Oberth class model

, was one of the few Star Trek productions that introduced a multitude of new space faring designs at once, six in this case, including the . Though introduced as the fourth new Starfleet vessel design in as the USS Grissom (NCC-638), a far greater restraint, in comparison to the contemporary Excelsior-class studio model, has been observed when calling upon the design for repeat performances in later spin-off Star Trek productions. The design had only a limited presence in the Star Trek films, Star Trek: The Next Generation and one appearance only in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Design process
For The Search for Spock, a unique approach to designing was adopted, not seen before or after in the Star Trek franchise. Instead of the traditional way of thinking out a design, devising a design, coming up with detailed drawings to be approved of by visual effects supervisors and building models from blueprints, this time visual artists David Carson and Nilo Rodis-Jamero of Industrial Light & Magic produced their pre-visualization artwork and handed it over to model makers Steve Gawley, Bill George and their team to be translated into study models, in essence inviting them to use their own imagination to finish up on the design. Very much a collaborative effort, Carson later remembered,"We'd churn out quite a few sketches. Then the ones that were most promising we might polish up a little in color for presentation. It wasn't uncommon for me to do a drawing that would inspire Nilo, who would then turn it into his own drawing that would be much more impressive! He would often inspire me."(, p. 48) Once turned over to the model makers the resulting study models were presented to producer Harve Bennett and/or director Leonard Nimoy for appraisal or as supervising model maker Gawley put it,"You had all these models sitting on a table so that the director could really get a feel for what we were talking about. It just made everything easier to understand, and insured that everybody was on the same page. It also made it easier to give cost estimates."(, p. 20) Director of Photography Kenneth Ralston elaborated further,"''From the beginning, once Nilo Rodis, one of the visual effects art directors, had done a sketch and they got an idea of what direction to go, the model people all built prototypes. The space dock had four or five small prototypes. The Bird of Prey, I think, had only two because we all knew this one design would work and we were selling that one. The Merchant Man and the Grissom also had several designs. When Leonard and Harve and Ralph Winter came to meetings we presented them with three dimensional models. It really is a lot better doing it that way because they can physically see how different angles would work."(American Cinematographer'', August/September 1984, p. 62)

The Valiant study model
One of the study models Ralston referred to was labeled as the Valiant, and was featured in the 2002 documentary, "Space Docks and Birds of Prey", disc 2 from the Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (Special Edition) DVD, already very close to the final design. Photo documents reportedly taken around the time of the filming of of this Oberth-class model has led to some speculation that it was this model that was used in the evacuation scene of Veridian III. However, screencap analysis shows that the lay-out of the impulse deflector crystals as well as the lay-out of the impulse engine exhausts/transporter emitters on the nacelle deck does not correspond with the lay-out as shown on the study model. It is also highly unlikely that a study model was outfitted with an internal lighting system. It can therefore be surmised that it was in fact the original physical studio model, still wearing the USS Pegasus decals.

Physical studio model
The original studio model for the Oberth-class, built at ILM by Gawley's team, measured an overall length of 28 inches. The model first appeared in Star Trek III as the USS Grissom (NCC-638) (NCC-638), and was subsequently relabeled to represent other vessels of the class. The first time the model was relabeled was for as the USS Copernicus (NCC-640) (NCC-640) as recalled by ILM's Model Shop Supervisor Jeff Mann, who has stated, "We had an incident in the beginning of the film, where we needed a Reliant-class [sic.], so we put a new paint job on the old Reliant model, changed a small shuttle [sic.] called the Grissom to the Copernicus and we added a back half to the shuttlecraft that Scotty flew around in ." (The Making of the Trek Films, 3rd ed., p. 68)

