NX class and the Akira Class

[Tiberius]

Okay, so a lot of people have said that the NX class is a lousy design because it is a copy of the Akira class. Or they've said that the Akira class is a bad design because it is so similar to a ship design that Starfleet used two centuries earlier.

Personally, I never found either of those arguments to be convincing. While they are very similar, why should Starfleet have a 24th century ship that is based on a 22nd century design? The Galaxy class is likewise clearly descended from the Daedalus class.

What are your thoughts?

[King Daniel into Darkness]

The NX-01 looked cool. That it vaguely resembles a background ship from First Contact matters no more than the other Enterprises looking similar.

[Mage]

I always thought that the NX made sense.

An efficient saucer design, housing everything needed, with the nacelles that hold all the spacefolding thingamajigs attached to it.

[Robert D. Robot]

I really like the NX class. As Mage said, a good, compact, efficient design. I've read some cool articles on the thought that went into the design process by the Trek folks, taking some additional inspiration from the WWII Lockheed P-38 Lightning (the "Fork-tailed devil"). In Universe, there is much logic in (and no problem with) revisiting an earlier, successful design configuration for a new class of ship. After all -to expand upon what Tiberius & KingDaniel have said- we didn't hear much uproar that the Sovereign design was clearly descended from the Galaxy that was a modified Excelsior design that was an altered Ambassador, etc.... and all the way back through the previous classes that were a cigar shape with a saucer over the front and two roughly cylindrical engines in back of it. The NX is a sweet design!

I know that some folks hoped to see a unique, primitive design that was something noticeably different from the familiar Starfleet configuration of components, but I am pleased that we got a ship that looks like it is 'part of the family'. 'Enterprise' also gave us some other "new" ship designs (the Vulcan ring ships, Andorian warships, ...) that satisfied my interest in seeing recurring 'different' Trek 'wessels'.

[NCC-1701-B]

I don't mind the similarities, because I'm sure the only thing the Akira class shares with the NX is the vague shape. It even happens now, with the new Mini and Fiat 500. There's no reason people won't like retro design in the 24th century.

[SchwEnt]

I like seeing different ship designs as they evolve thru succeeding classes.

Seeing how the Constitution design evolved thru Enterprise/Constitution II thru Ambassador and Galaxy classes. We see the same with the Surya/Coventry into the Miranda/Avenger classes into the Nebula class.

With the NX and Akira, we got to see another design of ship and how it evolved thru the centuries. I'd like to see TOS and TMP era versions of an Akira type (Loknar?)

I'd like to see more of this, and there's already a current thread about this, regarding a TOS Defiant type ship. Good stuff.

I like to see where any given ship design came from, and where it might go.

[Mutai Sho-Rin]

When I was moderator on this forum, the hostility toward the NX design was almost as rabid as toward the song. I never understood either argument. The song was a favorite for myself and my wife; we had it played at our 25th anniversary party. The ship clearly showed its pre-evolution state leading to the TOS Enterprise. ENT remains my #2 series behind TNG but the margin is very small.

[C.E. Evans]

I was one of those that really didn't care for the NX-class originally, and even to this day, I'm kind of ambivalent about it in the sense that I still would have preferred something that wasn't such a "Star Trek-style" ship for a pre-Star Trek series.

But I long ago reconciled the design with the idea that by the time of TOS, Starfleet had adopted a policy of using standardized and interchangeable hull components (saucers, nacelles, deflector dishes, etc.) for its ships. As a result, the vessels of Kirk's era reflected that specific philosophy in Starfleet history, which included enclosed warp field grills as well as retractable weapon systems.

[HopefulRomantic]

Mutai Sho-Rin wrote:

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When I was moderator on this forum, the hostility toward the NX design was almost as rabid as toward the song. I never understood either argument. The song was a favorite for myself and my wife; we had it played at our 25th anniversary party. The ship clearly showed its pre-evolution state leading to the TOS Enterprise. ENT remains my #2 series behind TNG but the margin is very small.

We happen to have a theme song hate thread running right now. Ah, nostalgia! Some things never die.

Personally, I like the NX design and the theme song. Sweet that you played the song at your anniversary party.

[BillJ]

It's grown on me over the years, but I'd rather have John Eaves original design.

[Mage]

What bothered me more, was that I was hoping for a design more Human. And seeing elements in Vulcan, Tellarite and Andorian shipdesign from the 22nd century that would make be reconizable to us as viewers as inspiring 23rd and 24th century Starfleet design.
Meaning that 23rd and 24th century Starfleet was heavily inspired on designs from all Federation members.

But other then that, I love the NX class.

[T'Girl]

I loved the Akira design, and liked the NX design. The only real problem I had with the NX was I thought that it was too large for it's time period, It should have been "tighter."

[Tiberius]

BillJ wrote:

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It's grown on me over the years, but I'd rather have John Eaves original design.

Got a link to this?

[Mr. Laser Beam]

If there must be any kind of in-universe explanation, I'd settle for the Akira class being created as an homage to the NX. A tribute, if you will.

Or maybe it's just a proven design that's worked for 200 years in Starfleet.

[teacake]

The NX-01 is beautiful.