Galileo (Star Trek)

''Galileo'' is a fictional spacecraft that appeared in the 1960s American science-fiction television series '' Star Trek''. It was a shuttlecraft assigned to the USS ''Enterprise'', and was the first of its type to be seen on screen in the franchise, appearing in the episode " The Galileo Seven". It appeared an additional four times in the series before being replaced by the ''Galileo II'', a repaint of the full-size exterior model.

Requests for building the props required to allow a shuttle to appear in episodes were initially turned down by Desilu Productions due to the cost. When Aluminum Model Toys became interested in building model kits of the ''Enterprise'', a deal was struck in which they built the props in exchange for the licence. In addition to a miniature, two full-size props were built. After the end of the series, the full-scale exterior model was donated to a school for the blind. It then passed through a series of owners before being sold at auction in 2012. It was then restored and donated to the Johnson Space Center.

Concept and design

Leonard Nimoy as Spock, standing in front of the ''Galileo''
A shuttle had been suggested initially during the production of " The Enemy Within", but was ultimately rejected due to the cost. It was raised again in Oliver Crawford's pitch for " The Galileo Seven". Series creator Gene Roddenberry attempted to persuade executives at Desilu Productions that the prop was needed for both this episode and his plan for " The Menagerie", but they rejected this again because of the budget. This delayed production on "The Galileo Seven" for more than two months.

In July 1966, previews began to air for '' Star Trek'', which were seen by executives at Aluminum Model Toys (AMT). They sought the contract to produce model kits based on the starships seen in the series. A contract was signed between AMT and Desilu on August 1 of that year, stipulating that kits based on the ''Enterprise'' could be made in exchange for AMT providing a full-scale exterior of a shuttle and an interior set. The prop measures long, and tall.

The Shuttle was built by Gene Winfield, a speciality car designer, from blueprints created by Thomas Kellogg, who worked on the Studebaker Avanti.

Two versions were built. The first was intended for exterior filming, while the second version opened up to reveal interior sets and allow a variety of camera angles. These were constructed during August 1966 in Phoenix, Arizona, at a cost of $24,000, which was around double the original estimate, although it was still fully funded by AMT. AMT also built the filming miniature which was sent by the studio to original Enterprise builder Richard Datin when he was building the corresponding shuttlebay for the sum of $2,100, which was charged to the episode budget. The familiar decals were applied by Datin; prior to that the shuttle was marked with a simple "173 " number. For the ''Galileo II'', the exterior full-size model was repainted to represent the new shuttle.

After the end of the series, Paramount donated the ''Galileo'' prop to a school for the blind. It subsequently passed through the hands of several owners, before being stored in Ohio for some twenty years and falling into disrepair. It was auctioned on June 28, 2012, with the price holding at around $20,000 until the final 90 seconds, when three bidders jumped in. The prop sold for $70,150 to Adam Schneider. Schneider released a statement on TrekBBS, commenting that he was "very, very happy to have the opportunity to acquire and renovate ''Galileo''" and planned to "restore her and put her on display for the fans."

Later ''Galileo''s

The ''Galileo II'' was created for the episode " The Way to Eden" to replace the original ''Galileo'', which had been destroyed in "The Galileo Seven". This was despite the ''Galileo'' appearing in further episodes following the apparent destruction, which was attributed to an oversight by the producers. According to the non-canon in-universe reference work ''Star Trek: Ships of the Line'', the ''Galileo II'' was the final remaining ''class F'' shuttle in service and was put on display at the National Air and Space Museum.

A new shuttle named ''Galileo 5'' was created for '' Star Trek V: The Final Frontier''. It was designed by Nilo Rodis and Andy Neskoromny, with the miniature constructed by Greg Jein. Two full-size props were also built, with one of them later being used in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. The miniature was sold in 2014 by the Profiles in History auction house in Calabasas, California