Franz Joseph Blueprints Revisited

[ZapBrannigan]

The Enterprise blueprints by Franz Joseph have some nice touches that only a fan can pick up on. "There are fourteen science labs aboard this ship!" Count 'em. "I'm in your Deck 6 Briefing Room." And it's there. But I would add a couple of things.

I wish he had included the Emergency Manual Monitor that overlooks the engine room. That's an obvious item and its absence is annoying.

And this thing with the Bridge being offset 36 degrees, that isn't necessary. If I'm not mistaken, FJ overestimated the size of the Bridge floorplan. If you correct for that, you'd have more room in the saucer's exterior structure that houses the Bridge. I think the elevator would then fit over on port side where you'd expect it, and the captain's chair can face forward instead of 36 degrees off.

The supposed elevator housing seen on the ship's exterior could be something else entirely.

 

[Warped9]

When FJ's blueprints were released it was exciting and fascinating. I still have my originals. Yet it didn't take long to realize bit by bit that what he had drawn was not the ship I had seen onscreen despite it being advertised as such. Yeah, where was the Emergency Manual Monitor and Auxiliary Control for example?

But the style and professionalism of his work was inspiring and set a lot of fans on a path of emulating him and building on what he did. A lot of 3D modelling in Trek today can trace its roots right back to FJ's Booklet of General Plans and Star Fleet Technical Manual.

It wasn't FJ's accuracy or authenticity that was inspirational. It was the style and professionalism applied to a subject matter often dismissed as not worth the effort.

 

[blssdwlf]

When FJ's blueprints were released it was exciting and fascinating. I still have my originals. Yet it didn't take long to realize bit by bit that what he had drawn was not the ship I had seen onscreen despite it being advertised as such. Yeah, where was the Emergency Manual Monitor and Auxiliary Control for example?

But the style and professionalism of his work was inspiring and set a lot of fans on a path of emulating him and building on what he did. A lot of 3D modelling in Trek today can trace its roots right back to FJ's Booklet of General Plans and Star Fleet Technical Manual.

It wasn't FJ's accuracy or authenticity that was inspirational. It was the style and professionalism applied to a subject matter often dismissed as not worth the effort.

Well said.

 

[SchwEnt]

^^^ IIRC, FJ plans were for the Constitution class, not specifically the Enterprise as seen under Kirk's mission. I think there was also a disclaimer in the notes about vessels in the class having variations and changes not reflected in the General Plans.

I'd say this gives some leeway in the differences, such as the missing Emergency Manual Monitor.

I still love the FJ stuff, some of the best ST work ever.

 

[Warped9]

^^^ IIRC, FJ plans were for the Constitution class, not specifically the Enterprise as seen under Kirk's mission. I think there was also a disclaimer in the notes about vessels in the class having variations and changes not reflected in the General Plans.

I'd say this gives some leeway in the differences, such as the missing Emergency Manual Monitor.

I still love the FJ stuff, some of the best ST work ever.

Yeah, but as a fan I wanted drawings of the ship I saw and loved onscreen and not some generic unknown. And it would years more before we started to see more faithful drawings begin circulating.

That said FJ's work did add to much of the world building we saw/heard onscreen, the references that suggested so much more "beyond the bulkhead."


Now I have to say that FJ's influence encouraged me to have a similar style when doing my own 2D schematics.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

When FJ's blueprints were released it was exciting and fascinating. I still have my originals. Yet it didn't take long to realize bit by bit that what he had drawn was not the ship I had seen onscreen despite it being advertised as such. Yeah, where was the Emergency Manual Monitor and Auxiliary Control for example?

But the style and professionalism of his work was inspiring and set a lot of fans on a path of emulating him and building on what he did. A lot of 3D modelling in Trek today can trace its roots right back to FJ's Booklet of General Plans and Star Fleet Technical Manual.

It wasn't FJ's accuracy or authenticity that was inspirational. It was the style and professionalism applied to a subject matter often dismissed as not worth the effort.

Well said.

Yes.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Yeah, but as a fan I wanted drawings of the ship I saw and loved onscreen and not some generic unknown. And it would years more before we started to see more faithful drawings begin circulating.

That said FJ's work did add to much of the world building we saw/heard onscreen, the references that suggested so much more "beyond the bulkhead."


Now I have to say that FJ's influence encouraged me to have a similar style when doing my own 2D schematics.

That's great work, Warped9. Very cool.

Another fine draftsman inspired by FJ was Michael McMaster, whose Klingon Battlecruiser and Enterprise Bridge plans are well-known.

 

[Forbin]

I'd say that while FJ started me on the road, I was even more inspired by Jackill and Ships of the Star Fleet. Only I wanted MY diagrams to be in color!
http://www.inpayne.com/portfolio/datasheets.html

 

[F. King Daniel]

I love FJ's old blueprints. They set the standard and spawned a million imitations (most of which can be found on www.cygnus-x1.net)

Were they 100% screen accurate? No, but they were close enough for a make-believe world and fired the imagination. A few of the ideas are odd, a few of the assumptions differ from those of Matt Jefferies and some parts of it don't fit the modern view of the Trekverse (most notably the location of engineering and lack of a warp core), but it was all approved by Gene Rodenberry at the time.

