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Ghilz Perpetually Confused from Yeeted at Relativistic Velocities Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Perpetually Confused
#276: May 14th 2011 at 8:46:32 AM

Newest SF Debris is pretty sweet, he finally addresses Pulaski.

johnnyfog Actual Wrestling Legend from the Zocalo Since: Apr, 2010 Relationship Status: They can't hide forever. We've got satellites.
Actual Wrestling Legend
#277: May 14th 2011 at 10:02:26 AM

"It is pronounced Enter-prez-say!"

edited 14th May '11 10:02:44 AM by johnnyfog

I'm a skeptical squirrel
Moogi A Mediocre Khan from everywhy Since: Jan, 2001
A Mediocre Khan
#278: May 24th 2011 at 8:36:32 AM

Random thought of the day: Imagine Star Trek mashed with The Pirates Of Penzance. Now imagine Martok singing that he is the very model of a modern Klingon general. You will not be able to unthink this now.

https://www.facebook.com/emileunmedicatedanduncut
Tyyrlym Jerk from Normandy SR-2 Since: Mar, 2011
Jerk
#279: May 24th 2011 at 3:16:43 PM

Going back a bit my favorite class is the Nebula because they took the rather ridiculous looking Galaxy and rearranged it into something that made more sense. Looks like the workhorse next to the Galaxy's primadona.

"Tyyr's a necessary evil. " Spirit
Premonition45 Since: Mar, 2011
#280: May 24th 2011 at 6:22:35 PM

The Galaxy class simply looks awkward at any angle. It's like they took the original Constitution class and steamrolled over it.

Tyyrlym Jerk from Normandy SR-2 Since: Mar, 2011
Jerk
#281: May 24th 2011 at 9:27:17 PM

It's modern art. They even said they were going for a modern sculpture look when they designed the thing. I like a degree of utilitarianism in my starships.

"Tyyr's a necessary evil. " Spirit
theobviouscaptain from a big rock down under Since: Mar, 2010
#282: May 25th 2011 at 12:13:48 AM

ahh, modern art. You never fail to amuse... and confuse...

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Medicus Sierra 117 from Australia Since: Sep, 2009
Sierra 117
#283: May 25th 2011 at 12:33:08 AM

Eh, the Galaxy-class isn't that awful looking.

But the design was definitely questionable. The bridge looked like an executive lounge rather than the nerve-centre of an interstellar starship.

It's not over. Not yet.
theobviouscaptain from a big rock down under Since: Mar, 2010
#284: May 25th 2011 at 12:51:16 AM

[up] you kidding? It's got a *mahogany* tactical control! Who can deny the sheer awesomeness that is Worf's station? Worf don't need no fancy leather swivel chair, he's got a Mahogany work station! <— (mostly sarcasm)

But in terms of exterior design, it really comes down to what angle you look at it from. I find it acceptable from most angles, unless you're looking from the side or the bottom. The saucer looks more like an oval from the bottom IMO.

edited 25th May '11 12:55:44 AM by theobviouscaptain

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Medicus Sierra 117 from Australia Since: Sep, 2009
Sierra 117
#285: May 25th 2011 at 12:59:25 AM

The Ent-D's design might come under Fridge Brilliance. Traditionally, the saucer has been the space for crew quarters and amenities, while the stardrive station was been for, er, stardrive stuff.

So when the Federation wants to design a ship for long-haul missions where families can live, guess what gets bigger?

It's not over. Not yet.
theobviouscaptain from a big rock down under Since: Mar, 2010
#286: May 25th 2011 at 1:01:48 AM

Eh, i suppose. I still think it looks wierd to look at.

edited 25th May '11 1:11:01 AM by theobviouscaptain

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Tyyrlym Jerk from Normandy SR-2 Since: Mar, 2011
Jerk
#287: May 25th 2011 at 10:49:46 AM

I just don't like it. It's all curves and I like sharp edges in my ships. To make the point one of my favorite designs in all of Sci-Fi is the Imperial Star Destroyer from Star Wars. The Ent-D is just... bleh.

"Tyyr's a necessary evil. " Spirit
theobviouscaptain from a big rock down under Since: Mar, 2010
#288: May 26th 2011 at 12:07:21 AM

Well, whatever floats your boat. That said, I think the (refit) Excelsior class has just replaced the Ambassador class as my favourite starship. It looks sleek without looking like it's trying to, unlike certain ships I will neglect to mention(*cough*sovereign*cough*)

edited 26th May '11 12:13:33 AM by theobviouscaptain

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KJMackley Since: Jan, 2001
#289: May 26th 2011 at 12:22:38 AM

The Enterprise-D was designed to not look like a warship, that much Gene Roddenberry was very clear on. It's like comparing a tank to a porsche, one is built to withstand some punishment while the other is meant to look good and drive good. The Ent-D has one of the most majestic and physical presense of any other Starfleet ship, the smooth shapes and angles make it very unique and aesthetically pleasing.

