE TEAM.

Kirk: FULL STOP, MR. CHEKOV.
HOLD YOUR POSITION.

Narrator: THE CONSOLE HASN'T
BEEN ON PUBLIC DISPLAY

FOR NEARLY 25 YEARS.

SO FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN A GENERATION,

GET READY TO SEE SOMETHING...

¶

[RECORD SCRATCH]

NOT THAT SPECIAL.

Brooks: I WAS REALLY SURPRISED
HOW MUCH WAS MISSING.

AND I THOUGHT, "OH, NO,
WHAT HAVE WE GOT HERE?"

I MEAN, WHAT'S LEFT?

WOW. I KNEW IT WAS IN A BAD WAY.

I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS
QUITE THIS BAD.

Kirk: ENERGIZE ALL SATELLITES.

Man: AFFIRMATIVE.

Brooks: WOW, IS IT EVER
SCRATCHED UP!

Woman: YEAH.

Kirk: NOW GIVE US WARP SPEED.

Brooks: YOU KNOW,
WHEN I FIRST SAW IT,

I FELT, I FELT THIS DREAD,

I THOUGHT, "CRIPES! THIS IS NOT
GOING TO WORK OUT."

[EXPLOSION]

Man: THAT WAS LIKE,
"WOW, THAT NEEDS A LOT OF WORK."

IT WAS, "OOOH."

Brooks: IT WILL TAKE MONTHS,

IT'S NOT LIKE YOU CAN JUST
RUN OUT TO THE HARDWARE STORE

AND PICK UP THESE PIECES.

Brooks: HOW DID IT GET
SO BANGED UP, THOUGH?

THAT'S THE PART I KEEP
COMING BACK TO.

Woman: USE.

Brooks: YEAH, BUT WHAT
DOES THAT MEAN, "USE"?

Woman: AGE.
Brooks: WHAT DID SOMEONE DO?

Woman: I DON'T KNOW, YOU NEVER
KNOW HOW IT WAS STORED BEFORE.

Brooks: YEAH, THERE'S A HOLE...
THERE'S A LOT MISSING.

THERE'S MISSING SWITCHES,
MISSING LIGHTS, MISSING BUTTONS.

Narrator: JUST WEEKS
TILL OPENING,

AND SUDDENLY BROOKS HAS A
50-YEAR-OLD CONSOLE TO CONSERVE,

AND A LOT OF REPLACEMENT
BLINKING LIGHTS TO FIND.

Brooks: THIS IS--I DON'T WANT
TO SAY OVERWHELMING,

BUT IT'S PRETTY CLOSE.

Narrator: BEFORE THE MODEL
OF THE ENTERPRISE

CAN BE REASSEMBLED,

THE SMITHSONIAN'S
CONSERVATION TEAM

IS FACED WITH A DILEMMA--
WHAT COLOR TO PAINT IT.

Ariel: WHAT COLOR
IS THE ENTERPRISE?

IT'S A TRICKY QUESTION,
BECAUSE IT'S NOT ONE FLAT COLOR.

THE ORIGINAL PAINT
HAD MANY LAYERS,

BASE COATS AND TOP COATS,

AND THEN THEY ADDED
WEATHERING EFFECTS

DURING THE SERIES.

Narrator:
IT'S THE KIND OF DILEMMA

THAT GIVES A SMITHSONIAN CURATOR
SLEEPLESS NIGHTS.

Margaret: I'VE BEEN WORKING
FOR MONTHS

TO PUT ALL OF THIS TOGETHER.

IT'S EXHAUSTING
'CAUSE YOU'RE JUST MENTALLY ON

EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY
MAKING DECISIONS.

WHAT ABOUT THIS?
WHAT ABOUT THAT?

THIS IS AN OBJECT
WITH SUCH A COMPLEX HISTORY

AND SUCH A PASSIONATE FAN BASE

WHO ARE SO WONDERFUL

ABOUT REALLY PAYING ATTENTION
TO THE DETAILS,

THAT WE REALLY WANTED TO MAKE
SURE THAT WE GOT THIS RIGHT.

