Refitting...the Reliant.....

[Albertese]

I was under the impression that originally the Reliant was envisioned as a sister ship of Enterprise and that the differences between the two ships would be minor, but then they realized that it would be hard for the audience to tell what was going on if the ships looked too similar so the new model was designed to be a squatter up-side-down Enterprise, essentially. I'm omitting a few steps of the design process, obviously, but I can totally accept an early draft describing Reliant as the same class as Enterprise and mean it in the usual sense.

--Alex

 

[Timo]

The terminology used could well be interpreted as the TPTB wanting to bring back the TOS ship (or at least some interpretation thereof) to pit against Kirk's modified vessel - the ultimate marketing gimmick.

The two could have been made to look sufficiently different from each other, but in the end, why risk it? An all-new design would cost nothing extra, and as a bonus this choice dodged the issue of what the TOS ship ought to have looked like.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Dukhat]

I was under the impression that originally the Reliant was envisioned as a sister ship of Enterprise and that the differences between the two ships would be minor, but then they realized that it would be hard for the audience to tell what was going on if the ships looked too similar so the new model was designed to be a squatter up-side-down Enterprise, essentially. I'm omitting a few steps of the design process, obviously, but I can totally accept an early draft describing Reliant as the same class as Enterprise and mean it in the usual sense.

--Alex

That's correct. Early storyboards for TWOK show both the TMP Enterprise and the Reliant as identical ships. So Maurice's quote from the script is correct, but was referring to the idea that both ships were the same class.

I also heard somewhere that there was an idea to paint the Reliant yellow, although if that was meant to tell the ships apart or if they actually meant to paint the actually constructed Miranda-class model yellow, I'm not sure of.

 

[yenny]

I was under the impression that originally the Reliant was envisioned as a sister ship of Enterprise and that the differences between the two ships would be minor, but then they realized that it would be hard for the audience to tell what was going on if the ships looked too similar so the new model was designed to be a squatter up-side-down Enterprise, essentially. I'm omitting a few steps of the design process, obviously, but I can totally accept an early draft describing Reliant as the same class as Enterprise and mean it in the usual sense.

--Alex

That's correct. Early storyboards for TWOK show both the TMP Enterprise and the Reliant as identical ships. So Maurice's quote from the script is correct, but was referring to the idea that both ships were the same class.

I also heard somewhere that there was an idea to paint the Reliant yellow, although if that was meant to tell the ships apart or if they actually meant to paint the actually constructed Miranda-class model yellow, I'm not sure of.

I think you're right about that. But that is due the fact that the Reliant was going to be originally a Constitution class.

 

[MantaBase]

In TMP a point is made (loud and clear) that the refit Enterprise is indeed the same ship as the one we saw in TOS but now in a new form. It's explained that much of the tech in the refit is new and not fully tested. This could lead us to believe the Enterprise is possibly the first testbed for much of this new tech. Or it simply means the new tech has already been established and the Enterprise is the first ship-of-the-line to get it.

This leads to the question as to whether other Consitution-class ships would also be refitted. Or maybe some would and others wouldn't perhaps due to age or some other considerations. Maybe in the long run only a few other Connies were refit like the Enterprise and the rest were decommissioned. From that point onward any new Connies were built in the refit form.

Which next leads to whether Starfleet would refit other classes of ships (such as frigates) in large numbers or again simply refit a few while totally replacing others with the new design as the older ships were decommissioned.

Which finally leads to question of this thread. Given TWOK is set several years after TMP is the Reliant meant to be a refit of a ship that actually predates the new tech or is it a relatively new ship that was built from scratch to the new specs?


Thoughts anyone?

Well, here is me....you can take it or leave it obviously. From video games and FASA.

The 18XX class was all cruisers - including a number of connies and command cruisers (Enterprise was a heavy cruiser according to SFB and thus not even the top dog of the fleet), experimental ships and medium cruisers. Among them was the Reliant and Akron class cruisers built during the TAS era. One may have had the engines on top - don't know which.

The Miranda was also built and originally she was a prototype test bed.

http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/USS_Miranda

I think - logically (and speculatively) she was actually the first refit, but since it was a prototype craft (of even questionable registry number and official launch date (more than one to choose from)), she didn't count. Eventually all of the Reliant and Akron class ships in the 18xx series that had been built were refit after the Enterprise. Many of the Connies were too. 18xx medium cruisers that had not been built were built to Miranda class spec (no refit). Contracts after that have higher registry numbers. However, since there was a Reliant class, the Reliant I am sure was a refit and may have had the nacelles above the hull (before refit) as Akron class seems to be a beefed up tug.

Just an aside, these medium cruisers before refit would have been more advanced than the original Enterprise by a couple decades. So head to head formidable foes even before refit - just not solo deep space craft. They should be more maneuverable and generally quicker. Thankfully, that is reflected in TWOK.

EDIT: Akron I think...not Anton if I missed it anyplace

 

[Maurice]

That's correct. Early storyboards for TWOK show both the TMP Enterprise and the Reliant as identical ships. So Maurice's quote from the script is correct, but was referring to the idea that both ships were the same class.

Where might one see these early storyboards?

 

[137th Gebirg]

I'd like to see those too. All the storyboards I've ever seen had the Reliant in the form we saw on screen. Not even the upside-down version as earlier conceived made it on any storyboards to my recollection.

 

[Dukhat]

That's correct. Early storyboards for TWOK show both the TMP Enterprise and the Reliant as identical ships. So Maurice's quote from the script is correct, but was referring to the idea that both ships were the same class.

Where might one see these early storyboards?

I believe they were shown in the now-defunct Star Trek: The Magazine, in an interview with Joe Jennings. I have the magazine, but it's in a box in my storage unit and won't be coming out anytime soon. From what I remember, the stroyboards showed the Reliant had the NCC-1864 registry but was a TMP Connie, in battle with the Enterprise.

 

[Shark]

You can see one of the storyboards here (Scroll down a little): http://en.memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Miranda_class_model

 

[Dukhat]

You can see one of the storyboards here (Scroll down a little): http://en.memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Miranda_class_model

Ah, thanks for that. Apparently I was wrong about the registry; it just shows the ship's name.

 

[Shark]

You're welcome. I was dubious about the assertion until I saw it for myself and then remembered hearing about it in the pre-internet era. I'm glad they went with a new design.

 

[MantaBase]

Thoughts anyone?

I wanted to say that the little bit of research I did for my post in this thread really got me thinking about the ST series "in my head" that I described elsewhere. Not sure why you posted the thread - but it was an enjoyable exercise.

 

[publiusr]

The Avenger blueprints had the roll bar much higher--a look I liked better.