Ok, some of y'all don't like referring to the Enterprise as a character, and that's fine. Still, both TOS and TNG Enterprises are a long-standing location we are familiar with. They're comfortable. They're home. We feel like we could walk the decks blind folded and probably get around fine. We'd never get lost. We are as familiar with these locations as our own home or beloved public location.
But the Refit. The A? Nope. We might love this design. We might have poured over images and deck plans. But, honestly, how much time have we had with these ships? Same with the E. We barely saw them.
I'd love to have had more time with the Refit or even the E. What about you? Do you feel short changed. Feel like we've missed out?
Long story short:
For the "A"/Kirk movies, yep - definitely wanted to see more at the time. For the "E"? Meh.
Long story:
In the 1979-1984 films, the new refit looked awesome and felt tangible, utilitarian, purposeful, big. To walk around it all would have been fantastic. So little screen time, then *poof* during the third movie.
In 1986 there's a new Enterprise, with a big bland bridge for about 30 seconds... but complete with shiny new flaws used for too much comedic effect in the next film-- but that's for another time. We do get a little more, including a new brig design, finally a use of shuttles that felt relevant and integral, the precursor to Ten-Foward that felt a
little wannabe (thanks to TNG inventing it) but was not terrible, the final time we get the proper red alert klaxon (but without the voice), and, of course, the turbolift with those 80s ambiance lighting colors that fit just as easily as most of the multi-hued ship lighting did in 1960s TOS and I loved it all.
But 1991... too many original corridor sets repurposed combined with Engineering set redress (ironic since TNG's engineering set had the same floorplan as TMP's but they weren't going to repaint anything) -there's nothing really new or interesting at this point.
The "E"... We got a big plastic engine room set that convinced even less than the "D"'s neon lit plastic box (only VOY felt right, but they just dug up old bits of TMP's set, but it sure does look a lot more convincing!). We got a big bridge where, depending on flick the viewscreen would shimmer into visibility or shroud because why not... the exterior, which in ways really looks cool and the yellow deflector really looks better than the blue*, tried to meld the best of "D" with the best of "A" and we get an aft cargo section or secondary shuttle bay or cheap callback to movies we don't want to be thinking of because in come comparisons and while watching STFC I kept thinking of how the Kirk movies weren't as hokey thanks to the visual of the ship's exterior.
* Never mind the original intent of having a smooth dish ala TMP's model(!), for which photos exist and are utt-bugly... for more, gawk at this not utt-bugly mini-documentary video:
