Spoilers Starship Design in Star Trek: Picard

[StewMc]

According to leaks, Season 3 is meant to take place in the early 2410s, almost a 10 year jump from Season 2, but nothing about that trailer seems indicate that.

RMB said 10 years but Terry mentioned on Twitter a while back it’s about a year between seasons. I guess I’d go with the showrunner’s answer, but it’s weird that the RMB leak seems so spot on in a lot of plot points yet some of the details are off. Makes you wonder exactly what it was he saw.

 

[fireproof78]

Baseball players wear throwback uniforms occasionally for special events. They don’t wear them permanently. Because other than temporary nostalgia value, they aren’t practical.

I fail to see how a round saucer rather than a pointy one is more practical or has anything whatsoever to do with going back to exploration.

As I said it's an imperfect analogy, though practicality is an interesting idea. What makes a round saucer more practical than a pointy one?

I'm guessing this is going to be an ongoing debate because there is no solid answer as to why ship designs are a specific way. Nostalgia is as good a reason as any when resources are not a question.

 

[Tuskin38]

RMB said 10 years but Terry mentioned on Twitter a while back it’s about a year between seasons. I guess I’d go with the showrunner’s answer, but it’s weird that the RMB leak seems so spot on in a lot of plot points yet some of the details are off. Makes you wonder exactly what it was he saw.

Well, RMB didn't directly say 10 years, he said starfleet was celebrating some anniversary of the founding of the Federation.

 

[Dukhat]

As I said it's an imperfect analogy, though practicality is an interesting idea. What makes a round saucer more practical than a pointy one?

I'm guessing this is going to be an ongoing debate because there is no solid answer as to why ship designs are a specific way. Nostalgia is as good a reason as any when resources are not a question.

Well, no. There’s a simple answer as to why ships look the way they do. Because the person in charge of what that fictional spaceship looks like wants it to look that way for their own personal reasons. If the ship looked like a giant Mickey Mouse head, the person who created it would make whatever justification they want as to why it looks the way it does, whether it makes logical sense or not.

 

[fireproof78]

Well, no. There’s a simple answer as to why ships look the way they do. Because the person in charge of what that fictional spaceship looks like wants it to look that way for their own personal reasons. If the ship looked like a giant Mickey Mouse head, the person who created it would make whatever justification they want as to why it looks the way it does, whether it makes logical sense or not.

What's the logical sense to a starship design?

 

[Dukhat]

What's the logical sense to a starship design?

No ships in science fiction have had logical designs. Except perhaps for the ones from 2001: A Space Odyssey. But the ships of Star Trek have had a logical progression to their designs. Until recently.

 

[fireproof78]

No ships in science fiction have had logical designs. Except perhaps for the ones from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Then why is Star Trek changing ship designs an issue? It's not logical but emotional which means they are able to take their Lego blocks and rearrange them in a different configuration. So, I guess I am too thick to understand the illogic here...

 

[Dukhat]

Then why is Star Trek changing ship designs an issue?

You didn’t quote the rest of my post.

 

[fireproof78]

You didn’t quote the rest of my post.

But what informs the logical progression? If you say there is no logic to the ship, save the whim of the designer, then object to a change of logic...I want to follow but my head hurts.

 

[NCC-73515]

So Titan is more maneuverable with its impulse engines, and the saucer design is more stable than the elongated ovals and arrows...

 

[fireproof78]

So Titan is more maneuverable with its impulse engines, and the saucer design is more stable than the elongated ovals and arrows...

Better looking too.

 

[valkyrie013]

Enterprise C ( both versions) were round and had a neck.. But didn't look like a Connie, but looked more futuristic.

 

[NCC-73515]

You can skip some early ranks in some IRL militaries if you have extensive civilian experience appropriate for the job before going in, but jumping to a Commander would never happen.

According to leaks, Season 3 is meant to take place in the early 2410s, almost a 10 year jump from Season 2, but nothing about that trailer seems indicate that.

I could see Seven being commissioned directly to Lieutenant J.G., or Lieutenant, but not Commander.

Kirk jumped from Cadet to Captain

 

[WarpFactorZ]

As I said it's an imperfect analogy, though practicality is an interesting idea. What makes a round saucer more practical than a pointy one?

