Donny's TOS Enterprise Interiors

[Basill]

I rationalise it as not a classic triccorder, but a scanner designed to specifically seek out the tiniest trace of organic matter, and provide a directional bearing. Don't the beeps get faster as Saavik finds Chekov and Terrell on Regula 1? Obviously the latter are looking for life on Ceti Alpha, so the same device would be perfect for their uses too. Perhaps it's a handheld version of Reliant's "dynoscanner" that picked up the initial "minor flux reading"?

Bones doesn't have one, so I doubt it is capable of any medical use.

I myself used to speculate that it was something meant to be more "passive" a sensory system (which is perhaps why it needed to be so much larger in order to be more sensitive?) simply because they were beaming into the Regula Station labs, which may have harbored elements, energies, or devices that could react poorly to active tricorder scans, given the nature of the Genesis experiments (proto-matter anyone?). Even Saavik could only detect "Indeterminant life signs", when they first beamed down (then again there's no telling what material Terrell and Chekov were boxed up in). I liked my initial idea until I realized that Terrell also carried one on Ceti Alpha V, thus my rationalization flew out the window.

But I like your idea Tomalak, and it kind of fits in slightly with my previously abandoned notion, in that (at the very least) they were forced to use less standard field equipment given the delicate nature of the Genesis research in general.

Of course we all know it was just because it was 1981 (during production), they were a cheap lease, and that people just love beepy blinkie things.

 

[Donny]

I myself am liking the idea more and more that, even in the 23rd-century Earth economy, there are still different companies manufacturing technology competing to get their products in use aboard starships. Not as cut-throat as in today's corporate world, of course. I believe Shane Johnson touched on this in his description of the two different phaser models, with "Sestra Weapons" and "Atalskes Phaser Corporation" contributing designs. This thought can explain not only why there are at least two different phasers, tricorders, and communicators in use in this time-frame, but also why each model looks so radically different from the other.

I'm also thinking ahead, in a game sense. If I ever make a story-driven game out of all these environments and props, wouldn't it be cool to let the player choose which phaser, tricorder, or communicator model they'd like to beam down with on a mission? And each different model would perform slightly differently in-game (one phaser might have a quicker rate-of-fire, but the other may be more accurate). Most gamers revel in the fact that you can personalize your experience when playing games nowadays. I think it would be a nice touch.

But, again, I'm just thinking ahead.

 

[David cgc]

Assuming there are multiple suppliers for things like phasers and tricorders and starships makes the design lineages a lot more reasonable, too, when design trends seem to shift back and forth in time. The same company made the phase-pistols on Enterprise and the lasers from The Cage, while another one made the Kelvin, TOS, TSFS, and TFF versions. The TMP version is such a weirdo it could've been made by either, or a third (maybe the same people who did the dustbuster-phasers from TNG, or the streamlined FC rifles).

 

[Donny]

First pass on texturing. I'm going to tone down the dirtiness in some places, and fix the distortion of the ribbing on the piping.

 

[Sibyl]

I like how the top portion appears to be formed leather or similar.

I'm also learning a lot about texturing just from your examples. Thank you. That is one aspect of CG that I've never excelled at.

 

[Donny]

I like how the top portion appears to be formed leather or similar.

I'm also learning a lot about texturing just from your examples. Thank you. That is one aspect of CG that I've never excelled at.

It's supposed to be a dark metal, but I can see where you can get the "leather" impression. Perhaps I need to tweak it a bit.

 

[Sibyl]

Oh, sorry. It appeared to be more textured than metal, however, I can see how a heavy-duty tricorder would get dented up some.

 

[Donny]

Whipped up a generic "scan grid" screen, purposefully retro-tech.

 

[FormerLurker]

Are there any kind of trigger controls on the handle? That would help with versatility.

 

[Tallguy]

That ribbing makes it look like a Geiger counter! (See what I did?)

 

[Donny]

That ribbing makes it look like a Geiger counter! (See what I did?)

Anyway, here are some beauty shots of the new tricorder:











And the interactive 3D view can be found here: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/eg5E3

 

[Tallguy]

You know, it's not my favorite prop and I don't really think about it very often. (Um... as opposed to how often I think about other tricorders?)

But darned if I don't look at this thing and hear it beeping.

 

[Jedman67]

He's an expert modeler with an encyclopedic knowledge of Star Trek sets and he has at least two pretty good looking starfleet uniforms (from two different eras) AND he has a girlfriend? *runs*

I'm usually not one to brag, but she's a knock-out and a Trekkie to boot! Plus she's just all around great.

just wait till the kids start coming

I myself am liking the idea more and more that, even in the 23rd-century Earth economy, there are still different companies manufacturing technology competing to get their products in use aboard starships. Not as cut-throat as in today's corporate world, of course. I believe Shane Johnson touched on this in his description of the two different phaser models, with "Sestra Weapons" and "Atalskes Phaser Corporation" contributing designs. This thought can explain not only why there are at least two different phasers, tricorders, and communicators in use in this time-frame, but also why each model looks so radically different from the other.

This could also explain the frequently changing uniforms: Starfleet, like today's Dept. of Defense; has a convoluted and complicated bidding and procurement process - so the uniforms seen on FC/DS9 were actually contracted back when Picard had the Stargazer, for example, and it just took time for procurements and contracts and bids to run their course.
I'm just surprised they didn't have phasers "sponsored by: PepsiCo Replicators", "GE Impulse" or "American Spacelines" etc.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I myself am liking the idea more and more that, even in the 23rd-century Earth economy, there are still different companies manufacturing technology competing to get their products in use aboard starships. Not as cut-throat as in today's corporate world, of course. I believe Shane Johnson touched on this in his description of the two different phaser models, with "Sestra Weapons" and "Atalskes Phaser Corporation" contributing designs. This thought can explain not only why there are at least two different phasers, tricorders, and communicators in use in this time-frame, but also why each model looks so radically different from the other.

I believe I read that speculation in one of the Best of Trek collections I have. Competing contractors certainly seems plausible to me.

That ribbing makes it look like a Geiger counter! (See what I did?)

The same thing I said on pg. 139, only with H. R. Giger's name misspelled?

 

[GNDN18]

TOS had its own version of a heavy duty tricorder:

…so the TWOK version is not without precedent. And it doesn't hurt that the series tricorder was an (HR) Geiger counter.

 

[Donny]

^^You're absolutely right! I forgot about that thing!

 

[Redfern]

For years I thought the device in "The Naked Time" was some dorky, simplistic prop using a coffee can for part of its mechanism. Imagine my shock and embarrassment when learned that was a real Geiger counter! I learned from a long running thread in the TOS sub-forum discussing various "one time" and/or "seldom used" props.

Sincerely,

Bill

 

[Trimm]

I love the display you came up with for the TWOK tricorder Donny, looks perfect for the prop.

 

[Donny]

I love the display you came up with for the TWOK tricorder Donny, looks perfect for the prop.

Thanks. A lot of thought went into that screen, believe it or not.

I'm taking queues from Alien: Isolation, as it's probably one of my favorite games of last year. In the book, The Art of Alien: Isolation, their art director explains how they didn't want anything in that game to look like it was out of place in a movie that was made in 1979. That's the same feeling I've had about this project all along. If they couldn't have made it on a set in 1982, I don't want it in my project.

So all display screens will have a decidedly retro vibe to them. No pretty modern-day or futuristic graphics. Very low-fi, low-res stuff. All the bridge monitors are the same as well, scan-lines and all.

 

[Redfern]

Easy for me to claim such AFTER you've explained it, but honestly, the motion scanners from "Alien" is what I thought when I saw that readout.

Sincerely,

Bill