The long-lost, original USS Enterprise from Star Trek has resurfaced just in time to celebrate the beloved science-fiction series’ 60th anniversary. While the 33-inch-long model will soon be on public display, its whereabouts remained a mystery for 45 years—until sharp-eyed Star Trek aficionados flagged an intriguing eBay auction listing in 2023. “Fans found the model, which is actually kind of perfect,” Rod Roddenberry, son of the show creator Gene Roddenberry, recently told Inverse. “…[They] immediately started looking at the details and saying, ‘Wait a minute, this could be the one.’” Restoration efforts stopped short of making the model appear new in order to highlight its history. Credit: Heritage Auctions Heritage Auctions The first USS Enterprise was originally constructed in 1964 by renowned modelmaker Richard C. Datlin using wood and plexiglass. The spaceship’s design was crafted by artist Matt Jefferies in collaboration with Gene Roddenberry based on a combination of Golden Age sci-fi art and theoretical aerospace engineering concepts. The model wasn’t simply a proof of concept, however. Although an 11-foot studio version often displayed at …