Spoilers Starship Design in Star Trek: Picard

[137th Gebirg]

The top views are nearly identical, right down to most of the surface details, hence the snarky nickname "Akiraprise", coined back in the day. When viewed at different angles, however, then yes, it's a very different-looking design. Remember, it has long been said that the "Suits" directed the ENT art design team to "just re-use the Akira model" from First Contact. I give Doug Drexler and the other artists involved with the show great kudos for at least trying to make something that appears different from what was initially intended. Ex Astris has a great article on this.

 

[SantaEddie74]

Doug appears at 22:34 but there are good views of both classes of ship before then showing how many similarities there are.

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[fireproof78]

Here's my thing and one that I think gets at the heart of why starship design is not longer my interest in Trek-the shapes of different Starfleet vessels have so much variety over the years, including similar shapes across centuries, that it is hard for me to say that one particular shape or attribute is so distinct as for me to feel it is wholly incompatible with the current design language. To me, when an organization uses the Excelsior for freaking 80+ years then having a ship look like that designed in the 25th century strikes me as eminently reasonable. The tech changes but the hull shapes don't feel like they have to be that special.

 

[Dukhat]

The reason why the Excelsior was used for 80 years was because:

1. The decision was made to have TNG take place 80 years after TSFS.

2. The budget didn’t allow for new, more contemporary ship models to be built.

Both of these are the in-real-life reasons. There was never any in-universe reason why the ship was used for so long. Any reasons for the ship’s longevity have been invented by the fandom.

 

[fireproof78]

The reason why the Excelsior was used for 80 years was because:

1. The decision was made to have TNG take place 80 years after TSFS.

2. The budget didn’t allow for new, more contemporary ship models to be built.

Both of these are the in-real-life reasons. There was never any in-universe reason why the ship was used for so long. Any reasons for the ship’s longevity have been invented by the fandom.

It's the only evidence we got so I work with what I have rather than just blame the producers.

 

[Vale]

The top views are nearly identical, right down to most of the surface details, hence the snarky nickname "Akiraprise", coined back in the day. When viewed at different angles, however, then yes, it's a very different-looking design. Remember, it has long been said that the "Suits" directed the ENT art design team to "just re-use the Akira model" from First Contact. I give Doug Drexler and the other artists involved with the show great kudos for at least trying to make something that appears different from what was initially intended. Ex Astris has a great article on this.

Indeed, I'm familiar with it I was one of those people deriding the NX-01 back in the day as the "Akiraprise". Over the years I've become more appreciative of its design and the efforts Drexler and the others went to in order to make the NX-01 distinct from the Akira. It's not the design I'd have chosen for the NX-01 myself, but it is what it is, and it could have been worse.

 

[Dukhat]

It's the only evidence we got so I work with what I have rather than just blame the producers.

Suit yourself.

 

[137th Gebirg]

The reason why the Excelsior was used for 80 years was because:

1. The decision was made to have TNG take place 80 years after TSFS.

2. The budget didn’t allow for new, more contemporary ship models to be built.

Both of these are the in-real-life reasons. There was never any in-universe reason why the ship was used for so long. Any reasons for the ship’s longevity have been invented by the fandom.

And then there were the 200+ year-old D7/K’t’ingas.

 

[Dukhat]

And then there were the 200+ year-old D7/K’t’ingas.

Yeah. I guess the Klingons like ‘nostalgia’ too.

 

[David cgc]

To me, when an organization uses the Excelsior for freaking 80+ years then having a ship look like that designed in the 25th century strikes me as eminently reasonable.

The new Titan doesn't even need to have been designed in the late 24th / early 25th century, just built then. We've seen high-registry Excelsiors, Mirandas, and Oberths. While I don't think there's a canon precident, it's entirely possible for a name that was used for an Ambassador-class to be succeeded by a ship with the same name that was a new-built Miranda, or a Nebula being succeeded by an Oberth. Not to remove all the romance, but on a certain level, they're just names, if there's a word that's not being used and a new ship being built, there's nothing stopping them from being paired up, even if it seems like a "downgrade" compared to the last ship that word was attached to.

 

[valkyrie013]

They didnt even need to espouse a reason.. They could have just said.. Here ya go, enjoy.. Or not.

It is what it is.. Sadly in my opinion, but I don't make the decisions. All I can do is gripe about it.

 

[fireproof78]

The new Titan doesn't even need to have been designed in the late 24th / early 25th century, just built then. We've seen high-registry Excelsiors, Mirandas, and Oberths. While I don't think there's a canon precident, it's entirely possible for a name that was used for an Ambassador-class to be succeeded by a ship with the same name that was a new-built Miranda, or a Nebula being succeeded by an Oberth. Not to remove all the romance, but on a certain level, they're just names, if there's a word that's not being used and a new ship being built, there's nothing stopping them from being paired up, even if it seems like a "downgrade" compared to the last ship that word was attached to.

I mean, I go yes and know, without seeing it too much. There are aspects that feel different than the ships that it supposedly is aping. So, I see it living kind of in both worlds. Which I enjoy because I love the history to it. It feels like something that someone would sit down, look at Starfleet and history, and go "I want to build that!" and have the capability of doing so. I wish I could do the same.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Yeah. I guess the Klingons like ‘nostalgia’ too.

The Klingons weren't about designing new ships every few years. They stuck with what worked until they got BoP's from the Romulans and eventually had some new classes in TNG & DS9.

Star Trek IRL does more and more new ship porn because apparently we want it. But an 80 year old Excelsior design in no way means old systems. It's just a hull shape, and maybe a really solid one physically. Like, maybe it never has stress cracks from maneuvering and warp speed and whatnot that ships with longer pylons and necks get. (yeah, yeah, IRL they didn't have new ship models for early TNG and CGI wasn't there yet).

 

[NCC-73515]

The stargazer has a round saucer.

Not the one in this show.

 

[NCC-73515]

Real world example - the USA had space capsules in the 1960s and 1970s. Then, the country tried the space shuttle, which didn't work out. So, the USA has returned to the space capsules as they are a proven design. They have a similar body shape to the earlier models, but have more advanced technology built in.

If the shuttle hadn't "worked out", it wouldn't have had 135 missions.

 

[Tuskin38]

Not the one in this show.

I was looking at it at an angle and it threw me off. Still, it was rounder and less pointy than the intrepid and Sovereign.

Speaking of the Stargazer, I got one in STO.

 

[Dukhat]

According to Bill Krause, the Shangri-La Mk lll class Titan’s registry number is NCC-2593. He also calls it the ‘first’ Titan, so he’s apparently unaware of the Loknar and the Matt Jeffries concept design as seen in LDS.

 

[fireproof78]

I was looking at it at an angle and it threw me off. Still, it was rounder and less pointy than the intrepid and Sovereign.

Speaking of the Stargazer, I got one in STO.

One of the best

 

[AdmiralBuck]

According to Bill Krause, the Shangri-La Mk lll class Titan’s registry number is NCC-2593. He also calls it the ‘first’ Titan, so he’s apparently unaware of the Loknar and the Matt Jeffries concept design as seen in LDS.

Boy, that’s a quick response to my post.
I’m only following the canon provided me by the producers. That is it. End of story.

 

[Dukhat]

Boy, that’s a quick response to my post.
I’m only following the canon provided me by the producers. That is it. End of story.

Thank you for the clarification. I made an assumption that you were unaware of what LDS showed. I apologize if my response sounded accusatory.