Donny's Refit Enterprise Interiors (Version 2.0)
- Thread starter Donny
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Oh how much I wish we had gotten to see more of the simple operations of the Connie refit, making use of the docking ports, the travel pods, the Gold-Pressed Latinum-shaped shuttlecraft, and that gorgeous Cargo Bay set. This beautiful gal deserved a full series, not just a few movies where she was either torn apart, destroyed, or treated like crap (Final Frontier)The Admiral's making a surprise visit!
MEH, I think the cargo deck is the weakest example to pick on as to not fitting, especially because Andy accounted for the narrowness of the hull by intending the rollaway decks to function like a rolltop desk cover. The only gotcha is the depth of the pod in their sockets, which he mightn't have accounted for.
The whole set was a compromise, of course, since the pod holding walls of the set were reworked leftover walls built for Admiral Nogura's office set for "In Thy Image".
The whole set was a compromise, of course, since the pod holding walls of the set were reworked leftover walls built for Admiral Nogura's office set for "In Thy Image".
It wasn't the cargo deck that had the problem fitting, it was the corridor that went out the sides of the lower deck. A normal corridor segment would push beyond the outer hull before reaching a T intersection. But that is nothing compared to the corridor that goes off the side of Main Engineering. A full two-segment corridor section, followed by a matte painting of at least six more corridor segments, two doors, and a T intersection at the end. This puts the end of the corridor something like 20 meters beyond the outer hull LOLMEH, I think the cargo deck is the weakest example to pick on as to not fitting, especially because Andy accounted for the narrowness of the hull by intending the rollaway decks to function like a rolltop desk cover. The only gotcha is the depth of the pod in their sockets, which he mightn't have accounted for.
The whole set was a compromise, of course, since the pod holding walls of the set were reworked leftover walls built for Admiral Nogura's office set for "In Thy Image".
My dream TV series is set in the late 2270s to mid 2280s on a Starfleet vessel (A Miranda, in my mind) as a space patrol / interstellar espionage drama following tensions with the Klingons ramping up from the perspective of one ship on the border. It would be imperative to recreate the Wrath of Khan feeling in the series, perhaps with flashbacks to the TMP way.
Alas.
I've always wanted to see something set on the brand new Constellation-class, using TMP aesthetic but Voyage Home display/console scheme. Preferably less combat, but that is hard to do with a series.
That one is actually going directly forward from the engine room foyer. If the engine room is where it's depicted in the Kimble cutaway poster, then the rear of the deflector dish assembly would be just about where the forced-perspective painting was located on the set.
And it's not a matte painting. A matte is a mask, something that blocks out part of an image to create a composite shot. So something is only a matte painting if it's meant to have live-action footage composited into it, like the Rigel fortress painting in "The Cage" or the Starfleet air tram terminal painting in TMP. A painting used on a set to create the illusion of a background is a backdrop, or a cyclorama if it's large enough.
So, after doing a more extensive study of Travel Pod interior set, and how it would match up with the exterior, even more problems have arisen. Basically, enough problems that would require me to not only lengthen the set, but taper it forward as well, drop the forward control console by about 6 inches, and taper the ceiling down going aft as well. This many extensive revisions to the interior set are not ideal for me as someone who places paramount importance on maintaining the proportions of the interior sets as seen on film. After a rather sleepless night, I've decided I'm going to essentially create two interior sets: one interior set that is a screen-accurate representation of the travel pod interior that the player can step on to, the other which will serve as the interior when seen from the exterior of the travel pod looking into the canopy (which won't be accurate but won't have to stand up to as much scrutiny) . I started to write out a rather extensive explanation, but let's just leave all the how's up to me and my game engine trickery 
It's not ideal, but neither is contorting the interior set in such a way to make it match up. I'd rather do it the way I've decided on.
I am relieved, however, that when I tackle the SW-7 Shuttle and its interior, I won't have to go to such great lengths at respecting any screen-accuracy of both an exterior and interior set that don't match up, since we never see either on-screen! (For those unaware, keep in mind that the Long-Range Shuttle/Surak seen in TMP is not the same as the Standard Shuttle Craft/SW-7 which we see in Probert's cargo bay study painting. The Standard Shuttle/SW-7 is a scaled-down version of the Long-Range Shuttle/Surak; which Probert drafted specifically to fit within the hangar bay dimensions)
It's not ideal, but neither is contorting the interior set in such a way to make it match up. I'd rather do it the way I've decided on.I am relieved, however, that when I tackle the SW-7 Shuttle and its interior, I won't have to go to such great lengths at respecting any screen-accuracy of both an exterior and interior set that don't match up, since we never see either on-screen! (For those unaware, keep in mind that the Long-Range Shuttle/Surak seen in TMP is not the same as the Standard Shuttle Craft/SW-7 which we see in Probert's cargo bay study painting. The Standard Shuttle/SW-7 is a scaled-down version of the Long-Range Shuttle/Surak; which Probert drafted specifically to fit within the hangar bay dimensions)
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I love this SOOOOOO much!
