What are those turbolift exteriors supposed to be?

[Tallguy]

I finally got around to watching Q & A in Short Treks the other night. (Amazon won't let me watch on the Roku. )

And it showed another one of those "turbolift on roller-coaster rails traveling through vast empty space with lots of movement and twinkly lights in the far distance".

What is this even supposed to be? Have any of the show-runners / FX people / whoever mentioned this? Explained it? Or (showing my opinion) defended it?

Obviously the thing that made me finally think "enough!" and ask around was that they showed this on the Enterprise.

If this has been answered I'd be grateful for a link.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

No feakin' clue.

 

[fireproof78]

Showing off the modular insides of the ship. It hasn't had everything installed.

Something about Tuesday.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

I’m normally not a person who gives a hoot about this kind of thing, but whoever had that idea and the subsequent number of people who must have approved that idea in order for it to reach the screen…

It went into a level of Star Trek silliness that was even too much for me. And I’m totally down with Abraham Lincoln in space.

The whole idea should have been strangled in the cradle.

 

[fireproof78]

I’m normally not a person who gives a hoot about this kind of thing, but whoever had that idea and the subsequent number of people who must have approved that idea in order for it to reach the screen…

It went into a level of Star Trek silliness that was even too much for me. And I’m totally down with Abraham Lincoln in space.

The whole idea should have been strangled in the cradle.

I don't take it seriously. I think it's just a visual fun gag that the art team enjoyed doing. If nothing else it is meant as a representation of how isolated Spock and Una feel in the moment.

I don't take it seriously and see no reason to do so.

 

[Tuskin38]

On (Pre-Refit) Discovery it's a systems hub. This came from the Discovery Season 2 art book.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

I see it as a cool visual effect and not to be taken literally.

 

[The Wormhole]

Officially, no there's been no explanation. Various insiders have told stories that the turbolift rollercoaster was something Kurtzman thought was cool and inserted in by executive fiat over the complaints of the show's art department who had their own internal layout thought up. Another story is that this was part of the "fix canon" initiatives in season 2 in that they felt a need to explain why the Crossfield class is double the size of a Constitution class but has a fraction of the crew, most of its internal space is taken up by the rollercoaster. Although that story is shot down by the Q&A Short Trek showing the Enterprise has a similar contraption onboard.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

If nothing else it is meant as a representation of how isolated Spock and Una feel in the moment.

Eh, I might be able to get behind that if Star Trek were actually the kind of show that regularly played in that kind of abstract ballpark, but it's not.

I don't take it seriously and see no reason to do so.

I don't take it seriously. I just don't think it's very good.

YMMV, of course. I guess you know from many talks that I'm not the 'whiny' type, but I guess everyone has their own threshold.

 

[fireproof78]

Eh, I might be able to get behind that if Star Trek were actually the kind of show that regularly played in that kind of abstract ballpark, but it's not.

Art is open to interpretation

YMMV, of course. I guess you know from many talks that I'm not the 'whiny' type, but I guess everyone has their own threshold.

I know I am not always that whiny either (sometimes, depending on the topic). This is one topic that I think I lean in to as something to take metaphorically and have fun with it that way. I am not a super technical guy and don't enjoy the various starship technicalities as much as I use to. I am someone who would rather work with it as presented rather than just go "Too stupid. I'm just going to ignore it."

Though there are things I have ignored so maybe I'm a bit of a contradiction too.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Clearly, the Enterprise is hollow.

It's worth noting that on the official Engineering location diagram used in the making of "Strange New Worlds" that they acknowledge that engineering needs a size cheat in order to fit inside the ship:

So I don't think they're too fussed about things being too big. Just look at the Great Turbolift Caverns hidden between Discovery's decks in season 3, stretching off into infinity and full of giant electrical transformers and buildings.

 

[fireproof78]

Clearly, the Enterprise is hollow.

And I have touched the sky.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Also in this concept art you can see some of the rollercoaster space above engineering (we get a tiny glimpse of it in SNW S01E01) , which also would not fit.

 

[fireproof78]

That's it!

I am no longer watching SNW! They just don't understand Jefferie's vision!

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I think that the only logical alternative is that the Great Turbolift Caverns are within the interconnecting dorsal that connects the saucer to the engineering hull!

 

[Tuskin38]

Although that story is shot down by the Q&A Short Trek showing the Enterprise has a similar contraption onboard.

But so far we’ve seen no evidence of it in SNW

 

[F. King Daniel]

But so far we’ve seen no evidence of it in SNW

Except the opening episode engineering shot I cited and showed concept art of.

 

[Tuskin38]

Except the opening episode engineering shot I cited and showed concept art of.

Doesn't look like the same thing to me. I think that's meant to be the part of engineering we saw in the short trek.

 

[Tallguy]

I see it as a cool visual effect and not to be taken literally.

How is it meant to be taken? And why is it cool? It looks like the planetary assembly floor from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

I can't even come up with an analogy. If there was a semi-regular stock shot of the bridge door opening and seeing hundreds of people wandering about on the outside hull and crawling down gopher hole shaped hatches. It might look epic but how would it tie to the "reality" of the ship?

Various insiders have told stories that the turbolift rollercoaster was something Kurtzman thought was cool and inserted in by executive fiat over the complaints of the show's art department who had their own internal layout thought up.

That's good to know.

Except the opening episode engineering shot I cited and showed concept art of.

I don't think that looks anything like the roller coaster system. For one thing there isn't nearly enough open space. It looks like a lot more engineering area. And going by "rule of cool" it actually DOES look cool.

 

[Tallguy]

It's worth noting that on the official Engineering location diagram used in the making of "Strange New Worlds" that they acknowledge that engineering needs a size cheat in order to fit inside the ship:

That vista-like view is looking forward at the deflector? Mind blown. (Where did that come from?)

Just look at the Great Turbolift Caverns hidden between Discovery's decks in season 3, stretching off into infinity and full of giant electrical transformers and buildings.

I think that's what I'm referring to in the thread topic. I can't even come up with a "creative" reason for them.

You want to tell me the Enterprise was built on the ground in Iowa? Fine. Not what we'd assumed before but one can imagine things being built on a planet and an advanced technology being able to get it into space. And it looks neat.

But who was thinking "I want to see this mostly empty space in the middle of the ship with all kinds of things flying around because I bet that's totally what it looks like in there"?