Just use a "Connie"!

[Stewey]

It be nice to see one again, but it does not need to be USS Discovery. One of the old complaints I heard in the 80s and 90s, was that the TOS era Starfleet was not presented as diverse enough for the amount of territory they were patrolling. Not every ship would be a Constitution, nor should it be if there were only 13 or so of them in the fleet. What about the other ships? Discovery gets to be basically the first ship of that era we see in Star Trek that isn't a Constitution or a freighter.

Those complaints made I would speculate were made without taking into account that they didn't have the budget to bring in different ships, they had to get funding from a model company just to get the shuttle.

Had they had the cash, I would imagine there might have been more ships from starfleet that aren't of the same class as the hero (herione?) ship

 

[WebLurker]

Personally, I'd like to see a bridge between the ENT-style tech and the TOS-style tech, on a new ship.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Is the Discovery one of the twelve "Starships" of TOS? Yes it's presumably a different class of ship, but if it turns out it can do all the same things as the Enterprise...

 

[LtChange]

There are 12 Constitution class star ships not 12 ships in total. That is a difference.

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

It all depends on your interpretation of Kirk's line "there are only twelve like her in the fleet". Some think it means 12 ships, some think it means 13 ships. Some think it means Constitution-class ships, some think it means Starship-class ships, some think it means cruisers or starships in general.

 

[Mudd]

There are 12 Constitution class star ships not 12 ships in total. That is a difference.

Yeah, we know that to be true because we've seen more than twelve other FTL ships.

 

[Mudd]

Exactly the opposite. The aesthetic comes second because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Reverence is more important when dealing with iconic and classic designs.

You've confused what matters to you with what's important to everyone.

That "reverence" only matters to the existng fan base - and not even to all of them, only to the most tradition-minded.

Aesthetics matter to everyone - long-time fans but more importantly viewers who will be watching "Star Trek" for the first time, now and in the future.

Of course, CBS really needs those new viewers most of all, if they intend for Trek to continue for more than a few more years.

Pretty obvious, really.

 

[BillJ]

There shouldn't be any real need to redesign the Constitution. It will be nothing more than a background ship, if seen at all.

 

[fireproof78]

Oh I agree with that point, I just don't want to see jj-prises (and other jj-verse ships) flying around in the prime timeline.

A couple of points.

First, a prototpe Connie doesn't automatically mean an Abrams style ship. I would expect more of a cross between an NX-01 and a TOS asthetic.

Secondly, both ENT and the USS Kelvin are in the "Prime" universe for the production team to work from, as far as ships and aesthetics.

Finally, I think the production team will do whatever they want, and service the story.

Personally, I'd like to see a bridge between the ENT-style tech and the TOS-style tech, on a new ship.

My feelings on this are similar. That's why I think the Kelvin could also potentially inform their design.

 

[WebLurker]

My feelings on this are similar. That's why I think the Kelvin could also potentially inform their design.

Does the Kelvin represent a step between the ENT and TOS eras? I honestly don't feel like it does. It seemed more like a primitive version of the alternate reality design. Now the Franklin felt a lot more authentic. (Your mileage may vary, of course.)

Also, could the Discovery team use Abramsverse stuff, the way that the Star Trek copyrights are divided?

 

[fireproof78]

Does the Kelvin represent a step between the ENT and TOS eras? I honestly don't feel like it does. It seemed more like a primitive version of the alternate reality design. Now the Franklin felt a lot more authentic. (Your mileage may vary, of course.)

Also, could the Discovery team use Abramsverse stuff, the way that the Star Trek copyrights are divided?

Star Trek still falls under CBS purview. They may not be able to distribute or make films, but everything I have read (taken with a jar of salt) indicates that CBS can use it.

I felt like there were some facets of the Kelvin that felt very much like that progression, though I agree that the Franklin fit very well. This Reddit thread discusses another person's take on Kelvin's fitting. I agree with the overall conclusion, that the Kelvin fits quite well, but I think there are some minor quibbles on design that could be changed. I think Engineering feels too big, and the weapons systems are kind of odd. Other than that, I like the Kelvin, a lot, and think it works as a NX-01 to TOS bridge.

 

[Mudd]

Well, at the time of Discovery, Pike and Spock are already cruising around on Enterprise.

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

You've confused what matters to you with what's important to everyone.

That "reverence" only matters to the existng fan base - and not even to all of them, only to the most tradition-minded.

Aesthetics matter to everyone - long-time fans but more importantly viewers who will be watching "Star Trek" for the first time, now and in the future.

Of course, CBS really needs those new viewers most of all, if they intend for Trek to continue for more than a few more years.

Pretty obvious, really.

You've confused the threads. This is the Constitution-class thread. You probably meant to post this in the USS Discovery thread.

The USS Discovery is the hero ship of the series. So obviously that's important. The Constitution-class will be a background ship if used at all. If it has a bigger role it will probably be something analogous to the USS Defiant in ENT. So it will be fan service and they owe it to the fans to use the original Constitution or as close as it gets with modern production values.

Pretty obvious, really.

Unless you really think than a new beautiful background ship (and not the hero ship) will earn CBS All Access new viewers/subscribers.

Absolutely ridiculous.

 

[fireproof78]

Not to interject, but there is nothing the writers "owe" in terms of production value beyond an entertaining story.

 

[Mudd]

Not to interject, but there is nothing the writers "owe" in terms of production value beyond an entertaining story.

Exactly so.

To keep this thing going, though, they'll need to be really different.

 

[Stewey]

A couple of points.

First, a prototpe Connie doesn't automatically mean an Abrams style ship. I would expect more of a cross between an NX-01 and a TOS asthetic.

I agree, but on your second point; according to the flawed first contact apologetic, enterprise isn't in the prime timeline.

Secondly, both ENT and the USS Kelvin are in the "Prime" universe for the production team to work from, as far as ships and aesthetics.

Nope, for the above reasons

Finally, I think the production team will do whatever they want, and service the story.

My feelings on this are similar. That's why I think the Kelvin could also potentially inform their design.

They probably will, but they will be wise to ensure the setting is in keeping with the pre-existing prime timeline aesthetics, just as you would expect a show set in victorian england to respect that time-period (no post-victorian technology, fashions, etc).

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

They probably will, but they will be wise to ensure the setting is in keeping with the pre-existing prime timeline aesthetics, just as you would expect a show set in victorian england to respect that time-period (no post-victorian technology, fashions, etc).

If anyone plans to film a Horatio Nelson movie/TV series he'd better redesign the HMS Victory if he expects new viewers.

 

[Stewey]

If anyone plans to film a Horatio Nelson movie/TV series he'd better redesign the HMS Victory if he expects new viewers.

Let me give an example where cosistency with a pre-existing aesthetic actually works;

Alien Isolation is a game where the aesthetics are very consistent with the original alien film and its sequels, I didn't see people refusing to buy the game because of this, alien fans or just casual gamers.

Not only was the story well received, but the game gained critical acclaim because they bothered to make it fit in-universe.

 

[WebLurker]

I agree, but on your second point; according to the flawed first contact apologetic, enterprise isn't in the prime timeline.

Nope, for the above reasons.

ENT is in the prime timeline and the Kelvin predates the incursion that created the Kelvin timeline, so, in theory, Discovery could use both, if they makers wish.

 

[Kemaiku]

I fully expect Columbia Class refits, Enterprise crew members, 22nd century technology still used on some remote outposts, ships with polarised plating etc turning up into the end of season 1/start of season 2.