Reactions To The New USS Enterprise

TrekToday · November 13 2008, 09:46 PM

With the details of the new Enterprise appearing recently, professionals and fans alike are weighing in with their opinions of the newly-designed ship.

As reported by TrekMovie, to some fans, a ship is just a vehicle to get to the story or on which a story takes place, but to others, a ship is much more than that, and every bit of design is carefully scrutinized and critiqued.

Former Star Trek designer Rick Sternbach, responsible for the design of many Star Trek ships and stations, had this to say about the new Enterprise. "I get the distinct impression that to do the nacelles and secondary hull, someone stared at the USS Pasteur for a while," he said. "Just a thought. But even the Pasteur's Bussard collectors had line of sight to open space, which the nacelles on this new ship don't seem to have. Perhaps the designers didn't know exactly how the different hardware bits worked (I violated this rule a little here and there, but I knew when I was doing it.)" Sternbach went on to say that "There's room in this Trek world for healthy design criticism, as well as simply sitting back and enjoying a well made SF film. I hope the film is well written and clever and has good proportions of action, humor, tech, etc. but I'm also prepared to analyze the design work to see, perhaps, how far the shapes and colors and functions stray from forty years of evolved gear."

The designer of the new Enterprise, Ryan Church registered his reactions to the comments made by Sternbach and others. "I'm not going to get involved in the mud slinging, here, but needed to assure you guys and gals: we've built you a fine ship."

Fans have also weighed in with their opinions, as reported by TrekBBS. Some liked the new design. "Looks good," said TrekBBS poster JRS. It's a nice mixture of something old (TOS and TMP) and something new. It has sense of power in it, but not without some grace and elegance added to the mix." Plum also liked the new Enterprise. "Very radical design. Has a futuristic retro style with it's sleek form but offset with technical detail. Notice the photon-torpedo tube mount as from the TMP design. Do I like it? It's great and seems to fit the design styles the film seems to be going for. I find this design to be wonderfully contemporary, sophisticated and appealing to today's eyes. Well done I say!"

Other fans weren't as enthusiastic. JBElliot was short and to the point. "Looks horrible." But Ethros injected a bit of humor into the discussion, borrowing a line from The Trouble With Tribbles when commenting on the new design. "I didn't mean to say the Enterprise should be hauling garbage. I meant to say that it should hauled away as garbage."

Some fans had mixed feelings about the Enterprise. "I hate the nacelles," said cultcross. "Otherwise, it's beautiful." "I actually like the nacelles," said Manticore. "And I really don't like the secondary hull. It just 'feels' very back heavy. With the way that the neck is centered over that ridiculously long cutout, it looks like it's about to tip over backward."

To read more, head to the article located here and the post located here.

Augustus · November 13 2008, 09:55 PM

have Trek BBS postings ever been quoted in a trektoday "news" story before? kind of cool...

Ethros · November 13 2008, 10:16 PM

^ Aye, tis cool

Thanks for mentioning my post!

Jarrott2 · November 13 2008, 10:46 PM

since this is a prequel, this is an early form of what we are used to seeing in TOS, how do we know that later in the movie that there won't be a refit say after a battle?

T'Bonz · November 14 2008, 12:01 AM

Ethros wrote:

^ Aye, tis cool

Thanks for mentioning my post!

You're welcome. See, reason to read the news!

I think in the past stuff might have been used, if memory serves. This is the first time I've done it. It probably will not be the last time.

So beware!

Axiom · November 14 2008, 12:05 AM

My posts never get used, and I practically vomit wisdom!

J.

Samuel T. Cogley · November 14 2008, 12:09 AM

T'Bonz wrote:

This is the first time I've done it. It probably will not be the last time.

So beware!

I just don't get how you could have accidentally forgotten to include my comparison of the new ship to an erect dog's penis.

number6 · November 14 2008, 12:31 AM

J. Allen wrote:

My posts never get used, and I practically vomit wisdom!

J.

As do I.

Equally

T'Bonz · November 14 2008, 12:58 AM

Samuel T. Cogley wrote:

I just don't get how you could have accidentally forgotten to include my comparison of the new ship to an erect dog's penis.

Oh my gawd! That AVATAR!!

Spaceman Spiff · November 14 2008, 01:05 AM

When will this show air?

Mr. Adventure · November 14 2008, 03:30 PM

Does having mixed critical reactions to the new ship design pass the "Man Bites Dog" test of newsworthiness?

Rick Sternbach · November 15 2008, 07:13 AM

As I posted elsewhere on this board -

Yes, I was slightly disappointed in the initial viewing of the design, what with the elements of the Refit and what to me are odd-looking nacelles and pylons and the proportions of the engineering hull. In a question of pure mechanics, yes, I was puzzled by what appeared to be an incorrect placement of the nacelles so that the Bussard collectors didn't see open space, but that turned out to be an illusion, and I did get to see an ortho view of a port side elevation that confirmed it. Yes, I used a colorful metaphor related to elephants and committees, in the sense that the major assemblies did not look like they all came from the same "foundry," so to speak.

