Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki
Hey, I like the design of the Excelsior. I've never understood the religious hatred against it. (I understand not liking it.. but.. it's the fanatacism about it that loses me...)
But, all these years hence, would you REALLY expect them to say 'no no, that really ISN'T what was there, here's an entirely new model instead, so just PRETEND'?
I'm writing this many years after your above post so you have my apologies for exhuming this thread if you would've preferred it to rest peacefully. However, I had to chuckle when I read it, considering at this time they had already—unknown to many of us—redesigned the Gray Lady of TOS into what's now known as the Reboot/Abramverse Enterprise.

No offense intended since I actually agree with your sentiments on this subject. Fanaticism typically stifles creativity, which is why Abram was justified in not hiring on professionals that were ST fans or Trekkie's.
As for the subject of ship designs, I reveled with awe and excitement when first seeing the Refit and the Excelsior in their respective intros. These are amazing looking vessels and really pushed the production quality of ST to new heights, and more importantly, opened up the possibilities that Trek is known for.
Admittedly though, the canon-D had the opposite affect when I first saw her, but it wouldn't be long before a deep appreciation settled in and love is all I feel when I see her now. With that said [IMHO] the design of the canon-D doesn't flow well with the lineage of her predecessors. At least, not with the canon-C immortalized as it is. However, Probert's Ambassador appears to be bang on. When I first saw pics of it, it was confusing to understand why they didn't go with this as the new 'D' over the one ultimately used. Even if her saucer section were more ovoid like the canon-D she would've—not just fit the timeline better—but looked better to boot.
Personally I'm not a huge fan of the canon-C, especially when Probert's design was already available. It's not a bad design per se and I still like it in many respects, but she appears more retro than the Excelsior; looking more like an overweight version of the 'A' than a true progression of the overall design lineage. If it wasn't destined to become the D, Probert's design better ties together the B and D as what should've been canonized as the 'C'.
Anyway, like the subject of car design, there's always more opinion than skill available, so the subject will always be clouded by personal preference and dogmas. Mine included!