Why the Ralph McQuarrie-inspired USS Discovery is an incredible design

[Long Syntax]

So if it looked like this, nobody would tune out?

Production design is part of the reason why people watch a sci-fi show. They want suspension of disbelief, to get swept away into another world. It may not be the decisive factor, but it is A factor. Plus, if the ship looks completely turd-like, people won't buy toys and model kits of it.

Agreed. The adventures of the USS Garbage Scowl wouldn't attract my weekly attention

 

[Eric Cheung]

I, for one, would love to see a Star Trek show that stepped outside the bounds of Starfleet. To that end, I'd love to see something like the garbage scow of the show Quark. The only think I've seen like that is from the fan film series Star Trek Aurora. I would love to see much more of civilian life in Star Trek. I kind of think ENT should have been about a Boomer vessel, with basically the same stories about finding out how dangerous deep space was, and having to do diplomacy as civilians. It would have made them being in over their heads even more plausible.

 

[NOVE9]

The Discovery design is superior to McQuarries. Where did you find the bottom design. That actually kind of makes me like it. THe problem with McQuarries is that the saucer is way too small compared to the main hull, the nacells are too small and both the nacelles and saucer raise up gracelessly vertical when you look at it from the front.

The engines are the "legs" or "wings" of the ship. You need big legs to run quickly. McQuarrie's engines simply don't look capable of streaking through the cosmos. The saucer is way, way too small compared to the drive section. Like why even bother with it? Actually, an arrowhead hull with nacelles wouldn't be that bad. McQuarrie isn't bad, it's just that his work could all use additional love. Like how Vader's mask needed refining from those original organic angles or how half of the ships in Star Wars (X-wings, Y-Wings, Falcon, Vader-s TIE, Victory Star Destroyers) are just ugly.

Anyhoo, at least the Discovery has powerful engines,

This guy did the bottom picture, he has quite a few that show the potential of how good the ship can be.
http://geekfilter.deviantart.com/

 

[USS Triumphant]

Can you show me some examples? Because all fan designs I've seen are either kitbashes or heavily influenced by canon ships, there's little to no originality in them.

No, I will not.

I will: Atolm's ships, especially the Chariot-class, below:

We think Atolm is actually an alien, though, and thus might be cheating.

(@Atolm - if there's a better place to look at your collection altogether, please advise. Thanks.)

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I will: Atolm's ships, especially the Chariot-class, below:

We think Atolm is actually an alien, though, and thus might be cheating.

(@Atolm - if there's a better place to look at your collection altogether, please advise. Thanks.)

So, instead of an Enterprise that had sex with a Star Destroyer, we're supposed to prefer an Enterprise that had sex with a B-wing?

I'll take McQuarrie/Adams.

 

[USS Triumphant]

So, instead of an Enterprise that had sex with a Star Destroyer, we're supposed to prefer an Enterprise that had sex with a B-wing?

I'll take McQuarrie/Adams.

I wasn't recommending that specific design for Discovery, per se. I was responding to the idea that no fans have done original designs. Go look at the link for the rest of Atolm's ships - if anything, the Chariot-class there is one of his more derivative designs (you can see a little Galaxy-class in there). I just like it a lot, and it's the first of his ships that I saw.

 

[Number One]

So, instead of an Enterprise that had sex with a Star Destroyer, we're supposed to prefer an Enterprise that had sex with a B-wing?

I'll take McQuarrie/Adams.

I din't know of that atolm before, but if the provided link includes only his designs, some aren't half as bad as you'd think.
Also, were you see a B Wing, I see Bobba Fett ship(though both are close to this particular design displayed).

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I wasn't recommending that specific design for Discovery, per se. I was responding to the idea that no fans have done original designs. Go look at the link for the rest of Atolm's ships - if anything, the Chariot-class there is one of his more derivative designs (you can see a little Galaxy-class in there). I just like it a lot, and it's the first of his ships that I saw.

OK, but that whole sidebar was about fan designs somehow being better than the DSC design. The post that kicked it off:

Another thing that bothers me is that a vast number of hobbyist have conceptualized better looking ships. I expect more from the professionals than what I, or anyone else could do.

I din't know of that atolm before, but if the provided link includes only his designs, some aren't half as bad as you'd think.
Also, were you see a B Wing, I see Bobba Fett ship(though both are close to this particular design displayed).

