In the Arts forum I am presently in the process of trying to 3D model the alien ship seen in TAS’ “Beyond The Farthest Star,” one of my favourite TAS episodes.
Yet while I was modelling I couldn’t help but wonder about the nature of this vessel and what happened to it. It’s quite asymmetrical in form (when we see it) and doesn’t appear to have any discernible logic to it’s configuration. Many of the pods are of varying sizes and shapes and the “vines” are arranged apparently haphazardly. Indeed, the ship looks somewhat twisted as if contorted in pain. Of course, all this lends the ship a genuinely alien character that makes little to no sense whatsoever to our human mindset. As such this is one of the most truly exotic alien designs ever to grace the screen of television and film SF.
There is little easy access from one pod to another, so what kind of vessel was this? Could it have been a colonization ship, a cargo transport, troop carrier, explorer—what?
Did they get trapped by the negative star mass by accident (as the Enterprise did) or was it deliberate to maroon the alien entity? Also, since the entity can exist and survive without a habitable environment, what was the point of blowing all the pods open? Seems a crummy way to commit mass suicide once you figure you will never escape the negative star mass. Or perhaps the entity caused the pods to blow open and thus killing the crew, but then why risk seriously damaging the ship if there is even a remote chance of escape?
A pity the alien ship was destroyed before any logs/records could have been retrieved. Then again that might be why the entity used the Enterprise’s phasers to destroy the vessel, to prevent any further investigations. And seing how the entity could be vindictive it could also have destroyed the alien ship as a final act of retaliation against the long dead crew who had frustrated and marooned it.
Thoughts anyone?
Yet while I was modelling I couldn’t help but wonder about the nature of this vessel and what happened to it. It’s quite asymmetrical in form (when we see it) and doesn’t appear to have any discernible logic to it’s configuration. Many of the pods are of varying sizes and shapes and the “vines” are arranged apparently haphazardly. Indeed, the ship looks somewhat twisted as if contorted in pain. Of course, all this lends the ship a genuinely alien character that makes little to no sense whatsoever to our human mindset. As such this is one of the most truly exotic alien designs ever to grace the screen of television and film SF.
There is little easy access from one pod to another, so what kind of vessel was this? Could it have been a colonization ship, a cargo transport, troop carrier, explorer—what?
Did they get trapped by the negative star mass by accident (as the Enterprise did) or was it deliberate to maroon the alien entity? Also, since the entity can exist and survive without a habitable environment, what was the point of blowing all the pods open? Seems a crummy way to commit mass suicide once you figure you will never escape the negative star mass. Or perhaps the entity caused the pods to blow open and thus killing the crew, but then why risk seriously damaging the ship if there is even a remote chance of escape?
A pity the alien ship was destroyed before any logs/records could have been retrieved. Then again that might be why the entity used the Enterprise’s phasers to destroy the vessel, to prevent any further investigations. And seing how the entity could be vindictive it could also have destroyed the alien ship as a final act of retaliation against the long dead crew who had frustrated and marooned it.
Thoughts anyone?
Last edited:
