Does This Look Like a Good Engineering Room Design

[CuttingEdge100]

The Engineering room in Star Trek TMP definetly looked spiffy, as did later Star Trek designs. However the TOS design did look most realistically like a power generation room / reactor-room.

This design kind of has elements of both TOS, a little bit of TMP, and some ENT characteristics which I kind of like...

BTW: It's a modification for Elite Force, which takes place onboard a Federation-Class Dreadnought...


CuttingEdge100

 

[BolianAuthor]

Looks fine to me.

 

[JuanBolio]

It looks great to me, too. Well done. I'm not so sure about the conduit going into the reactor from the ceiling, though. Looks a bit like a stovepipe, thus making your reactor look like a furnace.

 

[Cmdr. Roaktar]

That looks great, I especially like the ceiling. Although I must agree with JuanBOOlio, the reactor does strongly resemble a furnace.

 

[Timo]

Also, why all the nice and ergonomic elbow room?

Powerplants on land may have spare space because the original construction was scaled with future upgrades in mind; enlarging the facility would be costlier than building an oversized one from the beginning. But shipborne systems wouldn't have any spare room, because every wasted cubic inch would add to costs.

The engine room here (and to some degree in TOS) looks either a bit unrealistic, or then the result of a refit where a former, bulkier system was replaced by a compact one and the engineers couldn't figure out what to fill the space with.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[FalTorPan]

The engine room here (and to some degree in TOS) looks either a bit unrealistic, or then the result of a refit where a former, bulkier system was replaced by a compact one and the engineers couldn't figure out what to fill the space with.

I tend to think that the TOS Enterprise engine room went through three major designs:

1) 2245 until sometime prior to 2266 - The engine room was mostly filled with then-contemporary warp drive stuff.

2) 2266-2268(ish) - The warp drive stuff is miniaturized or redesigned so that most of it occupies spaces surrounding the engine room. The engine room becomes mostly vacant of hardware. Perhaps the two big "transformers" are vestiges of the previous design.

3) 2268-2270(ish) - The warp drive stuff in surrounding spaces is modified somewhat, resulting in the dilithium chamber being exposed in the engine room. The engine room's second level is mostly a cosmetic change.

Emergency Manual Monitor could have been present since Day One, although I think it was likely added to "Version 3" of the engine room (as it was during the show's production schedule); otherwise, it would have made a great (and overlooked) hiding place for evil Kirk from "The Enemy Within."

And no, I'm not a proponent of the multiple-nearly-identical-engine-rooms in the Enterprise theory.

 

[CuttingEdge100]

JuanBOOlio

It looks great to me, too. Well done. I'm not so sure about the conduit going into the reactor from the ceiling, though. Looks a bit like a stovepipe, thus making your reactor look like a furnace.

Whooooaaahhh -- wait.. This is not *MY* design. I thought me saying that it was an Elite-Force mod was good enough of a statement of such...

In either case I do happen to agree with the stovepipe comment, and the main reactor looking furnace like (especially with the glowing energy in it)


Cmdr. Roaktar,

That looks great, I especially like the ceiling. Although I must agree with JuanBOOlio, the reactor does strongly resemble a furnace.

As I said to Juan BOOlio, I would have to agree with that. Out of curiousity, what about the ceiling do you like?


Timo,

Also, why all the nice and ergonomic elbow room?

Dunno -- It is quite a bit spacious, which I do think is a bit ridiculous. However I like the basic reactor design (other than the fact that it looks like a furnace). It is my opinion that TOS and ENT got the reactor design far better than TMP,TNG,FC, etc...

Powerplants on land may have spare space because the original construction was scaled with future upgrades in mind; enlarging the facility would be costlier than building an oversized one from the beginning. But shipborne systems wouldn't have any spare room, because every wasted cubic inch would add to costs.

While I agree the Dreadnought's engine room is a bit too large, I'm not sure how worried the Federation was worried about in terms of a bit of excess cost. If anything they seem to have liked having plenty of growth room built into the ship.

