Star Trek TOS Script Turnabout Intruder Gene Roddenberry Paramount 1968 Final
The previous owner had most of the scripts in a binder with plastic sleeves on all the pages. I've never seen that, but it was nice to preserve the pages from aging. I decided to keep the pages in the plastic to protect it when I transferred it out of the binder it came in.
Someone contacted me and told me that the scripts I had were Lincoln Enterprise reprints. I have never sold Star Trek TOS scripts so I immediately took all the scripts down. My friend, a fellow eBay seller, used ChatGPT to look at my images and see if this was an original script and here is the breakdown that it gave him.
1. What an ORIGINAL Star Trek TOS Production Script Looks LikeThese are working studio scripts created for cast/crew during production of Star Trek at Desilu Productions.
Paper & Physical Construction (VERY IMPORTANT)Paper color: light cream to off-whitePaper stock: medium weight, slightly fibrous, not bright whiteBinding:Two brass brads (top-left or top + bottom)Sometimes 3-hole punched with brass fastenersPage size: US Letter (8.5 × 11)
Typography & FormattingTypeface: Pica typewriter font (10 CPI)Printing method: typewritten or mimeographInk: slightly uneven density (not laser-perfect)Scene headings and dialogue typed, not offset-printed
Front Cover (Key Tell)Plain heavy stock coverEmbossed or typed:Copy codeSTAR TREKLower-left corner typically shows:Copy codeProd. #6149-28"THE CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER"Property of:DESILU PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Title Page (CRITICAL)Must include:Episode titleWriter credit (e.g. Harlan Ellison)Series Created by: Gene RoddenberryDraft status:FINAL DRAFTREVISED FINAL DRAFTExact date (e.g. February 1, 1967)
Internal PagesScene numbers in marginsRevision dates (e.g. Rev. 2/3/67)CONTINUED / CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGEAct and scene breakdownsPage numbers sometimes with letter suffixes (e.g. 54B)2. Roddenberry Company REPRINTS (Vintage but NOT Production-Used)Starting in the late 1970s through 1990s, Gene Roddenberry authorized script reprints for:conventionscollectorsfan clubsmail-order salesThese are legitimate collectibles, but not original studio production scripts.
Reprint TellsBright white paperPerfect laser printingNo brass brads (often plastic comb or staple)Sometimes modern copyright noticesUniform ink density across all pagesLacks “Property of Desilu Productions, Inc.”Sometimes shrink-wrapped when sold new
Some reprints copied original title pages exactly, which is why physical tells matter more than text.3. DEFINITIVE AUTHENTICITY CHECKLIST (Use This)ORIGINAL if MOST of these are true:
Brass brads
Slightly uneven typewriter ink
Cream paper
Desilu property line
1966–1967 revision dates
Mimeograph/typed look
Natural aging (edges, oxidation)REPRINT if ANY of these dominate:
Bright white paper
Laser-perfect text
Plastic binding
Modern copyright
No Desilu credit
Identical ink density page to page4. Analysis of YOUR Photos (Important)Based on what you provided:Strong ORIGINAL indicators:
Brass brads (correct type and placement)
Cream-colored paper with visible fiber
“Property of: DESILU PRODUCTIONS, INC.”
Correct production number 6149-28
Correct revision dates (Feb 1967)
Typewriter-style text with uneven ink
Scene numbering and CONTINUED formatting
FINAL DRAFT date matches broadcast timeline
What I do NOT see:No modern copyright languageNo laser uniformityNo plastic bindingNo modern paper stock
So you can use these indicators to see if my post is accurate. According to ChatGPT it is.