the ugliest enterprise

[Kevman7987]

I always felt that the NX-01 was the ugliest Enterprise. Not because it looks like an upside-down/smushed Akira, but because it does not comfortably fit the design lineage of other Federation ships.

It does not look like it would slide into the era of the Daedalus class followed by the Constitution class over the next hundred years.

I read on Doug Drexler's blog (before he shut it down) that when he was brought on board, they ship was already overdue and all he had time for was cleaning up the design that had already been worked on. He stated that (had he been there from the beginning) he would have just re-designed the Daedalus class slightly so that it looked good and detailed for TV.

 

[Belz...]

I always felt that the NX-01 was the ugliest Enterprise. Not because it looks like an upside-down/smushed Akira, but because it does not comfortably fit the design lineage of other Federation ships.

Mind you, in real life, cars in the 70s and 80s looked more primitive than those of the 40s and 50s. Go figure !

Although I do like NX-01, I think the Conestoga would've been a better design for that era.

 

[R. Star]

I always felt that the NX-01 was the ugliest Enterprise. Not because it looks like an upside-down/smushed Akira, but because it does not comfortably fit the design lineage of other Federation ships.

It does not look like it would slide into the era of the Daedalus class followed by the Constitution class over the next hundred years.

To be fair to the NX-01... what do you expect? If they used a model that look liked it came out of the 1960's everyone would've complained about that. As our own technology and capabilities expand, so is our portrayal of the future. The Enterprise Mirror Universe episode definitely displayed how absurd a 60's era ship looked fighting ships with better graphics.

 

[Belz...]

And yet it kicked ass !

 

[Robert Comsol]

It's obviously going to mean the one seen on-screen, the canon design. I doubt most fans are even aware there was a different early concept design or that Tobias Richter built a CG version of it.

I assume you refer to the Sternbach/Jein version but technically speaking Probert's Ambassador Class design is canon, too, as it was featured from the beginning as a sculpture on the conference lounge wall, add to this it came first.

Bob

 

[scotpens]

I wonder why so many people harp on the Reboot ship's nacelles.

Maybe because they look like uncircumcised penises?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

The reason the Enterprise-B has those added bits on the secondary hull (that the stock Excelsior doesn't) is so they could be easily 'ripped away' by battle damage without harming the rest of the model. GEN was the first Trek film to use CGI, that I'm aware of, but it was only for a few seconds (when it's firing the deflector dish) - the actual ship was a model. So they needed a place where the Nexus energy ribbon could hit the ship but which wouldn't destroy the whole model.

 

[TheSubCommander]

For me, definitely the Enterprise B. It was essentially a re-badged Excelsior

Hum, well it was never anything else. B was supposed to be of the same class.

which was intentionally designed to be ugly in TSFS.

Is that your opinion or do you have a quote for that ?

I read somewhere that the Excelsior was meant to look the Enterprise if she were designed by Japanese efficiency experts.

Kevman provides the example I was referencing, though I don't recall at the moment where I heard it. I do remember the reason that quote was made was making a comment through satire that efficiency doesn't always mean the "best way." As with the reference by Scott makes that the more complicated something is made, the easier it is to gum up the works.

But as for E-B being a rebadge, I meant they literally rebadged the Excelsior model.

 

[Belz...]

"Japanese efficiency experts" is not "ugly". So I'll write that up as "opinion", then, which is fine.

 

[nightwind1]

I always felt that the NX-01 was the ugliest Enterprise. Not because it looks like an upside-down/smushed Akira, but because it does not comfortably fit the design lineage of other Federation ships.

It does not look like it would slide into the era of the Daedalus class followed by the Constitution class over the next hundred years.

To be fair to the NX-01... what do you expect? If they used a model that look liked it came out of the 1960's everyone would've complained about that. As our own technology and capabilities expand, so is our portrayal of the future. The Enterprise Mirror Universe episode definitely displayed how awesome a 60's era ship looked fighting ships with better graphics.

Fixed it for ya...

 

[Galactic Alignment]

I always felt that the NX-01 was the ugliest Enterprise. Not because it looks like an upside-down/smushed Akira, but because it does not comfortably fit the design lineage of other Federation ships.



It does not look like it would slide into the era of the Daedalus class followed by the Constitution class over the next hundred years.