The engine room here (and to some degree in TOS) looks either a bit unrealistic, or then the result of a refit where a former, bulkier system was replaced by a compact one and the engineers couldn't figure out what to fill the space with.

It does kind of have that look, now that I think about it.


FalTorPan

2268-2270(ish) - The warp drive stuff in surrounding spaces is modified somewhat, resulting in the dilithium chamber being exposed in the engine room. The engine room's second level is mostly a cosmetic change.

What do you mean the dilithium chamber is exposed? Do you mean that small room off to the side in TWOK where Spock dies in? Or do you mean the transparent power shafts?

Emergency Manual Monitor could have been present since Day One, although I think it was likely added to "Version 3" of the engine room (as it was during the show's production schedule); otherwise, it would have made a great (and overlooked) hiding place for evil Kirk from "The Enemy Within."

What's the Emergency Manual Monitor?

And no, I'm not a proponent of the multiple-nearly-identical-engine-rooms in the Enterprise theory.

Neither am I...


CuttingEdge100

 

[Wingsley]

Also, why all the nice and ergonomic elbow room?

Powerplants on land may have spare space because the original construction was scaled with future upgrades in mind; enlarging the facility would be costlier than building an oversized one from the beginning. But shipborne systems wouldn't have any spare room, because every wasted cubic inch would add to costs.

The engine room here (and to some degree in TOS) looks either a bit unrealistic, or then the result of a refit where a former, bulkier system was replaced by a compact one and the engineers couldn't figure out what to fill the space with.

Timo Saloniemi

The TOS Enterprise's Engine Room (depending on which version you're talking about) has a striking resemblance to a hydro-electric generating station I visited in April 2001. Even some of the structure and the shapes are the same. The floor space should be considered necessary for use as an on-site repair shop in case the ship breaks down in deep space and the crew has to tear the machinery in there apart for servicing. Everything aboard the TOS Enterprise looks like it's involved in the bulkheads, so if you have to tear things apart for service you'll need floor space to handle the "exploded" parts.

 

[Plecostomus]

Alright, lets say that the boxy thing is the matter injector, the actual reactor is behind it. The antimatter is either injected from the bottom or rear, I'm thinking bottom.

The glowyness is because the hydrogen/deuterium is heated to a ionized/plasma state before injection, the "stovepipes" are the feed lines that bring fuel to the injector.

*shrug*

 

[JuanBolio]

Whooooaaahhh -- wait.. This is not *MY* design. I thought me saying that it was an Elite-Force mod was good enough of a statement of such...

Oh, oops. I was under the impression it was YOUR Elite Force mod. My mistake.

 

[Cmdr. Roaktar]

As I said to Juan BOOlio, I would have to agree with that. Out of curiousity, what about the ceiling do you like?

Sorry, the way you phrased it made it seem as though it were your mod.
As for the ceiling I like that you can actually see it and that it seems to conform to the TOS connie's exterior. It also has a subtle nod to TMP with the exposed supports. I don't recall seeing that in TOS.

 

[CuttingEdge100]

Plecostomus,

Alright, lets say that the boxy thing is the matter injector, the actual reactor is behind it. The antimatter is either injected from the bottom or rear, I'm thinking bottom.

Most vertical intermix designs usually do have the matter coming in from the top and the anti-matter coming in from the bottom, but technically there's no rule that says the opposite can't be true.

The glowyness is because the hydrogen/deuterium is heated to a ionized/plasma state before injection, the "stovepipes" are the feed lines that bring fuel to the injector.

Well yeah, but the size of the transparency, the overall boxyness of the structure and the metal grate around the area does make it look like a stove...


Wingsley,

The TOS Enterprise's Engine Room (depending on which version you're talking about) has a striking resemblance to a hydro-electric generating station I visited in April 2001. Even some of the structure and the shapes are the same.

