Earth spacedocks List of spacedock s in orbit of Earth . Unnamed . 21st Century space station . A station in close orbit around Earth . The OV - 165 space shuttle could dock and be fueld on this station . ( " title sequence " ) " Columbia " spacedock . This spacedock was the location for the construction of , the second starship , in 2153 and 2154 . The spacedock was made up of three cage segments that were wider than the segments that made up the Orbital Drydock Facility , where was launched from . Instead of having four circular lights in each row on the cage segments , this station had eight rectangular lights that were grouped more closely together . The dorsal sections of the cage supported a small windowed station in the center of the facility as well as rails that three movable construction arms attached to . Housed in the center joint on either side of the sections that made up the walls of the cage were small stations . Each station supported a large cargo / shuttlebay facing inwards and had two airlock s located at the and stern , one facing outwards along the centerline where other segments could be added , and one facing inwards towards where the ship would be located . These bays sported one large door . ( ) " Columbia " was launched from this spacedock in late November of 2154 . ( ) " Enterprise " spacedock . This spacedock was the second known spacedock to service the starship and was operational for at least some of the time that was in drydock . It was of the same configuration as the " Columbia " facility except , instead of having eight lights per row , this dock only had seven . After returning from the Xindi mission , " Enterprise " underwent repair work in this spacedock before moving to the Orbital Drydock Facility before or in May of 2154 . ( ) USS " Enterprise " spacedock . This drydock was where the underwent a refit in the early 2270s , at which time the dock was supervised by both a dock control and yard command . ( ) There were at least two cargo or shuttlebay s located at the end of the dorsal section of the station , as well as several large working lights at various points along the sides of the " cage " facing inwards . ( ; ) In 2285 , the " Enterprise " again launched from this dock on a training cruise shortly before the Battle of the Mutara Nebula . ( ) USS " Enterprise " - E spacedock . This spacedock was where the was repaired in 2379 , following the Battle in the Bassen Rift . A small station was located in the center of the dorsal section of the spacedock , and was able to connect to the shuttlebay in the primary hull of a starship . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Doug Drexler was not entirely happy with the Earth drydocks of . " " While I thought the drydocks were well done , " " he clarified , " " I would have made them part of a larger yard encompassing a space office \ transportation and residence hub , a supply yard - warehouse complex , and more local traffic . It all boiled down to the limits of a television schedule , and budget . " " Drexler also personally preferred " Star Trek : Enterprise " s three - fingered spacedock variant more than the series ' five - fingered one . He opined , " " The more modest three finger arrangement is more in keeping with the shows time frame , and smaller less sophisticated starship . " " Explaining why a slightly different spacedock was created for housing , John Eaves said , " " It was just to show difference . We all hate to see shots and elements reused and called something new and different when it ' s in fact not , so being conscious of this the Eden [ FX ] boys added the extra time to make something new exclusive for the NX - 02 . " " USS " Enterprise " spacedock info . The spacedock featured in was absent from an story treatment for the film ' s never - produced precursor , " In Thy Image " . ( " Lost Voyages of Trek and The Next Generation " , p . 28 ) The idea of the dock was suggested later that month , as the treatment circulated among the production team hired for the eventually - canceled television series " " ( for which " In Thy Image " was intended to be the pilot episode ) . ( " " , p . 33 ) As such , the dock features in a first - draft script for " In Thy Image " . ( " " ) A web - like mesh , representing this drydock , was included in a concept painting that illustrator Michael Minor created . ( " The Art of Star Trek " , p . 153 ) Andrew Probert , who worked as a production illustrator on " The Motion Picture " , later noted , " " On Mike Minor ' s concept [ of ] the dock , he had rocket nozzles on the corners of the drydock for maintaining orbital position . " " Mike Minor also illustrated a variety of elevations exploring the dock . By , Minor had finished the various elevations and had turned them over to model builders Magicam , who were awarded the contract for building the majority of the studio model s in September 1977 . ( " " , pp . 43 & 44 ; " " # 27 , p . 26 ) In , the studio model for " Phase II " s Earth spacedock was frequently tinkered with but remained unfinished . ( " " , p . 