Favorite U.S.S. Enterprise starship design?

[zar]

I apologize for this question, for I mean no disrespect.

I'm curious: why is it that so many people (and not just in this thread) like TMP refit best?

Again, nothing against it, but I just don't understand why it seems to be *by far* the most popular.

Can anyone help answer this for me?

See this thread: http://trekbbs.com/showthread.php?p=4243177#post4243177

That's probably the closest thing you'll get to an objective explanation of the refit's popularity: the 1701 and the refit are the only aesthetically perfect designs, according to math and architectural tradition.


But the question still remains why the refit is the more popular out of those two.

Well, likely because it's more detailed. The original doesn't even have a visible torpedo launcher. It was meant to be seen on the tiny, low-quality TVs of the 60s, so adding much detail would have been a waste.

The other reason I notice a lot of people mention is that the "satellite dish" deflector dates it. That just doesn't look as cool as it would have in the 60s, but the TMP refit still looks awesome to me, someone who grew up in the 90s.



For the record, I also like the TMP refit best. I don't truly dislike any of the designs, but most of them look good from certain angles and awkward from others to me. The 1701 and 1701-refit however, seem perfect from every angle.

Other designs I like are C, D, and E.

I like the shape of the secondary hull of the D. For some reason it reminds me of a sea ship floating by whenever I see it in an Ent-D flyby, which is cool. Strange, I know.

I like how the C looks like a natural evolutionary step belonging somewhere between A and D. The B doesn't seem to do that as well. I think instead of simply reusing the Excelsior-class, they should have created a new design inspired by A and C.

I love the nacelles on the E. It was nice to see this nacelle design again later in the Nova-class (Equinox). I also like how the two sections are molded together, like on Voyager, rather than being separated by a neck. I love the necks, but the solid one-piece designs of Voyager and Ent-E are nice too.

 

[Lord Garth]

NCC-1701 Refit, particularly TMP, inside and out.

TMP was not the first Star Trek movie I saw but, when I did see it, it sold me on the Enterprise. The Enterprise never looked so real to me before. One of the most impressive scenes in all of Star Trek to me, visually, is when Kirk and Scotty are finally onboard the Enterprise and we see the interior of the landing bay and the Engineering Set, both of which looked massive and high-tech.

Even better when I saw the teaser for TMP on the DVD release of TMP. Not the full-blown movie preview but the one before it that focused on the Enterprise in dry-dock, pulled out, and cut back-and-forth while introducing the cast.

That, to me, is The Enterprise.

 

[Captain Mike]

Tie for first place between the TMP refit and the E.
2. The Ambassador Class (C)
3. The Galaxy Class (D)
4. The TOS model
5. The Exelsior Class (B)
6. The NX Class
I won't rank the "Abramsprise" due to I find nothing aesthetically pleasing about it.

 

[Galileo7]

NCC-1701 Refit, particularly TMP, inside and out.

TMP was not the first Star Trek movie I saw but, when I did see it, it sold me on the Enterprise. The Enterprise never looked so real to me before. One of the most impressive scenes in all of Star Trek to me, visually, is when Kirk and Scotty are finally onboard the Enterprise and we see the interior of the landing bay and the Engineering Set, both of which looked massive and high-tech.

Even better when I saw the teaser for TMP on the DVD release of TMP. Not the full-blown movie preview but the one before it that focused on the Enterprise in dry-dock, pulled out, and cut back-and-forth while introducing the cast.

That, to me, is The Enterprise.

That is the reaction that I had too.

 

[Pauln6]

Amen.

 

[James Wright]

TOS Enterprise & Star Trek VI Enterprise

 

[tharpdevenport]

Enterprise D
Followed by A

Original was servicable enough and does evoke a certain "thing" missing from Trek now.

B was just a crummy, unecessary re-wroking of the beloved Excelsior design.

C was nice -- should have been used more in Trek (what? we can have tons of Excelsior-class ship appearences and battle damaged ships, but never an Ambassador class one?).

E was fucking terrible.

