Home  Info  Starships  Fleet Yards  Treknology  Episodes  Database  Fandom  Community	New York Streets Set   FAQ   Site Map

Re-Used Planet Sets
by Jörg Hillebrand and Bernd Schneider

Matte Paintings & Models - Real Locations

Many sets used in Star Trek were later modified or even recycled without changes to represent a different environment. Here are quite a few examples. Please note that every statement made here is based on observation, we can only speculate why and how exactly modifications were done. Finally, everything should be taken with a grain of salt. Certainly we are not supposed to watch closely enough to see that two planets are the same.

Matte Paintings & Models

Rigel VII One of the most famous re-uses is the matte painting seen as Rigel VII in "The Cage" which, without any modifications, is shown as Holberg 917-G in TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah".

Rigel VII ("The Cage") (screen capture by Jörg)

Holberg 917-G (TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah") (screen capture by Jörg)

TOS-R Essentially nothing was modified about Rigel VII in TOS-R: "The Menagerie, Part II". Except for an overall contrast enhancement only some colors were changed, although the shapes of some rocks and bushes in the foreground look different as well.

Rigel VII (TOS-R: "The Menagerie, Part II")
(screen capture by Trekmovie.com)

Mojave In one of the illusions created by the Talosians in "The Cage" Christopher Pike finds himself in a landscape he describes as Mojave on Earth. We can see the skyline of a city as a backdrop. This same painting appears again outside a window in TOS: "The Conscience of the King", here on the Planet Q.

Mojave ("The Cage") (screen capture by Jörg)

Planet Q (TOS: "The Conscience of the King") (screen capture by Jörg)

The matte painting is also visible in the end credits of TOS: "What are Little Girls Made of?", this time not through a window. It may easily be Planet Q as well.

Planet Q (TOS: "What are Little Girls Made of?")
(screen capture by Jörg)

TOS-R In TOS-R: "The Menagerie, Part II" we can see a revised cityscape of Mojave. Especially the previously abrupt transition from the set border to the matte painting in the background was smoothed, effectively adding depth to the scene. The surface of Planet Q was not modified for TOS-R: "The Conscience of the King".

Mojave (TOS-R: "The Menagerie, Part II")
(screen capture by Trekmovie.com)

Delta Vega Here is another classic from TOS. The matte painting produced for the Delta Vega Facility in the second pilot, TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before", was later on modified to represent the Tantalus Colony in TOS: "Dagger of the Mind". The towering refinery tanks in the background were removed, and the entrance door to the administration building was changed.

Delta Vega (TOS: "Where No Man...") (screen capture by Jörg)

Tantalus Colony (TOS: "Dagger of the Mind") (screen capture by Jörg)

TOS-R For the remastered episodes the Delta Vega facility was graphically enhanced but kept largely the way it was, whereas an entirely new CGI planetscape was created for the Tantalus Colony. Note the stripes in the sky on the latter image, which correspond with the planet's rings as seen from space.

Delta Vega (TOS-R: "Where No Man...") (screen capture by Trekmovie.com)

Tantalus Colony (TOS-R: "Dagger of the Mind") (screen capture by Trekmovie.com)

Eminiar VII The impressive cityscape of Eminiar VII from TOS: "A Taste of Armageddon" was re-used for the third-season episode "Wink of an Eye", here acting as the Scalosian homeworld. It was only modified with a blue hue. The matte painting appeared in newly filmed takes with the crew at the beginning and with the Scalosians towards the end.

Eminiar VII (TOS: "A Taste of Armageddon") (screen capture by Jörg)

Scalos (TOS: "Wink of an Eye") (screen capture by Jörg)

TOS-R In TOS-R: "A Taste of Armageddon" Eminiar VII is represented by a new CGI that closely follows the lines of the old matte painting, but includes new features such as hovertrain lines. In order to accomplish the necessary distinction, a completely new scenery was created for TOS-R: "Wink of an Eye", now showing Scalos in more natural colors.

Eminiar VII (TOS-R: "A Taste of Armageddon") (screen capture by Jörg)

Scalos (TOS-R: "Wink of an Eye") (screen capture by Trekmovie.com)

Janus VI Large industrial facilities could be seen in the underground of Horta's planet in TOS: "Devil in the Dark". A portion of the matte painting was later inserted into the background of the Providers' hideout on Triskelion (TOS: "The Gamesters of Triskelion").

Janus VI (TOS: "Devil in the Dark") (screen capture by Jörg)

Triskelion (TOS: "The Gamesters of Triskelion") (screen capture by Jörg)

TOS-R For TOS-R the matte painting of the underground facility on Janus VI was replaced with a new CGI. The basic look and the arrangement of the structures remained largely the same. Nothing was changed about the underground on Triskelion, so in TOS-R it still looks essentially the same as the Federation facility on Janus VI.