49 ) Due to a change of location for Magicam headquarters , the drydock was one of several " Phase II " models whose completion date was delayed to , as post - production supervisor Paul Rabwin reported to producer Robert Goodwin on 14 October of that year . ( " " , p . 51 ) Gene Roddenberry wanted the spacedock to be in a geosynchronous orbit above the city of San Francisco . ( text commentary , " " ) Although this was written into a script draft of " In Thy Image " with the dock having a height of 200 miles , story editor Jon Povill sent a memo ( on 14 October 1977 ) to the writer of the episode ' s script , Harold Livingston , that refuted this proposition . " " I was asked to check with Jesco [ " Jesco Von Puttkamer , NASA Technical Adviser to the production " ] as to what orbital height was necessary in order to maintain a synchronous orbit over San Francisco , " " Povill wrote . " " It turns out that the only height at which a synchronous orbit can be maintained is 22 , 000 miles . " " ( " " , p . 51 ) Livingston ' s revised first - draft script , submitted on 20 October 1977 , duly altered the height to " several hundred miles . " ( " " , pp . 51 & 131 ) Since the vast distance of 22 , 300 miles from the Earth would have made the planet seem like only a small ball , the dock ' s altitude was thereafter again lowered . ( text commentary , " " ) In , the research company de Forest Research suggested that the references to " drydock " in the script for " In Thy Image " be replaced with " spacedock " . ( " " , pp . 62 - 63 & 64 ) " Phase II " s drydock model was evaluated , by Paul Rabwin and Robert Abel , as being " the best looking of all the models " built for the planned television series . ( " " , p . 72 ) In hindsight , however , Andrew Probert commented , " " The [ . . . ] design was a box , with a very Earthbound look to it . " " ( " " # 32 ) Due to the increased resolution demands of feature film photography , the drydock model had to be rebuilt from scratch , along with all the others constructed for " Phase II " . ( " " , pp . 70 & 71 ) In December 1977 , Paul Rabwin contacted Robert Goodwin with suggestions from Robert Abel about how to upgrade the models , including the drydock . " " Perhaps embellish elevators . . . ' busy ' it up a little more , " " noted Rabwin . " " A new section of drydock should be built . . . the top and one side , so that angles from the side can be photographed . " " These plans were considered as possible assignments for Magicam . ( " " , p . 72 ) In accordance with further advice from Abel , the drydock model was photographed while containing the unfinished " Phase II Enterprise " studio model . ( " " , pp . 72 & 71 ) As it was decided to start over from scratch as far as the drydock studio model was concerned , the " Phase II " miniature – which was almost ready for an even - more delayed delivery date of – was discarded . ( " " # 27 , p . 29 ; " American Cinematographer " , January 1980 , p . 153 ; " " , p . 46 ) At a party held to commemorate the drydock model and the other " Phase II " miniatures prior to trashing them , the unsuccessful dock model ( along with the original " Enterprise " model ) was hung over a massive eight - foot by twelve - foot elevator table , on which lobster was meanwhile served for the production team . ( " " , p . 46 ) " The Motion Picture " s screenplay refers to this structure as an orbital drydock . The main concept artwork featuring this drydock was created by Andrew Probert . ( " The Art of Star Trek " , p . 172 ) Revising the concepts for the drydock constituted his first assignment for the film . " " We aimed for a design that would look like an extension of current NASA thinking for zero - g fabrication , " " he said . ( " " # 32 ) Probert studied Mike Minor ' s dock designs before starting work on reworking them . ( " The Special Effects of Trek " , p . 29 ) During Andrew Probert ' s tenure on the drydock design , the earliest idea for the facility was to have it , in Probert ' s words , " fit the shape of the " Enterprise " as snugly as possible . " ( " " # 32 ) Hence , in some of his earliest concept sketches for the dock , the facility was more closely fitting to the exterior of the ship than it ultimately became . Probert stated , " " My thinking was that the closer the dry dock is to the ship it ' s working on , you know , the more easier it would be for equipment and personnel to get down to the surface . . . or up to the surface ! " " Probert initially envisioned the drydock as having the capability of expanding , a function that was not shown in the film . He commented , " " I had actually envisioned four or five other drydocks in orbit nearby , servicing other starships of various sizes and shapes , and that would have shown how flexible the design was . " " ( Look here to view early concept artwork for " The Motion Picture " s orbital office complex , from which two sketches include the multiple , close - fitting drydocks . ) Probert also experimented with the lighting of this dock configuration and created designs for cranes that were to be operated by workers laboring on the docked ships . By or in , the spacedock was changed to having a more box - like shape , much as it appears in the final film . ( " The Art of Star Trek " , p . 