Star Trek: Every* Starbase Ranked Worst To Best
13. Epsilon IX
Star Trek: The Motion Picture is the often underappreciated gift that keeps on giving. The level of work and attention to detail that went into that movie remains nigh-unparalleled in the franchise, with the Epsilon IX station serving as one of the best examples of this.
Three studio models of the station were built, each with a different purpose - though all ostensibly tasked with showing off as many angles of the model as possible. The main filming model, shown in this image, was about six feet long, and roughly three feet wide. As detailed as it is from a distance, model maker John Dykstra described using acid-etched brass to give squared edges to parts of the model, thus creating the illusion of size that rounded edges often failed to achieve.
Though the station would sadly get in V'Ger's way in The Motion Picture, it would be seen again in The Search For Spock. Here, the filming models adorned two separate walls in the movie - one was perched behind Admiral Kirk and Commodore Morrow, while the other blink-and-you'll-miss-it-shot featured an enlarged section that had been created for its demise, seen as Kirk is exiting the officers' mess.