Nostalgia is a hell of a thing, especially when it comes to sci-fi. For “Star Trek” fans wanting to mark the franchise’s 60th anniversary this year, a geeky pilgrimage to upstate New York should be on the cards. Why? Because alongside the splendid autumnal colors, they can steer over to Ticonderoga to behold the newly installed Galileo shuttlecraft.
After a complete two-year restoration project in 2012 headed up by superfan and collector Adam Schneider, this iconic fictional spacecraft, seen by millions in seven episodes over three seasons of “Star Trek: The Original Series,” was recently relocated from its former home at the Johnson Space Center Museum in Houston, Texas.
It’s now on permanent loan to James Cawley and his Star Trek Original Series Set Tour in historic downtown Ticonderoga, New York, where it joins a family of painstakingly detailed sets based on the official “Star Trek” blueprints.
‘Galileo is still the property of Space Center, and it was on display there since 2013,” Schneider tells Space. “It went to USS Intrepid for the 50th anniversary of ‘Star Trek,’ displayed under the Enterprise Space Shuttle. You had the Enterprise with Enterprise’s little shuttle Galileo adjacent, which was an extraordinary picture. It went back to Space Center, but it takes up an enormous amount of room, and they took it off display after 8 years.”
It seemed a shame to have the shuttle out of sight, so Schneider got to work finding a new home for the shuttle. “Since I was on the board, I tried to figure out a place where it could be aimed”, recounts Schneider. “The Star Trek Tour made the most sense, so I worked with Space Center to relocate it, and it arrived a couple of years ago.”
Hoping to give the restored relic its own private docking bay due to its enormity, faithful fans raised hundreds of thousands of dollars via a Kickstarter campaign led by Brian Mix and David Harvey, and built a beautiful building addition for Galileo to be safely ensconced in.
“My wife Leslie and I had been tending over the Galileo for a number of years, and it’s now successfully displayed there in New York for all to see,” Schneider adds. “It’s an extraordinary thing to see person if you have not. It’s not the size of a chair, it’s the size of a bus. It looks gorgeous in its new space, and if you’re a space aficionado or Star Trek aficionado, that’s even more reason to get involved with this thing.”
Opening weekend for the general public at Star Trek Tours to see the newest member of the museum was Sept. 18-20, 2026, and the Galileo was the star attraction. Branded Trekonderoga Weekend, the unveiling ceremony was attended by Assemblymen Dan Stec and Dan Simpson, and ‘Trek’ luminaries George Takei, Jonathan Frakes, and Brent Spiner.
“We’re certainly thrilled that we were able to work with Adam and NASA to get it here permanently,” Cawley tells Space. “Then to get it on display properly and share it with all the fans and make sure that it’s on exhibit for many years to come. We’re just outside of the village of Lake George, so we’re part of the greater Lake George tourism region.
“You’ve seen it on television, and now you’re the caretaker of it. What an honor to be able to do that. It’s the simplicity of the Galileo that makes it so unique. It’s Matt Jefferies’ whole design ethic for the original series. Less is more. It catches your eye in a specific way. It has a blocky-type silhouette and actually it really complements the Enterprise because you really see the shape difference. Everything has that mid-century modern aesthetic. It’s just timeless.”
For Cawley, being custodian and host of the screen-used Galileo is like a dream. This 23-foot-long mock-up was part of the USS Enterprise’s basic design and was rescued from demolition some 14 years ago when Schneider purchased it at a 2012 memorabilia auction for $61,000.
“We had a great rousing opening weekend with it, and business has been very steady into October with people asking about it. It’s going to be a big cornerstone to the tour. I think people are becoming aware that it’s here and they’re making a pilgrimage to come because of it.”
For more prices, hours, and more information on the Star Trek Original Series Set Tour in Ticonderoga, New York, visit them at https://startrektour.com or call 518-503-5497. You can also see the Galileo in action in Star Trek: The Original Series on Paramount+.
