Lightening captured in a bottle.
When we finished DS9’s “Trial and Tribble-ations”, we figured that was it. There is no chance that we will ever get to play in that universe again! Well, when you live in a sci-fi world like we do, you eventually know better! When Manny Coto and Mike Sussman got their hands on the NX wheel, Enterprise made an abrupt course change, and we returned home yet again.
Since this was the USS Defiant, and the footage we shot did not need to intercut with an original series episode as was the case with Tribble-ations, our beloved production designer Herman Zimmerman decided it would be fair to sleek the classic designs up a bit, as if Matt Jefferies had some money back in the day. The vertical access tube pictured above is a fine example of that. Updated, but not likely to raise the ire of the most hardened purist.
(Below) I recall that when I first saw Marvin Rush’s lighting design for “Through a Mirror Darkly”, I was a little disappointed. Where were the colors and the wild lighting cookies? But looking back at these images now, I am just wowed by the beautiful lighting design.
Corridors of time
In the original series the company could not afford carpet, so the corridor floors were painted. This time out the ship would be fully carpeted, and with a beautiful two-tone breakup. In addition, the distinctive painted floor demarcations in the original gave way to actual diamond plating. A clever, beautiful touch, enhancing the classic designs realism. James take note.
Check the “environmental engineering” alcove. This time out we procured the correct architectural screening.
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The iconic Jefferies tube. Pull the plug, Mr. Scott!
One item that we did not have for “Tribble-ations was the Jeffereies tube, which this time around would be present and accounted for. It’s quite an amazing feeling to hoist yourself into the tubes confines and then swing out like Tarzan, come to think of it, and rather fittingly, like egressing a B-17. Got to love the clever Matt Jefferies “Trek-Steps”
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An Okudian shot worthy of Life Magazine.
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(Below) For the first time we had the opportunity to explore areas of the original Enterprise that had never been seen before. Check out these wonderful additions to the engineering sections of the ship. Updated is the wrong word for this latest incarnation of the TOS world. Streamlined, yes. Polished, indeed. Lovingly polished with design ethic intact. Treated as a historical piece, with no attempt to rewrite the way things were.
Check the panels labeled “G-95 System”. Who loves continuity?
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“The world is a carousel of color, color, color, color….”
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Taking the tubes.
I have to admit, I have this nagging feeling that we are not done with an authentically portrayed Kirk-Spock era Trek. A Retro version of Star Trek, with authentic levels of style… design-wise and attitude-wise, would be a real kick for this old sea-dog. Mike and Denise agree with me, that in spite of all the Trek we have gotten over the decades, the one thing we really wanted but never got, was a smart spin on the original. In closing I would remind you that which you know so well… the sage words of the Vulcan Master Surak… “It ain’t over til it’s over.”
This whole post is a real kick! Thanks, Doug, for so many grin inducing pics!! All the yellow and red tubing makes the plant-ons make a little more sense. What beautiful sets! I thought it was great fun to see the inside of the Defiant so well put together and detailed, but I don’t recall getting the same “Wow” feeling as these pics provide.
I sure hope you’re right about more “authentically portrayed Kirk-Spock era Trek” because there is just so much potential that was left untapped. And with sO many loving and devoted Trek folks around, it would be quite attainable!
Scrolling back up and looking through them again, I just had to mention the lighting and overall beauty of the sets…masterful work!
Fingers crossed for 2016, maybe that Golden Anniversary will see Mr. Drexler’s dream comes true!
I loved these sets, especially the new areas of the ship. The streamlined bridge looked great too. Shame they didn’t go down this route in the new movie. One day hopefully.
I’m guessing those all those pipes in the corridor route the ship’s Budwiser to the warp core, right?
I liked the maintenance corridors in “In a Mirror, Darkly,” but I’ve always wondered where they fit into the ship. I assume they’re found mainly in the engineering hull; it’s hard to see where they’d fit in the saucer. They’re kinda huge, much bigger than the cramped Jefferies tubes of the TNG era.
I read somewhere that the maintenance corridors were based on some unused Matt Jefferies set designs (or at least concept drawings) from TOS. Is that true?
