Spoilers Starship Design in Star Trek: Picard

[Caeruleus]

We don’t know that Starfleet has taken a step back from no warships in the early 25th century. Defiant was a response to the Borg threat and Prometheus was an experimental ship during the time of the Dominion War. The last in universe appearance (not counting possible futures) of both was what 2378 ?(VOY Endgame) & we are now in 2401 ? They could all be decommissioned. For Inquiry all we know is that they’re the toughest, fastest, most powerful ship… That doesn’t necessarily make them warships, could be multi mission explorers like the Galaxy. Taking lessons learned from the war and encompassing them in future design strategies.

As far as Defiant being in the museum, remembrance doesn’t equate to celebration.

Well I always remember those words of Will Riker:

Right now I'm on the bridge of the toughest, fastest, most powerful ship Starfleet ever put into service. And I got a fleet of them at my back.

He's talking about Inquiry class. So it seems that's a warship some kind.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Not necessarily. He could've said the same thing while he was on the Enterprise-D (minus the part about the fleet).

 

[TimeIsAPredator]

Yup. Whatever justification can come up with for in universe the simple fact is Star Trek is trading on nostalgia and Starfleet is reflecting that attitude.

This is not a difficult idea.

Not a difficult one but a terrible one in my opinion. Titan-A is a horrible ship with a stupid name and back story.

It being a Constitution III is equally as stupid.

I'm not arguing against your in world reasoning but I think the real world decisions are awful.

 

[TimeIsAPredator]

Well I always remember those words of Will Riker:

Right now I'm on the bridge of the toughest, fastest, most powerful ship Starfleet ever put into service. And I got a fleet of them at my back.

He's talking about Inquiry class. So it seems that's a warship some kind.

It could be a regular multi task ship that packs all the punch of a Defiant. Or he could have just been bullshitting the Romulans.

For what it's worth I also took it to mean they are warships but I can see why people think it's not set in stone.

 

[DaveyNY]

Well I always remember those words of Will Riker:

Right now I'm on the bridge of the toughest, fastest, most powerful ship Starfleet ever put into service. And I got a fleet of them at my back.

He's talking about Inquiry class. So it seems that's a warship some kind.

I kinda think of it as a Rapid Response Corvette.
It can probably hold its own for a short time in a fair fight, but it really shines when coupled with several of its own kind.
Star Fleet would always be sending three or more together out to hot-spots around the Federation.

 

[fireproof78]

Not a difficult one but a terrible one in my opinion. Titan-A is a horrible ship with a stupid name and back story.

It being a Constitution III is equally as stupid.

I'm not arguing against your in world reasoning but I think the real world decisions are awful.

Put it down, one no.

 

[TimeIsAPredator]

Put it down, one no.

I don't understand what that means ?

 

[fireproof78]

I don't understand what that means ?

It's a joke. A reference to MASH.

 

[Mudd]

I think they're doing better to pick fan designs to utilize in these shows rather than lifting ships from STO. I've seen a lot of brilliant stuff online over the decades, at the CG sites as well as kitbashes, and while most of it is way too derivative to equal the work of Jefferies' or Probert's, talented folks doing this for fun on their own time invest a level of care and detail in design and execution that's several steps above what I've seen of the game assets.

 

[Dukhat]

When the game first started, the original STO ships were just the regular show and movie ships that players updated with skins that basically made the original designs into something horrid and ugly. As for the four (or five when you count the Enterprise-F which started life as a fan design) ships they chose to use for PIC, they were also just updates to the show and film designs, which made them not at all unique. I’m not even exactly sure why they chose those four particular designs rather than something a little more original (which by this time STO did indeed have.) But yes, the original ships they’ve used so far (Stargazer, Excelsior II, Titan, Intrepid) totally trump any STO ship.

 

[Noname Given]

I think they're doing better to pick fan designs to utilize in these shows rather than lifting ships from STO. I've seen a lot of brilliant stuff online over the decades, at the CG sites as well as kitbashes, and while most of it is way too derivative to equal the work of Jefferies' or Probert's, talented folks doing this for fun on their own time invest a level of care and detail in design and execution that's several steps above what I've seen of the game assets.

