I've read that many fans have a strong dislike for the "Akiraprise" ship used as Capt. Archer's NX-01 "Enterprise". I can see why people think it looks too much like it comes from the 24th century. Having said that, if you could re-imagine the exterior visuals of the ship to make it look more like YOU would expect a 22nd century pre-Federation "old style Earth" starship to be, what would it look like? I'd like to see what people would prefer. If you have CG models, please post here.
My only MAJOR beefs with the ship exterior are: 1) The STUPID "dish" design. I have a large Polar Lights NX-01 model which I plan to build as I think it SHOULD have been... that is, three dishes (one larger one in center, two smaller ones flanking it), each of which will be a true parabolic antennae dish (like the 1701 had). Perfectly circular and with a shallow parabolic sectional shape. Funny thing, the dishes I've picked up fit into that space BETTER than the "oblong funky-and-useless-shaped 'dish'" that they actually used in the show. 2) The paint scheme. I would have given the model a more TOS-ish color scheme and avoided anything TNG-ish (or TMP-ish, for that matter) COMPLETELY. 3) The excessive use of "tiering" in the hull shape. Unless there's a specific reason for having a two-foot "step" in the exterior surface of the hull... and I can't imagine it... I'd have gone much smoother overall. 4) The attempt to blend the TNG and TOS engine styles in the nacelles. I'd have left the EXTERIOR surfaces of the warp engines solid... put a big banner/logo along them... but would have the interior surfaces be pretty much exactly what we see on the existing model. And I'd have gone much more simple in terms of the aft shape... I always thought that the SPHERICAL element on the tip of the 1701's nacelle was the actual space-time distortion element (earlier versions probably had that sphere inside the structure?). So, making it "funky blobby shapes" without any clear logic behind the change sort of rubbed me the wrong way... like an attempt to capture the STYLE without any concern for the substance. Actually, I'm thinking it would be pretty simple to "fix" a Polar Lights kit this way... I'm talking about the engine details... and the paint scheme... and I could have a later built version of that ship series. I think I'll call her the Horizon. (Who's to say that the Daedalus class ship was the one that visited Iotia, anyway?)
Do you have to be gay, or queer for vektor, to get a thing approved around here? OyVey? It's such a Schmeckel! If you're not gay, or ebony, or Vektor?! You're out!
I would agree with what Cary L. Brownand Flux Capacitor posted. The overall design was great and I personally didnt mind the hull but their mods to tie it to TOS would have made sence and would have pleased fans. If not after initial complaints from the fan base I would have made NX-02 more like that and put the differences down to the NX-01 not being painted before launch (or something) Although it does look like an after TOS styled hull it does match up to the Phoenix though. I find the Akiraprise complaints interesting for one reason, long ago before Enterprise came out there was fan discussion on this forum (I was signed up under a different name back then which I completly forgot) about a future Enterprise. And alot of people wished for an Enterprise which wasnt an Enterprise. Now this actually got alot of good responces about an Enterprise which broke the norms and wasnt like your usual Ent or even your normal Fed Starship. One of the most bounded about for the wishlist was the Akira. To me it looked like the production people thought the thing and gave at least those people what they wanted. I stll backup the design aspect that the Akira had a designer who went for the retro look of the NX class. Thing is I noticed something, First Contact gave us a number of new and very different ships in not only the Akira but the Steamrunner, Norway and Saber. All of these presented a break from the traditional Enterprise look (which maybe patly aluded to the discussion I mentioned above). Now compare the Akira, Sabre and even the Norway to 22nd Cent Starfleet and they have some resemblence to the three ships we have there. Thats completly off subject anyway (well partly), otherwise the NX had some great ideas like the grappler and phase canons that deploy from hatches (easy to repair, no EVA required) alot of the problems for me is the timing of when they had it. They should have stuck with primitive energy weapons shown in Broken Bow and either had a transporter which wasnt safe for people or not one at all. That way they could introduce this tech slowly as they encounter other species with it.
LTMontyPython - 1 warning for flaming. Trolling and spamming covered in other threads. Enjoy your vacation. There's absolutely no excuse for this nonsense.
