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In 1966 when the producers of the original series of Star Trek needed a design for a new ship, the Shuttlecraft, they turned to the acclaimed design firm of Raymond Loewy Associates. Art director Matt Jefferies had done several designs of the craft that were deemed too expensive or difficult to build and these were turned over to the firm with the instructions to design a ship that would be easier to construct. Thomas Kellogg was given the job of coming up with the design. Kellogg had worked on the Studebaker Avanti so, not surprisingly, the Kellogg shuttlecraft’s design does have some similarities to the classic car. Kellogg designed a glossy black shuttlecraft that was boxy but with graceful lines. It had a giant glass front end, glowing red engines and dual antennas. The shuttlecraft that ended up in the series retains the main body of Kellogg’s design, but there where some changes that were required before construction could begin. The large glass window in the front was replaced with much more practical, and closeable, smaller windows. The color was changed to a neutral gray and two warp pods were added to the ship to better match the look of the U.S.S. Enterprise.
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For more information about the history of the Shuttlecraft, please visit:
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Thomas Kellogg's illustration of the Federation Shuttlecraft.
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Click on the images to see a larger version.
The Studebaker Avanti.​
Click on the image to magnify.
Click on the images to see a larger version.
This version of the ship is wider and has a larger interior than the one built for the television series.
The Kellogg Shuttle seen here at the airshow reflects the ship’s original design.
For the series, the ship's color and graphics were changed to conform to the look of the U.S.S. Enterprise.
The giant glass window of the original design would have been difficult to pull off on a television show with a limited budget.
The design of the interior reflects both the look of set from the T.V. series and the ship’s ancestry to the classic Avanti.
Special thanks to:
Doug Drexler
Matthew P. Cushman
Gary Kerr
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