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Real world article
(written from a Production point of view)
Desilu

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Desilu Culver Stage 16 was a soundstage located at Desilu's second lot in Culver City, California. The Culver lot served as an additional filming facility to Desilu's main studios at Gower Street, Hollywood. The Culver studios previously belonged to David O. Selznick and then RKO Pictures. Stage 16 was the largest of Desilu's soundstages, built by Cecil B. DeMille for his 1927 epic production of The King of Kings.

Stage 16 was used in filming the two pilots of Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Cage" and "Where No Man Has Gone Before".

For "The Cage", this stage housed the Talos IV planetside exteriors, the Mojave picnic site, the Orion cavern, and several Enterprise sets (living quarters, briefing room, transporter room). Filming took place between Friday 27 November 1964 and Tuesday 1 December 1964, Monday 7 December 1964 and Thursday 10 December 1964 and Friday 18 December 1964. For the second pilot, this stage housed the Delta Vega exteriors, filmed between Tuesday 27 July 1965 and Thursday 29 July 1965.

For the series itself, the Star Trek sets were moved to the main Desilu lot in Hollywood, where they occupied Desilu Stage 9 and Stage 10. In 1968, Desilu/Paramount Television sold the Culver City lot to Perfect Film & Chemical Corporation.

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