Set coordinates on The Henry Ford and beam down to see “Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds” exhibit, until September 2, 2019

On the surface, neither introduction nor explanation seems necessary. An incredible collection of screen-used Star Trek properties will be on display at The Henry Ford in Dearborn Michigan from May 11 through September 2, 2019. [1-3]

What more needs to be said?

A great deal, as it turns out. Prior to opening to all museum visitors as part of general admission, members get their own exclusive preview of “Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds” today. And before that, Saline Journal was shown through a one-on-one tour yesterday led by Innovation Experiences General Manager Cynthia Jones. [4]

Setting the stage, Exploring New Worlds is housed behind doors of The Gallery by General Motors — specifically designed to accommodate shorter term traveling displays such as this. Apropos to past visions of fantastic futures yet to come, the R Buckminster Fuller “Dymaxion House” dominates the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation main floor just outside Star Trek. [5-7]

Inside are the essentials needed to satisfy the die hard aficionado, be that someone dedicated to any particular television series, movie franchises, or “universe.” More than a hundred original artifacts form its core. A phaser rifle from Star Trek: First Contact. The bridge command chair occupied by Captain Janeway. The filming model of station Deep Space Nine. [8-33]

Tricorder and medical scanner props produced in the 1960s for Dr McCoy. [34]

“This is The Henry Ford,” Ms Jones summarized. “You have to have original pieces at the heart of an exhibit here.

Our first consideration in going forward with any themed exhibition is that it provides content that speaks to the excitement of the people who know it best. If you have no other interest in the museum, when you come here to see these displays it has to be fun for you.

Part of that is the detailed thought behind design of the immersive environment itself. Here it is decidedly Star Trek: The Original Series, with lighting palette reflecting the emphasis that networks of that time had put on showing off their capabilities to a growing number of consumers who’d bought color TVs for their homes. Home network NBC aggressively promoted its “living color” programming. (A more extensive history of television is also available at The Henry Ford outside of Exploring New Worlds.) [35-38]

Appropriately integrated other-worldly rock formations against stark angular display framings are reminiscent of what audiences saw in the 1966 episode, “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” [39]

“The strong tie here is definitely 1960s’ Star Trek,” exhibit manager Kate Morland told Saline Journal. “Those episodes formed the roots.”

And yet, because “This is The Henry Ford,” as Cynthia Jones said, there is much more to the purpose and opportunities in this space than may at first meet the eye. Not in the slightest heavy-handed from what we experienced. Rather, the stuff of fodder for thoughtful conversation and even debate long after visitors depart. More than enough reason to see it more than once.

Just inside doors to The Gallary by General Motors, a large atrium succinctly lays out the historical context that spawned Star Trek. Here, as with so many elements elsewhere further in, it provides universal accessibility and appeal — to the deeply committed fan as well as the never likely to watch another bit of programming outside of these walls.

• “The Space Race” [40,41]
• Race relations [42]
• The Vietnam conflict [43]
• A few of the people who made Star Trek possible and in the process changed the way television would be viewed thereafter [44,45]

Clearly steeped in this subject matter herself, Ms Jones pointed to an iconic example of how petty differences based on nothing more than skin color were held up to scrutiny. And, of course, “the first interracial kiss,” between actors William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols. This critical issue and pivotal period for America is available for even greater examination through permanent displays at The Henry Ford. [46-54]

The message, as Saline Journal has written elsewhere, is one of not just validating the idea of being who you are, but actively celebrating it. [55,56]

Another important design consideration has been to make content accessible to audiences of all ages. To accomplish this, dedicated areas have been set aside to let visitors crawl through a Jeffrey’s Tube or see themselves “beamed” to some far away destination via mock transporter. Another interactive set of panels encourages them to try their hand at “writing” a Star Trek television episode. [57-60]

Originally developed by the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle Washington, Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds counts the six-foot Enterprise-D filming model among it signature artifacts. [61-65]

The Henry Ford Museum is located approximately 34 miles east of Saline.