Janus VI (TOS-R: "Devil in the Dark") (screen capture by Trekmovie.com)

Triskelion (TOS-R: "The Gamesters of Triskelion") (screen capture by Trekmovie.com)

Gagarin IV The matte painting was first seen in TNG: "Unnatural Selection". A couple of modifications were made when the picture was supposed to represent the Arkaria Base in TNG: "Starship Mine". The sky is somewhat different here but has the same cloud patterns. The building is identical. The only obvious alteration is that the shuttle in which Dr. Pulaski arrived on the planet was removed. The rest can be attributed to just a different hue on film.

Gagarin IV (TNG: "Unnatural Selection") (screen capture by Jörg)

Arkaria (TNG: "Starship Mine") (screen capture by Jörg)

The matte painting underwent some more extensive alterations for Ohniaka III in TNG: "Descent". A new building was added on the left side of the crevice, the mountains were altered, the main building got a second dome, some gaps in its structure were filled and an antenna was taken away.

Ohniaka III (TNG: "Descent")
(screen capture by Jörg)

Tau Cygna V The matte painting of the human colony on Tau Cygna V in TNG: "The Ensigns of Command" returned in DS9: "The Maquis", here as the Maquis colony on Volon II. No differences are visible on the actual painting. Even the aqueduct that used to play an important part in the TNG episode was retained. But while there were no celestial bodies on Tau Cygna V, a moon and later on a sunrise or sunset was inserted on Volon II. 

Tau Cygna V (TNG: "The Ensigns of Command") (screen capture by Jörg)

Volon II (DS9: "The Maquis") (screen capture by Jörg)

Turkana IV The scenery of the devastated planet Turkana IV (TNG: "Legacy") was modified to depict the planet T'Lani III in DS9: "Armageddon Game". The color of the sky was changed, a wall was inserted into the foreground, and finally a new smaller building was added in the center of the picture. This is the one where O'Brien and Bashir seek shelter.

Turkana IV (TNG: "Legacy") (screen capture by Jörg)

T'Lani III (DS9: "Armageddon Game") (screen capture by Jörg)

It is worth mentioning that T'Lani III with all of the above mentioned modifications to the original look could be seen very briefly in one of the visions of the linked Cooperative in VOY: "Unity".

Vision of T'Lani III (VOY: "Unity")
(screen capture by Jörg)

Moab IV Stock footage of the isolated Earth colony on Moab V (TNG: "The Masterpiece Society") was used for the surface of Torman V in TNG: "Chain of Command".

Moab IV (TNG: "The Masterpiece Society") (screen capture by Jörg)

Torman V (TNG: "Chain of Command") (screen capture by Jörg)

Carraya IV The Carraya prisoner camp set is composed of the model of a building complex that is inserted into a jungle landscape. The model can be seen from two different angles: a side view and an aerial view. The first one was filmed as a day version, a dusk/dawn version and a night version.

Carraya IV side view (TNG: "Birthright") (screen capture by Jörg)

Carraya IV aerial view (TNG: "Birthright") (screen capture by Jörg)

The side views were recycled for DS9: "The Storyteller" to act as a Bajoran village. The day and dusk/dawn takes were taken over without alterations. Only the sky is somewhat more reddish on the latter than on Carraya.

Bajoran village (DS9: "The Storyteller") (screen capture by Jörg)

Meridian (DS9: "Meridian") (screen capture by Jörg)

The aerial view of Carraya was modified more extensively and became the settlement on the planet Meridian. A large hall was added to the model, and this matches with the full-scale set of Meridian. Carraya, as a prison, was naturally surrounded by walls. In order to make Meridian look more pleasant, a small building was put outside the walls and the watch towers were modified too.

Ronara The matte painting of Ronara in TNG: "Preemptive Strike" shows the Maquis colony in the daytime and in the dusk or dawn. Both versions were re-used for Yadera II in DS9: "Shadowplay". The daylight picture was almost unnoticeably modified, the mountain range in the background is now different. The same change was made to the night version. In addition the sky was darkened and more lights in the windows were inserted.

Ronara (TNG: "Preemptive Strike") (screen capture by Jörg)

Yadera II (DS9: "Shadowplay") (screen capture by Jörg)

Ocampa A view of the Ocampa underground city reappears on a screen as Argala habitat on the Nyrian ship in VOY: "Displaced".

Ocampa (VOY: "Caretaker") (screen capture by Jörg)

Argala habitat (VOY: "Displaced") (screen capture by Jörg)

Risa The exotic landscape of Risa from DS9: "Let He Who Is Without Sin" reappeared one year later in VOY: "Random Thoughts" as a view of the Mari homeworld. It becomes obvious at the first glance that the central building with its characteristic chamfered tubes, the shore with the palm trees and the bridge on the left were taken from the Risa scenery. The building with the columns in the foreground on the right is the Delmar T. Oviatt Library of California State University, Northridge.

Risa (DS9: "Let He Who Is Without Sin") (screen capture by Jörg)

Mari homeworld (VOY: "Random Thoughts") (screen capture by Jörg)

The rest of the structures is not new either but was taken from various other episodes, including Ronara from TNG: "Preemptive Strike" (see above), the Chronowerx building from VOY: "Future's End, Part II" and Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco from DS9: "Homefront". The building with the round tower from the latter episode can be seen at a different angle on the Mari homeworld. It is obviously a model. Some of the smaller structures on the left may have been taken from Ligon II (TNG: "Code of Honor") or Kataan (TNG: "The Inner Light"). It seems that the Mari are not satisfied re-using various small items, they have a collection of entire buildings from the Alpha Quadrant on their planet!