Neither name or registry was ever discernible on screen, but were carried over to its next use as the SS Tsiolkovsky, when it was filmed at Image G for the Star Trek: The Next Generation's first season episode. The fourth movie's registry still being there was later confirmed, when TNG-Remastered was released in 2012. Michael Okuda revealed on that occasion, "I seem to recall that Grissom may have been relabeled to serve as another ship (the Copernicus?) in Star Trek III or IV. I didn't try to relabel the model for "The Naked Now", partly because we realized that the existing registry would not be legible in standard-def video, but also because we were all so insanely busy at the time that no one could take on an additional project that wasn't likely to be seen on the screen." The number was digitally changed to its correct one,  (NCC-53911), in the first full side view establishing shot. Unfortunately, the digital artist overlooked the previous scenes and the later scene when the stellar core fragment smashes into the Tsiolkovsky, as it there still carries the original, now discernible, registry number. Subsequently, for the television franchise, the model was relabeled trice, usually done at the art department by Okuda and later on by Doug Drexler as well, first as the USS Cochrane (NCC-59318), (stock footage of which later on used as the USS Biko), a second time as the USS Yosemite (NCC-19002). At that occasion neither name or registry was ever discernible on screen, however they could be discerned on the cover of 's Cinefantastique magazine, which was devoted to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The cover artist, David Voight, incorporating the registry number, had an actual behind-the-scenes photograph of the studio model, dressed as the Yosemite, at his disposal as reference.

The model was relabeled for a last time for as the USS Pegasus (NCC-53847), with subsequent appearances shot in such a way that the decals could not be discerned. Very little further modification, save for some paint touch-ups (possibly to repair some minor damage after Jein took molds from it) was ever performed on the model besides relabeling. The last appearance of the model was in the Veridian III evacuation scene in. The model, still labeled as the USS Pegasus, was auctioned off as on 7 October 2006, being part of the 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection auction. The estimated price for the model was US$4,000 – $6,000; it sold for US$18,000 ($21,600 with premium). The model was added to the collection of ScienceFictionArchives.com, an European organization that is dedicated to preserve science fiction production assets for public display purposes, such as in museums.

The SS Vico model
A second physical model was later created at Gregory Jein Inc. for The Next Generation's fifth season episode to depict the severely damaged SS Vico. At the time considered too valuable to cut up the original ILM model for showcasing the damaged Vico. Gregory Jein took molds from the original ILM model and from them cast the parts to construct a new model. Co-worker Bruce MacRae helped out with detail construction and painting. The Vico model itself, having escaped the 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection and It's A Wrap! sale and auctions, is still in the possession of Paramount Pictures and has been on tour displays such as Star Trek World Tour, Star Trek: The Adventure and Star Trek The Exhibition as late as 2012.

Display model
Jein later gave away the molds to John Eaves who actually used them to cast a solid resin model and had it gold-plated. It, along with other starship models, was intended for use as a display piece in the glass cabinets in the observation lounge of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E) in. However that fell through as Eaves delivered the models too late for use. As Eaves himself recalled, "For the films, I was commissioned to build these models and have them gold plated at Artcraft Plating in Burbank, to be featured in the set case. Over the span of the three films, First Contact, Insurrection, and Nemesis I had to build a lot of models. For Nemesis the list grew with the request to build and plate some additional models. The Voyager, the Grissom, the Excelsior, and the Reliant. We had two cases to fill and these models were to accompany the Enterprise models. The set was constructed in an arch with a display case on either side of a large video playback display. The Enterprise'' models were to be on the right side and the new non Enterprise models were to be on the left. While the new ships were being plated the shooting schedule changed and the set had to be used sooner than later, because of this a double set of the Enterprise models were set in both cases. The new models barely made it back in time, but due to the amount of work involved to change them out it wasn't worth the effort, so in the end the new ships were ditched for the two sets of the Enterprises." Eaves retained the models, "I got the other ships done in about a week and took them to the stage and he [John Dwyer] had already filled the cases twice with doubles of the original 6. It was too much work to take out and replace the dups with the new so they didn't make it on the big screen, but they did wind up at my house again.". Eaves, citing "tough times" as reasons for reluctantly doing so, eventually sold off his gold-plated Grissom'' model at eBay on 3 July 2013 for US$1,900.

CGI model
The last appearance of the Oberth-class was in in the Battle of Sector 001 scene. With the exception of the Borg cube, Borg sphere, the unnamed Nebula-class starship and the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E) all other ships were done as CGI models, including the at least three Oberth-class starships. Never meant to be seen up close but rather as deep background elements, the model was built at ILM by modelers Larry Tan and Paul Theren, using software for animation and  software for the model, at a fairly low resolution and at a low detail level. Noteworthy was that this was the first and only time that viewers could see an Oberth-class vessel discharge it weapons. Established as an older design, superseded by the as far as production staffers were concerned, the model was never used again nor was its CGI-counterpart upgraded for later appearances and the class, with the exception of the use of the physical model for, has not been seen (though referenced to) in either Star Trek: Deep Space Nine or Star Trek: Voyager.