Spoilers Starship Design in Star Trek: Picard

[pst]

Following on the Starship design history in light of Discovery thread in the Discovery forum, let's talk about the ships showing up in Star Trek: Picard.

Starting with the Short Trek "Children of Mars":

Group of unfortunately anachronistic starships at Utopia Plantia, two Magee-class starships, two Starfleet tugs (from the Discovery episode "Brother"), several Discovery-era shuttles and worker bees. The dry dock itself is from "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2".

School Shuttle in SF, also from Discovery, but modified a bit. The airlock portion also spins which is unlike the shuttles we saw in Discovery.

These fighters apparently used by "Rogue Synths" to attack Mars. Oddly, in one of the latest trailers, these were shown with very large Starfleet insignia's on their hulls, but they're blank in the Short Trek.

Anyway, discuss away, if you're down.

 

[Tuskin38]

The fighters seem to be missing the Starfleet Delta on their right wing that we've seen in the more recent Picard trailers, which makes me think that the FX for the Short Trek was finished before Picard's was.

Also the fighter seems to be a kitbash using DSC Season 2 Section 31 drone parts, and maybe nacelles.

You can also see the Starfleet Delta I mentioned in the second image

 

[pst]

which makes me think that the FX for the Short Trek was finished before Picard's was.

this could also explain the shameless reuse of discovery CG assets. fingers crossed.

 

[Tuskin38]

I really like that Starbase. Especially from the side shots we see in the trailers. It's like an upgraded ESD design.

 

[pst]

I really like that Starbase. Especially from the side shots we see in the trailers. It's like an upgraded ESD design.

from what we've seen so far, it definitely looks the most like an evolution of the 24th century aesthetics from the previous series. looks like it takes cues from jupiter station and earth space dock among other things.

 

[F. King Daniel]

*gets popcorn*

This is gonna be fun.

 

[ITDUDE]

this could also explain the shameless reuse of discovery CG assets. fingers crossed.

Let's really really hope so. Let's hope they don't consider Short Treks serious enough to invest new assets in, so they re-use anything they already have, and we never see any Discovery assets again.

 

[cooleddie74]

My guess would be they didn't want to invest in recreating TNG Era starship designs for a brief short that was largely a bottle story. I get that. It doesn't look right, but then TOS reused a 1996-vintage DY-100 class sleeper ship for the S.S. Woden ore freighter in "The Ultimate Computer" because of restricted budgets and you just have to visually ignore the fact they're the same ship or find some way to retcon it in your head to make sense.

 

[Dukhat]

My guess would be they didn't want to invest in recreating TNG Era starship designs for a brief short that was largely a bottle story. I get that. It doesn't look right, but then TOS reused a 1996-vintage DY-100 class sleeper ship for the S.S. Woden ore freighter in "The Ultimate Computer" because of restricted budgets and you just have to visually ignore the fact they're the same ship or find some way to retcon it in your head to make sense.

I get that too. But the production values of a show made in 2020 and a show made in 1966 allows for at least some budgetary leeway. How long would it have taken and how much money would it have cost to just change the CGI models around to at least make the semblance of a different and more advanced ship? It’s not like they didn’t do the opposite with Drexler changing the design of the Akira to the NX class.

 

[cooleddie74]

I agree. I'm not making excuses for them. If you know my opinions about DSC's production design you'll know I'm not the biggest fan of ship designs for that show.

That being said I do get why a rushed schedule might necessitate reusing old wire frame models and getting the short finished on time. It still looks bad, but it's not without precedent.

 

[DaveyNY]

The fighters seem to be missing the Starfleet Delta on their right wing that we've seen in the more recent Picard trailers, which makes me think that the FX for the Short Trek was finished before Picard's was.

Also the fighter seems to be a kitbash using DSC Season 2 Section 31 drone parts, and maybe nacelles.

You can also see the Starfleet Delta I mentioned in the second image

Here's the S-31 Stealth ship from the Eaglemoss collection Booklet for comparison...

 

[cooleddie74]

I like the Section 31 ships except for the nacelle shapes. I even like the folding feature they use when configuring for warp.

 

[DaveyNY]

I like the Section 31 ships except for the nacelle shapes. I even like the folding feature they use when configuring for warp.

Actually, the folding-in of the nacelles was intended to be the main part of the "stealth mode" of the ship.
It wasn't created to be an upgrade of the ships warp capabilities like Voyager's variable nacelles.

The Stealth ship couldn't go to warp till the nacelles were fully extended.

 

[cooleddie74]

Ah. Thanks. Either way the feature looked good.

 

[Mondragon]

A few main shots of La Sirena...

The cargo-hauler like interior, has grown on me, since we are not on a Federation ship, but on a rogue mission, and crew, it should look different from the familiar starship setting and bridge we are used to seeing Picard comfortable in, and this does exactly that. He is out of place here. And it fits great!

I'm curios about the holo-controls, Captain Rios pilots the ship with, and what the lights in the back are? Looks like it packs a punch.
I think later teaser shots somewhat changed the glow on the main engines to a deeper blue than seen here, i'll try and find another grab.

I love that Rios plays football on his ship (yes I'm assuming that's Santiago Cabreras kicking the ball around (should be no surprise to any football fan why it took a Chilean-Brit to finally introduce football onto a starship)) And it's wonderful to see!

rewinded to give a better lasting view of the front.

I know many aren't crazy about it. I've seen others complain it doesn't look like a familiar Federation ship in or out, they are entirely missing the point, it's not supposed to.
Personally I think it looks great! I love the name.

 

[Danlav05]

‪TNG recycled sets dating back to TMP and movies V-IIX used starship interiors from then-current TV series (the enterprise A used Enterprise D and Enterprise E looked like Voyager in some areas‬)

 

[Dukhat]

The reason why TNG reused movie models and stock footage (besides the fact that they were available) was because the production was notoriously stingy when it came to building new ships. At first it was because they didn’t want to spend the money if the show got cancelled after the first few seasons (a valid reason), but once TNG soared in popularity, the stinginess still remained. The production didn’t even want a new model built for the Enterprise-C in “Yesterday’s Enterprise” and would have had to rely on reusing either the Enterprise-A or the Excelsior to represent the ship until unsung hero Greg Jein was able to build a new model.

But that was the age of physical models. There’s really no excuse why a more advanced CGI ship couldn’t have been modified from the existing DSC production assets. Heck, the Cardenas class already even looks more like it belongs in the 24th century instead of the 23rd. It would have needed the barest of changes.

 

[Timo]

Are the big Starfleet insignia on the Synth ships perhaps false flags that the ships drop when (or soon after) striking?

That is, are we going to see more of this "footage" in the show proper, easing the audience into the pseudohistory even if they haven't seen the short? Might the false flag thing happen there?

Otherwise, what's the point of putting 'em in a shot that is "more completed" than the one actually used here?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Tuskin38]

Otherwise, what's the point of putting 'em in a shot that is "more completed" than the one actually used here?

Timo Saloniemi

It could be as simple as the short trek finished production before Picard was. There is no in-universe reason, but production reason.

There are shots of them without the delta in the second Picard trailer, because the FX was incomplete.

 

[The Wormhole]

Oh no! They used Disco ship designs in the 24th century! Gene have mercy! GENE HAVE MERCY!

Oh, wait. Remember when we used to bitch about how Disco's ship designs belonged in the 24th century? Now we see them in the 24th century and everyone's all "get those 23rd century ships out of here!"