Adam: EVEN THOUGH WE'RE DOING
SPECTROSCOPIC ANALYSIS,

EVEN THOUGH WE'RE DOING
PAINT ANALYSIS,

EVEN THOUGH WE'VE LITERALLY
MICROSCOPICALLY BORED IN

TO GET THE RIGHT COLORS,

THERE ARE FANS OUT THERE
WHO ARE WATCHING AND LOVING

AND EXPECTING IT LOOK
LIKE WHAT THEY SAW,

AND THEY WILL BE VERY PLEASED
AND VERY HAPPY.

AND SOME FANS WILL HATE IT.

Narrator: AT THE EMP MUSEUM
OF POP CULTURE,

KIRK'S COMMAND CHAIR IS TAKING
CENTER STAGE ONCE MORE,

AND FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN NEARLY HALF A CENTURY,

THE PROPS AND COSTUMES
THAT ESCAPED THE DUMPSTER

ARE BEING BROUGHT TOGETHER

FOR BROOKS'S 50th ANNIVERSARY
STAR TREK EXHIBITION.

¶

THE SET IS AN AMBITIOUS ONE,

AND IN THE WORKSHOP,
THE DESIGN CREW ARE IN A RACE

TO COMPLETE IT IN TIME.

THE CLOCK IS TICKING FOR BROOKS.

Brooks: THIS IS THE MODEL WE
CREATED OF THE EXHIBITION SPACE.

SO EVERYTHING YOU SEE HERE

WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO CARVE
OUT OF STYROFOAM

AND THEN PLASTER
AND PAINT THESE,

MAKING THESE GIGANTIC
ROCK FORMATIONS.

IN SOME WAYS A LOT LIKE THEY DID
IN THE ORIGINAL SERIES,

I MEAN, YOU SAW A LOT OF
STYROFOAM ROCKS IN STAR TREK,

AND WE'LL BRING IT BACK.

THIS IS A LOT OF WORK.

ANY ONE OF THESE ROCK PLINTHS

TAKES ABOUT 12 HOURS
TO CONSTRUCT, START TO FINISH.

SO WE HAVE A LOT,
A LOT OF PIECES TO DO,

A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE.

Narrator: CAPTAIN KIRK'S MISSION
IS NOT ONLY TO EXPLORE

STRANGE NEW WORLDS OF STYROFOAM,

BUT TO SEEK OUT NEW LIFE
AS WELL,

AND HE'S ALWAYS BOUND BY
STAR TREK'S PRIME DIRECTIVE--

THE IDEALISTIC PRINCIPLE

OF NON-INTERFERENCE
WITH ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS.

Kirk: OUR PRIME DIRECTIVE
SPECIFICALLY PROHIBITS US

FROM ANY INTERFERENCE.

John: THE CHARACTERS
YOU SEE ON STAR TREK

ARE WRESTLING WITH
THE SAME ISSUES

THAT WE WRESTLE WITH
EVERY DAY IN OUR LIFE.

BUT THEY DO IT BETTER.

Simon: THAT VERY IDEALISTIC,
MAYBE SLIGHTLY NAIVE IDEA

THAT WE COULD JUST GO OUT

AND EVERYONE WOULD JUST
JOIN IN WITH US,

AND WE'D ALL BE VERY KUMBAYA

AND SORT OF HOLD HANDS
AROUND THE GALAXY.

Narrator: AT NASA HQ
IN DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON, DC,

DR. CASSIE CONLEY
HASN'T MET ANY ALIENS...

YET.

BUT IF SHE DOES,
IT'S HER JOB TO IMPLEMENT

NASA'S OWN VERSION
OF THE PRIME DIRECTIVE.

Cassie Conley: AS A PLANETARY
PROTECTION OFFICER,

I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SURE
THAT MISSIONS NASA SENDS OUT

DON'T CONTAMINATE OTHER PLANETS
WITH EARTH LIFE.

AND THAT REALLY IS A FORM
OF THE PRIME DIRECTIVE.

Narrator: IF WE DETECT LIFE
ON ANOTHER PLANET,

IT WILL PROBABLY BE HERE
AT NASA'S MISSION CONTROL

AT THE JET PROPULSION
LABORATORY.

SQUINT YOUR EYES A BIT,

AND YOU COULD BE ON THE BRIDGE
OF THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE.

