D7 class model Though only introduced in the third season of , the Klingon battle cruiser , despite its limited number of appearances , captured the imagination of the audiences , and went on to become one of the most signature ship designs of the franchise . Ironically , the original filming model was not commissioned by the producers for the show who had to contend with severe budget cuts during the third season , but resulted firstly from the wish of kit producer Aluminum Model Toys ( AMT ) to do a follow - up of their highly successful model kit , as its designer revealed in . Design . The D7 - class studio model was originally designed by Matt Jefferies with initial input from friend and AMT account manager Stephen Edward Poe , and he needed about two months from start to final design sketch . Its design was explored in the " " where it was explained that in Jefferies ' attempt to create the D7 , he " " had to design a ship that would be instantly recognizable as an enemy ship , especially for a flash cut . There had to be no way it could be mistaken for our guys . It had to look threatening , even vicious . " " Taking an aerodynamic approach to his design , he ultimately " " modeled it on a , both shape and color , and that ' s why it looks as it does in the original series . " " In a contemporary 1968 interview , Jefferies has delved somewhat deeper into his thought processes behind the design , having stated , " " We had already established the essential character of the Klingons , so we had really more to draw on in background than we originally had on the " Enterprise " . The Klingon character was different and clearly defined in several scripts . We tried to keep some of that character in the design of the ship – cold and , in a sense , vicious . We tried to get into it some of the qualities of a manta ray , shark , or bird of prey , because the Klingons follow that general feeling . Another requirement was that we had to get a feeling their ships were on a par with the starships in equipment , power , size etc . After many , many sketches and many evenings , it finally evolved . Everyone liked it , and that ' s what we built . It was strictly an extra - curricular activity on my part . " " ( " " , issue 4 , pp . 3 - 4 ) Unable to divulge the AMT connection at the time , though he evidently could not refrain from making the closing remark , which hinted at the connection , Jefferies , no longer under the purview of franchise policies , much later revealed on his design work , " AMT didn ' t have any design input whatsoever , and by that point Gene pretty much left me on my own . I designed it here at home , because there was neither the time nor the money allowance to do it at the studio . Naturally , I thought it had to look as far out as we thought the " Enterprise " did . I was after a shape and didn ' t really know what the shape should be . I started doing little sketches , trying to come up with something ; God knows how many there were . I saved some of them , but I ' m sure I must have ashcanned maybe a hundred balled - up pieces of paper . It ' s like when you make a mistake in arithmetic and you go back over the same piece of paper and keep making the same dumb mistake ; you ' ve got to throw it away and start from scratch . ( . . . ) " The Klingons were supposed to a pretty wicked people , so I wanted something with a " killer potential " that would look wicked . Basically , I was feeding on the look of the stingray , or the manta ray , for part of the shape . Even though it is not dangerous , I think a lot of people think the manta ray has a very vicious look to it , yet when it swims it is very graceful . I was trying to get all of that in there . Then the coloration came directly from a shark , it ' s a grayish - green on top and a lighter gray underneath . " ( ) Having decided early on to make use of the same basic elements as with the " Enterprise " , twin nacelle s and separate engineering and command hulls , with which he continued to experiment in layout and configuration , he added , " " Sometimes if you feel you have something , which could be kind of rare , you turn it around in as many ways as possible , and all of a sudden something may pop up that makes more sense . " " The ship ' s design was perfected by the twenty - fourth sketch on . Jefferies sold off his original design sketches , as well as the below mentioned engineering drawings , on 12 December 2001 in the Profiles in History The Star Trek Auction , in order to raise funds for the charitable organization . Prior to the auction , most of his D7 design art , several of which previously unseen , was published in " " , and in the one month later ( but earlier conducted ) interview issue of . The original filming model . Jefferies proceeded to draw up detailed engineering