Although I didn’t consciously plan it—I was thinking more in terms of retaining a visual cue of the TAS version—the main hull of this design is essentially the Enterprise’s bridge and B/C deck section morphed into a main hull with some of the lower saucer grafted onto it while eliminating the bulk of the Enterprise’s saucer. That alone gives the Bonaventure a visual connection to Matt Jefferies’s design without simply trying to draw a more clumsy looking Enterprise. That and the dual nacelles albeit arranged vertically rather than horizontally.
Playing catch up on this thread! That's actually a very nice render of what looks like a clunky design in the episode! Very nicely done.
Thanks! Getting the input of the original designer really made the difference. It was meant to be an earlier, less sleek version of an "Enterprise type ship" as they didn't want anything to outshine the hero ship. I wouldn't call it clunky but borrowing from architecture 'brutalist' is a bit more apt, or utilitarian.
It is far too close a variation to be credible for what it’s supposed to be. Regarding this current interpretation. When they find the Bonaventure in the pocket universe I don’t recall if there is mention of life detected aboard or energy levels. Are all the ships powerless derelicts and if so then where is the Elysium Council supposed to be? Or is there sufficient power for life support, but not enough for drive systems to make further attempts to escape? This relates to how the Bonaventure should be depicted in the pocket universe, with lights on partially powered or darkened and powerless.
That is one sweet set of renders. If you had stayed with this, I could see that in a live-action TAS episode. Taking the early sketches from Matt Jeffries, which of course gives us a 'Daedalus' feel, ends up with this little beauty. Very cool. Jeffries, of course, is probably where Ardias Sofia took inspiration from too with his Daedalus derivatives! Gorgeous. Love how you've incorporated the design cues of the original TAS drawings and given us this more unique design. I could see this being kitbashed by live action producers by cutting the upper and lower sections of an AMT Enterprise kit saucer and scratch building the rest. If TAS had been live action in 1973, it's a few years too early to use the smaller size Enterprise nacelle from the 'Star Trek Space Ship' set with the Enterprise, D-7 and Romulan Bird of Prey, but hey ho! Brilliant work as always, @Warped9!
The two visual cues I took from the TAS design were the upper saucer section and the nacelle aft end shape. Those two things were distinctive while everything else was derivative. Fan ship design is a challenge of moving away from kitbashing of familiar parts and going for something more distinct while retaining some echo of familiarity. For TOS ships I also try to retain that distinct TOS aesthetic rather than making something look how it might have appeared in a later production.
I don't know who that is I will have to look them up! The only reference we used was the screenshot from the show and some early NX designs from Doug.
I always thought the TAS Bonaventure looks like a parody of the Enterprise. It's just all kinds of wrong as a serious design: each of the main pieces is wackily misshapen, while the connecting pieces seem pretty close to carbon copies of the Ent's.
I prefer the Bonaventure seen in the Ships of the Line calendar. To me, that looks like a predecessor to the 1701.
Is it this one? https://memory-beta.fandom.com/wiki/Bonaventure_class I'm afraid I have to agree with @Maurice about not liking the pigs in a blanket approach.
I really like the loose marker style you use in your design process. It reminds me Ken Adam's style in his set designs for the Bond movies. In my mind, there should always be a bit of a retro '50's aesthetic to a TOS prequel. Forbidden Planet that baby up! Really nice work, @Warped9!
Apologies to @Warped9 for reposting this, and no disrespect to @aridas sofia , I meant that this design reminds me of stuff on the Starfleet Museum site by Masao Okazaki. http://www.starfleet-museum.org Looking forward to seeing the finished Bonaventure render, @Warped9.
I don't find the tumblehome design clunky myself. And of course the argument could be made that USS Zumwalt parallels Olympia's design in the same way the Enterprise parallels the Bonaventure. ----------------------- I'm also of the opinion that sticking business end of a 1960s Soyuz rocket on a starship's rear is a prime example of clunky. I don't think it is something MJ would have done, either. YMMV.
I am presently in the process of trying to compose a shot depicting all the "Time Trap" ships I've modelled so far into one image. I am also thinking of adding a couple of other basic shaped designs in the background to try filling it out more.
Actually - Olympia doesn't have a tumblehome hull form, she has a ram bow. Very common feature during the late 19th - early 20th century. This Bonaventure design really does have that feeling of belonging to the same lineage, while looking distinctly older. Something closer to this would have worked better than the NX-01 we got in ST:E.