The Enterprise is the oddest design is sci-fi

[Maurice]

And IIRC, originally the Romulan ship was supposed to be an "Earth" ship the Romulans had stolen. (I might have read that in a book).

No. It was a ship whose design indicated it was based Earth ship designs...via espionage.

And you likely saw it here, or a message that quoted this.

From the page above...

INSERT - SHIP'S VIEWING SCREEN



The attacking vessel can now be seen definitely to be some modified version of a starship saucer main section... but with the dark markings on its underside which suggests a bird-of-prey with half-spread wings. And centered there is a threatening-looking "weapon tube" device. We see it in full size only momentarily... then it launches a torpedo-like bolt of blinding energy from the weapons tube.
​

HANSON'S VOICE

You see it, Enterprise?! Starship
 design.
Warn Earth...

(STATIC CRACKLE)

... espionage, stolen our designs...
traitors...
​

Then later, before the reveal of the Romulans, Kirk and Stiles' exchange in the script is:​

STILES

(interrupting)

... and in a vessel remarkably similar

to ours. The Outpost Commander

mentioned "espionage." Add to that

the fact it was a sneak attack...
​

 

[Star Wolf]

The Borg won't win any points for aesthetics, but as far as practicality, a windowless cube with decentralized systems is pretty hard to beat. Starfleet's ships are prettier, but tactically horrifying -- bridge full of senior officers in a see-through dome on top of the ship, anyone? Shields fail sometimes, people!

Some similarly designed ships with exposed bridges didn't have the luxury of shields . . .

Perhaps but when her sensors and that of her sisters increased to be be better then the gunnery officers telescopes the command staff moved off of the exposed bridge to a better protected Combat Information Center in the interior of the ship.

 

[Nerys Myk]

And IIRC, originally the Romulan ship was supposed to be an "Earth" ship the Romulans had stolen. (I might have read that in a book).

No. It was a ship whose design indicated it was based Earth ship designs...via espionage.

And you likely saw it here, or a message that quoted this.

From the page above...

INSERT - SHIP'S VIEWING SCREEN



The attacking vessel can now be seen definitely to be some modified version of a starship saucer main section... but with the dark markings on its underside which suggests a bird-of-prey with half-spread wings. And centered there is a threatening-looking "weapon tube" device. We see it in full size only momentarily... then it launches a torpedo-like bolt of blinding energy from the weapons tube.
​

HANSON'S VOICE

You see it, Enterprise?! Starship
 design.
Warn Earth...

(STATIC CRACKLE)

... espionage, stolen our designs...
traitors...
​

Then later, before the reveal of the Romulans, Kirk and Stiles' exchange in the script is:​

STILES

(interrupting)

... and in a vessel remarkably similar

to ours. The Outpost Commander

mentioned "espionage." Add to that

the fact it was a sneak attack...
​

Ah, thanks. At least I was close

 

[barnaclelapse]

I like that.

 

[Mytran]

STILES
(interrupting)
... and in a vessel remarkably similar to ours. The Outpost Commander mentioned "espionage." Add to that the fact it was a sneak attack...
​

Suddenly Stiles' line about "sneak attack" makes a lot more sense. I always felt it was a bit left field. Add to that his suspicion about having spies on board and it shifts the whole tone of the episode into something a bit more sinster...

 

[T'Girl]

Love them tidbits.