Is the NX 01 one of the better ships (aesthetically)?

[Danger Ace]

I watched Enterprise clear through twice last year as research for my upcoming novel Rise of the Federation: A Choice of Futures.

Absolutely brilliant, you worked in a plug! My God, you do get points for that, well done!

And sitting through "Enterprise" twice in a decade would be a feat of tremendous stamina and perseverance let alone twice in one year, BRAVO!

I'm totally bewildered that you see it that way. ...

Oh dear, your feigning does need work though.

And fear not, I'll leave a light on for you.

 

[Mysterion]

I think the interior sets for NX-01 are amongst the best ever built for any of the Trek series. They actually look like they might be functional areas of a starship to my mind. (At least in the context of Star Trek. I imagine the real thing might end up looking entirely different.)

Kind of cramped and awkward in places, but still looking like someplace you might end up working in. Unlike some of the other ships from other series that look more like they were built to be camera friendly first, and starship-like second. While i'm sure those same considerations were at play when they built the NX-01 sets, it doesn't look that way. Points for that.

 

[BillJ]

I think the interior sets for NX-01 are amongst the best ever built for any of the Trek series. They actually look like they might be functional areas of a starship to my mind. (At least in the context of Star Trek. I imagine the real thing might end up looking entirely different.)

They definitely went the extra mile when putting the sets together. Probably the most realistic looking sets from any Trek series or movie.

 

[Danger Ace]

I think the interior sets for NX-01 are amongst the best ever built for any of the Trek series. ... Kind of cramped and awkward in places, but still looking like someplace you might end up working in.

I would generally agree. Engineering was the only set I recall thinking was undersized on "Enterprise." One thing all the Treks had in common, in my opinion, was the wonderfully talented technicians and artisans who made it all look good and feel real. The cramped crew quarters was a good touch. They said at the time they wanted a submarine type claustrophobia and that's exactly what they achieved.

 

[Hopeful Romantic]

I watched Enterprise clear through twice last year as research for my upcoming novel Rise of the Federation: A Choice of Futures.

Absolutely brilliant, you worked in a plug! My God, you do get points for that, well done!

And sitting through "Enterprise" twice in a decade would be a feat of tremendous stamina and perseverance let alone twice in one year, BRAVO!

I'm totally bewildered that you see it that way. ...

Oh dear, your feigning does need work though.

And fear not, I'll leave a light on for you.

Warning for trolling. Comments to PM.

 

[Mr.AtoZ]

Count me in as also someone who finds the NX-01 to be a very plausible looking ship. It is one of the better things they did in that series.

The real test was up against the USS Defiant in the mirror universe episode. I feared the vessel would look oddly less impressive than the NX-01. But the Constitution class starship is cleaner and minimalist in design, while delivering superior technology in addition to a far more impressive size. That is what technological progress ultimately provides. Less clutter, more efficiency.

In The Next Generation we saw an extension of this idea, but then the movies changed the game up and put widgets all over the hull, turning the NCC-1701E into more like a larger version of the NX-01. I really think they should have adhered to the principles of ship skins defined in the Original Series movies. You see the Aztec paneling but the overall surface is smooth and mostly free of grooves, seams, rivets, and other external distractions.

 

[Melakon]

The real test was up against the USS Defiant in the mirror universe episode.

Yes. I didn't get to see that episode until this past January (and didn't see the entire series until last month). I still see too much Akira in NX-01, but the side by side scenes with Defiant really work. It shows that John Eaves (design) and Doug Drexler (CGI mesh & detailing) knew what they were doing all along. The two ships show how right Matt Jefferies was with his original concept of minimal exterior features representing the future.

 

[C.E. Evans]

The real test was up against the USS Defiant in the mirror universe episode.

Yes. I didn't get to see that episode until this past January (and didn't see the entire series until last month). I still see too much Akira in NX-01, but the side by side scenes with Defiant really work. It shows that John Eaves (design) and Doug Drexler (CGI mesh & detailing) knew what they were doing all along. The two ships show how right Matt Jefferies was with his original concept of minimal exterior features representing the future.

It is often the thing overlooked or just not considered in complaints about the original Enterprise not being very detailed. Jefferies thought it was more practical for various systems to be concealed behind hatches inside the hull where the crew can service them without having to go outside the ship. Jefferies had to actually fight to keep other people from adding stuff to the Enterprise's exterior.