drawings which also specified the scale in relation to the " Enterprise " , and took those to AMT . The scale comparison drawings were also used as templates for the back - lit computer console readouts seen in the episode . Under Jefferies ' own personal supervision , Gene Winfield ' s AMT - operated " Speed & Custom Shop " proceeded to manufacture two three - foot long " master tooling " models ( more precisely , the dimensions were 28 × 20 × 7 inches ) . A master tooling model served as a template for the molds from which AMT would cast the parts for their model kits . Jefferies recalled , " " The master models were quite large ; probably close to 18 inches across , I guess . They used what they call a " [ sic ] " ; at one end there was a stylus that traced its way over the master model , and at the other end there was a tool that carved out the same shape in tooling steel , which became the mold they built the kit from . " [ remark : the mold for the kits were pantographed at half - scale of the master model ] " I was there at about 2 o ' clock in the morning when they ran the first two or three through the machine . They weren ' t perfect , so they said " We ' ll take out a fraction here , and a fraction here . " Then they ' d run two or three more . If I remember correctly , it was about 10 o ' clock when the first one came out that they said was perfect . They ran maybe another half a dozen , and checked those out . One of which I still have ; the box has never been opened . Then the machine was put in operation , and after that one came out every 20 seconds . " " ( ) Under their exclusivity agreement the strapped - for - cash studio immediately appropriated one of the tooling master models for filming purposes . The model was subsequently turned over to the Howard Anderson Company for final detailing and filming stock footage for use in the show . In order to make maximum use of their new nifty model and as a courtesy to AMT ( who after all paid for the model ) , in order to get them the most exposure for their new " Klingon Battle Cruiser " model kit ( no . S952 , the D7 - class designation did not yet exist at that time ) , the producers decided to use it wherever possible in the remainder of the third season of TOS and so the new model first appeared onscreen as a Romulan battle cruiser in , although it was actually first shot as a Klingon battle cruiser for ( which aired later ) . Its origin as a master tooling model for a model kit , as opposed to being an actual filming model was evident in the fact that neither model , both constructed out of solid wood , had internal lighting . Incidentally , Poe already incorporated Jefferies ' scale drawings – slated to appear on the sides of the corresponding model kit box for its intended 1968 holidays season release – as illustrations in his reference book " The Making of Star Trek " ( pp . 184 - 186 ) , even though the ship itself had yet to premier on screen in " The Enterprise Incident " later that month , when the book was published at the start of September 1968 . Rather ironically , by not mentioning the AMT connection , it was Poe himself who actually started the four decades long myth that the D7 was a studio initiative which it was not , and who had not commissioned it , despite assertions and assumptions by numerous reference authors , fans and the franchise itself to the contrary afterwards . It was not until 2002 that Jefferies had set the record straight . The original studio model was originally finished at the Howard Anderson Company in a multi - colored paint scheme ( light green underneath and gray on top ) , applied personally by Jefferies . Jefferies also designed and applied the Klingon emblem and the Klingon lettering – also originally intended for the model kit – , the first time ever either one appeared in the " Star Trek " franchise . But the color scheme was obscured by studio lighting conditions , combined with the effect of lighting bouncing of the blue - screen onto the model , an effect known as " blue spill " , resulting in what appeared to be a blue - gray overall color on screen . This impression was reinforced by the box cover art of the AMT D7 model kit release . Interestingly , in the " Animated Series " episode , Koloth ' s battle cruiser , , adheres to the original paint scheme , though the two colors are reversed . Silver detail sections of the model were an adhesive Mylar . After " The Original Series " was canceled , the original model of the D7 was , hand - delivered by Dorothy Fontana on , donated to the ( NASM ) along with the tiny " Catspaw " model of the USS " Enterprise " . " " I was trying to figure out how to pack it up to ship it . Dorothy Fontana was headed back to D . C . and agreed to take it for me ; we put it in a plastic garbage back , which was not deep