Ashwin Vasavada: WE GET TO DO
WHAT WE ALL GREW UP

WATCHING ON TV, YOU KNOW,
WITH STAR TREK, OF COURSE,

AND I GET TO BE
THE SCIENCE OFFICER,

IT CAN'T BE ANY BETTER
THAN THAT.

Narrator: ASHWIN IS
THE PROJECT SCIENTIST

FOR NASA'S MARS CURIOSITY
ROVER MISSION,

WHICH LANDED ON THE RED PLANET
IN AUGUST OF 2012.

Ashwin: SO WE HAD
THIS DRAMATIC ENTRY,

WE CAME IN SCREAMING
THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE.

SO MUCH OF YOUR LIFE
IS RIDING ON IT.

YOU'RE ALREADY PUT IN,
YOU KNOW, EIGHT, NINE YEARS

WORKING ON THIS MISSION,
DESIGNING IT, BUILDING IT,

TESTING IT, FALLING IN LOVE
WITH IT, REALLY.

AND IT WAS OVER
BEFORE YOU KNEW IT,

AND PEOPLE WERE
JUMPING UP AND DOWN,

AND I HAD TO JUST TAKE A MOMENT
TO REALIZE

I CAN'T BELIEVE WE ACTUALLY--
YOU KNOW, WE'RE HERE, WE DID IT.

Narrator: AND NOW ASHWIN'S
REAL WORK BEGINS--

THE SEARCH FOR LIFE ON MARS.

Ashwin: LOOKING FOR LIFE
GOES WAY BEYOND

JUST SCIENCE, YOU KNOW?

IT'S A QUESTION OF HUMANITY,

IT'S A QUESTION OF KNOWING

WHETHER THERE'S ANYBODY ELSE
LIKE US OUT THERE.

Narrator: AND IS THERE
ANYBODY OUT THERE?

Karl: I THINK IT WOULD BE NAIVE
AND SOMEWHAT IGNORANT OF US

TO BELIEVE THAT WE'RE THE ONLY
FORM OF LIFE TO EXIST.

Cassie: I'M QUITE POSITIVE
THERE'S LIFE ON MARS.

WE KNOW THERE'S LIFE ON MARS.

Narrator: BUT IT'S NOT LIKE
THE ALIENS IN STAR TREK.

[GROWLING]

Cassie: WE KNOW THERE'S LIFE
ON MARS,

BUT IT'S ON THE SPACECRAFT
WE BROUGHT WITH US,

SO THOSE SPACECRAFT
ALL HAD EARTH ORGANISMS,

SOMEWHERE EMBEDDED
INSIDE THE SPACECRAFT.

IT'S NOT VERY MUCH, IT'S ABOUT
AS MUCH PER SPACECRAFT

AS IS ON ONE OF YOUR HANDS,

BUT THERE IS SOME EARTH LIFE
ALREADY ON MARS.

Narrator: WE'RE SPREADING
OUR GERMS ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

LIKE TRIBBLES.

Scotty: AYE, THEY'RE INTO
THE MACHINERY, ALRIGHT.

Kirk: DR. McCOY...

Narrator: ONE MAN WHO KNOWS
ALL ABOUT

THE UNCONTROLLABLE SPREAD
OF ALIEN LIFE-FORMS

IS THE WRITER OF
"THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES,"

DAVID GERROLD.

David: ALWAYS BEFORE
IN SCIENCE FICTION,

THE ALIEN WAS SOMETHING UGLY.

SO THAT WAS HOW WE KNEW
IT WAS A MENACE, IT WAS UGLY.

WHAT IF THE ALIEN WAS SO CUTE,

WE DIDN'T RECOGNIZE IT WAS
A MENACE UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE?

Kirk: CLOSE THAT DOOR.

Cassie: AND IN FACT
THERE ARE ORGANISMS

THAT LIVE ON THE CHEESE
IN YOUR FRIDGE,

THEY ARE IN YOUR MOUTH
RIGHT NOW,

THAT AS LONG AS
THEY WERE PROTECTED

FROM THE ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT

AND HAD A LITTLE BIT OF LIQUID
ON THE SURFACE OF MARS,

AT MARS PRESSURE,
MARS SOIL CONDITIONS,

THEY WOULD GROW ON MARS.

