I've always thought the NX 01 is one of the better looking ships, very streamlined and rugged. Definately better than ENT E - Defiant and Voyager.
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
Is the NX 01 one of the better ships (aesthetically)?
- Thread starter WraithDukat
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It looked good. Definitely better than the Defiant (totally non-Trek design), Voyager (atrophied little nacelles) and the Enterprise-D (pleasure yacht)
It looked more solid and sturdy than the original TV series (fragile) and I-VI movie Enterprises (paper-thin nacelle struts and connecting dorsal) although it's not as aesthetically pleasing or distinctive as either, IMO.
I love the Enterprise-E design, especially the Nemesis version, with it's slightly raised nacelles.
I love the Defiant because of its 'non-Trek' design. The saucer and nacelle design is way too limiting. Basically all we get now are warped versions of the Enterprise that are basically just getting flatter and and flatter (as though aerodynamics matter in space).
The NX-01 and Enterprise E are rubbish.
I agree with you.
^ I also agree with you. I like the NX-01 a lot. As you said, streamlined and rugged and I liked the surface details of the hull. I also appreciate how the guys designing the ship for the show took some inspiration from the WWII P-38 Lightning fighter!
I grew up with the Original 1701 and it is probably my favorite, I will admit, for just that reason. She looked elegant, yet powerful to me. Although I grew to appreciate the 1701D over time, she originally looked top-heavy and bulky with nacelles that were too small. When I first saw voyager, all I could think of was a lady's shoe turned upside down with nacelles added. Excelsior class looked like a tank. E looks like it means serious business, for sure, but I still like NX-01 and NCC 1701 better.
As I said, I have grown to appreciate all these ships after my initial sometimes negative reactions to them, so I am not hating on any of the designs now!
I grew up with the Original 1701 and it is probably my favorite, I will admit, for just that reason. She looked elegant, yet powerful to me. Although I grew to appreciate the 1701D over time, she originally looked top-heavy and bulky with nacelles that were too small. When I first saw voyager, all I could think of was a lady's shoe turned upside down with nacelles added. Excelsior class looked like a tank. E looks like it means serious business, for sure, but I still like NX-01 and NCC 1701 better.
As I said, I have grown to appreciate all these ships after my initial sometimes negative reactions to them, so I am not hating on any of the designs now!
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Indeed, the corridors etc look great too, just seems a lot more believable.
I agree with the guy who said the Ent D was to much like a luxury cruiser - the same with Voy but not as much so.
I'm not crazy about the overall Akira-influenced shape of NX-01; it looks kind of unbalanced to me, too flat and without anything extending downward to balance the nacelles angling upward. There are a lot of angles it just doesn't look that good from.
But other than that (which was the result of executive fiat), I think the ENT design team did an absolutely stellar job. The shape of the ship is imperfect, but the details of its exterior and interior design are fantastic from an aesthetic and functional standpoint alike. I love the attention to detail and the realistic touches that help make it feel like a practical, working spacecraft. Like the way the bridge and corridors have handholds everywhere as a backup in case of gravity failure, or the way the consoles have cooling fans in them, or the way sickbay has such everyday paraphernalia as a sink and a paper towel dispenser.
I don't understand the objection that the E-D was "too much" like a luxury cruiser. I think you have to consider its intended function. The original intent of the show's creators, which unfortunately was largely abandoned by their successors in later seasons, was that the E-D would be on an extended deep-space exploration mission which would keep the crew away from their home territory for as much as 15 years. So it had to be more than just a working environment -- it had to be a home, a community, a place where people could spend a huge chunk of their lives without going stir-crazy. So naturally comfort would have to be a higher priority on that kind of ship than on something designed for missions of shorter duration. (And of course that's also why the ship's complement included families -- you couldn't get that many people to make a 15-year commitment if they had to leave their families behind.)
