FJ's Technical Manual

[James Wright]

Does anyone know how long it took Franz Joseph to put the Star Trek Technical Manual together, did he have any help with the ship drawings and specifications?
Just to let you know I have 2 copies!

J.D.W.

 

[F. King Daniel]

There's a website somewhere that goes into detail about this. It was done by his daughter (who got him into Trek), I think. No idea if it's still around, ot where I found it. She'd put his Constituion-class Booklet of General Plans up for free download after his death.

 

[James Wright]

There's a website somewhere that goes into detail about this. It was done by his daughter (who got him into Trek), I think. No idea if it's still around, ot where I found it. She'd put his Constituion-class Booklet of General Plans up for free download after his death.

It's still around, and from what I've read he had very little help but I was hoping to find out if the dimensions on FJ's plans of the Enterprise match Matt Jefferies dimensions, if he came up with any that is?

James

 

[F. King Daniel]

I don't believe they do. I know the shape of the secondary hull isn't quite accurate in FJ's diagrams.

These issues have been discussed at length here in the past, but I don't think many threads have survived. Matt Jefferies postulated a 20-deck Enterprise (TBBS user Shaw is the expert on such matters), which was a better fit for the actual sets than FJ's 23-deck version, which had lower 8' decks.

Edit: A few tidbits, including Shaw's cutaway, if you scroll down a bit here.

 

[Navigator_NCC2120]

There's a website somewhere that goes into detail about this. It was done by his daughter (who got him into Trek), I think. No idea if it's still around, ot where I found it. She'd put his Constituion-class Booklet of General Plans up for free download after his death.

Here is the link to the webpage that has info about Franz Joseph Schnaubelt and his Star Trek Technical Manual.

Here is a link to Star Trek blueprints including Franz Joseph's.


Navigator NCC-2120 USS Entente
/\

 

[James Wright]

Did Matt Jefferies develop the dimensions and the number of decks for TOS Enterprise on his own or did Gene Roddenberry make suggestions?

James

 

[7thsealord]

Did Matt Jefferies develop the dimensions and the number of decks for TOS Enterprise on his own or did Gene Roddenberry make suggestions?

James

GR was the guy with the whole "vision thing" (creator, producer, etc.) and anything that Matt did for the show would have been under his instructions and would require his final approval.

 

[Mysterion]

Does anyone know how long it took Franz Joseph to put the Star Trek Technical Manual together, did he have any help with the ship drawings and specifications?

Answer:

Whereas the more recent Star Trek technical publications have been largely produced with computer assistance, Franz Joseph created the Star Trek Blueprints and Star Fleet Technical Manual entirely by hand. According to an interview given by Paul Newitt in a June 1984 special issue of Enterprise Incidents, Franz Joseph spent 252 hours researching and 248 hours drawing the Star Trek Blueprints, and 400 hours researching and 1,000 hours drawing the Star Fleet Technical Manual.

Entire article here: http://www.trekplace.com/franzjoseph.html

 

[Forbin]

Does anyone know how long it took Franz Joseph to put the Star Trek Technical Manual together, did he have any help with the ship drawings and specifications?

Answer:

Whereas the more recent Star Trek technical publications have been largely produced with computer assistance, Franz Joseph created the Star Trek Blueprints and Star Fleet Technical Manual entirely by hand. According to an interview given by Paul Newitt in a June 1984 special issue of Enterprise Incidents, Franz Joseph spent 252 hours researching and 248 hours drawing the Star Trek Blueprints, and 400 hours researching and 1,000 hours drawing the Star Fleet Technical Manual.

Entire article here: http://www.trekplace.com/franzjoseph.html

I think by "help" he was asking if FJ did it alone or with the assistance and advice of other people, not whether he used a computer.

 

[Mysterion]

^^^
Fair 'nuff, but he also asked "how long" it took FJ which is directly answered in the quote I posted.

 

[Forbin]

True!

 

[James Wright]

I read somewhere that some people associated with Star Trek TOS helped FJ just by sending him pictures of the sets and props. Was it GR's intention to help FJ but then he changed his mind?
What about the person who designed the Romulan BoP, did he see the trouble FJ was having trying to come up with blueprints and a technical manual and just decided not to bother trying himself?

James

 

[Mysterion]

I read somewhere that some people associated with Star Trek TOS helped FJ just by sending him pictures of the sets and props. Was it GR's intention to help FJ but then he changed his mind?
What about the person who designed the Romulan BoP, did he see the trouble FJ was having trying to come up with blueprints and a technical manual and just decided not to bother trying himself?