SO EARTH LIFE CAN GROW ON MARS,

IF IT'S GOT AN UMBRELLA
AND A COLD DRINK.

Narrator: 12 MONTHS AGO,

THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE LOOKED
LIKE AN AGING HOLLYWOOD ACTRESS

WHO HAD SEEN BETTER DAYS.

NOW SHE'S BEEN TAKEN APART,
PROBED, PAINTED, AND POLISHED.

WITH ONLY A WEEK TO GO
BEFORE SHE'S INSTALLED,

THE TEAM HOPE SHE'S READY
FOR HER CLOSE-UP.

Narrator:
AT THE CONSERVATION LAB

OF THE SMITHSONIAN
NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM,

IT'S TAKEN MONTHS OF WORK.

NOW EVERY LIGHT FIXTURE,
EVERY BRUSHSTROKE,

EVERY MOVING PART HAS BEEN
LOVINGLY AND EXPERTLY CONSERVED.

Margaret: WE KNOW
DOWN TO THE MICRON

THAT WE HAVE THE DECALS
IN THE RIGHT PLACES,

THE WINDOWS ARE EXACTLY RIGHT,

ALL OF THE DETAILING THAT MAKES
THE ENTERPRISE THE ENTERPRISE,

WE HAVE IN THE RIGHT PLACE.

¶

THE ENTERPRISE MODEL IS
A GENUINE 1960s TELEVISION STAR.

IT SHOULDN'T SURPRISE ME,

GIVEN THAT THIS IS A MODEL
THAT WAS BUILT FOR TELEVISION,

BUT IT JUST SHOWS UP
SO BEAUTIFULLY ON CAMERA.

Narrator: AND FOR CHIEF
CONSERVATOR MALCOLM,

IT'S A JOB WELL DONE.

Malcolm: IT'S NOT GOING
TO FALL APART,

AT LEAST NOT IN MY LIFETIME.

Narrator:
HER FINAL VOYAGE WILL BE

TO THE BOEING
MILESTONES OF FLIGHT HALL

IN DOWNTOWN DC.

AT THE EMP MUSEUM
OF POP CULTURE,

BROOKS'S QUEST IS ALSO
NEARING COMPLETION.

THIS IS THE LAST PROP
THAT HE NEEDS.

Brooks: THIS IS A TRICORDER
FROM STAR TREK.

THIS IS AN ORIGINAL PROP.

YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN THIS USED
BY SPOCK, ALSO DR. McCOY.

[HIGH-PITCHED WHISTLING]

THE TRICORDER IS
A MULTIFUNCTION DEVICE.

IT'S A COMPUTER, IT'S A SCANNER,
IT'S AN ANALYZER, IT'S A SENSOR,

IT'S USED FOR SCIENCE,
FOR MEDICINE,

ALL KINDS OF THINGS.

IT IS LIKE AN iPAD ON STEROIDS.

Simon: IT WAS ANOTHER
BRILLIANT PLOT DEVICE

WHICH ENABLED PEOPLE TO EXPLAIN
THINGS BY LOOKING AT,

"OH, YEAH, THAT'S...
THIS IS THAT."

Narrator:
AND HOW DOES IT WORK EXACTLY?

Simon: NO IDEA.

[LAUGHS]

Brooks: IT IS AN INCREDIBLY
FUTURISTIC IDEA,

I MEAN, THIS TECHNOLOGY
IS STILL WAY BEYOND US.

Narrator: BUT MAYBE
NOT FOR LONG,

BECAUSE THIS GUY
THINKS THE FUTURE

REALLY IS WITHIN OUR GRASP.

Peter: WHEN YOU HAVE THE TARGET
OF WHERE YOU WANT TO GO,

WHAT YOU WANT TO DO,
ASKING THE WORLD TO SAY,

"THAT OVER THERE,
THAT TECHNOLOGY,

THAT ACCOMPLISHMENT,
WHY HASN'T SOMEONE DONE IT?"

Narrator: THE XPRIZE FOUNDATION,
FOUNDED BY PETER,

LAUNCHED THE PRIVATE
SPACE INDUSTRY

WITH ITS OFFER
OF A $10 MILLION PRIZE

TO THE FIRST COMMERCIAL CRAFT
TO REACH SPACE.

