USS Enterprise (eventually) on Discovery?

[Longinus]

I'd hope they'd be more than vaguely aware of it, it is literally the first thing they are told in every single Star Wars movie. The disclaimer that it isn't our future is so famous you can quote it out of context and people know immediately what you mean.

Sure, they are aware of it on that level, but they don't start to think that having retro designs in Star Wars is acceptable because it is not set in the future. They think the retro designs are acceptable because they look cool.

Star Trek on the other hand has consistently been the future of our world, even altering its own past to fit when advancing reality overwrites its speculation. It is the 'vision of the future', our future. And how we imagine our own future evolves with time, and artistic fashion, and the changing nature of technological progression. When the 1701 was originally designed, the future was all about jets and flying cars and moon colonies. Big advances were expected in the aerospace industry, but other things like communication, recording and recalling information and computing weren't in focus. You can see it in all kinds of futuristic settings from the period (check out Gerry Anderson's vision of the early 21st Century). By the 00's, the opposite was true. We had no flying cars, deep space sleeper ships or jetpacks. 99.99%+ of people still haven't left Earth. Instead we had pocket phones that connected us to all the world's data, and rapidly developing social connections heavy on user generated media. Our computers have overrun the capabilities of even the 24th Century ones. If Trek doesn't move with the times it just becomes a show about what the 60s thought the future would be like. I'm not saying you couldn't have a show like that, but it wouldn't be Star Trek.

This is not about the technology, I'm not arguing that they should be using tapes in Discovery because they did in TOS. This is about the design aesthetic, and that could easily be retro and some elements in DIS indeed are. They're just not applying it consistently so the overall look is not coherent.

Star Wars is an entirely different beast. It is a space fantasy set in some far flung galaxy where the physics isn't quite the same, there's a mysterious Force, and part of the aesthetic is retro, used and dirty from day one. You don't change the universe any more than you give Aragorn a bazooka.

You'd think. PixelMagic already had ideas how to make X-Wing to look like was designed today!

 

[DaveyNY]

According to the article I just read here, https://www.space.com/39775-lost-in-space-netflix-reboot-teaser-video.html the girl you might be referring to will be Judy. Major West is a man.

...and it appears that Dr. Smith is a Lady.
That will be VERY INTERESTING!

Maureen may have competition for John.
LOL

(the thought of "Dr. Smith" getting humped by John Robinson and/or Major West, does all sorts of weird things with my Bi Psyche!!)

They've ruined NOTHING about my childhood!!

 

[Fandango831]

To throw some more fuel on the fire, they also redesigned the Jupiter 2 for the upcoming Lost in Space Netflix series. Here it is. Why did they not just leave the original design?!?!?!?

To be completely fair it doesn't violate the spirit of the original Jupiter 2. It's still mostly a saucer (single hull) design with retro space elements that harken back to the "golden age" of space travel. Also at a base level it appears to be a two story ship still, has a distinct cockpit region similar to the original, and kept the retractable landing legs & ramp as seen in the teaser. Minus aiming to show a more "realistic" spacecraft with things like the engine packs, RCS units, TPS, and more NASA hull coloring I'd still call it pretty darn faithful. Especially compared to the 98 film.

 

[cooleddie74]

The less said about the 1998 Matt LeBlanc film the better. As per the new Jupiter 2, I like it. It still retains the original ship's flying saucer aesthetic while incorporating surface elements we've seen both in real life and in other sci-fi franchises. Frankly, it looks better than some of DSC's starships.

 

[KirkusOveractus]

The less said about the 1998 Matt LeBlanc film the better. As per the new Jupiter 2, I like it. It still retains the original ship's flying saucer aesthetic while incorporating surface elements we've seen both in real life and in other sci-fi franchises. Frankly, it looks better than some of DSC's starships.

I'll say something about the 1998 film: Heather Graham.

 

[cooleddie74]

Heather Graham in the 1990s could have made a Republican National Convention worth sitting through.

 

[PixelMagic]

The less said about the 1998 Matt LeBlanc film the better.

I love that movie. Fight me.

