The 'look' of The Undiscovered Country

[Lazarus]

Is it just me or does the 'look' of the Enterprise in The Undiscovered Country really appeal to you?

Perhaps it's just because I have an interest in military and naval history, but I've always enjoyed the more militaristic overtones and military 'feel' to the film with regards to Starfleet.

As far as the appearance of the film, I like the presence of actual switches and tactile interfaces onboard the Enterprise, as well as the metallic deckplates and overall more hard-edged appearance to the interior of the ship.

Pipes running overhead in more cramped looking corridors, people drinking from china cups and saucers displaying the crest of the starship, actual kitchens preparing food for the crew, clocks on the bridge to (inconsistantly) give the time, the style of the status displays around the bridge, photon torpedoes actually blasting through the saucer section of a ship, vessels actually shaking themselves apart at maximum warp...

I even like the paper flip chart Colonel West uses during the Operation Retrieve briefing!

Admittedly "right standard rudder" and similar lines are probably verging a little too far into the nautical side of things, but still...

I've added a couple of images below, anyone else feel this way?

 

[sbk1234]

Agreed, on most parts. I always liked the more nautical feel of it. I thought that was lost in TFF, with too many TNG sets used without anykind of attempt to refurbish. There was that in TUC, too, but it didn't seem as intrusive to me. The tighter, more clausterphobic feel really created a more interesting environment, to me.

 

[Lazarus]

Agreed, on most parts. I always liked the more nautical feel of it. I thought that was lost in TFF, with too many TNG sets used without anykind of attempt to refurbish. There was that in TUC, too, but it didn't seem as intrusive to me. The tighter, more clausterphobic feel really created a more interesting environment, to me.

I think they just made a bit more effort camouflaging all the Next Generation sets for The Undiscovered Country, like adding the piping and extra pieces to the corridors. Of course the observation lounge set was heavily altered (the removal of the horrible gold models) and was never put back for the rest of The Next Generation.

 

[Joker]

Is it just me or does the 'look' of the Enterprise in The Undiscovered Country really appeal to you?

Perhaps it's just because I have an interest in military and naval history, but I've always enjoyed the more militaristic overtones and military 'feel' to the film with regards to Starfleet.

As far as the appearance of the film, I like the presence of actual switches and tactile interfaces onboard the Enterprise, as well as the metallic deckplates and overall more hard-edged appearance to the interior of the ship.

Pipes running overhead in more cramped looking corridors, people drinking from china cups and saucers displaying the crest of the starship, actual kitchens preparing food for the crew, clocks on the bridge to (inconsistantly) give the time, the style of the status displays around the bridge, photon torpedoes actually blasting through the saucer section of a ship, vessels actually shaking themselves apart at maximum warp...

I even like the paper flip chart Colonel West uses during the Operation Retrieve briefing!

Admittedly "right standard rudder" and similar lines are probably verging a little too far into the nautical side of things, but still...

I've added a couple of images below, anyone else feel this way?

That's no bridge...

... that's the studio where Shat's recording his latest album and music video.

 

[The Wormhole]

The starship interiors in TUC remain among my favourite in all Trek. I especially like the various little details, like Sulu's Excelsior coffee mug.

Seriously, the movie probably did the best job of conveying what an actual Starfleet could look like.

Mind you, seeing TNG engineering and transporter room with very little change is a bit jarring. But I overlook it because I understand the budget necessity of it.

 

[Chrisisall]

As far as the appearance of the film, I like the presence of actual switches and tactile interfaces onboard the Enterprise, as well as the metallic deckplates and overall more hard-edged appearance to the interior of the ship.

Pipes running overhead in more cramped looking corridors, people drinking from china cups and saucers displaying the crest of the starship, actual kitchens preparing food for the crew, clocks on the bridge to (inconsistantly) give the time, the style of the status displays around the bridge, photon torpedoes actually blasting through the saucer section of a ship, vessels actually shaking themselves apart at maximum warp...