IT NOW HANGS IN THE BOEING
MILESTONES OF FLIGHT HALL.

TODAY'S $10 MILLION PRIZE
WILL BE AWARDED TO THE TEAM

THAT CAN INVENT ONE OF THESE.

NOT A PROP, BUT ONE
THAT ACTUALLY WORKS.

Peter: I LIKE TO SAY
THE DATE BEFORE SOMETHING

IS TRULY A BREAKTHROUGH,
IT'S A CRAZY IDEA.

Narrator: SONNY KOHLI
ISN'T CRAZY,

HE'S AN INTENSIVE CARE DOCTOR.

BUT HE DID GROW UP IN THE '70s
WATCHING RERUNS OF STAR TREK.

Sonny Kohli: AS I WALK
INTO THE HOSPITAL,

THE AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENS,

YOU KNOW, A THROWBACK
TO STAR TREK.

I'M WALKING UP THE STAIRS
TO THE ICU,

I'VE BEEN SPEAKING WITH THEM
WITH MY COMMUNICATOR DEVICE,

THINKING TO MYSELF, LIKE,

"WE'RE ALREADY HERE.
THESE GUYS SAW IT COMING."

Narrator: SONNY WORKS
AT ONE OF CANADA'S BIGGEST

AND MOST MODERN HOSPITALS,

AND HIS DREAM IS TO DIAGNOSE
ALL KINDS OF ILLNESSES

WITH A LITTLE HANDHELD DEVICE
LIKE THEY DID ON STAR TREK.

Kirk: HOW IS HE?

Spock: SEVERE HEART DAMAGE,

SIGNS OF CONGESTION
IN BOTH LUNGS.

Sonny: I REMEMBER WATCHING THIS
AS A KID,

AND I WAS NEVER THINKING
I'D BE A DOCTOR AT THE TIME,

BUT IT'S JUST
AMAZING ENTERTAINMENT.

Spock: INTERNAL INJURIES.

BLEEDING IN THE CHEST
AND ABDOMEN.

Sonny: MR. SPOCK IS USING
THE TRICORDER DEVICE

TO DIAGNOSE McCOY'S
CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS,

AND HE'S TELLING US THAT
HIS HEART IS SEVERELY DAMAGED,

THAT HIS LUNGS ARE
FILLING UP WITH FLUID,

THAT HIS INTERNAL ORGANS
ARE ALL DAMAGED,

AND THAT HIS BLOOD PRESSURE
IS DROPPING,

AND HE'S GOING INTO
CIRCULATORY COLLAPSE...

WHICH IS AMAZING FOR THAT
LITTLE HANDHELD DEVICE.

Uhura: A SIGNAL CAPTAIN.

Narrator: SO WHEN PETER SAYS...

Peter: THAT SHOULD
BE POSSIBLE,

WHY DON'T WE HAVE A TRICORDER?

Narrator:
GUESS SONNY'S REACTION.

Sonny: AND I WAS LIKE,
"COME AGAIN?

THERE'S ACTUALLY A TRICORDER
XPRIZE COMPETITION?"

AND I SAID,
"SURE, I'D LOVE TO SIGN UP."

Narrator: BECAUSE WHO
WOULDN'T WANT TO BE

THE PHYSICIAN OF THE FUTURE?

McCoy: I'LL DO EVERYTHING I CAN,
JIM, TO SAVE HIM.

Karl: I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT APPEALS TO ME

THE MOST ABOUT HIM

IS THAT HE HAS GOT THE MOST
APPALLING BEDSIDE MANNER.

Kirk: I DON'T NEED ANY.

McCoy: I'M STILL CHIEF MEDICAL
OFFICER ON THE ENTERPRISE.

I'LL TELL YOU WHAT YOU NEED
AND WHEN YOU NEED IT.

Karl: BUT UNDERNEATH THAT

HE'S ONE OF THE MOST ALTRUISTIC
HUMAN BEINGS THAT YOU CAN FIND,

AND HE LOVES ALL SPECIES.

McCoy: THERE'S NOTHING
DISGUSTING ABOUT IT.

IT'S JUST ANOTHER LIFE-FORM,
THAT'S ALL.

David: THE FANS GOT IT
ABOUT HIM INSTANTLY.