enough to to take the whole thing , so the head of it stuck out . Somebody on the airliner recognized it , so they unwrapped it and it toured the airliner ! " " , Jefferies recalled . ( ; " Star Trek Giant Poster Book " , issue 10 , 1977 ) " Star Trek : Phase II " derivative . In the latest script treatments of the pilot episode " In Thy Image " of the projected " " television project , the Klingon - " V ' Ger " encounter was already foreseen for that production . To this end , the original filming model was returned on loan to Paramount Pictures in the last quarter of 1977 for use on the " Phase II " television production , and where it received a new paint job ( gray , dark green and metal blue ) . It is conceivable that the new paint job was applied to repair damage , as the model was used as a master to take molds from in order to cast copies for intended use in the production . At the time , Jim Dow of Magicam Inc . , whose company was entrusted with the ( VFX ) for " Phase II " , recalled when it was later decided to build a larger model for the movie project , " " We began with the " Klingon " spaceship , as we had the 18 - inch model from the original television series which had been loaned back to the production by the National Air and Space Museum . The basic form remaining similar , we began to make patterns and take measurements of the original , and a set of drawings was produced and blown up to eight feet then dropped back to four feet when [ Robert ] Abel [ & Associates ] " [ RA & A ] " decided they would never be able to get far enough away from the model to photograph it . " " ( " American Cinematographer " , February 1980 , p . 153 ) To handle the original studio model , Dow actually sub - contracted Gregory Jein , for his very first professional , albeit uncredited , assignment on the " Star Trek " franchise . Jein , who at the time was rapidly making a name for himself , having been one of the chief model makers on " Close Encounters of the Third Kind " , disassembled the model and used the parts as masters to obtain molds from them . From these he cast fiberglass parts for the construction of a " hero " model . At that point in time , as indicated in early script treatises of " In Thy Image " , the Klingon vessel belonged to the heavy cruiser " Koro " - class . ( " " , p . 64 ) However , it was quickly decided that the model would not stand up to the requirements television standards of the late 1970s demanded , and especially not to the big screen requirements after " Phase II " was upgraded to a major movie project in October 1977 . After the early January 1978 inspection of the " Phase II " models it was definitively decided to discard all the models , including Jein ' s model , and start all over again . ( " " , 1st ed , p . 46 ; " " , pp . 71 - 72 ) After the decision was made that three - foot model was not up to the task for the movie - upgrade , the original television studio model was of no further use , and so it was send back to the Smithsonian , where it sat in an unlit display case for the next ten or eleven years at the NASM ' s Suitland , Maryland Garber Preservation , Restoration and Storage Facility , not open to the public , before being disassembled and put away in storage . Before its disassembly it was photographed by studio model aficionado William S . McCullars for an article he wrote on the model that was published in " " , issue 147 . It was still in its new , reapplied paint scheme when Ed Miarecki undertook a major renovation on the model in 1991 in preparation for the Star Trek Smithsonian Exhibit , and in 1992 the D7 model and the model , which it had spawned , were reunited for a short time when the " K ' tinga " was on loan to the Smithsonian . Miarecki , apparently unaware of the original paint scheme at the time , repainted the model in the blue - gray mono - colored scheme as was normally perceived by television audiences . Having only been displayed publicly once , the model , though in storage , is still in the possession of the Smithsonian . Greg Jein saved his model from the dumpster and retained both the unused hero model and the molds from which he had constructed it . He finished up on the model and it has been featured in the reference book " The Art of Star Trek " , page 19 . Jein later gave the model to Doug Drexler , who had it in his possession for several years . Drexler eventually auctioned the model off as Lot 13 in the August 8th , 2010 Propworx " The official STAR TREK prop and costume auction " , estimated at US $ 2 , 000 – $ 3 , 000 , where it sold for US $ 12 , 000 . The second " master tooling " model . The second master tooling model was handed over to the studio a short time later after AMT was done with it . It received the same finishing touch as the first model and was at a casual