Doug Drexler defends the NX-01/Akira differences on "Trekyards"

[Albertese]

I was never really put off by the NX-01 that I can recall. I always liked the art direction of the show, no matter what I felt about other aspects of it. And I agree completely that starships should bear a great deal of similarity due to the shared functionality between them.

--Alex

 

[F. King Daniel]

The point is that Drexler was told to use the Akira as the NX-01. Rightly realizing how stupid that would be, he took it upon himself to make changes to the design to make it look older (and flipping the nacelles upward) but still retaining the basic shape and several attributes of the Akira.

And this is why I don't get how bitter he seems over it. Sean Hargreaves recently did interviews (including Trekyards IIRC) about the USS Franklin, where he explains he had his design brief and built a ship to the requirements. He's very frank about any flaws in the design (there's no shuttlebay because nobody told him to put one in) and why it looks like the NX (script changes required him to flip the nacelles from under to over). How's the NX-01 any different? He was just doing as he was told.

Obviously, I don't know Doug. Maybe I misread his intensity and he's like that over everything.

 

[jamestyler]

And THIS is why artists should avoid engaging too closely with fandom.

Considering Drexler's background pre-Trek, it'd be pretty difficult to not engage with the fandom he's always been a part of. Very few can just switch off that button when they cross over from fan, to part of it.

He took part in an interview with my groups Q2 mag and obviously the NX-01 came up; he was incredibly passionate about his work. That passion, whether perceived as positive or negative by some, shows why the Enterprise in particular came with so much attention to detail, and a really well rounded design.

 

[Mudd]

This says it all about the mentality behind the creation of Enterprise.

The mentality behind the creation of Enterprise had to be, in part, "how can we save this tanking franchise?"

Sadly they failed, largely because the show was too much like what had come before. It took Abrams and his team of outsiders to resurrect Star Trek.

 

[drt]

Indeed. Doug himself pointed out that aircraft carrier designs haven't really changed in decades. I would add that prop planes haven't changed much in that time either.

If a configuration works, it works.

If real physics were involved and "warp dynamics" an actual thing, the ships from all of the races would probably be very similar looking.

 

[ancient]

I just don't like the design. Too flat, too dark, too chunky

 

[Anduril]

It also didn't help that the ship it was based off of was from 200 years in the future.

The Akira is based on the design of the NX class.

 

[Dukhat]

The Akira is based on the design of the NX class.

Ha ha.

 

[t_smitts]

If real physics were involved and "warp dynamics" an actual thing, the ships from all of the races would probably be very similar looking.

Many do have a few common properties, like forward-facing deflectors and twin nacelles. Beyond that, cultures tend to get wedded to a design theme: Feds, Klingons, Romulans, etc.

 

[Ithekro]

Too flat, too dark, too chunky

Even Drexler complains about the lighting on the ship. He had it much brighter lit as designed.

 

[Mytran]

Many of of Trekyards better videos are their interviews and this is no exception.
Doug is a great interviewee because he gets so passionate! He is also brim-full of exposition about the design process.

FWIW, Drexler's blog (sadly now gone) is what really turned me around to appreciating the NX-01 from my initial dismissive reaction to the design. I miss it :-(

 

[Idran]

Many of of Trekyards better videos are their interviews and this is no exception.
Doug is a great interviewee because he gets so passionate! He is also brim-full of exposition about the design process.

FWIW, Drexler's blog (sadly now gone) is what really turned me around to appreciating the NX-01 from my initial dismissive reaction to the design. I miss it :-(

The Wayback Machine has most of the images from it still up, at least; you can't search it obviously, but you can navigate it well enough through links.

http://web.archive.org/web/20130116084307/http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/

 

[ancient]

Even Drexler complains about the lighting on the ship. He had it much brighter lit as designed.

Yeah I watched that episode. The designer interviews are fantastic, these guys really love the universe.

 

[Forbin]

Having had a front-row seat right here to the whole debacle, I think it may have been avoided entirely if the first leaked image was the three-quarters view seen inside the issue of TV Guide previewing the series, rather than the top-down view that was put ont he cover. The fact that the dorsal view was also a low-res thumbnail (even for the time) played up the similarities in the gross shape and hid practically all of the differences aside from the nacelles (come to think of it, I'm not sure we'd even had official orthos of the Akira at that point, so even the most sharp-eyed shipwatchers wouldn't be able to see the proportional difference at a glance).

But, the first thing we saw was the view that looks most like the Akira, at a size that hid all it's distinguishing characteristics. I remember my own reaction was, "What the hell, is that just an Akira with TOS nacelles?" followed by, when I saw the second picture a few days later, "Oh, I guess not. It's actually quite distinct." I think some people just never got past the first impression.

I think you may be on to something there. That was exactly my reaction to the TV Guide picture, and I don't doubt it poisoned my mind for the ship. But in the long run, as someone else said, I just didn't like the design.

 

[Solariabsg25]

I always thought the Akira did have similarities to the NX01, but my attitude was really so what?

I mean, did anyone see "The Wounded" and go ape that the Phoenix was a rip-off of the Reliant?

Just treat it like Doctor Who. He's asked why Timelords look like humans, and he explains no humans look like Timelords as they came first.

 

[USS Firefly]

I always thought the Akira did have similarities to the NX01, but my attitude was really so what?

I mean, did anyone see "The Wounded" and go ape that the Phoenix was a rip-off of the Reliant?

Just treat it like Doctor Who. He's asked why Timelords look like humans, and he explains no humans look like Timelords as they came first.

No the Nebula class was a whole new and original design.
The Reliant was a rip-off from the soyuz class

 

[Gepard]

Obviously, I don't know Doug. Maybe I misread his intensity and he's like that over everything.

I met the guy a few years ago in a professional capacity; that's just how he is.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Just treat it like Doctor Who. He's asked why Timelords look like humans, and he explains no humans look like Timelords as they came first.

Actually we have no idea who came first, as Gallifrey's "home" time period has, IIRC, never been nailed down.

The Akira is based on the design of the NX class.

Actually, in the (yes, yes, I know, non canon, but I don't give a shit) novelverse, this really is true. The Akira was deliberately designed as an homage to the NX class.

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

The Akira was deliberately designed as an homage to the NX class.

Oh, you mean just like the modern retro fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro was inspired by the 1966-69 first-generation Camaro? Starfleet must have sold lots of Akira starships on the nostalgia factor alone!

 

[Ithekro]

Well there were a lot of Akiras in the Dominion War.