McCoy: IT WAS CLOSE, JIM.

YOU BOTH BARELY GOT BACK ALIVE.

UNLESS THE FORMULA WORKS,
WE CAN'T RISK IT AGAIN.

David: DR. McCOY IS, IS A VERY
COMPASSIONATE, EMOTIONAL VOICE,

AND, AND HE ARGUES
FROM THE HEART.

AND WHO WOULDN'T FALL IN LOVE
WITH THAT?

Narrator: SONNY,
THE 21st CENTURY DR. McCOY,

NOW HEADS UP A TEAM,

COMPETING WITH OTHERS
FROM AROUND THE WORLD,

IN A RACE TO INVENT
A WORKING TRICORDER.

Sonny: THE REAL PASSION FOR ME
IS TAKING THIS TO THE HOME,

OR TO PLACES
IN UNDERDEVELOPED NATIONS

THAT THEY DON'T HAVE
ANYTHING AT ALL.

Peter:
WE'RE GOING TO BE SHORT

MILLIONS OF DOCTORS
IN THE WORLD.

AND YOU CAN'T BUILD ENOUGH
MEDICAL SCHOOLS OR HOSPITALS

OR TEACH ENOUGH DOCTORS

TO MEET THE NEEDS
OF THE RISING BILLION.

BUT THE TRICORDER
CAN MEET THOSE NEEDS.

AND THIS DEVICE NEEDS TO BE
SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN SPEAK TO,

IT'S GOT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
ON THE CLOUD,

AND IN SUCCESS
IT CAN DIAGNOSE YOU

INITIALLY IN ABOUT, YOU KNOW,
15 DIFFERENT DISEASES,

AS GOOD OR BETTER THAN
A BOARD-CERTIFIED DOCTOR.

Narrator: THIS IS HOW SONNY'S
VERSION OF THE TRICORDER WORKS.

Sonny: AND SO JUST IMAGINE
YOU'RE AT HOME,

YOU DON'T FEEL VERY WELL,
IT'S FLU SEASON,

YOU'RE LIKE,
"WHAT'S GOING ON WITH ME?"

SO I PUT THIS ON, AND THE TWO
THINGS IN THE FRONT HERE

HELP PICK UP YOUR ELECTRICAL
IMPULSES FROM YOUR HEART.

THIS PIECE IN YOUR EAR DETECTS
YOUR TEMPERATURE

AND ALSO DETECTS
AN ARTERY IN THE EAR

AND PICKS UP THE PULSE
FROM THAT ARTERY

TO HELP DIAGNOSE HOW FAST
YOU'RE BREATHING,

WHAT THE OXYGEN LEVELS ARE
IN YOUR BLOOD.

THE FIRST THING IT MAY TELL ME
IS THAT I HAVE A FEVER,

THAT MY BREATHING RATE IS HIGH,

THAT MY BLOOD PRESSURE'S
QUITE LOW,

THAT I'M STARTING
TO DEVELOP SEPSIS,

OR AN INFECTION
IN MY BLOODSTREAM.

ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE CLUES TO

THAT YOU DON'T JUST
HAVE THE FLU,

YOU'RE ACTUALLY PROGRESSING
TO FULL-BLOWN PNEUMONIA,

YOU NEED TO BE SEEN.

Narrator: LIKE ANY MEDICAL
DIAGNOSTIC DEVICE,

EACH TRICORDER MUST NOW UNDERGO
RIGOROUS CLINICAL TESTING

BEFORE A WINNER CAN BE DECLARED

AND SCIENCE FICTION CAN TAKE
ONE STEP CLOSER TO REALITY.

Peter: I BELIEVE
WE'RE HEADING TOWARDS A FUTURE

IN WHICH WE'RE GOING TO MEET
THE BASIC NEEDS

OF EVERY MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD
ON THIS PLANET.

WE'RE MAKING THE STAR TREK
UNIVERSE HAPPEN.

IT'S THE MOST EXCITING TIME
EVER TO BE ALIVE.

Narrator: AT THE EMP MUSEUM
OF POP CULTURE IN SEATTLE,

IT'S AN EXCITING TIME
FOR THE FANS,

BECAUSE BROOKS' 50th ANNIVERSARY
STAR TREK EXHIBITION

IS READY TO OPEN.