172 ) Another of Andrew Probert ' s initial ideas was for the station to have a side hub that would serve as essentially a garage for workbees and include office areas as well as living quarters . This feature was detailed in at least two concept paintings , one of which was dated April 1978 . Another design feature that was included in the same illustration ( as well as in a separate group of concept sketches ) was a concourse , intended to physically link the dock with the rim of the " Enterprise " s saucer section . ( " The Art of Star Trek " , p . 172 ; ) Probert also initially envisaged expanding on Mike Minor ' s idea of having rocket nozzles as part of the dock . " " I thought we could update that with some sort of an energy beam , " " explained Probert . A concept painting from included even more modifications on the dock ' s design . For example , the single side hub had been replaced with the pair of cargo / shuttlebays seen in the film . ( " The Art of Star Trek " , p . 172 ) Compared to Mike Minor ' s dock , the drydock Probert came up with was more open and less similar to a building ' s interior . ( " The Special Effects of Trek " , p . 29 ) ( Some of Andrew Probert ' s concept artwork for the dock can be viewed , while an audio and visual presentation – with Probert commenting on these illustrations – can be accessed here ) . The studio model used for the new redesigned " The Motion Picture " spacedock was also built at Magicam , who were actually retained as the primary studio model building company . ( " The Art of Star Trek " , p . 173 ) It was the last studio model the company embarked upon , partly because Magicam ' s staff was , up until then , knee - deep involved with the construction of the revised eight - foot " Enterprise " model , partly because redesigned elements of the drydock kept coming in , and partly because it took months to put together thousands of parts needed to assemble the model , which was only half in jest dubbed " the kit " by Jim Dow . ( " " # 27 , p . 29 ) The model maker who was appointed lead modeler for the build of the miniature was Magicam employee Russ Simpson , heading a team that involved , among others , Chris Ross . Costing US $ 250 , 000 , the drydock model was four feet high , six feet wide , and ten and a half feet deep . It had fifty - six neon panels that required 168 , 000 volts of electricity . ( " " , p . 210 ) The neon lighting was installed by a sub - contracted specialist , Larry Albright , whereas the more conventional incandescents were installed by Magicam ' s own Paul Turner . ( " American Cinematographer " , February 1980 , p . 178 ) Each of these six - by - six - inch neon grids required three thousand volts of electricity to operate , so each neon tube had a transformer which provided the power via large cables . Magicam completed the drydock over a span of five months , constructing it with half - inch glass tubing twisted into shapes by an aerospace tube bender facility . The tubing supported thousands of small wires . ( " " , pp . 29 & 28 ) The model was constructed out of nearly 100 , 000 custom - made parts , many of which plastic , and came in at 350 pounds , when delivered for filming . ( " American Cinematographer " , February 1980 , pp . 178 - 179 ) Douglas Trumbull , who directed " The Motion Picture " s special photographic effects , devised ideas to both improve and simplify the lighting and filming of the drydock model . He also supervised the photographing of the model . ( " " , p . 206 ) This filming was initially intended to be done on Paramount Stage 2 . ( " " , p . 215 ) However , one of Trumbull ' s stages at Future General Corporation ultimately served as one of the filming sites , if not the only one . ( " " , interior color photographs & p . 206 ) On - stage preparations for filming the model involved special effects technicians Bob Spurlock , David Gold , Pat van Auken , Dave Stewart and Jonathan Seay . ( " " , interior color photographs ) Cameraman David Hardberger also contributed to the preparations . ( " Cinefex " , issue 1 , p . 10 ) Transformers supplying the vast amounts of battery power needed to run the miniature ' s neon panels were positioned on a separate table . ( " " , p . 210 ) Daren Dochterman – visual effects supervisor for " " DVD – remarked , " " The dry - dock itself was shot in front of what ' s called a front - light / backlight process , meaning it ' s not blue screen , but they would shoot one pass with a brightly lit background and no lights on the foreground . And then they would do the same pass with the models lit correctly . And the bright pass would serve as a matte to insert stars or the Earth behind it . And in this way , they could much more carefully craft the lighting on the miniatures rather than have to worry about blue from the blue screens . So , this allowed them to get some amazing shots with a Snorkel camera . " " ( audio commentary , " " ) At least one other partial model was built for the dock , used in close - ups of one side of the facility . This model was larger and considerably more detailed than the main miniature of the dock . ( audio commentary , " " ) Construction of the model was deemed necessary for those instances where it was felt that adequate depth of field could not be obtained by using the combination of both full - size miniatures . The footage shot of the detail model was , in post - production , matted over that of the " Enterprise " . ( " Cinefex " , issue 1 , p . 