Star Trek: 10 Secrets Of The USS Excelsior
9. Models Inc.
Over the course of the Excelsior's tenure in the Star Trek Universe, two elaborate filming miniatures were constructed – one for the motion pictures, another for the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Flashback" – and a CGI version of the Excelsior-class was also created for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's massive Dominion War fleets.
But what about all those study models ILM built for Star Trek III?
As we've said many times before, Star Trek cannot abide waste and several conceptual USS Excelsiors made their way on screen in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Unification II". Used as derelict background ships to fill out the Surplus Depot at Qualor II, ILM's study models can be seen if you squint, floating alongside an old K'Tinga-class Klingon battlecruiser and a USS Enterprise concept model built for the never-produced Star Trek: Planet of the Titans.
Not intended to be fully visible on screen, one of the Excelsior study models was christened "USS Alka-Selsior". Because TNG's art department was cheeky like that.