Although we know that the NX-01 was designed to look like the Akira because B and B liked the Akira the issue to me is not that it bears a resemblence in style, but that the technology of it looks 24th Century and not 22nd Century. If it was Akira-like (single hull, arms extending to hold the pylons and nacelles) yet 22nd century looking, I wouldn't have any issue with it. What I think trek fans can't get over is that it doesn't bear a resemblence to a Constitution as if that's the menchmark for the Enterprises. I ask why? The Ent B is a clone of and Excelsior class. Yes, I guess it could be said that the Excelsior follows the general principles of the Conny (Saucer, neck engineering hull, pylons attached to engineering hull going up with nacelles) but it it's entirely different ship. Considering design lineage, I can't think of a reason that the NX-01 couldn't have been a forbearer to the Akira. Again though the issue to me is the fact that it looks 24th Century and not 22nd. I saw this posted over at Starship Modeler and when Isaw it I thought that it would make a perfect NX-01. -Shawn
This was one of my attempts to make it a bit less of an ironclad predating a wooden sailing ship. Basically a much smaller and sleeker design that still borrows a lot from the version used.
I'd get rid of the saucer section entirely and make that an element of Andorian vessels. My main hull of the NX-01 would have been made from cylindrical shapes, with just a couple of hints of the future of ship design. The warp nacelles and their arrangement are fine. Of course, I'd make other sweeping changes to the show. Cochrane's warp drive would have been unique to Earth at the time of its invention. The Vulcans would have less need for FTL with their longer lifespans and I'd have saddled them with a dogmatic acceptance of their own version of Special Relativity and believed FTL was impossible until Cochrane proved otherwise.
I'd keep the saucer section, since from a franchise standpoint it's a defining characteristic of Starfleet vessels; for my take on the NX-01's replacement, Endeavour, the saucer exists because it encloses a massive graviton accelerator near its outer rim, rather than having artificial gravity generated on each deck (I felt this better reflected the less-advanced technology that was consistent with a century before TOS); a second, vertical ring houses a smaller accelerator which provides gravity for the rear engineering section, meaning that the gravity there is 90° from the direction in the saucer (making the interior of engineering essentially a vertical cylinder that is nearly 10 decks 'tall'). The ship also has massive sublight engines, the "Jensen Drive," that run along the upper surface of the main saucer and engineering, which require careful use, since they are relativistic (their use means that the ship and crew have to deal with time dilation). Additionally, the ship includes some familiar elements from the time of the DY-100 (Botany Bay), and instead of the bridge being stuck in the middle of the upper saucer, it's at the front of the main fuselage, like an airliner's command deck, but still organized as a circle within. Endeavour also makes do without turbolifts, although there are two vertical lifts in the center of the saucer, where there are the most decks; everywhere else, crew have to use ladders, stairs and ramps to move from deck to deck.
Look at it from an in Universe perspective and the influences on Enterprise star becoming more apparent. The Enterprise E travels back in time and helps Cochrane achieve warp flight due to the Borg. During this two events happen. 1. Cochrane sees the Enterprise through a telescope and learns the name. Now he may not have told many, or in fact anyone about this (seeming the Enterprise isnt on record in the 21st Cent) but he likely put what he saw into the design of the warp 5 project (saucer section and twin nacelle, he only saw a basic sillouet) as well as the naming of the first ship. 2.Lilly sees the inside of the Ent E, many of the design influences from this ship are in the NX-01 Pretty obvious really but Ive never seen anyone mention it, just winge that it doesnt look like a Daedelus or TOS like, TOS will have just been a simplistic design ethic.
When are we going to see more of this little gem? As for another possible NX replacement, Forbin's SS Reeses would do very nice IMO.
Thi sis something I did a long time ago right after the new Enterprise was revealed. I was a little miffed that it was even called "Enterprise" so I went and renamed the ship, too...
When I get more of it polished . I had actually started modeling it again from scratch, incorporating skills and ideas I had developed in getting it to the state seen previously. This is an example of the direction it's now heading: More detail, less of an 'airliner' design, but still the same general layout; the bridge, however, has been moved from the nose into the conning tower. And the aft accelerator no longer intersects the nacelles (which I clearly haven't even begun to model, other than as very basic geometry). After moving the bridge, the nose now houses a two-level launch bay.