The debate about the new Enterprise design nerdrages on, with discussion on Trek Movie between famous Trek designer Rick Sternbach and Ryan Church, the new movie’s designer. Here’s Church standing up for his new design:
I’m not going to get involved in the mud slinging, here, but needed to assure you guys and gals: we’ve built you a fine ship. To clarify: there’s a slight optical illusion occurring here, consequence of the “camera” angle. For Rick and others who worry the nacelles don’t have a clear line of sight over the disc – they, in fact, do. We were hardly working in a vacuum. I raided ILM reference photos like a madman. We were deferential to “inviolates” of Star Trek design vocabulary. Additionally, the profile here isn’t 100% representative, because, as you’ve noticed, the Bussards are dimmed. The true profile of the nacelles may or may not be revealed here, and that’s all I’ll say.
The image above was obviously cobbled together by a fan trying to insult the new ship’s swoopy curves, but linking the design of a ship that operates in frictionless outer space to the gorgeous aerodynamic travesties of space age automobiles isn’t doing anything but convincing me I like the new Enterprise design even more.
Big Reaction To New Enterprise – New Designer Responds [TrekMovie.com]
Previously • J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek gets its Enterprise
Well, having corresponded with Rick in the past, if he’s willing to give it a shot, then okay. But from where I sit, wondering what was wrong with the original.
Grumbles…
I kinda like the ship.
I few scoops are no biggie.
Overall I think I will love the movie although I suspect some of the revisionist history will drive me crazy and make me feel like a fanboy.
We need Honor Harrington!
Rick Sternbach’s first claim to fame:
The gorgeous cover paintings for Larry Niven’s “Known Space” paperbacks.
i think i saw that thing on “the simpsons”.
since new ship was built in an ALTERNATE history,why carp about design?hey,in original history, E was around for years while kirk worked his way up to Captain—seems i recall April,Pike,then kirk in the chair—garydc
Sternbach’s cool. He put a lot of work into the designs for the various Treks, including a lot of details on Voyager (i.e. detachable captain’s shuttle, spare warp core, back-up deflector, etc.) that they never used on the show.
…There wasn’t anything wrong with the original. Just that Abrams has this corncob up his butt that’s scratching his brain and making him make changes that we’ll find were totally unnecessary. If anything, he should have simply taken the original “E”, changed the nacelle struts to fit those of the TMP version, and left it at that.
I.
Hate.
It.
…Rick’s an old Space History colleague, and while I think the new “E” designers made some blunders with this reimaging, if Rick’s willing to give it a chance, I’ll have to do the same.
This fan backlash over nothing is exactly why Star Trek needs to end. I mean END end. Like, no more. You people don’t deserve new movies, and the sci-fi genre desperately needs new franchises. Not endless pandering to nostalgia.