Woman: OH, MY GOD!

Narrator:
FOR THE LAST FOUR MONTHS,

EMP MUSEUM CURATOR BROOKS PECK
HAS BEEN ON A HUNT FOR PROPS

AND AUTHENTIC REPLACEMENT LIGHTS
FOR CHEKOV'S CONSOLE.

Brooks: IF WE DO OUR JOB RIGHT,
AND IF ALL GOES WELL,

THIS IS GONNA BE
AN INCREDIBLY IMMERSIVE

AND A VERY EXCITING SPACE
TO BE IN,

AND THE CLOSEST
THEY COULD POSSIBLY COME

TO ACTUALLY BEING IN STAR TREK.

Narrator: TIME FOR
THE FANS' VERDICT.

Woman: I'M REALLY EXCITED
ABOUT THIS STAR TREK EXHIBIT,

I'VE BEEN A FAN SINCE
FRESHMAN YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL,

AND I'M HELLA PUMPED!

[LAUGHS]

Woman: I SAW THE FIRST EPISODE
BACK IN 1966,

I WAS 16 THEN, I'M 66 NOW,

AND I'M REALLY EXCITED
ABOUT THIS EXHIBIT.

Man: THIS EXHIBIT
IS REALLY EXCITING FOR ME,

IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME

THAT THEY GET THE FEELING
OF STAR TREK RIGHT.

Narrator: THESE ARE THE FIRST
FANS IN NEARLY 50 YEARS

TO SEE THE BRIDGE
OF THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE

RECREATED WITH
THE AUTHENTIC PROPS.

Brooks: AND HERE WE'RE
GONNA WALK. YOU'RE FINE

Narrator: READY OR NOT,
TIME FOR THE BIG REVEAL.

¶

Woman: WOW!

¶

Woman: OH, MY GOD!

¶

Man: WOW!

¶

Woman: OH, THIS IS FABULOUS!

Man: THIS IS AMAZING.

¶

Woman: IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

[LAUGHS]

Man: IT'S INCREDIBLE,
ALL THE BUTTONS,

ALL THE SURFACES, EVERYTHING,
ALL THE TEXTURE

THAT YOU'VE SEEN
A THOUSAND TIMES,

IT'S INCREDIBLE
TO SEE IT IN PERSON.

OH, WOW.
WOW, LOOK AT THAT!

[CHIRPING]

Woman: THIS IS SO COOL.
I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M HERE.

IT'S JUST A REMARKABLE FEELING.

I'M SHAKING.

I'M JUST, I'M JUST SO IN AWE
AND SO MOVED BY THIS.

Man: WHEN I WAS A KID,

ALL I WANTED WAS TO WALK
THE DECKS OF THE ENTERPRISE

AND TO BE A PART
OF STAR TREK SOMEHOW.

Woman: IT'S BRINGING TEARS
TO MY EYES,

THIS IS SO, SO INCREDIBLE
TO SEE IT,

AND TO SEE IT LIT UP
AND SEE IT LIVING.

THAT'S THE AMAZING PART.

Woman: FANTASTIC!

AAH! I LOVE IT!

Woman: IT'S JUST INCREDIBLE.

JUST INCREDIBLE.

¶

Narrator: THE FANS LIKE IT,

BUT DOES IT LIVE UP
TO THE EXPECTATIONS

OF THE LITTLE BOY WHO FIRST
FELL IN LOVE WITH THE SHOW?

Brooks: 9-YEAR-OLD BROOKS WOULD
BE FLABBERGASTED, ON THE FLOOR,

THE CHANCE TO GET THIS CLOSE
TO STAR TREK.

OF COURSE, 9-YEAR-OLD BROOKS
WOULD WANT TO CLIMB OVER THERE

AND GET IN AND PUSH THE BUTTONS

AND LOOK IN THE SCOPE
AND DO ALL THAT STUFF.

UH, I MEAN, I DO, TOO,

BUT 49-YEAR-OLD BROOKS
IS A PROFESSIONAL, SO.

Narrator: ONE WHO'S QUITE HAPPY

TO STAY ON THIS SIDE
OF THE GLASS.