 

[Gepard]

I love that movie. Fight me.

It's so bad, but so much fun.

It's an action movie with almost no action. It has great model work, but awful CGI. The production design is some of the best I've ever seen, and it has an all-star cast who turn in universally terrible performances. The plot makes no sense but is always engaging. It's got space travel, time travel, space bugs, mad scientists, robots run amok...it's like somebody ripped pages out of a '50s pulp sci-fi magazine, shuffled them around, and made a movie out of the result.

I guess what I'm saying is I love it too, but it is a deeply terrible movie.

 

[Rahul]

Or the 80s-as-hell TNG designs. Sci-fi properties scream the era they are made to the heavens, just as much as the hairstyles and presence and/or style of jeans will tell you when a romcom was made. That's not a criticism, really, it is just a fact.

Actually, I think TNG has a pretty timeless design language as well
So much so, that in fact WHEN some obvious 80s designs show up - like the Romulan shoulder pads, or Troi and Crusher having their aerobics-session, it's so obviously out of place, it just highlights the fact how well the rest of the designs have aged:

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That being said, TNG is of course also obviously an 80's show, purely by the style of it's storytelling and the A/B-plot structured stand-alone episode-style. But IMO the pure production design has very well stood the test of time through the 90s and 00's in it's spin-off series on air, and what makes it look dated now is mostly the quality of the products at the time - the more simplistic make-up, hand props that aren't 3d-printed but thrown together etc. But as far as I'm concerned, Okuda's and Sternbach's design language is pretty unique and not really representative for the 80's as a whole.

 

[Rahul]

To throw some more fuel on the fire, they also redesigned the Jupiter 2 for the upcoming Lost in Space Netflix series. Here it is. Why did they not just leave the original design?!?!?!?

HOLY SHIT! Is this a great design! damn
Concise, clear-cut lines. An easy-to-spot simple shape. Enough details to give a sense of scale. But also dares to have large, flat surfaces, that still look convincing, because of the quality of the lightning and the render. Shit. I love this ship! This gives a clear form-follows-function-vibe through and through. Why can't Trek have such a great design language and vfx anymore?

In fact, after watching the trailer (and seeing the spacesuit-props, which are ALSO superiour to Discovery's), and knowing that Netflix originally wanted to create their own Star Trek series licensed by CBS (à la Marvel-deal), I have the raging suspicion this show will be a lot closer to classic Trek than expected - adapting a lot of pre-production ideas they originally wanted to use on their own Trek show, before CBS decided to make one themselves on All Access.

 

[Longinus]

HOLY SHIT! Is this a great design! damn
Concise, clear-cut lines. An easy-to-spot simple shape. Enough details to give a sense of scale. But also dares to have large, flat surfaces, that still look convincing, because of the quality of the lightning and the render. Shit. I love this ship! This gives a clear form-follows-function-vibe through and through. Why can't Trek have such a great design language and vfx anymore?

Yeah, that ship has the sort of clear ungreebled look that I'd like the ships in Star Trek to have.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

It's so bad, but so much fun.

It's an action movie with almost no action. It has great model work, but awful CGI. The production design is some of the best I've ever seen, and it has an all-star cast who turn in universally terrible performances.

Seriously! It's like Gary Oldman and William Hunt both showed up on set one day and said "Fuck... what's the point?"

I guess what I'm saying is I love it too, but it is a deeply terrible movie.

Strangely enough, I sometimes feel this way about TOS too... except that even TOS was never as bad as Lost in Space '98.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I love that movie. Fight me.

It'll be two on one, we'll kick @cooleddie74's head in

 

[PixelMagic]

It's so bad, but so much fun.

It's an action movie with almost no action. It has great model work, but awful CGI. The production design is some of the best I've ever seen, and it has an all-star cast who turn in universally terrible performances. The plot makes no sense but is always engaging. It's got space travel, time travel, space bugs, mad scientists, robots run amok...it's like somebody ripped pages out of a '50s pulp sci-fi magazine, shuffled them around, and made a movie out of the result.

I guess what I'm saying is I love it too, but it is a deeply terrible movie.