Mari homeworld, annotated (VOY: "Random Thoughts")
(screen capture by Jörg)

Zahl colony The Zahl colony, one of Annorax' targets in VOY: "The Year of Hell", could be seen once again as the Qomar homeworld in VOY: "Virtuoso".

Zahl/Qomar planet (VOY: "The Year of Hell", "Virtuoso")
(screen capture by Jörg)

"Weird Planet" The planet from VOY: "Blink of an Eye" is out of sync with the rest of the universe, which gave the Art Department the unique opportunity to show how the same location on that planet evolved throughout the centuries. But even in this exceptionally beautiful sequence of shots there are at least two re-used elements: The building on the right in the modern cityscape of the planet originally appeared on the outpost in VOY: "Darkling". The dome with the triangular segments on the left is taken from Risa.

Ancient times (VOY: "Blink of an Eye") (screen capture by Jörg)	Medieval times (VOY: "Blink of an Eye") (screen capture by Jörg)
Industrial age (VOY: "Blink of an Eye") (screen capture by Jörg)	Spacefaring age (VOY: "Blink of an Eye") (screen capture by Jörg)
Mikhal Traveler outpost (VOY: "Darkling") (screen capture by Jörg)	Risa (DS9: "Let He Who Is Without Sin") (screen capture by Jörg)

Torothan homeworld A CGI model with characteristic cone-shaped buildings could be seen as the Torothan homeworld in ENT: "Desert Crossing". It reappeared without open fire and with new small windows, insinuating a larger size, as the Klingon Qu'Vat colony in ENT:  "Affliction".

Torothan homeworld (ENT: "Desert Crossing") (screen capture by Jörg)

Qu'Vat colony (ENT: "Affliction") (screen capture by Jörg)

Real Locations

"Roman" buildings In TOS: "Bread and Circuses" stock footage of Roman looking buildings was shown to represent the planet of 892-IV, among them the Great Dome of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, an art museum in San Francisco.

MIT Great Dome (TOS: "Bread and Circuses") (screen capture by Jörg)

California Palace (TOS: "Bread and Circuses") (screen capture by Jörg)

Toronto City Hall The then modernistic city hall of Toronto (opened in 1965) is one of the places showing up in the Iconian gate in TNG: "Contagion". It may be supposed to represent an alien planet here, rather than Earth which was no place of interest at the time of the Iconians (at least none that we know of).

Iconian gate (TNG: "Contagion")
(screen capture by Jörg)

Tillman Water Reclamation Plant One of the most prominent and most frequently used real locations of Star Trek is the building and the Japanese Garden of the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant in the San Fernando Valley. It was used for the first time to film the Edo Planet in TNG: "Justice".

Edo Planet (TNG: "Justice") (screen capture by Jörg)

Starfleet Academy (TNG: "The First Duty") (screen capture by Jörg)

With different upper stories the Tillman Plant appeared as two distinct buildings of Starfleet, namely of the Academy in TNG: "The First Duty" and as the supposed Headquarters in DS9: "Homefront". In DS9: "Paradise Lost" the building could be seen up close and without upper stories, so this must be yet another Starfleet building of the same style.

Starfleet Headquarters (DS9: "Homefront") (screen capture by Jörg)

Starfleet Headquarters (DS9: "Paradise Lost") (screen capture by Jörg)

Finally the Tillman Plant was used for the devastated nameless planet in VOY: "Time and Again".

"Polaric Power Planet" (VOY: "Time and Again")
(screen capture by Jörg)

Aside from these appearances of the building, the Japanese garden of the installation could be seen on even more occasions, just like in TNG: "Ménage à Troi" as Betazed and in DS9: "Meridian" as the planet of the same name (see also above in the category of models and paintings).

El Mirage Dry Lake The El Mirage Dry Lake Bed in the Mojave Desert appeared as the moon Lambda Paz in TNG: "Final Mission". The location was filmed from the same angle for VOY: "Caretaker". The mountain range in both episodes is clearly the same.

Lambda Paz (TNG: "Final Mission") (screen capture by Jörg)

Ocampa (VOY: "Caretaker") (screen capture by Jörg)

Valo II Some junk was arranged in a valley to build the Bajoran refugee camp on Valo II for TNG: "Ensign Ro". We can see a screen image of this very camp in VOY: "Displaced", this time supposed to depict the Tanatuva habitat on the Nyrian ship.

Valo II (TNG: "Ensign Ro") (screen capture by Jörg)

Tanatuva habitat (VOY: "Displaced") (screen capture by Jörg)

Re-Uses of the Vasquez Rocks Location

Re-Uses of the Angel One Matte Painting

Back to Inconsistencies index

Home   Top
	Last modified: 19.02.08
http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/inconsistencies/reused_planets.htm