Was the reveal of the Enterprise-A a big surprise?
- Thread starter Amasov
- Start date
Ugh. Those nacelles don't belong on that ship. I'd prefer something like this:
That's by me, by the way.
That is actually very nice.
Now I would like to see the refit continued--and those nacelles do rock.
Now on the subject of aft torpedoes, I don't like the aft torpedo in the same neck. The ABBE saucer should be placed on the 1701-A redeux.
There, the wide impulse separation allows for aft torpedoes to go on the saucer bwetween the widely spaced impulse exhausts
This keeps the side view fluid.
I used to read every bit of fandom I could get my hands on and I was completely surprised at the reveal. I had assumed that either Excelsior would be renamed Enterprise or that a second Excelsior class ship would be revealed as the new Enterprise (which is what they really should have done, IMHO) but I had no idea when this would happen. I was surprised they used the BoP for the whole film and saved the new ship for the very last minute. The Thanksgiving night 1986 packed theatre went wild at the reveal, though.
I have to agree that I wish the new ship was not a twin of the original. The original was practically a character, one that had sentimental value to its crew and the audience. I realize all starships looked alike on TOS but this was "our" Enterprise. To have it so quickly cloned implies they just tumble out of a large vending machine. I would even have accepted a new name on a new ship.
It was a surprise to me. Back in 1986 there was no precedent for another ship called the Enterprise. I assumed they would get the Excelsior or maybe another "new" ship.
As much as I like the refit design of the Enterprise it was very strange to see them magic one up from nowhere. (It's the Yorktown renamed, right?)
As much as I like the refit design of the Enterprise it was very strange to see them magic one up from nowhere. (It's the Yorktown renamed, right?)
That's one idea. Other names have been bandied about here and there, but generally they all involve it being a ship that was renamed Enterprise.
I would have liked to have seen the Ent-A be an excelsior class ship. It would have been nice to explore the excelsior class on screen more, such as engineering and other areas.
I agree. The Excelsior was supposed to be a state-of-the-art design. The Constitution-class design was being phased out of Starfleet by 2286. Why offer Kirk command of an obsolete ship?
--Sran
It is mentioned that the 1701-A could not be the Yorktown because it was mentioned earlier in the film (solar sails etc..). It still could be the Yorktown as we have no idea how much time had passed since the the crew returning, the Trial and later heading to space dock to the 1701-A. A month could have passed between them getting back and the trial or between the trial and space dock, we don't know. So there could have been time for the Yorktown to get re-branded.
An idea I've had is that it was a conscious effort to reward Kirk with a ship that was identical to the original Enterprise as well as it being partially a public relations move to have Kirk go about the Galaxy in his most famous ride.
That makes sense. The public would certainly appreciate seeing the crew that saved their planet exploring the galaxy in the same ship that they made famous.
--Sran
Or it was a way to give him a ship without giving him something too high profile like a top-of-the-line vessel, after the stunt he pulled in III.
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Yeah, I've heard some fans propose something similar to this as well and it could be one of several reasons why Kirk was given another Constitution-class vessel.
What evidence is there that the Constitution-Class was being phased out at the time of TVH? Yes, the Excelsior was state of the art, but it was also an experimental prototype that was just getting ready for "trial runs" three months prior in TSFS, when it was sabotaged by Scotty. It would likely be years before the Excelsior class was put into full production and the Connies phased out of active service. So, I don't see it odd at all that new ships of that class were still being produced at this time.
Admiral Marrow's comments gave me that impression. Why decommission Enterprise if Constitution-class vessels are to continue being used? She was badly damaged but salvageable. Why not do another refit as Scotty suggested? Also consider that no other Constitution-class vessels are seen after the Enterprise-A is retired from service in spite of there being several Miranda-class ships that remain active well into the twenty fourth century. The only on-camera explanation that makes sense is that the remaining ships were retired. It may not have happened at the exact time I'm suggesting, but it's likely production of new ships stopped in the late twenty third century.
--Sran
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