References

1. Star Trek (home page).
2. “An Oral History of ‘Star Trek’” Edward Gross and Mark A Altman (May 2016) Smithsonian Magazine.
3. The Henry Ford (home page).
4. “Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds” The Henry Ford.
5. “Membership” The Henry Ford.
6. “General Motors Contributes $5 Million to The Henry Ford” Maria Raynal (October 17, 2017) GM Corporate Newsroom.
7. “Dymaxion House” The Henry Ford.
8. “A look back at all the ‘Star Trek’ movies and shows so far, as the franchise boldly looks to the future” Michael Ordoña (May 9, 2019) Los Angeles Times.
9. “Star Trek” IMDb.
10. “Star Trek: The Animated Series” IMDb.
11. “Star Trek: The Next Generation” IMDb.
12. “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” IMDb.
13. “Star Trek: Voyager” IMDb.
14. “Star Trek: Enterprise” IMDb.
15. “Star Trek: Discovery” IMDb.
16. “Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)” IMDb.
17. “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)” IMDb.
18. “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)” IMDb.
19. “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)” IMDb.
20. “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)” IMDb.
21. “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)” IMDb.
22. “Star Trek: Generations (1994)” IMDb.
23. “Star Trek: First Contact (1996)” IMDb.
24. “Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)” IMDb.
25. “Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)” IMDb.
26. “Star Trek (2009)” IMDb.
27. “Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)” IMDb.
28. “Star Trek Beyond (2019)” IMDb.
29. “A Beginner’s Guide to the Star Trek Universe” Angelica Jade Bastién (September 25, 2017) Vulture.
30. “A Beginner’s Guide to the Star Trek Universe” Ali Mattu PhD (May 8, 2013) Brain Knows Better.
31. “‘Star Trek: First Contact’ Screen-Used Phaser Rifle” 2005 October Music/Entertainment Memorabilia Auction #616: Lot #20500 (2005) Heritage Auctions.
32. “Janeway, Kathryn” Star Trek.
33. “Deep Space 9: Specs” Daystrom Institute Technical Library.
34. “The $10 Million Race to Invent Star Trek’s Tricorder” Smithsonian Channel (September 1, 2016) YouTube.
35. “Television in the US: History and Production” Northern State University.
36. “Brought to You in Living Color” (September 28, 2014) NBC Universal.
37. “The History of the Peacock” Heather Taylor (June 20, 2017) Advertising Week.
38. “Heroes of Radio and Television at The Henry Ford” The Henry Ford.
39. “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” IMDb.
40. “The Space Race” KnowledgeHub (June 20, 2017) YouTube.
41. “Have you ever stopped to think about how ‘tomorrow’ is going to get here, what it will look like, who’s driving it?” Dell Deaton (January 7, 2019) Saline Journal.
42. “Race Relations during the 1960s and 1970s” Scholastic.
43. “Battlefield Vietnam: A Brief History” Robert K Brigham, PBS.
44. “Desi Arnaz & Lucille Ball” Entrepreneur.
45. “Roddenberry, Gene” Star Trek.
46. “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” IMDb.
47. “Star Trek_Racism” gregorija1 (July 10, 2008) YouTube.
48. “Plato’s Stepchidren” IMDb.
49. “Fifty Years Ago, ‘Star Trek’ Aired TV’s First Interracial Kiss” Matthew Delmont (September 5, 2018) Smithsonian.
50. “Historic Kiss – The True Story: Star Trek” Discovery UK (January 29, 2013) YouTube.
51. “Nichelle Nichols on the impact of the first interracial kiss- EmmyTVLegends.org” FoundationInterviews (December 22, 2010) YouTube.
52. “Rosa Parks Bus” The Henry Ford.
53. “Innovation Nation with Mo Rocca: Episode 100 – 100th Episode featuring the Rosa Parks bus” (April 28, 2018) The Henry Ford.
54. “The Rosa Parks Bus | The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation” TheHenryFord (December 10, 2014) YouTube.
55. “Almost thirty years ago, Shrek was sent forth from the swamp, on a journey that will now bring him to our high school stage” Dell Deaton (February 7, 2019) Saline Journal.
56. “There is much more to Saline Community Education ‘Junior Theater’ than its stage performances this weekend” Dell Deaton (March 11, 2019) Saline Journal.
57. “Jefferies tube” Star Trek.
58. “Star Trek: Instantaneous Matter Transport” John P Millis PhD (July 17, 2018) Thought Co.
59. “Star Trek: Dyson Sphere Discovery & Scotty Recovery” Skalathrax (July 21, 2013) YouTube.
60. “Star Trek IV The Voyage Home – Gillian Beams Aboard” These Are the Voyages (September 6, 2016) YouTube.
61. Museum of Pop Culture (home page).
62. “Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds” Museum of Pop Culture.
63. “Enterprise-D, USS” Star Trek.
64. “25 Things About Star Trek’s Enterprise-D You Probably Didn’t Know [List]” Maurice Mitchell (April 15, 2014) The Geek Twins.
65. “All 11 Versions of the USS Enterprise, Ranked” James Whitbrook (February 21, 2018) io9.