TOS' U.S.S. Valiant and Farragut....

[Warped9]

Here are a couple of new things for my chronology that I thought folks in this forum might like.

The first image is my take on the Valiant that's lost at Eminiar 7 in "A Taste Of Armeggedon." The second image is a work-in-progress of my idea of the Farragut referenced in "Obsession." There's about forty years between the two events and I wanted to show some idea of evolution in design from the Valiant to the Farragut to the Enterprise.

The Farragut design has something of that TOS look I think while still not being a reuse of the familiar design. The ship is supposed to be about 3/4 of the size of a Constitution-class.

For the Farragut I still have to add extra detail: surface detail, windows, running lights, markings, whatever else I can think of. I elected to go with a new design extrapolated from an early MJ sketch rather than use the Surya type frigate which had been my initial idea.

Both ships are completely rendered in Photoshop.

 

[judge alba]

very nice i like them a lot

 

[Kelso]

I like those. They actually look pre-TOS.

 

[B.J.]

Nicely done artwork! I just wish they weren't so fuzzy, but I can understand you wanting them to fit into the look of the original broadcast.

I like the antennas sticking out on the Valiant! I didn't notice that the first couple of times looking at it.

 

[Santaman]

Nice designs.

 

[Patrickivan]

Very nice. I like the Valiant's saucer and nacelle connection sections. It reminds me of the Oberth type, and I can see how that design could lead in to it. The deflector array seems a little bulky- I'd taper it a little smaller as it protrudes from the ship.

That Farragut seems too much like the Valiant (with regards to the nacelles coming out of the aft section of the upper neck)- but I do see where you're coming from with the design, and certainly where you're going. Once the detail is in, I think I'll like this ship more...

Good Stuff!

 

[Soar_Dude]

I thougt the Valiant was lost at the Galactic barrier?

 

[Skywalker]

I like the shot of Lieutenant Kirk. Where did you get that image of Shatner?

 

[Vance]

I thougt the Valiant was lost at the Galactic barrier?

Well, maybe when the crewman got super-ESP powers he got smart enough to ask for a map?

 

[StarCruiser]

The name was used twice in TOS - in 'Where No Man...' and 'A Taste of Armaggedon'. There's nothing wrong with that since the later could have been named after the former - separated by ~150 years.

 

[BolianAuthor]

Not bad! I like the old film look, like it's an actual TOS screencap.

 

[Shaw]

I like the Farragut... it is different while still feeling very familiar.

Have you sketched out any other views of it?

 

[TheLoneRedshirt]

I really like the Valiant! The Farragut seems to need a bit more detail, though I do like the overall design.

As to the photo of Lt. Kirk, let me guess - did you take a screen shot from Shatner's "Twilight Zone" appearance and photoshop his head onto Christopher Pike's body?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

The name was used twice in TOS - in 'Where No Man...' and 'A Taste of Armaggedon'. There's nothing wrong with that since the later could have been named after the former - separated by ~150 years.

In fact the name Valiant seems to have a curse on it, as almost every ship Trek has ever had with that name, has met some untimely end:

- SS Valiant, destroyed at galactic barrier

- First USS Valiant (TOS), lost at Eminiar/Vendikar

- Second USS Valiant (DS9), idiot Red Squad cadet ship that got blown up

 

[Professor Moriarty]

Yeah, it's like that dumbass habit of Starfleet naming expensive starships Enterprise. How many o' them suckers has met with a tragic demise?!

 

[Warped9]

The points raised are quite fair. My only real basis for my perspective is that in "Obsession" there's a reference that about half the Farragut's crew were killed by the cloud creature--"it killed more than one hundred crewman." or something to that effect. That's only a quarter or less of a 400-430 complement for a Constitution-class. Mind you GR's initial take on the ship's crew was 203, but that was near immediately thrown out after "The Cage." You could still argue that while it was true for the Enterprise then so it could also have been true for the Farragut.

My other thinking is that in the Cage era there likely weren't "twelve like it" yet, but maybe half a dozen at most. However, it's entirely possible that the earlier Farragut of Garrovick's era has since been retired and decommissioned and a Constitution-class Farragut now exists.

At any rate here's the final image. I was aiming for something that had a Cage era feel to it.

There's meant to be something of an evolutionary link between the Valiant and the Farragut. The earlier era (lacks sufficient detail at this point) would be more rough and bulkier looking. The newer design reflects attributes seen even more evident in the Constitution-class, more gentle curves and more elegence (if you will) in overall design. The newer and significantly more advanced technology of the 2240s was being fitted into these existing Farragut type ships while the Connies were wholly new from scratch. While the Farras were the cruisers of their day they became equivalent to frigates in the Connie's era.

One thing I should try to do is dirty the ship, that is add touches of weathering as was done to TOS' 11ft filming miniature. As it is my Farragut looks like it was just launched new out of drydock of the late 2220s.

 

[DEWLine]

That could work nicely for continuity purposes, barring the Farragut's actual appearance on-screen as Constitution-class.

 

[Cary L. Brown]

That could work nicely for continuity purposes, barring the Farragut's actual appearance on-screen as Constitution-class.

Well, there's nothing to infer that the Farragut that's flying around during TOS is the same Farragut which Kirk served on, though it's commonly assumed to be the case.

In my mind, the Farragut is the ship I saw in a classic Trek graphic novel, which was a Constitution-class ship. But that's a matter of personal taste... we've never been told anything either way.

I actually really like what Warped9 has done here. I'm pretty impressed that this was done in Photoshop. Ray, is this using the recently added (if I've read my magazine articles properly) 3D capability in Photoshop, or is this all literally 2D?

Either way... beautiful work, and yes, very much "of a piece" with the Star Trek I've known my entire life.

 

[Warped9]

That could work nicely for continuity purposes, barring the Farragut's actual appearance on-screen as Constitution-class.

And how likely is that to happen considering it's never been shown in forty years of the franchise?

 

[buzzknox]

That could work nicely for continuity purposes, barring the Farragut's actual appearance on-screen as Constitution-class.

And how likely is that to happen considering it's never been shown in forty years of the franchise?

The Farragut that Kirk served on has been depicted in some comics and described as a Constitution class in novels. However, since those are not canon, your version serves very well.

Actually, I think your version is superior in this situation. It's nice to see the fleet fleshed out with something other than "Hero" class.