But compare that to the Ent-E, which has some sharper angles and more boxy shapes. It has a significantly reduced profile from every angle to make it more convincing as a battleship, a similar idea is what led to the designs of both Voyager and the Defiant.

theobviouscaptain from a big rock down under Since: Mar, 2010
#290: May 26th 2011 at 12:58:02 AM

[up] I always thought the Sovereign was just trying too hard to look sleek. Never really thought of it that way before... that changes my perception of it completely

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Tyyrlym Jerk from Normandy SR-2 Since: Mar, 2011
Jerk
#291: May 26th 2011 at 7:48:40 AM

[up][up]You say aesthetically pleasing I say bloated and bizarrely scaled mess. It's got all the physical presence of a Vegas casino, a giant flying tribute to a culture with too much free time on its hands.

"Tyyr's a necessary evil. " Spirit
KJMackley Since: Jan, 2001
#292: May 26th 2011 at 10:59:14 AM

^ That's nice. If you really want to you can think of that being the reason they decided to blow it up in Generations.

In any case the ship was meant to be a flying city and be very clearly "100 years more advanced than the original Enterprise." When it used it's phaser strips on the saucer section it was by far one of the most visually intimidating action any Starfleet ship could do (especially at a slightly downward camera angle a la the Kubrick Stare), followed by the Ent-E firing its blue quantum torpedoes and the Defiant's pulse phasers (I call those the flyswatter).

Tyyrlym Jerk from Normandy SR-2 Since: Mar, 2011
Jerk
#293: May 26th 2011 at 12:23:55 PM

No, it was tossed because the model they used for making TV episodes didn't hold up well on film and rather than take the time and effort to make a new digital model of the same ship they took the opportunity to make a brand new one.

"Tyyr's a necessary evil. " Spirit
Ghilz Perpetually Confused from Yeeted at Relativistic Velocities Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Perpetually Confused
#294: May 26th 2011 at 2:17:32 PM

My problem with the Galaxy Class is it looks too short for how wide and tall it is.

Seriously, look at it, and compare it to the Sovereign Glass, Excelsior or Constitution classes. All of them are sweeping, long, almost stretched.

The Galaxy? The "neck" linking the saucer to the stardrive is almost perfectly vertical, the nacelles are tiny and don't really stretch backwards. It doesn't help that said nacelles are attached to the wings at the back (unlike the other ships where it's at the front of the nacelles, or in the middle), they do not protrude at all. The ship looks like someone put the Excelsior in a car crusher and stopped halfway through. The end result is a ship with a body too small for the size of it's saucer.

Here's a comparison of the Enterprises, from A to D and it perfectly illustrates what I mean.

edited 26th May '11 2:20:41 PM by Ghilz

Yej (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: They can't hide forever. We've got satellites.
#295: May 26th 2011 at 2:19:45 PM

"The Jihad to Destroy Barney?"

EDIT: Ah, you edited it.

edited 26th May '11 2:20:11 PM by Yej

Ghilz Perpetually Confused from Yeeted at Relativistic Velocities Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Perpetually Confused
#296: May 26th 2011 at 2:21:02 PM

My copy paste hates me.

KJMackley Since: Jan, 2001
#297: May 26th 2011 at 4:49:49 PM

I said you can think of it that way, not that it was the actual reason. And the reasons behind destroying the Ent-D goes back to the sixth season of the show, where they were toying with doing a cliffhanger of the stardrive being destroyed and the saucer crashing on a planet. They decided against it because because of the time needed to introduce a new ship the following season and the money required for all the FX work. With the bigger budget of the films they recycled that idea, but even then there is evidence they were just going to use another Galaxy class ship (the original Enterprise model was modified to include the "E" in the registry before it was mothballed).

Anyway, the angle I mentioned before is pretty close to this one. Nothing looks great from every angle and certainly compared to ships before and after it doesn't have the same utilitarian look to it. I think the Ent-D was also meant to look like it was made of one solid chassis, which became difficult when the production team was told to allow the ship to do a saucer seperation. Now that I think about it, that might be the reason behind the oblong shape of the saucer section, so that it doesn't look like a flying saucer when seperated.

Personally I've never been very fond of the "hunchback" structure connecting Voyager's drive section to the saucer section, I felt it was hindering the otherwise very sleek look of the ship. Though it might have been just to ensure it looked different enough to the other "hero" ships.

ActuallyComma I am making sense! from a mysterious place Since: Feb, 2011
I am making sense!
#298: May 26th 2011 at 4:52:42 PM

It never occurred to me that anyone would consider the Enterprise-D ugly... if anything, the 'no bloody A, B, C or D' version looks a bit clunky and overly rigid to me.

Except [condescending response follows]. Because [sarcasm here]. You do understand [snark], right? POTHOLE TO SARCASM MODE
theobviouscaptain from a big rock down under Since: Mar, 2010
#299: May 27th 2011 at 9:57:59 PM

you mean plain NCC-1701? I'm Ok with it but I prefer the Enterprise A. The warp nacelles don't look like water bottiles with hubcaps on them and the satelite dish/deflector dhish...

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KJMackley Since: Jan, 2001
#300: May 28th 2011 at 12:31:38 AM

The original 1701 was a classic, but like most of the show's FX it hasn't aged well. It has a handful of basic shapes that merged together to form a memorable design, but the lack of detailing continues to remind you it is just a model. Even the remastered CG version has a hard time convincing you it is a 300 meter long ship, being able to see the edges of the hull panels adds a lot to it's validity. The movie refit version, on the other hand, still looks great even today.


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