Maybe I just have low standards, but I just don't see how it's terrible. I like it because I think it's good, not in spite of it being bad. A plot that makes no sense with time travel and bad acting is a Star Trek staple. So why are you here? Heh. Lost In Space 1998 is very Star Trekky. In fact, with a couple of rewrites, Star Trek Beyond could have been the same plot.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

HOLY SHIT! Is this a great design! damn
Concise, clear-cut lines. An easy-to-spot simple shape. Enough details to give a sense of scale. But also dares to have large, flat surfaces, that still look convincing, because of the quality of the lightning and the render. Shit. I love this ship! This gives a clear form-follows-function-vibe through and through. Why can't Trek have such a great design language and vfx anymore?

Because John Eaves is still doing the starship designs.

Honestly, I know I'm in the minority, but I really LIKE the Kelvinverse Enterprise. It's my favorite version of the 1701, right behind the refit version (which used to be first, and kind of still is).

In fact, after watching the trailer (and seeing the spacesuit-props, which are ALSO superiour to Discovery's)

Dude, Discovery's thruster suit costume is the one of the coolest props I've seen on Star Trek in a very long time. The only thing wrong with it is that they only used it once.

I have the raging suspicion this show will be a lot closer to classic Trek than expected - adapting a lot of pre-production ideas they originally wanted to use on their own Trek show, before CBS decided to make one themselves on All Access.

Star Trek and Lost in Space have always sort of been in and out of each other's atmospheres since they were basically built on the same premise, so much so that Lost in Space could easily be rebooted as a Star Trek spinoff if they did nothing else but change the Jupiter II's launch date. Imagine Kirk and Spock and McCoy beaming down to check on a group of settlers and being greeted by Doctor Smith gibbering on about how they're "Just in time! Something terrible has happened! Save me, save me!" and it turns out he's pitching a fit because they ran out of cheese or something. Then cue the sneaky alien lurking in the rocks and Major West making some sorta-racist remark about Vulcans... you've got yourself an episode!

Not that they'll actually go that route in this show, but thematically and historically, the two shows aren't actually different enough for any of us to be surprised if LiS turns out to be even more treklike than the Orville.

 

[ITDUDE]

That was a dieselpunk movie. So yeah its gonna look dieselpunk.

Dieselpunk Star Trek you said? Well you didn't, but here it is any way
(many of these are actually steampunk, but it's close enough)

I'd definitely watch Steam Trek. Bring it on!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I'd definitely watch Steam Trek. Bring it on!

Have you ever seen this?

 

[Rahul]

Because John Eaves is still doing the starship designs.

John Eaves is a fantastic designer!
Most of the best Trek designs ever came from his fabulous mind. He just needs someone telling him to tone it down a little from time to time.

Honestly, I know I'm in the minority, but I really LIKE the Kelvinverse Enterprise.

Make that two.

It's my favorite version of the 1701, right behind the refit version (which used to be first, and kind of still is).

I wouldn't go that far. There are IMO a few better Trek ships. But she's a great friggin' beauty nevertheless.

Dude, Discovery's thruster suit costume is the one of the coolest props I've seen on Star Trek in a very long time. The only thing wrong with it is that they only used it once.

Fully agreed here. They need to come back ASAP for season 2! I just slightly like the Lost-in-Space suits a bit more, because they look more practical, but still friggin' amazing.

I guess I'm saying I just like the design language of the new Lost in Space show...

Not that they'll actually go that route in this show, but thematically and historically, the two shows aren't actually different enough for any of us to be surprised if LiS turns out to be even more treklike than the Orville.

I hope it turns out to be the complete opposite of the Orville. I want it to be the most realistic-while-still-bright-and-optimistic show out there. Like something that could really happen. I like the Orville, but it's far too stage-like for my taste.

 

[ITDUDE]

Have you ever seen this?

No, but this is freaking awesome!

I'll definitely take a look!

 

[Noname Given]

Come on, man! You know this could work in the new Pacific Rim movie with the proper lighting.

^^^
Hell, I thought that WAS a poster for the Pacific Rim sequel (which looks bad IMO).