 The fiery breakup of the Genesis planet involved fire , smoke , and earth upheaval . " The main part of the floor was rigged so that rocks would shoot up out of the ground [ on catapults ] . Trees were rigged to fall and start fires , " Correll explained . Producing the shots required meticulous direction and between 20 and 30 helpers were on hand the day of shooting . Correll shot simultaneously on nine cameras ; the hope was to get as many usable shots as possible in one take , in case all the trapdoors and pyrotechnics had to be reset for another round of filming . This entire sequence was completed in three weeks . 