12 ) For its appearance in " Star Trek II " , the dock was scripted to be shown via recycled footage from " The Motion Picture " . This was also how the dock was represented in the actual film version of the sequel . ( text commentary , " " DVD ; " et al . " ) The amount of footage of the dock was minimized , though . Mike Minor recalled , " " We worked out a way [ . . . ] [ of ] cutting that interminable ' look - at - us - aren ' t - we - great - special - effects - people ' trip around the " Enterprise " spacedock . " " ( " Enterprise Incidents " , issue # 14 , p . 51 ) The studio model for this drydock was heavily modified for use as the Starfleet drydock in . When it came time to create the newer type of spacedock , the model for " The Motion Picture " version was sent to Industrial Light & Magic . Years later , ILM Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll related , " " I remember when the model got shipped up here and we opened up the crate , looked at it , that was a special moment for me . " " ( " Industrial Light & Magic – The Next Generation " , ) Reusing the model as Starbase 375 was an option for the visual effects artists who worked on , though they ultimately opted to use a different model . ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 30 , No . 9 / 10 , p . 35 ) Drydocks of both types used in " The Motion Picture " and " Generations " were additionally located at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards above Mars in the 24th century , as shown in the episode . Neither variation shown in that episode was a physical model but rather a CGI model , constructed at Foundation Imaging under the supervision of Adam Lebowitz . ( ) Brandon MacDougall was the modeler responsible for constructing the CGI version of the drydock in its original configuration . USS " Enterprise " - E spacedock info . Very few structural details about this spacedock from were included in the film ' s shooting script , which describes its inner enclosure as merely " the great womb of a spacedock . " The final exterior design for this spacedock was created by production illustrator John Eaves , who described the dock as " a fun piece to work on . " Eaves took his inspiration for the spacedock from the earlier drydock shown in " The Motion Picture " . Shortly after working on " Nemesis " , Eaves commented about the spacedock , " " The new one is still very open , because we ' re flying across the surface of it and you really want to see the " Enterprise " from the outside of the dock , as well as the inside ; but what we tried to do with this one was make it unique for the " Enterprise " – a custom port for that sovereign class of ship . " " ( " Cinefex " , No . 93 , p . 111 ) Eaves later remembered , " " At Paramount , we had come up with some Space Dock designs , and they were not too much of a high point with importance visually , so they went through the approval process with only one cosmetic change . The top of the dock had a considerably large living complex , and the producers opted for a minimal area , [ so ] as to keep the frame work more open . Sketch two did this , and the final part of the dock was the docking coupler [ . . . ] This [ spacedock ] was to be a broader design as to accommodate more [ than ] just the ' E ' , but there was little concern for these details based on the secret fact that this was to be the last film . " " Meanwhile , Digital Domain artist Darryl Anka had also been given the task of designing the spacedock , unbeknownst to John Eaves . As Eaves delivered his concept sketches of the dock from Paramount to Digital Domain , he discovered Anka ' s connection to the project . " " We received the fax of Darryl ' s drawing , " " stated Eaves , " " which was a cool design that mixed a little bit of the original and the dock created for the NX - 01 . Seeing the name on the bottom is how I found out that Darryl was on the show too ! Sadly , his idea was presented too late to get in the run . " " Despite this , the spacedock in " Star Trek : Nemesis " includes a worker pod design that Darryl Anka did successfully contribute . Furthermore , it was Digital Domain who actually visualized John Eaves ' artwork on - screen , creating a virtual model of the spacedock based on his concept art . ( " Cinefex " , No . 93 , p . 111 ) Regarding the docking coupler which ( in the movie ) links the dock with the " Enterprise " - E , John Eaves admitted , " " You don ' t really get a clear view of that little feature unless you know what your looking for ! " "