And Paramount would probably have to pay more for the rights tom use said fan designs, whereas when it comes to STO designs they either outright already own an ship design the STO Devs create, or they pay a lot less, and don't need to spend time executing outside contracts.

 

[Dukhat]

And Paramount would probably have to pay more for the rights tom use said fan designs, whereas when it comes to STO designs they either outright already own an ship design the STO Devs create, or they pay a lot less, and don't need to spend time executing outside contracts.

A fan making a starship design of their own has no ‘rights.’ CBS/Paramount owns Star Trek’s IP. If they used some fan design they found on the internet somewhere, there would be absolutely nothing that fan could do about it, unless that fan had copyrighted the design. And even then that wouldn’t be an absolute, because Paramount could argue that that copyrighted design violated their copyright.

 

[Tuskin38]

there would be absolutely nothing that fan could do about it,

I think that would depend on how similar the design looks compared to other Trek ships.

Imagine the Wells class from Voyager wasn't an official trek design, I don't think CBS could claim it's a Trek design, as it looks nothing any other Star Trek ship.

 

[Dukhat]

I think that would depend on how similar the design looks compared to other Trek ships.

Imagine the Wells class from Voyager wasn't an official trek design, I don't think CBS could claim it's a Trek design, as it looks nothing any other Star Trek ship.

Again, if it was just a fan design on the internet that that person did not copyright, once it’s posted, it’s out there for anyone to use. It doesn’t matter what the ship looks like.

Now with that said, Paramount doesn’t seem to be in the habit of stealing fan designs from the internet. They have enough money to hire their own designers to make the ships they want them to make. But that doesn’t preclude them from doing otherwise. I have seen fan designs used in official Star Trek comics without even so much as a credit to the fan who made it (probably because they didn’t know who made it.) It’s an underhanded practice IMHO, but it’s happened before, and they have every right to do so.

 

[Noname Given]

A fan making a starship design of their own has no ‘rights.’ CBS/Paramount owns Star Trek’s IP. If they used some fan design they found on the internet somewhere, there would be absolutely nothing that fan could do about it, unless that fan had copyrighted the design. And even then that wouldn’t be an absolute, because Paramount could argue that that copyrighted design violated their copyright.

And either way, it would end up in court; and that generates BAD publicity, and costs time and money; so it's just going to be something they COMPLETELY avoid, and use things the KNOW they have the clear and unequivocal legal rights to.

 

[Tuskin38]

Again, if it was just a fan design on the internet that that person did not copyright, once it’s posted, it’s out there for anyone to use. It doesn’t matter what the ship looks like.

In the US and Canada, original work is automatically given copyright when you create it.
Registering it just gives you proof you can present in court.

 

[Dukhat]

And either way, it would end up in court; and that generates BAD publicity, and costs time and money; so it's just going to be something they COMPLETELY avoid, and use things the KNOW they have the clear and unequivocal legal rights to.

No one in their right mind would sue Paramount over a fan-made ship design.

In the US and Canada, original work is automatically given copyright when you create it.
Registering it just gives you proof you can present in court.

But it’s not ‘original work’ if it’s based off of someone else’s IP.

 

[Noname Given]

No one in their right mind would sue Paramount over a fan-made ship design.

Uh Huh. Anas Abdin would like a word with you (Yeah, he lost, but brought the case against Paramount and Star Trek Discovery).

 

[137th Gebirg]

I think most people who build ship models as a hobby aren't under any delusion (except the really detached fans) that they truly "own" the IP from which their work is derived.

If Paramount thinks it's good enough to use in an episode, the fan community prestige and bragging rights alone would be worth it, IMO. If the artist's name is included in the closing credits "Special Thanks To" section, that's a bonus cherry on top, but not at all an expectation of any kind.

 

[Dukhat]

Uh Huh. Anas Abdin would like a word with you (Yeah, he lost, but brought the case against Paramount and Star Trek Discovery).

Did he design a ship without copyrighting it? Because that’s what we’re talking about here.