All that said, however, I do think that the new Enterprise design fits the rest of what appears in the trailer, so for me, it's the entire aesthetic that is skewed. Will it all work as a film? Probably. Does it feel like it fits with the rest of the 40-some years of the franchise? No, but that's just my opinion. Will I see the movie? Sure. Will I debate design points? Sure again; it's good to study and critique and exchange ideas but without trampling on the people who created the designs in a personal way. I'm sure Ryan Church and the other designers are okay folks; I just don't respond as positively to their concepts the way some others have, or feel that Star Trek needs to be radically updated or made more hip and cool for another new generation of filmgoers. Anyhow, May 09 will come soon enough, and we'll all have fun going to the flicks.

Rick
www.spacemodesystems.com

Finnegan · November 15 2008, 09:00 PM

TrekToday wrote:

With the details of the new Enterprise appearing recently, professionals and fans alike are weighing in with their opinions of the newly-designed ship.<IMG SRC="http://www.trektoday.com/images/news/New-Enterprise.gif" WIDTH="200" HEIGHT="86" ALIGN="RIGHT" BORDER="0">As reported by <A class="link" HREF="http://trekmovie.com">TrekMovie</A>, to some fans, a ship is just a vehicle to get to the story or on which a story takes place, but to others, a ship is much more than that, and every bit of design is carefully scrutinized and critiqued. Former Star Trek designer Rick Sternbach, responsible for the design of many Star Trek ships and stations, had this to say about the new Enterprise. "I get the distinct impression that to do the nacelles and secondary hull, someone stared at the USS Pasteur for a while," he said. "Just a thought. But even the Pasteur's Bussard collectors had line of sight to open space, which the nacelles on this new ship don't seem to have. Perhaps the designers didn't know exactly how the different hardware bits worked (I violated this rule a little here and there, but I knew when I was doing it.)" Sternbach went on to say that "There's room in this Trek world for healthy design criticism, as well as simply sitting back and enjoying a well made SF film. I hope the film is well written and clever and has good proportions of action, humor, tech, etc. but I'm also prepared to analyze the design work to see, perhaps, how far the shapes and colors and functions stray from forty years of evolved gear."The designer of the new Enterprise, Ryan Church registered his reactions to the comments made by Sternbach and others. "I'm not going to get involved in the mud slinging, here, but needed to assure you guys and gals: we've built you a fine ship."Fans have also weighed in with their opinions, as reported by <A class="link" HREF="http://trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=73387">TrekBBS</A>. Some liked the new design. "Looks good," said TrekBBS poster JRS. It's a nice mixture of something old (TOS and TMP) and something new. It has sense of power in it, but not without some grace and elegance added to the mix." Plum also liked the new Enterprise. "Very radical design. Has a futuristic retro style with it's sleek form but offset with technical detail. Notice the photon-torpedo tube mount as from the TMP design. Do I like it? It's great and seems to fit the design styles the film seems to be going for. I find this design to be wonderfully contemporary, sophisticated and appealing to today's eyes. Well done I say!"Other fans weren't as enthusiastic. JBElliot was short and to the point. "Looks horrible." But Ethros injected a bit of humor into the discussion, borrowing a line from The Trouble With Tribbles when commenting on the new design. "I didn't mean to say the Enterprise should be hauling garbage. I meant to say that it should hauled away as garbage." Some fans had mixed feelings about the Enterprise. "I hate the nacelles," said cultcross. "Otherwise, it's beautiful." "I actually like the nacelles," said Manticore. "And I really don't like the secondary hull. It just 'feels' very back heavy. With the way that the neck is centered over that ridiculously long cutout, it looks like it's about to tip over backward." To read more, head to the article located <A class="link" HREF="http://trekmovie.com/2008/11/12/big-reaction-to-new-enterprise-new-designer-responds/">here</A> and the post located <A class="link" HREF="http://trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=73387">here</A>.<center></center>

Well, I thnk she's pretty sleek and sexy--can't wait to see her in action!!

Finnegan · November 15 2008, 09:02 PM

Jarrott2 wrote:

since this is a prequel, this is an early form of what we are used to seeing in TOS, how do we know that later in the movie that there won't be a refit say after a battle?

Exactly! I think JJ is being pretty and cagey and clever about his new take on Trek. Something like what you suggest would not surprise me at all.

Finnegan · November 15 2008, 09:03 PM

J. Allen wrote:

My posts never get used, and I practically vomit wisdom!

J.

Indeed--you are the "Mr. Creosote" of this board. Lol!