Fun thread. I just stumbled across it. If this were my project, the first thing I'd say about fins/rings/rollbars is "what's it for?" Assign function to it and the form will follow. Right now all the concepts for this detail look false because they feel ornamental rather than functional.
I'm also loving this thread very much. Watching the ship go through design changes is great fun. I really like the ship design as you have it now. A nice mix of retro with present day sensibilities/theories. Plus, the ring gives the ship the feeling that it has a halo--which is sort of a subconscious signal that they're the good guys. Great job! Sean
This is now starting to look very nice. The added details and greebles really help to bring this model to life.
Just saw this for the first time, and I think it's a beauty. When it's completely finished, can you make an image of it blowing something up? Nobody does any decent blowing shit up pictures anymore.
After going through the entire thread I think this is my favorite iteration of Polaris. Good work to all involved and I look forward to see where this is all going. Starhawk
Starship Polaris - Non-Trek A long time ago, in a thread far, far away... and apparently long since pruned, Dennis Bailey once posted some renderings of a ship he was working on for an independent film production called Starship Polaris. The original design was conceived by TrekBBS's own Aridas Sofia with whom Dennis had been collaborating from the earliest stages of the project. Late last year, they asked me to help refine it and I started working on a series of design sketches. This is the latest version: The film project is well under way with studio space having been secured and sets under construction. They are due to begin principle photography in about two months. All the details about the production, including background info, casting news and set photos can be found on the Starship Polaris Official Site. There is also a Polaris thread in the Fan Productions forum here on TrekBBS. My own work on the project is ongoing. I'll be posting more sketches here in the next couple of days but in the mean time, everything I've done so far can be seen on my own Website at www.VektorVisual.com. As always, comments and criticisms are appreciated.
Re: Starship Polaris - Non-Trek I've been following Dennis' Polaris project for awhile now, and your work on it, of course. I like how you've taken the original concept and "turned it on its ear", literally. I have to admit, I sort of liked the "fins" on the previous rendition, but this looks very good and very "utilitarian", which I think is a positive. Would it be out of place of me to also mention that it looks quite a lot like a Yellow Tang to me? http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.whozoo.org/Anlife99/loriwood/Gyellowtang.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.whozoo.org/Anlife99/loriwood/tang3.htm&usg=__sbt7Gj-GrPlUE0wwRUnH8GQtQuQ=&h=489&w=640&sz=62&hl=en&start=16&um=1&tbnid=ipSryYxD3D9wIM:&tbnh=105&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dyellow%2Btang%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1 Especially in the second picture. Any chance that had anything to do with your inspiration ..., or was it just happenstance? Or am I just seeing things?
Re: Starship Polaris - Non-Trek Turning the saucer on-edge rather than horizontal was an inspired choice, if I do say so. There had been some early requests to introduce some "nautical elements" to the design, hence the "sails" shown in previous versions, but the vertical orientation was part of that, too. Eventually I got to wondering if that was enough without the addition of the sails and I think it is, but Dennis and Company may decide differently. By "fins," are you referring to the sails or to the bulkier engine assemblies in the last batch of sketches? No inspiration from the Yellow Tang, I'm afraid, though I do see the resemblance. I'd have to say it was inspired more by 1950's automotive design, which will become even more evident in future sketches.
Re: Starship Polaris - Non-Trek Make the middle part spin and you've got Spock's jellyfish ship in JJ's movie.
Re: Starship Polaris - Non-Trek Like Captain April, I see a bit of the Jellyfish in there, too. Of course, if you change things again, we're likely to see a resemblance to something else, so take such remarks with a minuscule quantity of sodium chloride.
Re: Starship Polaris - Non-Trek You know, before I turned this thing on-edge, nobody even mentioned Spock's Jellyfish. I think the supposed similarity mostly comes down to the vertical disc motif. The Jellyfish isn't even a disc, really; it's a flattened mushroom cap with a spinning ring behind it and a tuning fork tail. I don't really care one way or the other, especially since the basic design of the Polaris far predates the latest Trek film, and this version is actually closer to that original design, other than the vertical orientation, than anything else I've done since. If you think the design is too close to the Jellyfish, take it up with Ryan Church.
Re: Starship Polaris - Non-Trek I too, see inspiration from the Jellyfish. But I like the look of this ship better.