Adam Schneider

Adam Louis Schneider is a noted American Star Trek memorabilia collector, of the actual production-used physical studio models in particular. Growing up in the 1960s, he became a first-generation fan of .
A graduate from both Columbia University, in New York City, as well as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Schneider has never worked for the motion picture industry, but was in daily life employed at Oliver Wyman, New York City, as a management consultant.
==Star Trek collector==
Though a science fiction fan ever since, Schneider never actively acted upon it until 2006, when the Christie's 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection auction came up in his own stomping grounds, New York City. "One day I read about an upcoming sale at Christie's auction house in New York," he has stated, "They were putting up a thousand lots of Star Trek items so I went to take a look." As he walked into the showroom, the first thing he saw was the eight-foot model of the Starship Enterprise – the one used in the , prompting his first thought, "Oh my gosh, that's the actual thing," having additionally stated, "I was going to have one of those, even if it killed me…" (FanAddicts!)
He subsequently made more than good on his vow, acquiring over two dozen of them in this – though not the eight-foot Enterprise, which was acquired by Jeff Bezos – and the subsequent 2006-2008 It's A Wrap! sale and auctions and beyond, a bit to the dismay of his wife Leslie, who sighed, "I'm definitely a Star Trek enabler!" In the process, he became the "the guy who collects the models." (FanAddicts!) Schneider continued to expand upon his collection afterwards, by acquiring additional assets in later auctions and off-the-books private deals, including models he had not managed to secure initially in the original 2006 auction, such as the Sovereign-class model, the original D'deridex-class model, as well as the original Ambassador-class model.
Schneider used to communicate about his collection with the fanbase through , but decided to take it offline shortly after June 2010. However, he did not cut ties entirely, as he occasionally continued to communicate with fellow fans through the "TrekBBS" web-blog under his online alias of "Search4", appropriately with a picture of the restorated Galileo shuttle craft as his avatar (see: below). 
Schneider attended in person the very high profile "Greg Jein Collection Hollywood Platinum Signature® Auction #7278" held by Heritage Auctions in October 2023, which featured a slew of screen-used Star Trek studio models the late legendary model maker had either build himself for the or had collected as a fan (including several from The Original Series and ), though it is not known which, if any, of the studio models he acquired on that occasion. 
==Star Trek exhibition staffer==
Yet, Schneider's national Star Trek renown however, came to him when he acquired the Original Series full-scale Galileo shuttle craft mock-up at as for US$61,000 ($70,150 including buyer's premium) on . Together with another noted collector, Alec Peters of Propworx, a non-profit foundation, The Galileo Restoration, was initiated, whose intent it was to have had the craft fully restored in time for the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek, the cost of which being estimated in excess of US$100,000. Another noted Star Trek collector, Don Hillenbrand, helped Schneider acquire the Galileo by supplying him with exclusive photos and a first-hand account of the item's overall condition. Schneider has never publicly acknowledged this assistance – though he had called it "priceless" at the time. Several activities were organized to raise awareness and funding (though both Schneider and Peters eventually decided to front the funding themselves, in order not to slow down the restoration ), receiving backing from former Star Trek staffers like Doug Drexler, Mike Okuda, and Daren Dochterman, and including the inception of an official website, "GalileoRestoration.com", a dedicated , the publication of several progress videos on YouTube (including the professionally made 2013 documentary Galileo Restoration Project, produced and directed by Schneider himself), and attendances as the "Galileo Restoration Panel" at conventions, like the "Las Vegas Star Trek Convention" of 10 August 2012, the latter to which original builder Gene Winfield was more than happy to lend his presence and support to. Restoration of the mock-up did not encounter as nearly as much of the problems and setbacks, previous restoration attempts had. A team of craftsmen at Master Shipwrights, Inc., in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, headed by supervisor Hans Mikatis, completed the project in June 2013, unveiling the final result on the 22nd to initiators and fans. As stated, all efforts were funded by Schneider himself. Acutely aware that he personally did not have any space to store the shuttlecraft himself, the intent had always been to have it safeguarded for posterity at a public domain, which was eventually found when the restored shuttlecraft was donated to NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, where it was unveiled in a highly publicized ceremony on 31 July 2013.
It was both for his collection of Star Trek memorabilia, as well as his Galileo restoration efforts, that Schneider became prominently featured in the September 2013 "Star Trek" episode of the documentary series FanAddicts!. An outtake of the episode was posted on the FanAddicts! official website in which Schneider appeared alongside model and prop maker Ed Miarecki, formerly of Science Fiction Modelmaking Associates and Industrial Light & Magic. Miarecki has helped Schneider out with restoring several of his auction winnings. A section of the episode in which Schneider and Miarecki discuss the Deep Space 9 station studio model was also cut from the episode as aired, but was likewise posted as a vidcast on the official website. Featured as well in this section of the episode was s The Doctor performer, Robert Picardo, who was among the Star Trek alumni who attended the unveiling of the Galileo mock-up at the Space Center.
Basking in the afterglow of his renowned Galileo project, Schneider was in November 2014 invited to become a part as consultant of a team of experts – which included a host of former Star Trek alumni – to oversee a new restoration of the original eleven-foot Enterprise studio model, residing at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, for its 50th anniversary. Having accepted the prestigious assignment, Schneider was flown in in May 2015 for the team's first work meeting on 13 May. His assignment had some ironic aspects though, as the museum had assembled the team for the express purpose to avoid the controversy that had followed the previous 1991-1992 restoration of the model by Ed Miarecki, whereas he had been contracted by Schneider himself for the restoration of several of his own holdings. (FanAddicts!; Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection, issue 156, p. 13) Afterwards, Schneider became featured in the Smithsonian's 2016 documentary Building Star Trek.
==Star Trek publication editor==
Additionally, Schneider had occasionally provided services to Ben Robinson, project manager of the British Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection partwork publication, by providing him with newly taken photographs of his holdings for publication in the Collection and its reference book derivatives, becoming one of the very few people, actually receiving a printed photo credit, among others in issue SP1 (p. 13) and issue 156 (p. 13). Save for the editor(s)-in-chief, British partwork publications typically do not list editorial staff credits.
==External links==
* – Schneider's archived official Star Trek studio model site
* – Photo albums of Schneider's memorabilia holdings
* – archived official restoration foundation site
Category:Exhibit and attraction staff
Category:Special features staff
Category:Star Trek publication editors