In the interview, he says they had an in-depth discussion of *why* the design change happened. It wasn't just historical aesthetics. Rather, several TNG era starships with their oval / arrowhead primary hulls succumbed to failure when exposed to atmospheric entry (they note "one specific Sovereign class", which perhaps hints at the fate of the Ent-E). The circular hull design of the 23rd c. ships proved to be the most efficient in structural integrity.

So, they invented a physical reason why the design should be brought back, which supports my earlier idea that the physics dominates the design choice.

 

[fireproof78]

In the interview, he says they had an in-depth discussion of *why* the design change happened. It wasn't just historical aesthetics. Rather, several TNG era starships with their oval / arrowhead primary hulls succumbed to failure when exposed to atmospheric entry (they note "one specific Sovereign class", which suggests the fate of the Ent-E). The circular hull design of the 23rd c. ships proved to be the most efficient in structural integrity.

So, they invented a physical reason why the design should be brought back, which supports my earlier idea that the physics dominates the design choice.

Oh, I saw that too. But they also hint at the retro view too. It's both views, at least from Matalas' point of view, while Drexler came up with the story behind it.

I have no problem with the physics. I have a struggle wrapping my mind around the objections to circular hulls because of "logical progression."

 

[Dukhat]

Oh, I saw that too. But they also hint at the retro view too. It's both views, at least from Matalas' point of view, while Drexler came up with the story behind it.

I have no problem with the physics. I have a struggle wrapping my mind around the objections to circular hulls because of "logical progression."

Because it has nothing to do with "logical progression." It doesn't even really have anything to do with IRL physics. It has to do with the showrunner wanting the ship to look like an anachronistic design, and asking his associates to come up with some technobabble BS to justify it. Remember my Mickey Mouse example? Let's say that Matalas wanted the new Titan to look like a giant Mickey Mouse head. All the fans would be going, "Why the f*ck does the ship look like Mickey Mouse's head?" To which Matalas would reply that Starfleet determined that the physics of shaping the ship like Mickey Mouse was the most efficient shape for structural integrity when it has to make an atmospheric entry. To which the fans would kinda scratch their heads and make funny looks.

The thing is, this is entirely justifiable because it's all fiction. The 'physics' are all made up. There's really no difference between their reasoning for a round saucer, and my reasoning for a Mickey Mouse head. Because if I were the showrunner, and I wanted the hero ship to look like Mickey Mouse, I can say whatever I want to justify it, even though no ships looked like Mickey Mouse before. I just happen to like Mickey Mouse, just like Matalas likes the TMP Constitution style, so that's what the ship is gonna look like, and here's my made-up reason why.

I would also have to ask why all ships with elliptical and pointed saucers haven't been decommissioned, if this is such an inherent problem. I mean, the Stargazer is brand-new, and it has an elliptical saucer.

 

[Tuskin38]

 

[Argosy]

I don't mind that we have some retro designs in Trek. It gets them out of the trap where a lot of fed ships were getting flatter with increasingly fluid forms. The choices they've made at least mean that ships with more distinct components can sit alongside the elegant flagship designs.

I think they could have helped themselves by adjusting the internal details. It didn't need to have the same saucer windows as the refit, it didn't need to have old style phaser emitters etc They could have run with this shape, but given it a full 25th century skin.

I also think they would have saved themselves a lot of trouble if it was just called something other than Titan. I feel small universe syndrome is creeping in with modern trek and while it's a good way of tying the different threads of an IP together it gets a bit much.

It seems this is the ship we'll be spending most our time with, but the trailer probably gives us a disjointed sense of it's importance. It sounds like there's going to be quite the ensemble.

 

[valkyrie013]

In the interview, he says they had an in-depth discussion of *why* the design change happened. It wasn't just historical aesthetics. Rather, several TNG era starships with their oval / arrowhead primary hulls succumbed to failure when exposed to atmospheric entry (they note "one specific Sovereign class", which perhaps hints at the fate of the Ent-E). The circular hull design of the 23rd c. ships proved to be the most efficient in structural integrity.

So, they invented a physical reason why the design should be brought back, which supports my earlier idea that the physics dominates the design choice.

I doubt the reason.. they would tested emergency techniques and practices to death, but hey, if they need to have some head cannon reason to go back to necks and round saucers, go for it, its there show, just don't make it look almost exactly like a 23rd century ship.

 

[USS Belmont]

I thought McCoy said that in Star Trek IV.

He did, I just want someone to catch my reference! Thank you!