It's true that labeling them as bussard collectors would be a retcon based on TNG-era tech. But the idea did exist at the time of TOS, as the Bussard ramjet concept was originally proposed in 1960. What was the function of the nacelle domes on the original Enterprise meant to be? Kor
As far as I know the swirling lights were to suggest the massive energies being processed in the engines, no in universe answer beyond that.
So I get command of a ship, leave space dock and dive bomb into the Atlantic ocean seconds later I'm a legend?
FJ's Technical Manual labled the front of the nacelles "Space Energy / Matter Sink (Acquisition)" That was the 70s. Sounds like the idea for them being Bussard collectors predates TNG, even if they were not called such. So, it's an old retcon
What that sink/source terminology really sounds like is making 'em cigars a sort of space jet engine: suck in space at front, spit out space at back. Or, more accurately, giant pole magnets of some sort. Wasn't the nacelle intended to be explicitly bipolar at one point? That is, after the pilot, the aft end received a spherical feature - wasn't that supposed to glow, too, forming a pair with the front dome? (The side glow was another feature scrapped because of wiring problems, or in this case delayed until ST:TMP) As for Kirk's litany in "The Apple", it very much sounds to me as if he's giving a list of escalating options, in ascending order of severity and complexity. That is, 1) Direct power to impulse 2) Dump warp nacelles 3) Crack out with main section (either saucer or engineering), leave secondary section (either engineering or saucer) behind It's far from said which half of the ship's hull would be considered "main" at that stage of making the show, although the in-universe is pretty clear in retrospect. Timo Saloniemi
Back in the mid-late 90s I read a TNG novel called Rogue Saucer by John Vornholt (sp?) in which the NextGen crew landed a prototype saucer designed to do just that. It's been a long time, but I think the suggestion was made that this is what prepared them for later doing much the same in Generations with minimal loss of life. By the way, in 1966, the nacelle domes were referred to by TOS production staff as "ball power nodules".
John Eaves did the sketch for it, when he designed the ship. But it never made it into a script as far as I know.
I just Googled "Enterprise E saucer seperate", corrected for spelling error, and it's the very first Google Image result that comes up. There is also the sketch, but there is a rendering of it as well.
Definitely... they could've have made the separated engineering hull it's own ship and it would have been glorious.. it looks like some sort of high-powered scout ship to me.
Back in the day (no, not that day, the other day) I remember people who liked the D better just as the stardrive section.
^^^YES! That's it! I think I have that Star Trek Magazine issue with the sketch in it. Also, while we are on the topic of starship separation, I also remember reading/hearing in an interview talks about having DS9's Defiant separate. The forward section was supposedly going to be some kind of suicide bomber/explosive that would ram into the enemy ship and obliterate it..... or something like that. Never saw any concept art for that one haha.