glance nearly indistinguishable from the first one ( exactly two times the size of the AMT model kit ) . There were , however , subtle differences between the two . The bulk of the differences were located on the engine nacelles . The position of the engine recessed side detail was moved more forward on the AMT prototype , in relation to the pylon foil vent . The detail piece on the engine bottom was a little further back on the studio model – about a third of its length back . The AMT model lacked both the feature in the torpedo launcher mouth , as well as the grills in the recessed forward " wing intakes " that were present on the screen - used model . And finally , and most notably , the screen - used model version had two sets of two raised , flat chrome strips , whereas the AMT version sported a raised strip intersecting the chrome part of the side engine ; the chrome part on the AMT prototype was a single strip shape that had a half - round profile view , and as such it was transferred onto the molds of the model kit , in effect reflecting Jefferies ' original design intent . In order to have it correspond to the screen version , AMT corrected this for their 2011 model kit re - issue ( no . AMT699 / 720 ) , as it from then on featured the two strips . Ironically , from its very first release onward , the AMT model kit version was represented by the screen version on the box art of the kit , as it featured an edited photograph of the model as finished at Anderson ' s . Although slated to be also used for filming it was never used as such and ended up in Roddenberry ' s office for awhile . Roddenberry gave the model away to Stephen Edward Poe in recognition of his help in establishing the co - operation between the Desilu studios and AMT ( in whose employ Poe was at the time ) . It changed hands several times after that and was between 1998 and 2006 offered up for auction no less than four times . The first time it appeared , it was offered up for auction by Poe at Christie ' s " Film and Television auction " of 18 June 1998 as Lot 71 with an estimate of US $ 15 , 000 – $ 20 , 000 , selling for US $ 11 , 500 ( including buyer ' s premium ) , and was immediately offered up for auction afterwards as Lot 245 in Profiles in History ' s " Hollywood Memorabilia Auction 5 " on 12 December 1998 , selling for US $ 35 , 000 . The third time it appeared at auction was on 31 March 2003 in Profiles ' " Hollywood Auction 18 " with an estimate of US $ 60 , 000 – $ 80 , 000 , selling for US $ 55 , 000 ( $ 64 , 900 including buyer ' s premium ) , before finally auctioned off as Lot 311 in Profiles ' " Hollywood Auction 24 " on 31 March 2006 for US $ 65 , 000 , estimated at US $ 65 , 000 – $ 85 , 000 . It should be noted that all auction descriptions contained inaccuracies , all erroneously claiming that it was a screen - used model . The model was on the last occasion acquired by Microsoft ' s co - founder for his in Seattle , where it currently resides . The deal was brokered before auction start and the model was therefore not featured in the auction itself . Yet , as that model still carries its original paint scheme , it serves as an useful reminder of what the screen - used model had actually looked like originally . " The Motion Picture " D7 aka " Koro " - class model . When the " Phase II " project was upgraded to a major movie project , what ultimately was to become , the decision was made to have Magicam ( which , while pulled from the VFX production , was retained as the studio model vendor ) , no doubt due to their by then familiarity with the design of the ship , and supervised by Dow , built a new , more detailed twice as large scale model of the D7 , based on the molds taken from the by now - disassembled original television model . Began at the start of February 1978 , the D7 / " Koro " - class model was the first model Magicam tackled for the upgrade , after the company received the blueprints from RA & A ' s Art Director Richard Taylor , specifying its new movie dimensions . Taylor specified the model to be 54 inches long , 40 inches wide , and 12 inches high , with a scale of 1 inch = 10 feet . The early start was facilitated by the fact that the basic design of the model was to remain unchanged . Chris Ross was the appointed lead modeler working on the model . The most noticeable difference from the original filming model , aside from its size , was the application of more subtle hull paneling , reminiscent of the model Greg Jein later built for . Despite their familiarity with the design , a construction error crept into their build as noted by Production Illustrator Andrew Probert of Astra Image Corporation ( Astra ) , the art department subsidiary of RA & A which had taken over the VFX work from Magicam . Probert observed , " " When ( I first visited