IMHO don’t see a reason why you couldn’t find these in the saucer or the engineering section.
>>I read somewhere that the maintenance corridors were based on some unused Matt Jefferies set designs (or at least concept drawings) from TOS. Is that true?<<
Not to my memory.
I vaguely remember Mike Sussman’s podcast for the episodes saying that they wanted to do something different for the access corridors but because of budgetary constraints, were only able to redress the NX-01 corridors with pipes and colors. I dunno if those podcasts are still available to download on StarTrek.com or not. I haven’t looked at the site in a long time, so I’m not sure if pre-Abrams material is still there, or if everything was purged, Stalin-style
Doug did find a filmclip of an unused shot from TOS, looking up through the Jefferies Tube, showing one of the corridors headers and a pipe above the tube. That was one of the points of departure for the design of the utility corridors. We also did a lot of the perforated metal pattern (this time simulated with digitally-cut vinyl) that Matt used in the original transporter chamber.
Dear Doug,
It’s great to hear such optimism from one so steeped in Trek such as yourself,(for the future of Trek) though I can not share the emotion given the financial up-tick Mr.Abrams version has delivered the studio.
I am glad you documented as much as you did!! These excerpts are worth their visual weight in gold coming from you. I must pose the question again however, was there ever an ‘outline’ that may have suggested a more “organic” ending to Enterprise where we see a prototype ship that would bridge the NX-01 to the eventual Constitution Class?? I’ve always wondered (and hoped) that there was such a shot in the works but was fouled due to the plug being pulled as it were.
Take care, Mark.
Hi Skibo!
Nothing was in the works that we were privy to.
What I would have like to have seen was the NX-01 go through a major refit at the end of the 5th season.
She would be fitted with an expanded engineering dept (secondary hull), and the saucer section would be devoted to additional crew’s quarters and scientific facilities.
My Good Sir Doug I do remember you mentioning you might do a mock up of this some day. Perhaps for a Calander or Chrimbo?
How could you guys afford to make so many sets. This was an amazing amount of work. I agree I feel we haven’t seen the last of this era.
It is so pleasant to hear these sentiments echoing from those close to the actual productions — not to mention a joy to have a close look at these sets. They serve as proof that the aesthetic of the original lacked only in fine detail and polish.
As ever, I truly appreciate that you are sharing these behind-the-scenes glimpses with us all!
Even if the dream of old-cum-new Trek can never be realized (especially in light of the latest turn in the franchise) just seeing these forays into the classic setting leaves one with a warm feeling that it *could* be done, like we all dreamed it could.
Gorgeous shots, good food for the imagination! I love your notion of a smart spin on the original.
Wasn’t there a Madonna song called “This Used to Be My Playground”?
If there’s any feature of these Drex Files that I enjoy most – other than Doug’s congeniality, kindness, good humor, and generosity of spirit – its the stuff that casts new light on this most fun, colorful, and exciting corner of the Star Trek world. All I ever really wanted out of “Star Trek: The Franchise” was more of the original, so every little peek was appreciated – especially when its a peek at creations and recreations that were obviously designed and built with such respect and loving attention to detail and authenticity, where even the updates are done with great care.
Fourth season Enterprise production team, I could kiss you.
Your musical memory is in good working order, I believe.
Beautiful! As a kid growing up in the seventies with reruns of the original series, I so wanted to live on that ship. When TMP premiered and I acquired the cutaway poster of the updated 1701, I used to stare at it a long time imagining that I lived there. My quarters were right down the hallway from Kirk’s…
SkiBo: If you look at the flatscreen computer monitors on the NX-01 bridge, you may notice a column of rectangular icons on the right side of most of the screens. Over the course of the series, we gradually increased the color saturation of those icons, and added screen designs that had more columns of icons. We were trying to suggest an evolution that was beginning to point toward the backlit blinkie panels on the original series bridge. The idea was that the computer displays on Kirk’s ship were graphically simpler than those on Archer’s ship, hopefully suggesting that technology was becoming more sophisticated.
