Something smooth and sleek, a design which looks alien where I don't see any lines to know how the pieces connect to one another.
Unseen TOS....
- Thread starter Warped9
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I appreciate you quoting it. Ships like that are ones that I find more inspirational in terms of science fiction possibility, and feeling like current tech could reach that.
I think I would avoid doing something overtly reptilian. Consider that the Gorn, as seen in TOS, looked to have something like compound eyes. Thats rather alien by Earth perspective. So I would likely aim for something alien with perhaps a suggestion or elusive echo of reptilian connotations.
I saw something on TREKYARDS, there was a rendition of an alleged "Gorn ship" from the remastered edition. What I continuously have a problem with those designs is it felt the makers were trying to honor the design schemes done from TMP and ENT and make a crude compromise, instead of just immersing in the designs from Matt Jefferies and others who participated in TOS and steer the Gorn ideas from there.
^^ TOS-R had conflicting agendas. The idea was not to polish the TOS fx so that they could look the best 1960’s fx could offer with money no object while still respecting the TOS aesthetic. It was to update the fx to look more acceptable to contemporary audiences. That the mediocre cgi now already looks dated was inevitable.
I have nothing to base this on other than a gut feeling and the production timing, but I think the saucer/one nacelle model that Wah Chang built in addition to the Romulan ship was supposed to be the Gorn vessel. For whatever reason, it was not used and the episode showed nothing. Perhaps someone in the know might have more information. Chang did create the Gorn suit, after all, so it stands to reason that they might have had him build the ship.
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I tried designing a Gorn ship a long time ago. It looked like the love child of a scaly lizard and Battlestar Galactica. Galaxy Quest came up with something similar, but that movie was a Trek parody. I don't think alien ships should look like how human's see the aliens. If human ships were designed by aliens in this way, they'd all have big butts and hairy heads!
Decades ago I designed a Gorn ship that didn’t look reptilian, but certainly didn’t look human centric. It did have something of an organic looking element to it. I think I recall the basics of what I did, but not the details. I would have to try recreating it by memory.
That would be awesome, and would you also lean the renewed design with Wah Chang in mind?
Which model was that? I’ve only seen photos of the two nacelles Romulan bird-of-prey, and have never seen any references to Wah Chang building other space/starship models for the series. Colour me intrigued…
Here here!!! Everything Star Trek from the 60's intrigues me.
This was posted in my other thread TAS made real. This was the other design of Wah Chang’s that went unused.
I’ll post this again for your reference. I based this on the Wah model I’d found. It also draws from details on the SFB Gorn ships, and admittedly, a little of the “reptilian” thing.
There's also this one (the 3-ZB Battlecruiser) from Allie C. Peed III and Stardraft Productions (1981). One of the earliest (if not THE earliest) fan-made Gorn designs, and really kind of cool-looking, IMO. Never cared much for the FASA ones, though. Too boxey-looking for me.
I seem to remember someone making a 3d model of this ship I'll have to check my archives
Jim Martin designed this Gorn ship for DS9, but it was never used:
https://64.media.tumblr.com/7f72da8a1a8568675857f726ca9ba368/tumblr_orrdksdss31u3vseto1_1280.jpg
https://64.media.tumblr.com/7f72da8a1a8568675857f726ca9ba368/tumblr_orrdksdss31u3vseto1_1280.jpg
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