In the summer of 1977, Gene Roddenberry was busy making plans for a new TV show that would be the first Star Trek spin-off. Star Trek Phase II would update the look and feel of the original series so it would fit the 1970s. Of course, that included the look of the Enterprise, as well.
It's an intriguing idea: There was almost a Star Trek show in 1978 that would have featured a redesigned USS Enterprise. The knowledge of Phase II stayed hidden from fans for decades. But internet websites have brought this lost series to light in recent years.
Now, when you search "Star Trek Phase II" on the internet, there’s a huge amount of content. You can find a multitude of articles, videos and images. There's even a pretty well-known fan film group that chose the name, "Star Trek Phase II" when they told the continuing adventures of the Starship Enterprise.
On top of all of that, there’s been even more content in the last few months with the recent release of a starship model of the Phase II Enterprise by the company Eaglemoss, as part of their Star Trek Starships Collection.
The release of that model is interesting timing, since that’s the subject of this week's episode.