I even like the paper flip chart Colonel West uses during the Operation Retrieve briefing!

The "kitchen" thing is ridiculous IMO, unless they're just "cooking" replication for the carbonization flavouring, which I could understand.
The flip chart is n/a, as I will not watch the "special edition" ever again.
But in total, yeah, it's effin' great!

 

[Xerxes1979]

Of course the observation lounge set was heavily altered (the removal of the horrible gold models) and was never put back for the rest of The Next Generation.

Hey I happen to like that wall sculpture! It was certainly better than the cheap crap they had for an Enterprise legacy display in First Contact.

 

[Maxillius]

If I were to reshoot the original series, I would use the TUC bridge consoles, seating, graphics, and controls with TMP lighting and furniture.

Except I would make the graphics functional since they kinda weren't because they were designed in 1991.

On a side note, anyone ever notice that the TMP engineering set is exactly the same as the Voyager engineering set?

 

[Brikar99]

Agreed. This is, by far, my favorite of the Enterprise sets.

 

[STR]

Hey I happen to like that wall sculpture! It was certainly better than the cheap crap they had for an Enterprise legacy display in First Contact.

If I recall from John Eaves blog, those models were actually quite expensive, as they were plated with 24k gold.

 

[Prologic9]

On a side note, anyone ever notice that the TMP engineering set is exactly the same as the Voyager engineering set?

The engineering set they built for TMP is the same set they used for all of the movies, TNG, and Voyager. Voyager reused the original warp core as well, not seen since TWOK.

 

[RapidNadion]

I completely agree, OP. TUC's visual design appeals to me the most, as well. It's evident in off-ship sets as well, like the conference room at Starfleet Headquarters. The colors, the reading lamps, the fleet logos -- I always found it to be a very believable setting for a classified meeting like that.

I always get a little miffed when people rip on the TUC bridge for looking like a recording studio. I understand that those are, in fact, stereo equalizer sliders on the helm, but that never occurred to me until after someone on the BBS moaned about it. Truthfully, I found the Trek tech in TUC to be the most appealing blend of TNG-style black panels and TMP-style physical buttons. It also does a nice job of bridging the physical era with the all-touch bridge we see on the Enterprise-B.

Combine that with the most realistic-looking hand phasers to date, the excellent graphic signage throughout the ship, the aforementioned steam piping in the overhead (harkening back to TOS's valves and conduits) ... and, yeah, OP. IMO, you've hit it right on the head. This is the Enterprise *I'd* want to serve on.

 

[Warp Coil]

TUC definitely gave Starfleet its best look. I appreciate things that seem a bit more "real" and that's what I see in TUC. A lot of people choose the bridge from TFF as their favorite, but I don't see how. I never thought it looked terribly interesting or even very functional. The set revisions in TUC made it look like a real, working command center for a starship.

 

[Geckothan]

Yep. It's a million times better than the XI look.

 

[Chrisisall]

Yep. It's a million times better than the XI look.

A million?
An exaggeration?

 

[The Wormhole]

Yep. It's a million times better than the XI look.

A million?
An exaggeration?

No, a million is an accurate number.

 

[Chrisisall]

No, a million is an accurate number.

Ahh, an inference.

 

[Anticitizen]

I liked the look of the metal panels/cabinet doors in the kitchen - they looked stained and weathered, as if the steam/fumes/heat from the cooking for a thousand meals had left their mark. The Enterprise looked lived-in.

 

[The Castellan]

Ehhh, I was never big on the millitary look or feel. Felt waaaaay to millitary for me.

 

[Brikar99]

TUC definitely gave Starfleet its best look. I appreciate things that seem a bit more "real" and that's what I see in TUC. A lot of people choose the bridge from TFF as their favorite, but I don't see how. I never thought it looked terribly interesting or even very functional. The set revisions in TUC made it look like a real, working command center for a starship.

The bridge in 'Final Frontier' always looked to me like they took the shape of the TOS bridge and decked it out TNG-style.