their shop and saw a partially built Klingon cruiser , it was apparent to me that its neck - piece was crooked . As part of my newly - assigned responsibilities , I brought this to their attention . The design of the cruiser , with its varying proportions and angles , was such that no one else had noticed it and when I came out of the blue with my observation it didn ' t go over too well . They told me that it would cost too much time and money to correct . As it turned out , at a much later time in the production , the need arose for a structural change , so the neck was realigned at that time . From that time onward , nothing in the way of design or drawing submitted by me was ever acceptable to Magicam . " " ( " Fantastic Films " , March 1980 ) Though commonly known as the " 6 - foot model " , its exact measurements turned out to be 47½ × 35 inches . Construction on this model , outfitted with an internal lighting system , and subsequent test shooting were in progress and signed off on when Magicam delivered the model to Astra , located on Seward Street , Los Angeles , responsible for RA & A ' s studio model effects photography , in . Art Director Taylor deemed the model not detailed enough and thus unsuitable to meet full theatrical feature movie requirements , therefore reverting the model back to Astra for additional detailing . Also referring to the " Phase II " predecessor , Taylor recalled , " " ( . . . ) that was built before we got involved . I redesigned all the surface textures , the photon torpedo tube and many other details . I tried to put a kind of bird - feather design on the surface . One of the things we did with all of the models was to give their surfaces details and interesting designs . A smooth object has no scale so it ' s important in model work to find ways of creating scale . Sometimes it ' s very subtle but it ' s one of the most important elements in model photography . We did re - build the Klingon ships and that was one of the first things we finished , actually , " " adding at a later point in time , " " We also detailed out the Klingon ships adding detail to the bodies , the nose pod , the photon torpedo tube , and the bridge . I designed a new bird - like paint design for the wings and body of the Battle Cruisers . ( . . . ) Michael Sterling and I designed a new Star Fleet typeface , a Klingon typeface , and new logos for the Star Fleet and the Klingons . " " ( " " , p . 104 ) Yet , upon delivery in July 1978 of the new , twice as large model , it was decided that further refinements were deemed necessary and the model reverted to Magicam / Astra for the requested upgrades . Production Illustrator Andrew Probert further elaborated on the rework done on the model at that point in time , " Due to continuing miscommunication with Magicam , the Klingon model eventually came to our Seward shop for additional detailing . We attempted to stay as close to the TV series version as possible , but after running some camera tests we discovered that an additional level of detail was needed for widescreen photography . A series of slides was taken of the model . We had photostats made of them and I did some initial design work on top of the stats . We painted it a darker color . I ' ve always liked the idea of a black spaceship – which would have been impractical for this movie ; so we came up with a dark military green . I had an idea that was carried out beautifully by Ron Gress . Ron painted a giant Klingon symbol on the underbelly of the ship . It was a revision of the old Klingon symbol . " ( " " , No . 32 , March 1980 , p . 63 ) How pressured for time the studio was by then , was experienced by Magicam ' s Model Electronics Engineer Paul Turner , who was responsible for the lighting rig of the model , " They " [ remark : RA & A ] " decided they wanted some additional work done on the model and they convinced Paramount that they should spend additional time and money , and it was returned to us . We added some lights to it ; we changed the structure just a little bit " [ remark : the neck piece of Probert ' s observation ] " ; we did quite a number of things . Everybody worked together around the clock to get the thing out . Then we has an unveiling where people were called at Paramount , and various interested parties , to coma and see the Klingon . They were working on finishing the detail right up until the time the executives were due to arrive . Twenty minutes before the executives were due to arrive they were still in there painting and spraying and touching up on the detail . I hadn ' t been able to get in there and hook up the wiring yet . I finally got my chance to work on the thing and then everyone came into the room and started looking at it , which made it very difficult for me to concentrate on what I was doing , so I threw everybody out . I said , " " Out please . Everybody leave . Give me fifteen minutes to hook the system up . " " And I threw out everybody , executives and everybody . I got it hooked up and got everything working . Fortunately everything worked . I had pretested all the sub - assemblies , but you never knew when something is going to go wrong . Fortunately everything worked and everyone could come back in and see the model , which was about four feet " [ sic . ] " long . " ( " Enterprise Incidents " , issue 13 , p . 