And in that book of Star Trek ship designs, there is one for a futuristic Enterprise J (as I recall). Aweful.

 

[Galileo7]

C was nice -- should have been used more in Trek (what? we can have tons of Excelsior-class ship appearences and battle damaged ships, but never an Ambassador class one?).

Absolutely agree, you would think based on appearances in NG, DS9 and even VOYAGER episodes that the Excelsior class starships are the bulk of Starfleet. While the Ambassador class must have not been built in mass like the Excelsior class was, since it only appeared in four episodes of NG and one of DS9.
http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Excelsior_class
http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Ambassador_class

 

[Piper]

For Piper: It may not be Enterprise, but it IS a beautiful picture of the class.

It is at that

And I agree with tharpdevenport and Galileo7, always thought it was much more attractive a design than the Excelsior, dunno why it was only used a handful of times

 

[Arpy]

C was nice -- should have been used more in Trek (what? we can have tons of Excelsior-class ship appearences and battle damaged ships, but never an Ambassador class one?).

Absolutely agree, you would think based on appearances in NG, DS9 and even VOYAGER episodes that the Excelsior class starships are the bulk of Starfleet. While the Ambassador class must have not been built in mass like the Excelsior class was, since it only appeared in four episodes of NG and one of DS9.
http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Excelsior_class
http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Ambassador_class

I never liked this argument. They reused the Excelsior and the Miranda more than the Constitution and the Ambassador for reasons having nothing to do with anything in-universe. And for all we know, there are twice as many i.e. Ambassadors than Excelsiors throughout space - we just didn't see them during the specific missions and camera shots we were privy to.

It's like the E-D having a problem with coolant leaks. For all we know the E-D and Galaxy Class overall have a far superior record of coolant problems than any other starship class ever. The writers weren't paying attention to the frequency of that one bit of technobabble any more than we the viewers don't to the frequency of our heroes to get into major trouble. If you don't suspend disbelief, you're asking for a warped sense of reality.

Bah-humbug!

 

[Solarbaby]

Enterprise D looks like it could be a real ship more than any other model. Also it separates into 2!

 

[scotpens]

Enterprise D looks like it could be a real ship more than any other model. Also it separates into 2!

To me, of all the Enterprise designs, the Enterprise-D looks least like a spacecraft. It looks like an abstract sculpture or a piece of Martian furniture. If it wasn't covered with windows, I'd have no idea it was supposed to be a vehicle of some sort.

 

[KJbushway]

Enterprise D looks like it could be a real ship more than any other model. Also it separates into 2!

To me, of all the Enterprise designs, the Enterprise-D looks least like a spacecraft. It looks like an abstract sculpture or a piece of Martian furniture. If it wasn't covered with windows, I'd have no idea it was supposed to be a vehicle of some sort.

I would agree but not 100%.
yes, the enterprise-d is the least like a space craft. To big for its own good. However, the NX is more realistic to a future earth ship than any other enterprise. However, the size of the neck of the enterprise-D is better in my opinion than the skinny little one of the TOS enterprise.

 

[Gojira]

Enterprise D looks like it could be a real ship more than any other model. Also it separates into 2!

To me, of all the Enterprise designs, the Enterprise-D looks least like a spacecraft. It looks like an abstract sculpture or a piece of Martian furniture. If it wasn't covered with windows, I'd have no idea it was supposed to be a vehicle of some sort.

I agree that the Enterprise D is very ugly and my least favorite design. The secondary hull looks so alien like and the design is disproportionately top heavy. My favorite scene in Generations was its destruction. I applauded it.

 

[scotpens]

yes, the enterprise-d is the least like a space craft. To big for its own good. However, the NX is more realistic to a future earth ship than any other enterprise. However, the size of the neck of the enterprise-D is better in my opinion than the skinny little one of the TOS enterprise.

As I've pointed out in several other threads, the TOS Enterprise's slender pylons are part of its esthetic appeal. They're subliminally reminiscent of the masts of a graceful, majestic clipper ship under full sail -- a calculated part of the “Hornblower Effect.”