Yeah, I think when they designed the TOS Enterprise they used a power-generation room as a starting point. Which to be honest, is not a bad idea.

The floor space should be considered necessary for use as an on-site repair shop in case the ship breaks down in deep space and the crew has to tear the machinery in there apart for servicing. Everything aboard the TOS Enterprise looks like it's involved in the bulkheads, so if you have to tear things apart for service you'll need floor space to handle the "exploded" parts.

That's a *VERY* good point...


JuanBOOlio,

Oh, oops. I was under the impression it was YOUR Elite Force mod. My mistake.

I kind of had a feeling... still I wanted to clarify because it could be perceived as me taking credit for something that's not mine (which was never my intent) which is frowned upon.


Cmdr. Roaktar,

Sorry, the way you phrased it made it seem as though it were your mod.

Really? It wasn't my intention. What software do you even need to MAKE an Elite Force mod? (It does sound interesting to say the least)

As for the ceiling I like that you can actually see it and that it seems to conform to the TOS connie's exterior. It also has a subtle nod to TMP with the exposed supports. I don't recall seeing that in TOS.

I'm not sure if the curvature perfectly matches the TOS exterior (assuming a certain degree of skin thickness) and structural components.

Regarding the exposed supports and TMP like qualities, I'm pretty sure it was the designers idea to incorporate some TMP-like elements into the design (the glowing power-conduits).


CuttingEdge100

 

[FalTorPan]

What do you mean the dilithium chamber is exposed? Do you mean that small room off to the side in TWOK where Spock dies in? Or do you mean the transparent power shafts?

I mean the thing in the floor from seasons two and three, from which the dilithium crystals are seen to be stowed.

What's the Emergency Manual Monitor?

The tiny room suspended above the engine room, first seen in "Mirror, Mirror."

 

[CuttingEdge100]

FalTorPan,

Do you have any pictures taken in the Emergency Manual Monitor?

 

[GodThingFormerly]

http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/2x04/TOS_2x10_MirrorMirror0222-Trekpulse.jpg
http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/2x04/TOS_2x10_MirrorMirror0223-Trekpulse.jpg
http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/2x08/TOS_2x12_IMudd0033-Trekpulse.jpg
http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/2x08/TOS_2x12_IMudd0034-Trekpulse.jpg
http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/2x18/immunitysyndrome0205.jpg
http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/2x18/immunitysyndrome0206.jpg
http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/2x18/immunitysyndrome0207.jpg
http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/2x18/immunitysyndrome0216.jpg
http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/2x18/immunitysyndrome0219.jpg

TGT

 

[CuttingEdge100]

Okay so the Emergency Manual Monitor is on the other side of the engine room (the stairs and consoles are on the other side, and the big grating which leads aft is in the middle)?

CuttingEdge100

 

[FalTorPan]

Yup.

 

[CuttingEdge100]

Understood

 

[CuttingEdge100]

The God Thing,

These are additional pictures from the Elite Force mod. I'm wondering what parts of the ship these pictures depict... (They all seem to be engineering related areas)

These seem to be different shots within the same room...

These seem to be in a similar section of the ship, but they do not appear to be exactly the same room

By the way: What software do you need to make an Elite-Force mod out of curiousity?


CuttingEdge100

 

[GodThingFormerly]

The God Thing,

These are additional pictures from the Elite Force mod. I'm wondering what parts of the ship these pictures depict... (They all seem to be engineering related areas)

These seem to be different shots within the same room...

These seem to be in a similar section of the ship, but they do not appear to be exactly the same room

By the way: What software do you need to make an Elite-Force mod out of curiousity?

My apologies, but I have absolutely no idea what an "Elite Force" is nor do I have the slightest interest in speculating on heretofore unseen interior volumes of the NCC-1701 (or any other TOS-era starship) that were not designed by Matt Jefferies, Franz Bachelin or Pato Guzman.

TGT