I love how your modeling research is kicking out long-buried set construction details. It's fantastic.
Ok, so here's a fun little project. The shuttecraft MUST have a toilet in that aft compartment, right? But if so, what would that toilet look like? The age old Star Trek question. I started thinking about what kind of toilet the design team would've come up with for the shuttlecraft had they needed to show it on screen. So I figured that the production designers would have most likely used a toilet setup from a 1960s camper trailer or aircraft. So after doing some googling, I came across this nice vintage unfolding toilet/sink combo. It would make perfect sense for the shuttlecraft too, making it easy to stow the toilet and sink away for when work is to be done in the aft compartment. Check it out here, in it's different configuration modes: What do you guys think about me going this route with the design of the shuttlecraft toilet? Too fancy for TOS? It does, however, sort of follow another stow-away design we see in the TOS officer's quarters: the rotating mirror/dresser alcove. And it's vintage aesthetic fits right in with TOS. I also like this idea because it takes care of the fact that if there's a toilet, there should probably be a sink as well (please post any thoughts on the necessity of a sink too) Otherwise, I was thinking about taking a more modern (to us) approach. I'd obviously "TOS-ify" the design to make it look a little more like it belongs in the classic TOS universe, of course. But the knobs are very TOS, so this may work as well but is more conspicuous than the stow-away design. Thoughts?
I think the first design works. It reminds me a little of the fold-away toilet on "Firefly," and it seems of a piece with the telescoping commode we saw in the brig in TFF. If it was embedded into the bulkhead rather than a giant wall-wart, it'd be perfect as-is.
Either of these would work, but I think the top foldaway one is the way to go. On the other hand the bottom one looks a bit like a more compact version of the zero-gravity toilet that was used on the actual space shuttles.
Oooh thanks for mentioning the "Firefly" toilet. I haven't seen Firefly (I know, I'm terrible), so I'd never seen this before:
What gets me are those tiny shuttlepods - there must be some facility, right? I know we get all those "waste extraction" gags in DS9, but still... Your retractable solution is very elegant Donny. As elegant as a porcelain throne can get anyway! Looking forward to seeing it TOS-ified.
Bonus suggestion: Recycle this particular detail from The Cage bridge (mounted sideways) on the wall next to the fold out toilet. It should be fairly obvious why...
I think the chart recorders were made by Honeywell and the "Brown" company just put there name on it. Here is a photo of the Honeywell version:
LOL, well, I'm always trying to make new discoveries!!!! I superimposed both the Brown and Honeywell over a screen cap and the cutouts appear to be exact on all three.
I've thought about the bathroom issue before, both in a general sense and concerning shuttlecraft. Without ever seeing that fold-up camping toilet before, I had imagined something very similar. As far as the necessity of facilities in general, however, I think it depends on how long a trip people are making. I've occasionally changed my diet enough where my need to go has dramatically decreased. I imagine that in Star Trek, through engineered nutrition, as well as some kind of novel digestive supplements, they could significantly change the frequency, amount, consistency, and odor, of human waste. Maybe they only need to go once a week, and it comes out like odorless pellets!
In "Galileo Seven" they were out for a long time. Definitely long enough to need a porta-John set up in the back. Something like that wall-mounted fold-out thing makes perfect sense in such a confined space.
I like the first foldaway option for the sink & toilet. It seems like a good use of the space. You might also want to consider trying to TOS-ify the brig toilet seen in Star Trek V: http://movies.trekcore.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=49272&fullsize=1
Yep. Take that camper toilet as is, repaint it and plop it in there. That's probably what they would have done. Maybe take off the soap holder. Do you even human?
This discussion of "potty in space" underscores on of several (understandable) omissions in Trek. Where does Archie flush? (And how do they afford him some privacy while in the privy?) Where do they wash their hands... or DO they ever wash their hands??? (both of these are necessities for both starships and extra-vehicular excursion craft, like the Galileo) Where do extra-vehicular craft dock with other vessels when needed? (What if Kirk had sent Galileo over to board the Defiant?) Where's the airlock? Where do they keep the spacesuits? Do shuttlecraft have the capacity to serve in-flight meals? Do landing parties ever get left behind while a starship goes on other missions, and, if so, does the crew left behind have a way to bivouac? If a shuttlecraft is damaged while off on its own in deep space, does the flight crew have the ability to at least try to repair it? The fold-up potty and sink is a great idea, and I would expect the 23rd-century version to be even more compact and elegant.
So I actually am stuck on the toilet for now (not literally ), as a few different configurations I've tried haven't felt right yet. So while I marinate more on how the toilet and sink should look, I detoured and started working on a game ready model of the hand phaser. Since we indeed saw a phaser storage compartment in "The Galileo Seven", and I promised myself I'd finish a fully featured and detailed shuttlecraft before I moved on from it, I'd have to model the phaser soon anyway. Plus I think I can finish it before I leave on my trip home this Saturday for Christmas break. Anyway, here's the first night of work, with the high poly model of the smaller Phaser I which I will use to bake details onto a lower poly model (yes, you will see some segmenting on some of the curves but that's because this has to run in a game engine so I have to make choices on when to skimp on ploygons) I modeled the TOS hand phaser years ago but I've learned so much about modeling since that it begs a rebuild (and a few different paint jobs)
Not bad atoll [sic]!!! I've been meaning to model the TOS phasers, myself. I'll get around to them, eventually. A long time ago (decade-and-a- half?) I did the Trek III phaser, but it left a lot to be desired. I can do much better now. As to the questions that @Wingsley posed...there sure doesn't seem like enough room in a TOS shuttlecraft for all that unless it's...wait for it...bigger on the inside.