-Mike
Thank you for the response Mr.Okuda and I did pick up on that after going back through all of Doug-Doug’s previous posts concerning Enterprise design.(three times I might add just to make sure I absorbed it entirely).
What I’m referring to rather clumsily, is weather the ‘Killer-B’s’ (love that colloquialism)
had a Master Outline for the series that concluded this incarnation with an overt, visual “torch passing” from the NX design to the TOS design.
I was extremely taken that the cgi shots of the different generational ships were put together for the eventual last episode(of Ent) as so many of you had worked together on all those series and entertained all of us for that same amount of time.
My curiosity was peeked as to weather or not there was a different ending planned if the series had ran it’s entire seven year stretch. Thank you so much for taking the time to attempt to answer this aging Trekkers conundrum.
~SkiBo~
^ Season 4 was the closest in spirit to the Original Series and that wasn’t all down to the writing. It’s a vibrantly colourful year… everything from an alternate 1944, to the sunbaked surface of Vulcan and the icy cool of Andoria. The colour scheme changed after the refit in ‘Home’ and appears in all its glory from ‘Borderland’ onwards. Blues on handrails and on doors. Warmer lighting in several areas of the ship… in sickbay. For my money, one of the best seasons modern Trek ever accomplished. I’d love to see it in HD and wish CBS would hurry up that Blu-ray set.
Ditto!
I still live on that ship! and for me there is no other.
Doug, what a thrill to re visit this! I remember how excited you and Mike were when this went in to production. Thanks again for letting me be a small part of all of it, whatever happened to the scope we sent out? did Paramount sell that as well? And Yes Old Friend, I noticed the metal grille!! lol.
James Cawley
Those circular corridors and hatches seem a little to “NX-01″ and not enuff “NCC-1701″ to me? But nice pics, any chance you can post that film clip of corridors headers and a pipe above the tube? Always wonder what was at the top.
Thanks again for the goodies Doug
Paul,F.
In the third picture there is a data-plate/label on the corridor floor. Can anyne make out what it says?
If I had to guess it’s pointing out the location of something under the floor, the location of a variation in the artificial gravity, or warning folks this is where an emergency force-field will be so you probably don’t want to stand here in an emergency.
Have I gotten anywhere close?
Now, THIS is how it’s done… and for Hi-Def, to boot. I want a series set on a Constitution-class starship in the Classic TOS timeframe (as opposed to movie-TOS) using the classic designs and costuming, albeit detailed and constructed for modern televisual displays, with engaging characters and stories… something that goes well beyond merely throwing, if one will pardon the hyperbole, “billions and billions” of fast-moving CGI creations at the viewer in lieu of a story with plot points, characterization and backgrounds that actually make sense.
That very show is probably airing right now in an alternate timeline
Several hundred such timelines, one hopes. And when we visit them, we’ll archive each timeline’s versions…
Here’s how nerdy I am, dwight – if I had the Sliders wormhole remote control, the universes I’d visit would be:
(1) the universe where Star Trek went to series based on “The Cage”
(2) the universe where Bob Justman produced the third season instead of Fred Freiberger
(3) the universe where Star Trek went to a fourth season
(4) the universe where “Star Trek: Planet of the Titans” was released in 1975
(5) the universe where “Star Trek: Phase II” went on the air
(6) the universe where Gene didn’t lose control of the film series after STTMP
(7) the universe where Nimoy didn’t come back to play Spock in Star Trek III
And all of it just for the sake of seeing what happened. So all you aspiring multiverse bridgers out there, get cracking.
Indeed.
*sigh…*
*sigh…*
*sigh…*
Thanks, Doug!
OK, I’ve always wondered this, just where are the Jefferies Tubes? Do they run up the nacelles pylon struts, or what?
Oh, and as I’ve got this before, just know, if I get one hint if any snide elitist condescending über-techie-Trekkie attitude in regard to my Trek-tech-ignorance, I will find you. IDIC.
