Star Trek Smithsonian Exhibit The Star Trek Smithsonian Exhibit was a Smithsonian Institution museum display opened at the , Washington DC , running for a year from February 1992 through January 1993 in that institution . Actually , the exhibition – formally known as Star Trek : The Exhibit , or as simply Star Trek only , as indicated by the signage in the museum – was officially intended to be only a part of the larger , overall " " Star Trek " and the Sixties " - exhibit , as it was organized in conjunction with other displays , aimed at highlighting the interaction of with other cultural phenomena of that era ; yet these were utterly overshadowed by the " Star Trek " component . ( " Star Trek and History " , Chapter 6 ) Discounting the " unofficial " science - fiction / " Star Trek " convention circuit , the specialized exhibit was as such the very first official – as in organized by professional parties – one of its kind , where " Star Trek " was concerned . Shortly after the opening , the exhibit expanded in conjunction with the recent release of , and production assets , most notably several studio model s , from that production were added to the exhibit . Visitors to the exhibit had the chance to view the film on an omnimax film screen . Having been the first large specialized " Star Trek " exhibit , garnering ample contemporary media coverage at the time , the exhibition turned out to be a runaway success . Smithsonian ' s former " " Star Trek " and the Sixties " - exhibit Advisory Curator has recalled in this respect , " " When " " Star Trek " and the Sixties " opened , it turned out to be the most popular exhibition in the history of the Air and Space Museum , which had to issue tickets to control the huge influx of people " [ note : admittance to the Smithsonian museums is usually free , both in movement as well as in fees ] " . After more than a million people attended in Washington , the exhibition traveled to the in New York City ' s American Museum of Natural History to be seen by another huge audience . " " ( " Star Trek and History " , Chapter 6 ) The extended exhibition at the Hayden Planetarium opened in July 1993 , running until 6 March 1994 . At the planetarium , the exhibit was combined with the " " Star Trek " sky show " , actually the " " planetarium show as produced by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in 1992 . While supported by it , it should be noted that this exhibit was neither produced nor organized by the official franchise , but a purely Smithsonian initiative . It was only after the resounding success of the exhibit that the franchise took over firm control over exhibitions , starting with the 1993 " Star Trek Earth Tour " . It was not the first time the Smithsonian Institution recognized the cultural significance of Gene Roddenberry ' s creation ; in a rare move – considering the highly contemporary nature of a television series of such recent date – , the Institution invited Roddenberry already in 1967 to submit the original pilots , and ( the rare , original production variant , never seen again , aside from convention bootleg showings , after its submission to NBC at the tail - end of 1965 , until the 2009 TOS Season 3 Blu - ray release ) , and assorted production material , such as still photography , scripts and story outlines , for save - keeping for posterity . This the consummate ( self ) promoter Roddenberry did in a formal presentation at the Institution , after the " Original Series " first season had finished production , with the print materials showing up at the display twenty - five years later . ( " Smithsonian Seeks TV Pilot " , " Los Angeles Times " , 13 June 1967 , p . C19 ) Exhibition components . While the exhibition was not particularly organized as such , a rough compartmentalization of its constituent parts could be made . Set pieces , props and documentation . As part of the display , set pieces and props from " The Original Series " were showcased , such as the original helm from the and a tribble . Original studio documentation involving the production of the " Original Series " , including the original script for , was also part of the exhibit . Costumes . A special gallery was reserved to display for the first and only time , the " Original Series " garments as designed by William Ware Theiss , including Captain James T . Kirk ' s Starfleet uniform , with the gown worn by Leslie Parrish in being the eye - catcher . Theiss ' garments were sold off as his estate in the " The William Ware Theiss Estate Auction " pursuant the Smithsonian exhibit venue , and therefore halfway through pulled from the above - mentioned extension in New York City . Studio models . Especially noteworthy was the inclusion in the exhibit of the restored , actual studio model of the original starship " Enterprise " , the refit version from ( on loan from Paramount Pictures ) , the original model for the from as well as the newly restored Class F shuttlecraft model from , the latter two on loan from then owner Gregory Jein . These models were not easily accessible to the public as they were suspended from the ceiling . Featured in display cases were the original , newly restored D7 class model , the " K ' t ' inga " - class model ( also on loan from Paramount Pictures ) , and the original , restored " Aurora " model from . Originally one of the two original Tholian webspinner model from , the model was , like the original " Enterprise " and D7 models , gifted to the museum in 1973 . For the occasion , the museum had the restoration contractor for their possessions , Ed Miarecki , cast an additional copy of the model to represent the original Tholian webspinner as well , as was confirmed by Gary Kerr . ( " source " ) The actual second model was in effect still in existence , as it turned out to be retained by former " Original Series " set designer John Jefferies , who sold his possession at auction , nine years later . The exhibit marked only the second occasion ( after the " unofficial " " 1988 Los Angeles Equicon Science Fiction Convention " ) that a multitude of production - used " Star Trek " studio models , aside from the original " Enterprise " , were displayed to a general audience . For the museum ' s Tholian and D7 models , it has as of 2015 also remained the only time . Screenings . Aside from the already mentioned screening of " The Undiscovered Country " , the exhibit also ran several " Star Trek " documentaries made specifically for the exhibit . These documentaries included numerous interviews with " Original Series " cast members including more rare discussions with such guest cast members as Gary Lockwood and William Campbell .