[GROWLING]

AT THE SMITHSONIAN BOEING
MILESTONES OF FLIGHT HALL,

THE ENTERPRISE HAS
MADE HER ENTRANCE.

¶

Margaret: AT THE SMITHSONIAN
I THINK WE'RE ALWAYS VERY AWARE

THAT WE HOLD THESE OBJECTS,

THESE PIECES OF ART, TECHNOLOGY
AND HISTORY,

ON BEHALF
OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE,

ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE
OF THE WORLD.

Narrator: THE MODEL
OF THE ENTERPRISE

AND THE PROPS OF STAR TREK ARE
MORE THAN MUSEUM ARTIFACTS--

THEY REPRESENT THE FUTURE
THAT STAR TREK INVENTED.

Adam: IT WAS A VISION
OF WHAT HUMANS COULD ACCOMPLISH

IN THE FUTURE,

INVOLVING A BETTER SOCIETY,
BETTER PEOPLE,

SPACE TRAVEL TO SEE OTHER THINGS
IN THE GALAXY, AND EXPLORATION,

AND IT WAS A REALLY
WIDE OPENING, POSITIVE VIEW

OF WHAT MANKIND
COULD ACCOMPLISH.

DC: WHEN WE WERE PROJECTING
THINGS LIKE THE TRICORDER,

THE PHASERS, THE TRANSPORTER,

THERE WAS A BASIS IN SCIENCE
ALREADY THAT COULD SAY,

"YOU KNOW, THIS MIGHT HAPPEN,

THIS COULD HAPPEN
IN THE FUTURE."

David: WITH WHAT WE CAN DO NOW
WITH 50 YEARS OF TECHNOLOGY NOW,

I WANT TO KNOW
THE REST OF THE STORY.

¶

David Grier: ALL OF THAT
TECHNOLOGY WHICH WAS BEYOND--

YOU COULDN'T IMAGINE
HOW TO MAKE IT AT THE TIME--

WE HAVE THAT NOW.

AND WHEN YOU REALIZE
THAT THE YEAR

THAT STAR TREK WAS
SUPPOSED TO BE SET IN,

YOU KNOW, WE'RE WAY AHEAD
OF SCHEDULE.

THAT'S PRETTY THRILLING.

[LAUGHS]

[BEEPING]

Otavio:
EXPLORE STRANGE NEW WORLDS.

Aprille: IT WAS NEVER A MATTER
OF WOULD WE DO IT,

IT'S JUST A MATTER
OF WHEN WE'LL DO IT.

David Gerrold: SPACE IS NOT
THE FINAL FRONTIER.

SPACE IS WHERE WE WILL MEET
THE CHALLENGE.

WHAT WE'RE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT
WHO WE ARE IN THE UNIVERSE,

WHAT'S OUR PLACE
IN THE UNIVERSE,

WHO WE AS A SPECIES
ARE GOING TO BECOME.

SO I THINK THE FINAL FRONTIER
IS THE HUMAN SOUL.

Spock: PICKING UP
LIFE-FORM READINGS.

Brooks: I AM A LIFELONG
STAR TREK FAN.

IT STARTED WHEN
I WAS A LITTLE KID,

MY MOTHER ACTUALLY
SUGGESTED I WATCH THE SHOW,

IT WAS ON RERUNS EVERY DAY,

AND I WATCHED IT ON OUR LITTLE
9-INCH BLACK-AND-WHITE TV

AND WAS IMMEDIATELY CAPTIVATED,

AND I WOULD,
I WOULD TRY AND MAKE

PHASERS AND COMMUNICATORS
OUT OF LEGOS

AND RUN AROUND THE HOUSE
PRETENDING I WAS ON A MISSION.

STAR TREK AND I TURN 50
THE VERY SAME YEAR.

SO REALLY I FEEL LIKE
WE'RE BONDED THAT WAY.

Simon: THESE ARE THE VOYAGES
OF THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE.

Adam:
ITS FIVE-YEAR MISSION...

Ashwin: TO EXPLORE
STRANGE NEW WORLDS...

Karl: TO SEEK OUT NEW LIFE...

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

Translator:
AND NEW CIVILIZATIONS...

David Grier: TO BOLDLY GO...

Nichelle: ...WHERE NO MAN
OR WOMAN HAS GONE BEFORE.