There is not enough room. Based on the cutaway diagram that properly lines the vertical shaft of the Warp Core through the neck and lines up to the crystal at the top, there is only 8 meters of space between the door leading out of Main Engineering to the external surface of the deflector dish itself. https://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/blueprints/enterprise-deck-plans-sheet-4.jpg
If the Warp Core is instead placed further back along the neck to allow more room for said corridor, then it cuts through the middle of the torpedo bay above. Either way, we have a problem :P
I'm sorry for the confusion, but to be fair,... that particular word choice was the least important part of the statement that was being made. It was a painting on the set that made the set look larger than it was, just like we see in the Jeffries' Tubes on TNG. It was still too long. They could have and should have just put a T-intersection at the end of the physical set, and it would have been perfect.
Of course, but it's worth knowing for future reference.
I've brought this solution up before to move the warp core aft about 70-75 feet which clears the aft wall of the torpedo room:
Nomenclature:
- A "matte" in the biz is usually matted in by some optical process—whether with live action of miniature elements—but sometimes used loosely to represent any painting added to a scene, like a glass shot. It is also colloquially used to represent a purely painted scene with no other elements
- A cyclorama is backdrop that curves around a set, like the landscape & sky seen outside Kirk's apartment (left over from The Towering Inferno)
- A painted backdrop is what you see outside the Rec Deck, or at the back of the engine room: a flat piece of artwork
- A translight is a background image that is backlit
Worth discussing further in a separate thread elsewhere on these boards...
Glass paintings were the original mattes, though -- in-camera mattes, physically placed between the camera and the set to extend the scenery. They were used a lot in older films like Gone with the Wind. Also, the earliest in-camera composite matte shots were done by using black masks on glass in front of the camera to create split-screen effects -- masking off one area and filming, then rewinding the film and masking off the opposite area to fill in the rest of the image. Georges Melies used this technique a lot.
Like I said, "matte" literally just means "mask." It doesn't require opticals, it just means something that blocks part of an image so another image can be added to it. Mattes are a crucial part of optical or chromakey compositing, but they aren't exclusive to it.
How come shuttles never have windows in their back doors? Seems like it would be useful.
Hmm, intersting theory. I just wonder what that does for the exhaust vent at the rear of the torpedo pod, does it have to funnel around the warp core?I've brought this solution up before to move the warp core aft about 70-75 feet which clears the aft wall of the torpedo room:
I question whether a spacecraft really needs windows at all. Most things in space would be too distant to see with the naked eye (and stars would be washed out by interior lighting), and many things in visual range would be either too dark to see (in deep space) or too brightly sunlit to look at comfortably or safely (in system). For most purposes, exterior cameras and monitors would be sufficient.
I suppose windows could have some utility as a backup for close-in maneuvers, or just for gazing at the scenery while in planetary orbit. But there's no need to have windows on every side of the spacecraft, because spacecraft don't have to point in their direction of movement like a vehicle in air or water or on land. A spacecraft can coast indefinitely on momentum and rotate around its center of mass into any desired orientation. So if you wanted to see something behind you, you'd just do a half-rotation around your Y or Z axis and coast tailfirst. (Although Star Trek never acknowledges this; indeed, hardly any SF screen productions ever do, with rare exceptions like Babylon 5.)
Hey, listen up everyone!
I'm going to have to do something I really never wanted to do and ask that everyone use a bit more constraint when shooting off into side tangents in this thread. Others are having a hard time keeping up with the actual progress of this project due to so many multiple conversations going off at any give time on this thread. While I understand that most of these side tangents are natural, and usually pertain to the Refit, I want to encourage everyone to just use some pause every now and then in deciding whether or not to indulge in said tangents, or encourage everyone to maybe starting threads elsewhere to fully discuss the topics that may come up as a result. I know I've said before that I don't mind the side tangents, but lately they seem to have increased in frequency and severity I hope everyone understands that I don't want to be draconian about it or anything, let's just try and be more mindful.
Thank you, everyone!
I'm going to have to do something I really never wanted to do and ask that everyone use a bit more constraint when shooting off into side tangents in this thread. Others are having a hard time keeping up with the actual progress of this project due to so many multiple conversations going off at any give time on this thread. While I understand that most of these side tangents are natural, and usually pertain to the Refit, I want to encourage everyone to just use some pause every now and then in deciding whether or not to indulge in said tangents, or encourage everyone to maybe starting threads elsewhere to fully discuss the topics that may come up as a result. I know I've said before that I don't mind the side tangents, but lately they seem to have increased in frequency and severity
I hope everyone understands that I don't want to be draconian about it or anything, let's just try and be more mindful.Thank you, everyone!
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