i agree on this point, the writers sensibly added in an in-universe explanation about its design and role within starfleet.
Discovery itself
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i agree on this point, the writers sensibly added in an in-universe explanation about its design and role within starfleet.
That doesn't fit with why every single alien ship in Star Trek looks completely different from Federation ships, even of the same general type. By your argument, they should all look pretty similar.
I agree with Kahless. The way the central ships are designed for Star Trek is for them to be identifiable for a race. It doesn't make much scientific or military sense; after all, ships, tanks, and planes aren't designed to be identifiable but instead get copied by other sides and wear insignia. But Trek ships are for a SF/fantasy TV show so don't follow the rules of reality. Fed must look Fed, and Klingon must look Klingon.
Agreed, the argument only works so far (although one might make a case that the general layuot of Klingon vessels is functionally similar). But bear in mind most of those antagonist vessels are following a different set of design criteria.
For the most part we don't see "explorer" type vessels from other major races. We see vessels designed for warfighting, law enformement, reconnaissance. We don't see the kind of multi purpose science/colony support/diplomatic/defence roles our heroes usually perform.
Crucially, nor do we often see vessels designed for the type of long term unsupported missions the explorers perform. The large saucer sections are indicative of the extended living spaces, storage and amenities required for partially civilian and scientific communities.
Thus we wouldn't expect alien vessels to entirely follow the classic starfleet mold unless they were performing similar mission profiles.
What we've seen of the Discovery isn't entirely alien to previous iterations of starfleet vessels, it simply suggests a different sort of vessel for a different (as yet unspecified) role designed using the same technology base. Again, the Defiant is arguably far more removed from that classic design, recognisable primarily as starfleet by the nacell and bussard colourng. We accept that because we know why she is built that way. We don't yet know why the Discovery is built or what role she performs.
I don't mind the triangular secondary hull if they provide some reason as to why that particular shape functions better than a cylindrical one. expansive shuttle facilities, leading edges having long range sensors, just give me a reason for it. Making it a weird shape just because you can is just plain annoying.
I really don't care about the reasoning, it needs to be visually unique yet recognizable. I think Discovery does that.
I addressed that in my post. All warships should look very similar, all recon ships should look very similar, etc. in order for the original comment to have any relevance to the show.
It's all 100% aesthetics on the show. Any rhyme or reason is rationalized in afterwards in order to sell tech manuals and the like.
EDIT: just watched the teaser again, and actually became more excited about the Discovery's visual appearance!
It's grown on me!
It's grown on me!
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But that still doesn't make it good. Ralph McQuarrie could put out crap, just like anyone else. Besides that, he didn't actually design the ship. They hired him to do a painting of someone else' (forget the name now) design. Basically lipstick on a pig.
Ken Adam, best known for his set designs for the James Bond films of the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for Dr. Strangelove.
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The name you're forgetting is that of Sir Ken Adam. One of the most acknowledged and awarded art directors and production designers ever.
No, not really, you addressed part of it and your point is well taken. Romulan ships are easily identifiable as Romulan, etc to the informed viewer. Less so however to a complete newcomer who might arguably just see "spaceships", which is more in line with my comments about non experts viewing tanks and ships. We hardly qualify as uninformed when we view ST ships.
More crucially to the point, however, Starfleet ships don't to my mind actually follow all that closely to the classic connie layout to cause complaint with the Discovery. Neither the Defiant nor the NX are remotely as close to the classic layout as she is, nor do all that many people seem to view them as being aesthetically pleasing, at least in the Defiant's case.
That's at least two out of the the five canon hero ships that deviate pretty sharply already. The design lineage has been fluid at best and as the canon has progressed we've accepted ships far less in line with the connie model with far less complaint.
I'm not remotely convinced that vessels are designed based 100% on aesthetics without functional considerations,but even if we let that slide the fact still remains that we don't know much about Fullers vision for the show, nor what role the Discovery is intended to play within that vision. We don't know how old she is, what role she plays, where she is stationed. In fact we know pretty much nothing about her other than she might be stationed in an asteroid and has a vaguely klingon feel to her appearance.
Clearly he designed the ship that way for a reason and without more information it seems premature for people to judge the design on aesthetics alone, especially when the fanbase has accepted starfleet vessels which differ from the "classic" layout to a far greater extent.
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Uhm, no. That would be on par with calling a tank or a boat a "vehicle." Which, incidentally, would also include "spaceships" whether Romulan, Federation, Jupiter 2ian, or NASAian.
Nothing at all like what you described.
Not sure we're seeing eye to eye on the point I'm making, I never suggested people not being able to distinguish between tanks and warships, but between specific iterations within each category. Obviously the former would be silly ☺
In either case my point stands that Discovery in no way deviates further from the classic design lineage than many other ships we've seen and in fact conforms much more closely to it than either the NX or the Defiant, not to mention countless non hero ships, making the "it doesn't look likelsewhere a starfleet ship" complaints seem strange to me.
In either case my point stands that Discovery in no way deviates further from the classic design lineage than many other ships we've seen and in fact conforms much more closely to it than either the NX or the Defiant, not to mention countless non hero ships, making the "it doesn't look likelsewhere a starfleet ship" complaints seem strange to me.
A fan made USS Discovery redesign concept:
Fuller should employ this guy to do ship designs.
http://hanzhefu.deviantart.com/art/U-S-S-Discovery-redesign-concept-636142048
Fuller should employ this guy to do ship designs.
http://hanzhefu.deviantart.com/art/U-S-S-Discovery-redesign-concept-636142048
Honestly, I don't think it's a bad design. ESPECIALLY if they integrate saucer separation in the show. If they do, than the design makes a LOT more sense. Picturing the vessel without the saucer section, it looks like a low-profile attack vessel. But the saucer has its uses too, similar to the design of the D in TNG. Worf claims that, when relieved of its bulk, Enterprise is a great attack ship. I would guess the wedge section of Discovery handles engineering but also the bulk of its weapons and defensive systems, while the saucer houses more of the crew and handles research, science, scanning, etc.
Yuk. No thanks.
A fan made USS Discovery redesign concept:
Fuller should employ this guy to do ship designs.
http://hanzhefu.deviantart.com/art/U-S-S-Discovery-redesign-concept-636142048
It's not bad, although it looks more like the Kelvin Universe version of the Renaissance class.
http://www.trekships.org/renaissance.htm
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