But other than that (which was the result of executive fiat), I think the ENT design team did an absolutely stellar job. The shape of the ship is imperfect, but the details of its exterior and interior design are fantastic from an aesthetic and functional standpoint alike. I love the attention to detail and the realistic touches that help make it feel like a practical, working spacecraft. Like the way the bridge and corridors have handholds everywhere as a backup in case of gravity failure, or the way the consoles have cooling fans in them, or the way sickbay has such everyday paraphernalia as a sink and a paper towel dispenser.
I don't understand the objection that the E-D was "too much" like a luxury cruiser. I think you have to consider its intended function. The original intent of the show's creators, which unfortunately was largely abandoned by their successors in later seasons, was that the E-D would be on an extended deep-space exploration mission which would keep the crew away from their home territory for as much as 15 years. So it had to be more than just a working environment -- it had to be a home, a community, a place where people could spend a huge chunk of their lives without going stir-crazy. So naturally comfort would have to be a higher priority on that kind of ship than on something designed for missions of shorter duration. (And of course that's also why the ship's complement included families -- you couldn't get that many people to make a 15-year commitment if they had to leave their families behind.)
From an exterior standpoint I prefer Columbia over Enterprise. The bluish coloring and the larger deflector dish look so much better than the NX-01's reddish hull and laughably tiny dish, IMO. I thought the designers did a great job of taking the "we want the Akira!" declaration from on high and turning it into something kind of rugged and primitive. My only nitpick would be to smooth out those bumps on the hull (located on either side of the bridge) that extend back into the nacelles, which I think is what made it look more like the Akira than anything else.
The NX-01 was originally designed by John Eaves, and Doug Drexler built the CGI mesh, filling in the details. Both men have blogs, though they're often so busy they can't make regular updates.
Here's one of Doug's old blog entries, explaining some of his decisions when building the mesh, accompanied with some gorgeous renders and screen caps.
http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/06/13/nx-01-enterprise-class/
Yeah, I saw the proposed refit and thought it looked pretty bad. Like they slapped on a secondary hull and neck with no regards as to how it looked.
I would agree with this, my first impression of the Galaxy Class was she looked top heavy (and yes I know in space it doesn't matter). Conversely the Soverign Class first Impression was that's more like it.
Though one can't help wonder if the TV sereis had the Soverign Class and the movies changed it to a Galaxy Class would some of the fans have had the same reaction that they did when the Galaxy Class was replaced by the Soverign Class.
For the TMP era movies, we just had an update of the TV seires Class.
It wasn't something that was ever actually planned for the series -- more like what Drexler wished he could've done to redesign the ship if he'd been given free rein and hadn't been required by his bosses to mimic the Akira.
I don't think it's likely they ever would've made such a major change to the ship's design in the show itself. For one thing, the shape of the ship is an important visual signature for the show, and it would be important to keep it recognizable. For another, if the ship were radically changed, they couldn't use any stock footage or FX elements from previous seasons, and that would've made the FX more expensive -- and with the show's budget getting slashed in each consecutive season to compensate for sagging ratings and rising cast/crew salaries, the last thing the producers or the network would've wanted was a change that made the show more costly to produce.
I really like the NX-01's look. While it definitely represents a different time/purpose than something like the Ent-D, I think aesthetically it just looks better. Certainly D is supposed to be a more comfortable ship with civilians on board, but I don't think the design is good, particularly the interiors.
Way too similar to later designs, IMO. Then again, I would have preferred something closer to the Conestoga design we saw in "Terra Nova," but obviously TPTB that be wanted a design that was at least evoked the typical Star Trek saucer-and-nacelles look.Always wished they had went with this one for the NX-01...
Regarding the earlier replies of Drexler's what-if refit, here's a consolation prize from the blog.
Dominic Keating blows a take while having some delicious prime rib (with recipe).
http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/07/04/sway-over-the-captains-table-2/
Dominic Keating blows a take while having some delicious prime rib (with recipe).
http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/07/04/sway-over-the-captains-table-2/
I think the NX-class is one of the best detailed Trek ships, but personally I thought there was always something "kitbashy" about the design--as if some parts had been directly lifted from a previous design with other parts slapped on. I've felt that way about a couple of non-hero Trek ships in the past.