24 ) However , even further refinement for movie purposes was deemed necessary at a somewhat later time the subsequent year , which was lastly done at John Dykstra ' s Apogee , Inc . model shop , resulting in this model eventually becoming the " K ' t ' inga " - class studio model . ( " Cinefex " , issue 2 , p . 52 ) Breakaway models . Already envisioned for " Phase II " , the outcome of the Klingon encounter with " V ' ger " was originally story - boarded as ending with the destruction of the Klingon vessels , and that concept was initially carried over to its movie successor . To this end breakaway models were constructed at Magicam for their on - screen destruction , using Jein ' s molds , deemed satisfactory this time around to this particular end . As shown in the contemporary documentary , " " , at least twelve three - foot breakaway models were constructed for the sequence , produced from Jein ' s molds taken of the original studio model . The documentary also divulged that effects footage of the destruction was actually already shot at Astra ' s filming facilities in late 1977 . Yet , when Apogee , Inc . came aboard in March 1978 , having been made responsible for the encounter sequence after RA & A was pulled from the project , an entirely different demise sequence was conceived and produced by Apogee , leaving the original demise concept and its filmed footage thereof discarded . The " Trials and Tribble - ations " model . In , a new model of the D7 - class , IKS " Gr ' oth " , was created by Greg Jein for s episode . While referenced , but not seen , in the original version of the " Trouble with Tribbles , " the model featured an amalgam of detail from both the " Original Series " model and the " K ' t ' inga " - class seen in . The new model bore a pale green coloration , in line with future Klingon vessels . Jein , a passionate life = long fan of the original series , used his set of molds of the original " Star Trek : Phase II " D7 studio model , and from those cast the model , which was further embellished . " " Greg had a mold of the original , which had been on loan from the Smithsonian during the making of ST : TMP . The " Trials " ship was from that mold and uprezzed . " " , Doug Drexler later confirmed . Apart from the additional slight hull detailing , reminiscent of the " Phase II " model , but more subdued than on its " K ' t ' inga " - class model successor , this model also sported internal lighting , strobe lights , and lights on the crown of the bridge . Although the producers originally did not want to have the model built , because of budget concerns , effects supervisor for the episode Gary Hutzel pushed the construction through , after he discussed the matter with Jein : " " We talked for about fifteen seconds , and then Greg said " Oh , I ' ll build a shell . You paint it and detail it and we ' ll put it in the show . " " " , adding " " ( We ) took a little liberty . The original model had no lights on it at all , and it was pretty smooth , with no detail . We added neon for inside , strobe lights and some some lights on the crown of the bridge . " " ( " " , pp . 45 - 46 ) Jein ' s passion for the project however , resulted in a full - blown studio model , produced at a bargain . Jein himself reiterated , " " And I said , " You know , in that episode they had not the budget to show the Klingon ship " , because a Klingon ship did not show up until the third season , this was a second season show , and we said how about we build a Klingon ship , and he " [ Hutzel ] " said , " No , we cannot definitely afford that , we ' re in trouble as it is ! " So I said , " Tell you what , If the day comes when you need to shoot it , give us a call , and if you shoot it , fine , it ' s yours . " So , we actually built the Klingon ship , which was Gary ' s heartset , so " the hell with it , we ' re gonna use it ! " , so he stuck it in the film . " " ( " Sense of Scale " , disc 2 ) The build was not entirely without its setbacks , as Gary Kerr , a friend of Jein who was visiting his shop at the time , observed , " " ( . . . ) Greg ' s assistant was trying to finish the lighting on the model of the " Klingon cruiser " – which unfortunately kept burning out . " " ( " Sci - fi & fantasy modeller " , p . 