And they're where we learned that NCC stands for Naval Construction Contract!

Here's a neat 3D flyby someone made, which does a lot to show the sheer size and complexity of the Enterprise:
[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWrsEL0TyPk[/YT]

 

[publiusr]

Well, FJs ship lives on as Achernar now.

 

[RAMA]

That STTMP music during the video gets me every time...

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

But the style and professionalism of his work was inspiring and set a lot of fans on a path of emulating him and building on what he did. A lot of 3D modelling in Trek today can trace its roots right back to FJ's Booklet of General Plans and Star Fleet Technical Manual.

It wasn't FJ's accuracy or authenticity that was inspirational. It was the style and professionalism applied to a subject matter often dismissed as not worth the effort.

From an entertainment industry / ancillary market standpoint, FJ's work was revolutionary (like many TOS market releases). Today, sci-fi schematics are commonplace, with many thinking Star Wars was the production to make that a popular piece of merchandising, but FJ's work on TOS tech broke ground on so many levels, it is little wonder the Technical Manual and fold out blueprints were runaway bestsellers in the mid 1970s.

At the time, I too realized FJ's Phaser, Tricorder, Enterprise pylons and other details were not screen accurate, but it was such a massive look into the world only hinted at in The Making of Star Trek (1701 & Klingon illustrations), that accuracy took a back seat to the joy of seeing an expanded TOS Starfleet.

I still rate it as one of the most important, must-have books for TOS fans and historians.

 

[Warped9]

I still rate it as one of the most important, must-have books for TOS fans and historians.

Agreed.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

From an entertainment industry / ancillary market standpoint, FJ's work was revolutionary (like many TOS market releases). Today, sci-fi schematics are commonplace, with many thinking Star Wars was the production to make that a popular piece of merchandising, but FJ's work on TOS tech broke ground on so many levels, it is little wonder the Technical Manual and fold out blueprints were runaway bestsellers in the mid 1970s.

At the time, I too realized FJ's Phaser, Tricorder, Enterprise pylons and other details were not screen accurate, but it was such a massive look into the world only hinted at in The Making of Star Trek (1701 & Klingon illustrations), that accuracy took a back seat to the joy of seeing an expanded TOS Starfleet.

I still rate it as one of the most important, must-have books for TOS fans and historians.

I heartily agree with all the praise. Regarding what was inaccurate, you can add the size, shape, and weight of the communicator. But what was wrong with his pylons?

 

[Forbin]

I loved that his internals on the tricorder showed 1960s electronic components, and his bridge station cross-sections showed the CRT scan angles for screens. Even back then I thought that was all about a week from becoming archaic.

 

[Warped9]

I recall a day back in high school sometime around 1975 when a group of us were sitting around a table in the library and we were talking about what we thought things might be like around the year 2000. I don't recall who else was at the table, but the conversation did resonate even after all these years.

We talked about some of the new science and tech (at the time) and where it might lead. We wondered about the politics of the day and what might happen. Back then the Soviet Union was still near fifteen years from dissolving and the idea of something like that happening seemed so unlikely.

My essential point was that the world (along with science and technology) has changed in ways we couldn't imagine back then. Human nature really hasn't changed at all but manifests itself in slightly different ways in what we can obsess about. Cars are nothing like what could have been envisioned back then, but that said I think they are far more advanced then what was then imagined. Computer tech is far, far more advanced than what could have been envisioned then and that has had an incredible ripple effect with near everything.

One thing I think is behind what we could have imagined is space technology or more specifically space exploration. Apollo was still fresh in our minds and we envisioned a much more vigorous and hands-on type of exploration than the remote and scaled back kind we presently know.

 

[Forbin]

In 1975 I would have been stunned and dismayed to find out we hadn't sent another man beyond earth orbit since then. By this time, I fully expected manned bases on moon & Mars, with manned exploration ships plying the outer system.

 

[Metryq]

I recall a day back in high school sometime around 1975 when a group of us were sitting around a table in the library and we were talking about what we thought things might be like around the year 2000.

Probably the single biggest change "around" that time was the creation of monolithic circuits. The changes were tremendous, though I doubt any of us really "noticed" it happening.

T. R. Reid's THE CHIP is a well-written history of the men who created ICs. I was watching ENTER THE DRAGON shortly after finishing the book, and I laughed at the size of the headphones someone was wearing. Then I thought about the materials science that came with ICs and computers. Other things that jump out at me from "old" movies include CRTs on computers and cell phones the size of a briefcase.

 

[AtoZ]

In 1975 I would have been stunned and dismayed to find out we hadn't sent another man beyond earth orbit since then. By this time, I fully expected manned bases on moon & Mars, with manned exploration ships plying the outer system.

Completely agreed. The fact that we haven't to me is extremely telling. The implications run in many different directions.

 

[Mytran]

I loved that his internals on the tricorder showed 1960s electronic components, and his bridge station cross-sections showed the CRT scan angles for screens. Even back then I thought that was all about a week from becoming archaic.

Isn't there a line in the book about the tricorder interiors being shown using "20th century equivalent components" in order not to pollute the timeline?

I assumed ditto for the CRT monitors.