Yes, I can see Slave I in there, too.

 

[psCargile]

You show me 9 random fan Trek designs, and I'll rank Ken Adams' design last every time.

 

[JRoss]

Of course it could be worse. They could have gone with Franz Joseph.

 

[Mudd]

You show me 9 random fan Trek designs, and I'll rank Ken Adams' design last every time.

That's nice.

One would have imagined that the specifics of the designs would matter?

But...no.

Just any random "fan designs."

Somehow, this diminishes your credibility on the subject.

 

[Takeru]

I will: Atolm's ships, especially the Chariot-class, below:

We think Atolm is actually an alien, though, and thus might be cheating.

(@Atolm - if there's a better place to look at your collection altogether, please advise. Thanks.)

I don't think that's better looking than Discovery, what's the point of the fin at the bottom? I think the intention was to create a vertical design for star fleet but this is just a regular saucer/secondary/nacelles configuration with a random fin added to the bottom.
Cover the fin and look at the rest of the ship, it's a boxy 24th century design that could have been launched a few years before the galaxy class.

And what's the purpose of the fin in universe? Usually thin structures like that connect the hulls or the nacelles to the ship, this one just sticks out as if someone said "You know what we need? A bunch of really narrow decks!" I'm not against a vertical design, I think it's interesting but this is just a regular horizontal design plus fin. Even the nacelle structure is horizontal and a saucer? A vertical star fleet ship should probably use a sphere as its primary hull to get rid of the some width while keeping internal volume.

I like the idea better than the execution in this case.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Of course it could be worse. They could have gone with Franz Joseph.

Other than really detailed blueprints for the Connie, and the idea for the Saladin and dreadnought, what did FJ do that's bad?
I've said it elsewhere, FJ was just about the only one coming up with alternate designs at the time and I liked his work.

 

[Longinus]

Other than really detailed blueprints for the Connie, and the idea for the Saladin and dreadnought, did FJ do that's bad?
I've said it elsewhere, FJ was just about the only one coming up with alternate designs at the time and I liked his work.

They're just kitbashes. Most of them are ugly.
(Though, considering that he had to extrapolate from grand total of one canonical fed ship design, it is understandable how his stuff ended up looking as it did.)

 

[psCargile]

That's nice.

One would have imagined that the specifics of the designs would matter?

But...no.

Just any random "fan designs."

Somehow, this diminishes your credibility on the subject.

It's just about the art. Specifically the Adams concept. Every derivative I've seen, is an improvement, which doesn't speak well of the original. The teaser trailer model, slight improvement.

 

[Mudd]

The so-called "engineering hull" on the TOS Enterprise is the bit of basic "Starfleet" design that artists seem most inclined to really play around with:

• TNG radically reduced it in proportion to the saucer;
• Voyager and the TNG movies merged it with the saucer;
• Enterprise eliminated it altogether (as did Reliant in TWOK).

So in that sense it's not that much of a departure for Adams to have turned it into a wedge. I like Adams' solution best, I think, though I like the TNG Enterprise quite a lot.

 

[fireproof78]

Of course it could be worse. They could have gone with Franz Joseph.

I'd take that over the current Discovery model, save for the dreadnought

Also, here's a good variety of TOS inspired ships for everyone to hate on
Ex Astris Scienta
USS Sagittarius
A variety of ships from that era, approximately

But, I personally like this design, which is like a TOS era Constellation, but cooler looking

 

[BillJ]

I'd take that over the current Discovery model, save for the dreadnought

I love the Dreadnought!

 

[mos6507]

overwrought reactions when the NX-01 and the 2009 Enterprise were revealed.

Which is because those designs also suck. Enterprise wasn't exactly a roaring success and nuTrek did not succeed on the back of its production design nor did it sell much merch.

We've not even seen the final production version of the ship, just a hasty promo video.

But they've gone on record to say that the basic shape isn't going to change, therefore there's a limit to how much better it's going to get.

 

[Longinus]

Which is because those designs also suck.

Design for NX-01 definitely does not suck. Most of the critique was about it looking inappropriate for the era (I have gotten over that, though would have preferred slightly less 'organic' looking design for the catamaran things.) But it is definitely one of the most beautiful Trek ships (or of any Scifi ships, for that matter.)