 

[Sector 7]

C was nice -- should have been used more in Trek (what? we can have tons of Excelsior-class ship appearences and battle damaged ships, but never an Ambassador class one?).

Absolutely agree, you would think based on appearances in NG, DS9 and even VOYAGER episodes that the Excelsior class starships are the bulk of Starfleet. While the Ambassador class must have not been built in mass like the Excelsior class was, since it only appeared in four episodes of NG and one of DS9.
http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Excelsior_class
http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Ambassador_class

I never liked this argument. They reused the Excelsior and the Miranda more than the Constitution and the Ambassador for reasons having nothing to do with anything in-universe. And for all we know, there are twice as many i.e. Ambassadors than Excelsiors throughout space - we just didn't see them during the specific missions and camera shots we were privy to.

It's like the E-D having a problem with coolant leaks. For all we know the E-D and Galaxy Class overall have a far superior record of coolant problems than any other starship class ever. The writers weren't paying attention to the frequency of that one bit of technobabble any more than we the viewers don't to the frequency of our heroes to get into major trouble. If you don't suspend disbelief, you're asking for a warped sense of reality.

Bah-humbug!

Preach it, Arpy!!

yes, the enterprise-d is the least like a space craft. To big for its own good. However, the NX is more realistic to a future earth ship than any other enterprise. However, the size of the neck of the enterprise-D is better in my opinion than the skinny little one of the TOS enterprise.

As I've pointed out in several other threads, the TOS Enterprise's slender pylons are part of its esthetic appeal. They're subliminally reminiscent of the masts of a graceful, majestic clipper ship under full sail -- a calculated part of the “Hornblower Effect.”

While you may wax poetic in your post, its aesthetic appeal does not make it a better design for a spaceship. I would argue that the Intrepid class is a more spaceworthy design, even though my heart belongs to Enterprise.

 

[AstroSmurf]

^ I think it is interesting how people look at the TOS Enterprise in the present. Back in the 1960's her configuration was revolutionary considering the bevy of flying saucers being thrown at audiences. She was sleek and cutting edge. Funny how perspectives change over time.

 

[YARN]

While you may wax poetic in your post, its aesthetic appeal does not make it a better design for a spaceship. I would argue that the Intrepid class is a more spaceworthy design, even though my heart belongs to Enterprise.

Trek is a fictional universe, so comments about actual spaceworthiness are of dubious import. In the Trek universe ALL designs of the Enterprise are space worthy.

On the other hand, aesthetic appeal is something that we can judge independent of our speculations of what is "really" space-worthy in a fictional universe that includes warp drives and instantaneous transportation.

From my POV, the slenderness/whispiness reflects an aesthetic choice, just as much as the elaborate curves on the Enterprise D signal a sensitivity to form.

We should not assume that the Big E is made of materials like our own. Moreover, we should not assume that it is just the physical connections that hold the thing together. There are various field-projecting systems on the ship which act as support structures for the ship. Inertial dampeners are not just a God-send for the crew, but for the internal structures of the ship as well.

What I love about the TOS/TMP Enterprise is the verticality of the design. As time went by, it seems there was a felt need to increasingly squish the thing. The Enterprise E is basically the culmination of this trend.

 

[scotpens]

While you may wax poetic in your post, its aesthetic appeal does not make it a better design for a spaceship. I would argue that the Intrepid class is a more spaceworthy design, even though my heart belongs to Enterprise.

Trek is a fictional universe, so comments about actual spaceworthiness are of dubious import.

Exactly. For a real deep-space vessel, the most practical form for the living and working spaces is a simple sphere -- structurally the strongest and most economical shape. But a big ball is boring (the Daedalus class notwithstanding).

 

[Praxius]

I always was a fan of the Galaxy class battleship, but when the E came along, and they had the space fight with the borg by the deflector, for some reason that got me hooked on that ship:

http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Sovereign_class

For me, it kind of combines the best of all the worlds of federation starships..... the Galaxy class's size and intimidation, the Voyager era feel to it..... and on some angles, does show off a few features of the old 1701.