Enterpsie-D TMP-Style

[BolianAuthor]

This is something I've wanted to ask about for a long time, but finally decided to do it... I am a huge advocate of movies not copying themselves, but I have to admit... I am one TNG fan who would have LOVED to have seen a TMP-style flyby around the 1701-D, in a TNG film, with a gentle version of the TNG music for accompaniment.

I think the Galaxy-Class ship is so big, regal, and flowing, that it's a ship that would have lent itself well to such a scene, and the modern CGI tech would have made it something to truly behold. Yes, it would in no way be needed for any given film, but just as a TNG fan, I would have been totally blown away if we had been given such a scene.

Am I alone in thinking this, or wishing for it, or are there other TNG fans among us, who have felt or feel the same way?

 

[Ziz]

What do you mean by "TMP-style fly-by"? Specific TMP scene you were thinking of?

Kirk & Scotty approach
Leaving drydock
wormhole
assorted V'Ger flyovers

 

[Michael]

^ I'm fairly certain he's talking about the flyby scene from TMP. The one where we first see the new Enterprise.

Am I alone in thinking this, or wishing for it, or are there other TNG fans among us, who have felt or feel the same way?

You are definitely not alone! I would have loved to see this. The Galaxy class is a beautiful design. Spending some time to cherish and acknowledge that beauty would have been great.

 

[BolianAuthor]

^

Yeah, that is what I meant, and it's good to hear I'm not alone!

 

[TheSeeker]

Yeah, I would have loved to have seen something like that. I was very disappointed we didn't get more detailed shots of the E-D before her untimely demise in Generations. It was one of the things I was looking forward to with TNG moving to the big screen.

 

[KottenFutz]

A friend of mine always felt that a cool transition scene in the TNG films could have capitalized on every set having a window. We could see a scene end with Picard looking out the window, contemplatively, in his office, panning back and out the window revealing the ship, going further back, then rotating the shot until another window is in frame, then closing in straight thru that window to reveal Geordi and Data (or something) having a discussion and beginning the next scene that way. It could've given scale and grandeur to the Enterprise and add a nice depiction of a living and working Federation vessel full of activity.

 

[BolianAuthor]

That might be interesting... a single long and continuous tracking shot, like the opening scene of the nuBSG miniseries, where Adama is walking through the ship, reciting his retirement speech.

 

[Kegg]

All the ideas bandied about in this thread sound excellent to me. Honestly, I don't think Generations made enough of an effort to make the Enterprise-D feel cinematic even though it was the first and last Trek TV-series setting to make it to the big screen.

Oh they got a new CGI model and spruced up and relit the interiors, but that's not quite the same thing as a majestic beauty shot.

 

[trevanian]

All the ideas bandied about in this thread sound excellent to me. Honestly, I don't think Generations made enough of an effort to make the Enterprise-D feel cinematic even though it was the first and last Trek TV-series setting to make it to the big screen.

Oh they got a new CGI model and spruced up and relit the interiors, but that's not quite the same thing as a majestic beauty shot.

A couple of going-to-warp and taking-damage shots is all the CG version was even used for, it is all 6fter in GEN.

 

[Michael]

A friend of mine always felt that a cool transition scene in the TNG films could have capitalized on every set having a window. We could see a scene end with Picard looking out the window, contemplatively, in his office, panning back and out the window revealing the ship, going further back, then rotating the shot until another window is in frame, then closing in straight thru that window to reveal Geordi and Data (or something) having a discussion and beginning the next scene that way. It could've given scale and grandeur to the Enterprise and add a nice depiction of a living and working Federation vessel full of activity.

You know, it's not the same, but that somewhat reminds me of the first scene from Voyager's Good Shepherd, which starts with a shot from outside the ship, tracks in on Captain Janeway in her ready room and ends with a shot that tracks out from a window way down on one of the lower decks, where a crewman looks over an order that has just traveled from the captain to the bottom of the ship. As I said, it's not the same, but it certainly conveys the notion that the ship is big and real.

 

[RyuRoots]

The flyby scene in TMP was annoying as hell, and I am very thankful no other film tried to reproduce it. Giving us good shots of the ship (which I felt we got) is one thing, but taking us aside for several minutes to say "HEY GUYS LOOK AT THE SHIP" is absolutely obnoxious.

 

[Search4]

I would agree this would be a beautiful shot. Maybe not 7 minutes long, like the original, but worthwhile.

However, don't bely the difficulties. A filming model designed for a 20 inch screen is not a filming model designed for a 60 foot screen. I've seen the models in person, and the "D" model without a complete makeover would not have shown well. CGI was in its infancy and it would have been difficult to build a realstic model of the ship.

The last shot of DS9 featured a pan out from the window. It was a beautiful shot, but was very clearly CGI vs. the actual model. A CGI "D" would have had the same issue, and in spades.

 

[BolianAuthor]

I would agree this would be a beautiful shot. Maybe not 7 minutes long, like the original, but worthwhile.

However, don't bely the difficulties. A filming model designed for a 20 inch screen is not a filming model designed for a 60 foot screen. I've seen the models in person, and the "D" model without a complete makeover would not have shown well. CGI was in its infancy and it would have been difficult to build a realstic model of the ship.

The last shot of DS9 featured a pan out from the window. It was a beautiful shot, but was very clearly CGI vs. the actual model. A CGI "D" would have had the same issue, and in spades.

That's the point, though... this is a TNG film we're talking about... if the people who did TMP could pull what they did off so well with 1979 technology, imagine what we could have seen with the 1701-D, in a TNG film?

 

[Yug]

The flyby scene in TMP was annoying as hell, ... taking us aside for several minutes to say "HEY GUYS LOOK AT THE SHIP" is absolutely obnoxious.

You have to rembember at the time of TMP it was all about the Enterprise. During the rerun period in the 70's we fans felt the ship was as big a star as Shatner and Nimoy... we had blueprints, models, and magazines. It was the most realistic ship in sci-fi, so the "fly by" scene was a total gift to the early fandom since we only had 5 stock images from the tv show for all those years... I still love it.

 

[TheSeeker]

^ I grew up watching the reruns in the 70s so I'm right there with ya!

 

[Forbin]

A few things:

The 6-foot D model was made for TV resolution, and even though they fixed her up for the movie with a new paint job, she really wasn't detailed enough for the kind of close examination that TMP scene gave the A.

Rick Berman hated the D, and half the point of Generations was to get rid of it and leave room to introduce HIS Enterprise, the "sleek, sexy and armed to the teeth" E. So why would he give screen-time honors to the ship he couldn't wait to get rid of?

I'm not sure how detailed the CGI model was, but I'm willing to bet it was made for certain quick shots and wouldn't stand up to that kind of close scrutiny either.

 

[BolianAuthor]

^

Just curious, but where was it stated that Berman hated the 1701-D? Can you point me to an article or something?

 

[The Badger]

Whilst a huge fly-by scene might have ruined the pace of the film, there was certainly room for a few beauty shots in Generations. I remember being very disappointed that our first view of the ship is from the rear as it moves about half way into the frame before cutting away.

 

[Bones2]

^

Just curious, but where was it stated that Berman hated the 1701-D? Can you point me to an article or something?

I can't provide a link, but I think he/they used to refer to it as the picnic table.

 

[Forbin]

I didn't save any links from the magazine articles I read years ago.

It's known that he had two goals in making Generations: He told the writing staff to kill Kirk, and destroy the D, he didn't care how.