The Douglas Collapsible Space Station seems to be the one, but it's four 'hats' on the same plane than three 'hats' attached to a dumbbell as k7
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Unseen TOS....
- Thread starter Warped9
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The Douglas Collapsible Space Station seems to be the one, but it's four 'hats' on the same plane than three 'hats' attached to a dumbbell as k7
Inspiration can come from unlikely places.
Design also has to have its own integrity. The K-7 station has its own function and purpose. Large ships hold station off the station while much smaller ships can be brought into a hangar. But it’s not a repair depot for large vessels. So there is no reason to believe an orbital drydock would follow the same logic in configuration and utilize the same components as a K-series station.
In “The Ultimate Computer” apparently installing the M5 did not require any need of a docking facility. They just beamed the components aboard and installed them in Main Egineering.
Design also has to have its own integrity. The K-7 station has its own function and purpose. Large ships hold station off the station while much smaller ships can be brought into a hangar. But it’s not a repair depot for large vessels. So there is no reason to believe an orbital drydock would follow the same logic in configuration and utilize the same components as a K-series station.
In “The Ultimate Computer” apparently installing the M5 did not require any need of a docking facility. They just beamed the components aboard and installed them in Main Egineering.
1959 and we thought space stations like that were in our nearish future.
I grew up in the time when we gave up on space. Instead of new things to achieve like that, humanity went for comfort and little gizmos and infotainment. An EVEN BETTER tiny camera! So I can be an observer of my life and my own PR department. I must go shake fist at cloud now.
I grew up in the time when we gave up on space. Instead of new things to achieve like that, humanity went for comfort and little gizmos and infotainment. An EVEN BETTER tiny camera! So I can be an observer of my life and my own PR department. I must go shake fist at cloud now.
I’m currently working on the dock’s upper super structure.
And, Lord help me, even as I’m working toward finalizing this design I find myself contemplating an alternate concept spurred partially by the discussion upthread. The question is whether to possibly address it now or go on to the next Unseen element and come back to this fledgling idea sometime down the road.
And, Lord help me, even as I’m working toward finalizing this design I find myself contemplating an alternate concept spurred partially by the discussion upthread. The question is whether to possibly address it now or go on to the next Unseen element and come back to this fledgling idea sometime down the road.
Ooops, we bad! 
There's no reason why there can't be two (or more) different space dock designs; like there's more than one starship designs.
<Not that I'm suggesting you build more than one of them...or am I?> 
The very point I mentioned upthread. But at the time my head was somewhere else. The idea I have now is something of a compromise: essentially a somewhat cylindrical enclosure enclosed all around except open at both ends--basically a tube.There's no reason why there can't be two (or more) different space dock designs; like there's more than one starship designs.
I'm giving it further thought.
In the meantime here is my current concept in progress. I'm still working on the upper superstructure.
The upper part of the dock's framework is more than just an upper surface--it's an entire facility devoted to ship repair and maintenance. The orbital dock is almost like a small space station with facilities for personnel quarters, dock administration, storage and workshops. The detail seen on the end is repeated on the other end so that you have two auxiliary craft hangar bays. In this pic you can see the underside of the upper section with large windows all around looking down into the drydock. Just inside the open ends, above and below, you can make out the extendable cranes that also move along tracks (almost reaching in the middle) to reach any part of the ship.
I can think of lots of detail that could be added, but I'm trying to stay focused on this being a TOS era built miniature. The biggest challenge I can think of is adding spotlights on the inside. Some of the detail I'm adding physically could possibly just be painted on for the few seconds the miniature would appear onscreen.
Inserted into the episode I envision showing the Enterprise entering or already berthed within the drydock rather than the standard opening of the Enterprise orbiting the planet. Another quick shot could be when Commodore Stone is looking at his wall chart then it switches to the Enterprise in drydock wherein Stone orders repair priority diverted to the Enterprise.
I number the dydock 05 to visually suggest there are multiple like facilities orbiting the planet underlining the idea Starbase 11 is a major spaceport.
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I was thinking that the set of four lit things on the inside surfaces of each of the curved vertical frameworks were spotlights, as they looked larger. Perhaps make them SLIGHTLY larger and round off the ends to differentiate them from normal lit windows? And maybe a hint of two slightly yellow circles within the white to also make them less window like?
This is looking very cool!
This is looking very cool!
Perhaps lights on the bottom as well?
I was thinking that the set of four lit things on the inside surfaces of each of the curved vertical frameworks were spotlights, as they looked larger. Perhaps make them SLIGHTLY larger and round off the ends to differentiate them from normal lit windows? And maybe a hint of two slightly yellow circles within the white to also make them less window like?
This is looking very cool!
Scale, my friend. Scale.
The four lighted panels on the curved insides are spotlights and they’re a lot larger than the windows. The windows are also rectangular while the spotlights are lozenge shaped (rounded on both ends). The windows have a touch of yellow tint to them while the spotlights are white.
Indeed. I'd 3d print it for my Enterprise model.
I missed that you already had rounded off the ends, but I did think those sets of four were spotlights.
The reason I mentioned slightly larger was thinking you might want somehing that was like the TMP dock lights, on arms, which I thought sounded counter to the intent of this project. I think we were talking at crossed purposes!
I try. I really do. It’s my tribute to my favourite show of all time. And as much as I have liked later designs none touch my fascination with the TOS E. But not just the TOS aesthetic, I think I managed to evoke something of the 1960’s architectural/industrial aesthetic.
I usually work up an orthographic view of all sides of my designs. And, yeah, it could make for a neat way to display your model.
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There's no reason to believe which is true but for some reason I feel a drydock would have K7's DNA in some form.
This is fantastic. And I say that as someone who has undertaken this exercise myself. I really like mine, but I think I like this better. It looks like what might have been done. Mine looks like something with the TOS aesthetic but beyond what would have been done except perhaps as a matte painting.
A major point of this thread/project was to design things that look like they could have been done back in the day. I repeat myself, but this is where I really feel TOS-R failed—too often they went with things that simply could not have been done back in the day even with more time and money. It’s not just a matter of resources, but also perspective—adding or retconning things into TOS that simply couldn’t have been envisioned or couldn’t possibly have been known back in the day. And despite protests to the contrary they totally blew the TOS aesthetic. They were hellbent on retconning (then) contemporary Trek elements as well as the look of (then) contemporary Trek productions into TOS.
I have seen dedicated fans here and elsewhere recreate the look of TOS with models both physical (Polar Lights’ 1/350 TOS E) and 3D cgi that look spot on as cleaned up TOS screencaps albeit with models fully finished on all sides. Thats how you enhance TOS—make it look like it could have been done.
As I stated upthread I am contemplating an alternate design taking into account some of remarks made upthread regarding a more enclosed design. I’m just not sure when I will tackle that.
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To make this drydock look more authentic at some point I’ll have to use Shaw’s drawings to model the 33in. Enterprise miniature for it. Because there is no way whatsoever a structure like this could have been made for the 11 footer—the time and cost would have been crazy. If “Court Martial” had been a second or third season episode then they might have gotten away with using a (decently built) AMT Enterprise model for the drydock.
While you can’t go big you also can’t go too small if you still want to add some lights to it.
While you can’t go big you also can’t go too small if you still want to add some lights to it.
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It would have been possible for them to film the 11' at a distance to make it look smaller while having a small model drydock closer to the camera. There would have been many options to make this work back then with the 11' if they needed to, IMHO.
It's also just as probable they'd use an AMT kit and kept it in the background like when they visited K-7.
It's also just as probable they'd use an AMT kit and kept it in the background like when they visited K-7.
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