LLP,
deg
Oh, as to more real TOS-era stuff, one can dream, and dreams do come true, eh…
Oh, and I was kidding about the last comment, kinda…
LLP,
deg
I used to think they were in the pylons or up the connecting dorsal, but my impression now is that they’re just all through the ship, particularly placed close to tech-heavy compartments like the transporter rooms, where you need to be able to access junk and set off sparklers and smoke bombs at tense moments.
Apparently, the Jeffries Tubes are conveniently located throughout the ship. For example, Ambassador Gav (“Journey to Babel”) was found in an engineering circuit bay (represented by a diagonal Jeffries tube) on Deck 11, which is somewhere in the neck connecting the saucer and the engineering sections. Others appear in shots placed in the saucer section as well as the engineering section. Also I wouldn’t be surprised if there were Jeffries tubes running up the nacelle pylons like you hypothesize.
Ah, I never thought of multiple locations, guys. Thanks for that insight, makes a lot of sense to me, eh. Kinda just generic access passages in and around through the ship, sure sure.
The reason I kinda knee-jerk thought they were in the nacelles pylons is because of the angle of them.
Thanks again, appreciate that, as I have kind of wondered about it literally for years.
LLP,
deg
:: sigh :: is right deg. Right there with you. Oh to have seen such days. These shots are fantastic and if ever another book about this is made, I hope they make it in there.
I absolutely loved what was done with the sets for “In a Mirror Darkly.” I whole heartedly agree that had they had a bigger budget, this is what we would have seen!
A retro-trek series…we can only hope and dream, eh?
Thanks for sharing these Doug! It made my heart ache for days of yore.
Now this is Disneyland for adults! I wanna go! I want to surround myself in this magic of my youth!
Can you ever go home? I hope so.
Craig
Thanks again Doug for another compelling post – these images really pull you in; I want to explore those halls and tubes in person sooo badly. And of course James, you kind of get to do just that, ya bastard! So Doug, your meanderings about future possibilities of seeing this ship again in some future project is completely supported by the success of James’ project – I think we will see this ship again as well!
Compare the above image of the brilliantly coloured pipes in engineering with the laughable travesty of a BREWERY we got in the JJ-verse, well that’s enough to make one cry, isn’t it?!
That said, I have to share this real world image from my database at work. It is a natural gas compressor station, taken in 1967. Click the picture to embiggen a bit – and check out those colours! This could be in Engineering for sure! And I apologize that there is a script on this page that is messing up the page in Firefox and new versions of IE –
http://esplanade.ca/archives/ViewResults2.aspx?TN=Images&QY=find (AccessionNumber ct FL00114)&RF=WebFull&DF=WebFull&BU=http://www.esplanade.ca/archives/ImageBankSearch.aspx&MR=1&NP=2&DL=0&TR=1&CS=2&AC=QBE_QUERY&XC=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.esplanade.ca%2Fics-wpd%2Fexec%2Ficswppro.dll
Sorry again – you’ll have to copy and paste the whole query-sting in the above link address because I left spaces in it . . . . .
Hey David,
Thanks for sharing that photo with us!
I recently had the good fortune of taking a tour of a new US Navy Destroyer, the USS FORREST SHERMAN.
We got to walk through the engineering section, and there were tons of pipes in a variety of colors. I asked one of the officers on our tour what the colors meant, and she said that they described what kind of fuel/coolant/lubricant was in each pipe.
I could see starships continuing this practice into the 23rd Century and beyond, so I kind of understand why the brewery was an appealing set for Abrams to use. Unfortunately, they forgot to add the “magic” in their design that made me feel like that set was actually part of a machine that could bend space and time to its will.
No problem Thomas. I’ve been wanting to share hat image with Trekfolk fo a good while now, and Doug’s incredible images here presented the perfect opportunity for a comparison.
I am glad you liked it.
It’s clear that they modeled the colored pipes on TOS on some real-world equivalents. I’ve seen merchant ships where they color code the pipes like that–one color for high pressure steam, another for the water return line, etc. Military ships don’t tend to do this.
