He was considered a visionary similar to Gene Roddenberry himself. But while Roddenberry created the road to "Star Trek," it was Walter "Matt" Jefferies who built the ship.

Jefferies, who designed the original famous saucer and dual-nacelle NCC-1701, which now hangs at the Smithsonian Institute of Science & Industry in Washington, D.C., died Monday morning. He was 82.

The announcement was made by the official Star Trek site on Monday, however, the site did not release the cause of death. Jefferies was reported to have been battling cancer, but recently had been told by doctors, he was winning the fight according to his doctors.

When Roddenberry first brought Jefferies aboard, the two got along great since both were former pilots. Roddenberry wanted a ship that looked nothing like a rocket ship, common in science fiction films and television series leading into the 1960s. What Jefferies ended up designing was a ship with two warp nacelles and a sphere as a primary hull (a design that was used for Capt. Beverly Picard's (Gates McFadden) medical ship in the series finale of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." That design later was modified to include a saucer as the primary hull ... all of which has served as a basis for all future Star Trek Federation ship designs.

Jefferies also designed the Enterprise bridge, putting everyone in a circular area around the captain, and putting a huge viewscreen to help communications. Some defense and aerospace contractors have even studied the design made by Jefferies of the original Enterprise bridge to create models of efficient control rooms for real-life craft in the future.

"Matt Jefferies' quiet modesty belied the genius of his work, which set the path for all of us who are lucky enough to follow in his very large footsteps," said Michael Okuda, who has worked in the design department of Star Trek for more than 15 years. "Today, nearly four decades later, Matt's original Enterprise still stands as a design classic. We will miss him greatly."

Jefferies also worked on series such as "Mission: Impossible," "Little House on the Prairie" and "Dallas." He is survived by his wife, Mary Ann.