James

I think if you read through the interviews linked up-thread here, a lot of your questions will be answered.

Questions 5 through 7 here in this interview with FJ's daughter: http://www.trekplace.com/fj-kdint02.html
seem to answer some of your questions about contact between GR and FJ.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Does anybody know the history of the second bridge exit, who added it and when? The FJ plans show an exit to a service corridor circling the bridge. On the other hand, according to http://www.danhausertrek.com/AnimatedSeries/Bridge.html, on TAS the exit was to a second turbo lift.

 

[Mysterion]

Does anybody know the history of the second bridge exit, who added it and when? The FJ plans show an exit to a service corridor circling the bridge. On the other hand, according to http://www.danhausertrek.com/AnimatedSeries/Bridge.html, on TAS the exit was to a second turbo lift.

I think that's just a guess/speculation on Danhauser's part. While that door was there in TAS, I don't recall seeing that second exit ever actually being used (or shown to lead to a turbolift) in a TAS episode. (Someone who has watched TAS recently can certainly correct me if I am mistaken.) IIRC, the first time we actually see a second turbolift entrance/exit to the bridge is in TMP.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I think that's just a guess/speculation on Danhauser's part. While that door was there in TAS, I don't recall seeing that second exit ever actually being used (or shown to lead to a turbolift) in a TAS episode. (Someone who has watched TAS recently can certainly correct me if I am mistaken.) IIRC, the first time we actually see a second turbolift entrance/exit to the bridge is in TMP.

AFAIK, you are correct.

However, TAS production was error prone, and one of the errors was that door cels were sometimes forgotten. For example, at 14:49 in Beyond the Farthest Star, they forgot the door for the second exit, so you can see what's behind the door. It looks a lot like a turbolift. So, even if that's all Danhauser is going on, it looks like a really good guess, I think.

Even so, whatever the exit was supposed to be for in TAS, I was wondering whether its addition was in anyway related to the FJ plans, or the source material that FJ used.

 

[Mysterion]

I think that's just a guess/speculation on Danhauser's part. While that door was there in TAS, I don't recall seeing that second exit ever actually being used (or shown to lead to a turbolift) in a TAS episode. (Someone who has watched TAS recently can certainly correct me if I am mistaken.) IIRC, the first time we actually see a second turbolift entrance/exit to the bridge is in TMP.

AFAIK, you are correct.

However, TAS production was error prone, and one of the errors was that door cels were sometimes forgotten. For example, at 14:49 in Beyond the Farthest Star, they forgot the door for the second exit, so you can see what's behind the door. It looks a lot like a turbolift. So, even if that's all Danhauser is going on, it looks like a really good guess, I think.

Even so, whatever the exit was supposed to be for in TAS, I was wondering whether its addition was in anyway related to the FJ plans, or the source material that FJ used.

I suppose the folks at Filmation might have seen the FJ TM. *shrug*

ETA: Whoops. According to this timeline: http://www.trekplace.com/fj-timeline.html TAS premiered before the FJ blueprints or TM was produced. So, I suppose FJ may have picked-up the second bridge door from TAS.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I think that's just a guess/speculation on Danhauser's part. While that door was there in TAS, I don't recall seeing that second exit ever actually being used (or shown to lead to a turbolift) in a TAS episode. (Someone who has watched TAS recently can certainly correct me if I am mistaken.) IIRC, the first time we actually see a second turbolift entrance/exit to the bridge is in TMP.

I haven't read them in ages, but Alan Dean Foster added many extra scenes to his "Star Trek Log" adaptations of TAS, and the service crawl way, all around the bridge, was specifically used by the characters. Can't recall if the second elevator was used then, but TAS's bridge is definitely a transition to the improved bridge of TMP. (They reshuffled Spock's and Uhura's bridge panels in TMP, too.)

Let's just say it's a second bridge exit point.

I suppose FJ may have picked-up the second bridge door from TAS.

It was specifically added to TAS due to criticism from fans that TOS's bridge seemingly only had one escape route and no toilet.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

According to this timeline: http://www.trekplace.com/fj-timeline.html TAS premiered before the FJ blueprints or TM was produced. So, I suppose FJ may have picked-up the second bridge door from TAS.

Thanks. Yes, this time line would seem to indicate that conclusion.