40 ) Neither officially commissioned by the studio , nor intended for further use , Jein ' s IKS " Gr ' oth " was a one - time use only model and slated to be discarded , but was saved from the dumpster by Hutzel , who took the model into his care . The molds Jein owned were put to good use besides the IKS " Gr ' oth " ; Apart from this ship he cast from the molds a commercial limited production run of twelve , without internal lighting , that was sold in 1997 , accompanied with a certificate of authenticity signed by Greg Jein at the in Chicago . In addition to these , two " K ' t ' inga " - class vessels were constructed from the molds : the unnamed " K ' t ' inga " - class in and the in . Display model . As the D7 - class was only featured in the " Original Series " era , being replaced by its " K ' t ' inga " - class descendant , very few other physical representations of the class were utilized on the other spin - off franchise productions . Still , a commercial consumer product showed up to physically represent the class as a display model in Worf ' s quarters in second season episode , . It was only after the episode was remastered in 2012 , that it could be discerned that it concerned a 1989 pre - sale evaluation , or approval nine inch pewter model , formally released the same year , from Franklin Mint ' s Pewter " Star Trek " Starships - line . The otherwise unmodified pewter model was later again utilized as a nearly undiscernable display model in drafting room 5 in Mars Station at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards in . The CGI model . Yet another model of the " Gr ' oth " , this time a CGI version , was used in the 2006 remastered " Original Series " at CBS Digital , where digital animators worked with the model under the supervision of Niel Wray and David Rossi , for representation of the craft in its respective episodes . The model was built by Finnish fan and digital modeler Petri Blomqvist , and was bought from him by CBS Television Studios for use in the series . Blomqvist ' s work was brought to the attention of Wray and Visual Effects Supervisor Michael Okuda by Technical Consultant Gary Kerr , the same Kerr who had visited Greg Jein ' s model shop a few years earlier . The quality of his work was a compelling reason for the acquisition , as it saved valuable production time . Nevertheless , the digital animators still had their work cut out for them as Blomqvist ' s model was constructed in the software , whereas they used the CGI software at the time , and had to translate the digital model from one format into the other , which inevitably led to some information loss . Additionally , they had to cut down on the resolution level of Blomqvist ' s highly detailed high - resolution model , in order to speed up computer rendering time . It , and the other models CBS bought from him for the project , has earned Blomqvist an official " Technical Consultant " credit . ( " Sci - fi & fantasy modeller " , Vol . 26 , p . 49 - 50 ) In regards to this CGI model , when making its appearances , Okuda noted that " " the Klingon ship was basically in two forms . In early episodes , when it was very small on the screen , it was the original version of the ship , which had essentially no surface detail . In , , and , the ship was reworked somewhat to add surface texture . And , of course , in " The Enterprise Incident " we added the Romulan bird markings . " " It should be noted that , in the original run of the series , the design made an actual appearance in these third season episodes of the series only , simply because the physical studio model did not yet exist before that . Yet , for the remastered version of the series , use was made of the opportunity to incorporate the CGI model in those episodes of previous seasons , where the design was implied to be present , and which included the first season episode , and the second season episodes , , , and . Another CGI model was previously - constructed by Doug Drexler for use in James Cawley ' s 2004 fan series " Star Trek : New Voyages " ( later rechristened to " Star Trek : Phase II " ) , in which it made several appearances , debuting in the 2006 episode " To Serve All My Days " , but , echoing what happened to its illustrious physical counterpart of the past , first used for the 2005 vignette " No - Win Scenario " , that was only first aired in 2011 . Nevertheless , that model also showed up in licensed print publications , most notably the " " calendars and their book derivative , in particular showing scenes stemming from " To Serve All My Days " . Noteworthy , however , is that Drexler chose to have his CGI model mirror the original second " master tooling " model , i . e . the single strip on the warp engines , despite the fact that he had Greg Jein ' s " Phase II " studio model in his possession for reference .