I read on Doug Drexler's blog (before he shut it down) that when he was brought on board, they ship was already overdue and all he had time for was cleaning up the design that had already been worked on. He stated that (had he been there from the beginning) he would have just re-designed the Daedalus class slightly so that it looked good and detailed for TV.

He shut that blog of his down? Shame. Used to enjoy it before I lost track of it.

Never heard that information before about DD wanting to go for a Daedalus-type design if he had the time, that could've been something quite special, or at least more fitting for the design lineage.

Half-remember reading a rumour years ago that Paramount execs wanted the ship in Enterprise (the series) to literally be an Akira, reusing the same design, but a designer, or other staff member, protested strongly just in time. Anyone else remember that rumour,m or am I mis-remembering stuff again?

Ugly Enterprises? Well, I think the Ent-B should’ve been a stock Excelsior, really, so the Excelsior with glued-on crap that we saw in Generations was pretty unsatisfactory. Not the worst, though.

 

[Kevman7987]

He shut that blog of his down? Shame. Used to enjoy it before I lost track of it.

Never heard that information before about DD wanting to go for a Daedalus-type design if he had the time, that could've been something quite special, or at least more fitting for the design lineage.

Half-remember reading a rumour years ago that Paramount execs wanted the ship in Enterprise (the series) to literally be an Akira, reusing the same design, but a designer, or other staff member, protested strongly just in time. Anyone else remember that rumour, or am I mis-remembering stuff again?

In the post that I'm half remembering, Doug did reference the fact that the Paramount people wanted to just shove an Akira in there anyway. He wished they had just come to him originally too.

 

[EnsignRedshirt]

Enterprise-C for me. Always hated how it looked. Abrams comes second, but it's starting to grow on me.

And I like the NX-01. It doesn't really "fit" with the times, but I think it's a fine looking craft.

 

[Gary7]

The Excelsior/Enterprise-B design has its share of enthusiasts as well. Frankly, I think it looks like a dachshund. And that flat-topped secondary hull -- do they launch airplanes off that?

Heh, that's what I thought of too... either that, or old style missile launchers like that on a nuclear sub (there was some kind of grid pattern to it). The interior looks to be what inspired the JJprise bridge, all wide open with lots of bright lighting. As for ugly, yes I think they intended it to look less endearing than the NCC-1701A.

The reason the Enterprise-B has those added bits on the secondary hull (that the stock Excelsior doesn't) is so they could be easily 'ripped away' by battle damage without harming the rest of the model. GEN was the first Trek film to use CGI, that I'm aware of, but it was only for a few seconds (when it's firing the deflector dish) - the actual ship was a model. So they needed a place where the Nexus energy ribbon could hit the ship but which wouldn't destroy the whole model.

Are you quoting from a certain source? I mean, it sounds logical but I'm just curious if that's just your guess.

Someone had said the "D" looked a lot like a pleasure yacht/cruiser but I'd say the "B" looked more like that, especially with that flat top secondary hull. I could see a huge swimming pool on it with a clear dome affixed so the crew could enjoy swimming beneath the stars.

 

[Robert Comsol]

I can't help but wonder if this poll is really producing reliable results (heck, there are 3 and a half candidates for that made it difficult to cast a vote).

Wouldn't it be better to have a poll asking which Enterprise everyone likes best? Those that get the least votes would then automatically seem to be the less popular ones.

Bob

 

[Duncan MacLeod]

I wonder why so many people harp on the Reboot ship's nacelles.

Maybe because they look like uncircumcised penises?

I wasn't going to say that.

Thought about it, but wasn't gonna say it.

 

[Belz...]

Are you quoting from a certain source? I mean, it sounds logical but I'm just curious if that's just your guess.

No, it's the real reason.

From Wiki:

The Enterprise-B model was a modification of the Excelsior vessel first designed by effects house Industrial Light & Magic for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock a decade earlier. Production designer Herman Zimmerman designed the Enterprise-B with additions to its hull, some of which were added so that they could depict damage to the ship without harming the underlying model's surface. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, Larry Nemecek, pg. 319)

 

[Halmirdax]

I voted Enterprise B but actually, after looking at images of the JJverse Enterprise...I just might want to change that to the reboot ship. I noticed in the film that it seemed big and rather oddly designed, but I didn't focus too much on that aspect. Seeing it in a still kind of highlights the odd shape.

 

[Belz...]

So you didn't see the new movies yet ?

 

[RyanKCR]

The -D because it looks so unbalanced and organic looking.