We moved into Ticonderoga, New York and were enthusiastic for our first event of the day – The Star Trek Original Series Set Tour. It was Star Date 1312.4 or October 14, 2025.

The following excerpts are from their website:  
When the STAR TREK television series was canceled in 1969, the original sets were dismantled and largely destroyed. 

Trek superfan James Cawley began the process of rebuilding the sets just as they would have been seen 50 years ago when the series was being filmed!

Our sets are complete recreations built using the original blueprints, hundreds of hours of serious research and thousands of photographs.

The Star Trek: Original Series Set Tour Invites you to come see the Desilu Studio as it looked during the years between 1966-1969.

We believe we have seen every episode of the original Star Trek series at least once and likely several times so we were quite enthusiastic.

We walked into the recreated Desilu studio.

Our first lesson was how the doors worked that slid open simultaneously as a member of the crew approached.  Workers pulled them apart as needed using a pulley system.  Sound effects were added in post -production.    Something as simple as doors opening as we approach them is routine now, but not in the 1960s!

Our first set was the Transporter room!  We learned how glitter water, Alka Seltzer, and masking techniques were used to create the body shaped illusion that someone was being transported. 

We also got to pretend we were operating the transporter – but no touching the sets.

We had five on our tour – a delightful number.  The couple dressed in uniforms did not really consider themselves Trekkies – they were just opting for more fun for the day.   Their favorite Star Trek version was The Next Generation.  Ours is the original series and then Voyager.  

This gadget, used to transport a canister in an episode, is one of a few authentic set items that the museum owns.  

We went into the Medical Bay and learned that the diagnostic screens were painted black with lights shining through cut-outs behind it. 

A person behind the screen moved the arrows up and down.

The ancient medical tools were displayed in Dr. McCoy’s office.  They were standard items in the 1960s.

Dr. McCoy used these instruments to help his patients.  In reality they were salt and pepper shakers from Finland or Denmark.  

This multi purpose conference room appeared in many episodes.  

There were a variety of items displayed including Spock’s 3D chess game.  It was made with a regular game board, a cake stand base and a shoe display from a department store. 

This device was a modified slate board like some of us played with as children.

Our next room was Captain Kirk’s quarters.   Our tour guide is in the picture. 

The gold box on the shelf in Kirk’s quarters is the second original item that actually appeared on the show.  

William Shatner, and a few other surviving cast members, take part in events at the museum fairly regularly.

At some point William Shatner took it off set and gave it to one of his fan club presidents.  Years later, the box ended up on eBay and the museum developer/owner bought it.

Adjacent were his sleeping quarters.  Notice the food replicator.

These medals and insignias were also original to the series.

We were on the Enterprise bridge!

To seek out strange new worlds where no one has gone before!!

With a new captain!

And her science officer!

Randy in the perfect Kirk pose!

Scotty was down there somewhere keeping the Enterprise moving.

One of the things we learned was that there really wasn’t any order to the star dates at the beginning of the series.  The numbers were random – just like the one I used in the title – until the second year.

I hope it looks like we had a great time at the Star Trek Original Series Set Museum because we did!   It was a fun, fun morning. We are now inspired to watch The Next Generation!

In Ticonderoga we learned that a New Jersey company manufactures Ticonderoga pencils.  The wood used isn’t even from the area, someone just liked the name.

Next Up:  Fort Ticonderoga.