Star Ship Polaris

[aridas sofia]

As you can see, we are in the process of refining the exterior of the ship. We like the rationale for the design, and the interior logic, but we're trying to get from here...



to here...



In that light, Dennis has been modeling, we have been discussing, and I have put together a few ideas for which I'd like input. I'm trying to refine the basic shapes in the color illustrations above, to lend the model some of the "magic" the finished Enterprise model, with its aerodynamic and ship curves, has. This is basic blocking out of shapes and masses, which means I think there would probably be more blending than what I'm showing here in this rough illustration.

[Admiral Buzzkill]

The name "Polaris," FTW, tracks back to childhood antecedents in The Space Explorers and Tom Corbett (never saw the series as a child, that I can remember, but I owned the first volume in the series of books that Grossett and Dunlap spun off from it).

There are about a thousand other referents for the name as well, I'm sure, but those two are where I got it from.

[Dayton Ward]

Okay, this is ticklin' my retro fanboy bone.

[Venardhi]

My one problem is that it is very flat. . . I couldn't say what to change off hand, but it doesn't feel like a 'hero' ship.

[Admiral Buzzkill]

This seemed like a good idea, but mebbe not...or maybe it needs more work:

[Venardhi]

I dig the idea, but the shape feels a bit off to me. Try something more 'primitive' perhaps, to be more in line with the other simple shapes? Or connect it at the sides with the rest o the saucer to make an alcove for shuttles or something of the like.

I also think it could use a counterbalance on the bottom, perhaps a 'fin' continuing from the lines of the support structure.

[Forbin]

There's a Ferengi parked on your ship...

[therealfoxbat]

aridas sofia wrote:

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Funny you say that. The way it's evolving, it might resemble Protector even more before it's through.

Interesting...

I always thought Protector was meant to be sort of a reverse of Enterprise. (Instead of Enterprise's disc-shaped primary hull and cylindrical nacelles, Protector had a cylindrical hull and disc-shaped nacelles...)

Starship Polaris wrote:

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aridas can better answer the propulsion theory than I can.

Polaris can't land - it carries at least two landing boats of some size and probably a number of small utility craft. aridas has designed a really cool landing boat, which hopefully he'll also post.

There's no hangar deck or landing bay as such - the auxiliary craft are secured behind hatches on the saucer, with corridor access from within the vessel directly into the boat hatchways. No pressurizing/depressurizing of large interior spaces involved.

Also, at this time, no military defense forcefields or teleporters and a real paucity of ray-gun-like armament. Missiles and rocks are in fashion.

In a hard sci-fi storyline, energy weapons (ray-gun-like armament) would probably be impractical for long-range ship-to-ship combat, but would be quite suitable as short-range point-defense weapons.

"Missiles and rocks are in fashion." Is that meant to be "rockets" or does the ship mount railgun/mass driver weapons?

Forbin wrote:

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Very nice, very different and original!

Aridas, the sawtooth on the top view kinda looks like the ship turns very low-res as you go aft!

Maybe the sawtooth look is caused by a series of retractable panels which extend when the drive is engaged. As for the low-res, how about the gravitic drive causes light refraction when active...

[ancient]

I think a few vertical rocket fins would help balance it, make it less flat.

[Admiral Buzzkill]

therealfoxbat wrote:

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"Missiles and rocks are in fashion." Is that meant to be "rockets" or does the ship mount railgun/mass driver weapons?

That would be "rocks" - the railgun option. Though all of this is somewhat in flux - me no like rayguns, but aridas has suggested something that's sort of half-and-half.

Lot of good suggestions here, guys.

[USS Mariner]

Hmm, what if you simply added a central bulge/core to the center of this thing, or perhaps a cavity? I really don't think fins and other crap are going to "make" this design head into the direction you're shooting for.

I love the sawtooth idea. Keep that.

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Mariner Class wrote:

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Hmm, what if you simply added a central bulge/core to the center of this thing, or perhaps a cavity?

Actually, one possible direction I'm working on does both of those things in an odd combination.

The overhead "delta/spoiler" died a quick late-evening death; it didn't suffer, but it doesn't work.

I'll post a 3D of aridas new drawing with the outboard "tanks" in a hour or two.

[Admiral Buzzkill]

And here are some of aridas refinements:

[Kaiser]

:thumbsup: this is awsome

im likeing how this progressing

[Harry]

Looks nice.

One suggestion: maybe it would look better if the saucer rim would end in a sharper edge (and maybe be thinner overall). I think it might make it look more refined and a bit less 'heavy'.