Original subtitles

[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.