Some of us still enjoy the tech manual and plans for what they are, and we don't lose sleep over these issues.
Hey guys... thank you SO much for your enthusiasm! Just FYI, part of our understanding when we let financiers see the episode early is -- like with any TV production -- secrecy. I hope you guys understand. Discussion about the episode online -- here or anywhere else -- even with the tag "SPOILER ALERT" in the title -- isn't allowed per your arrangement with us. That's what you're agreeing to when we send you the link and password as financiers. I sincerely hope you enjoy the episode, and discuss it as much as you like -- AFTER May 29. P.S. -- It goes without saying that if, as Greg suggests, the link and password "slip out," the episode will have to be pulled. That should be understandable.
James is correct: please do not discuss the content of STC's "The White Iris" before it is released to the public at large (currently slated for May 29th). After it is publically released (whenever that actually happens), the "White Iris" thread would be the perfect place to discuss the episode; please remember to use the board's spoiler tagging function. A small point of clarification: I don't actually suggest that insider preview links or episode details will slip out in advance of the episode's public release--in the sense that I hope the link and details do slip out so we can get a jump on discussing the episode here at the TrekBBS. I merely predict that the link and plot details will slip out--against the production's (and this moderator's) wishes. Please do all that you can to honor our wishes and please refrain from discussion of the episode until after the episode's public release.
Same here. I thought they were great! Remember, that was back in the days before the internet and the plethora of material we have today. Back then, anything new was precious.
I still consider the Plans and the Technical Manual as my two most prized Trek collectables. That's despite having the TNG and DS9 Tech Manuals with their fancy new graphics, and the TMP 1701 and TNG 1701-D cutaway posters framed! And back to the original topic, roll on May 29th when we can get to see the episode!
The FJ blueprints are still fantastic today. As a former architectural engineering student (and now a software architect) I appreciate the enormous task that he set out for himself: Lay out and logically fill the volume of a 947-foot fictional starship according to everything that Star Trek told us about these vessels over the course of 79 episodes. And he did it not only in the pre-TiVo/VHS era, he did it in the pre-CAD (computer aided design) era! This guy managed to design the internal arrangement of the starship Constitution BY HAND using traditional drafting techniques. Amazing. My hat is off to you, Franz Anton Joseph Schnaubelt. Is it May 29th yet?!?!