Dwayne,
I spent 12 years in the US Navy, we do use colored pipes on board ship, we use Green pipes for waste water, Red pipes for Fire fighting, and Purple for JP5 jet fuel. Also think that Mirror proved that the Classic Enterprise Designs can stand up against “Modern” design.
Terry
Just wow. I’ll get flamed for this by someone I’m sure, but just like the exterior of the original Enterprise, I find the interior design of TOS just as beautiful and timeless. I was watching tv a while back and flipping through the channels I noticed “In a Mirror Darkly” was on with a shot of the TOS bridge. I paused it on my Tivo, and simply don’t understand how *anyone* could call that bridge design dated, cheesy, or anything less than sheer genius. The bridge set from TMP and Khan look dated to me, but the original? Not at all. As much as I enjoyed the new movie, I doubt whether time will be as kind to those designs. That I guess is one of my biggest complaints with the new movie, there is no believability at all in the design of the Enterprise or the ships interior. The blend of believability, characters and writing is what I love about Star Trek, and is missing from the new movie.
About the colored lighting used in the TOS interiors;I always thought it could have been just to give people some variation in what they had to see from day to day during the long missions. Maybe even to represent seasons or certain times of day.
I’d also like to say I’m personally thankful for people like Doug, Mike and Denise Okuda, and James Cawley for keeping the TOS flame lit brightly.
A new series set in the TOS universe with this design ethic would be awesome to say the least.
If only the studio heads had the level of confidence to set something like that in motion . . . .
The work you guys did in “In a Mirrora Darkly” was awesome! I love the engineering extensions. If it were for me you could have returned to that universe any time.
I wouldn’t mind seeing a new, official TOS-era series or movie, either. However, I’d want the creators of such a production to play around with a different starship and crew. I have no complaints with Kirk and company, but the Enterprise can’t be the only starship doing things out there. I’d like to see what those other crews are doing. Also as proven by the Defiant here, a different ship would allow deviations from the sets (and characters) seen on the original series without the fans going mugato-manure on the new production.
“STAR TREK: ENDEAVOUR” perhaps?
Constitution class, NCC-1895, a new ship presumably launched in 2266, its newness being the in-story excuse for more detailed refinements of the classic Jefferies designs and the occasional set decoration differences of the Enterprise we all know and love.
Yeah, I know, a little too fanficcy, but y’gotta start somewhere.
That’s pretty much how I would set it up. Naturally, this hypothetical Endeavour would look like the Defiant in “Though a Mirror Darkly” while older Constitutions use something akin to the Remastered model.
Another possibility would be to canonize Matt Jeffries’ Phase 2 Enterprise design (it wouldn’t be used for the Enterprise herself as, in-universe, she would be chosen as the testbed for the movie refit instead) and set the series so it would overlap the last year of the TOS five-year mission, bridging the gap to TMP. The sets would blend Matt Jeffries’ Phase 2 concepts with TOS and TMP design, with a strong skewing towards TOS (as the Phase 2 Constitutions weren’t as heavily refitted as the refits were) – especially important if they’re to double for a number of pre-Phase 2 Constitution sets as well. It would allow the art departments a chance to play with TOS and TAS designs while “updating” them for whatever passes for modern sensibilities.
A man can dream, no?
The U.S.S. Endeavour is on assignment as of 2266, tasked to Starbase 47 in the Taurus Reach. Refer to the Star Trek: Vanguard series of novels from Pocket Books for more information.
:Ahem:
Sorry. I couldn’t resist the opening
Sorry, Dayton, I stopped reading the novels when “Ghost Ship” was published. Unfortunately, with the exception of Christopher L. Bennett’s “EX MACHINA”, they haven’t managed to get me back.
Darn, I misremembered the name of the book. It was “Shell Game”, not “Ghost Ship”.
You were looking to give Dayton that opening, weren’t you?
Not that this ST: Vanguard fan’s complaining for a second, mind you…
Truth be told, I hadn’t thought of the Vanguard starship, probably because I haven’t read those books yet.
Also, before I forget again, I admit it would be nice to see blueprints and plans of the sets, to see how everything was laid out, at least.
This why Star Trek should be made by people who grew up and love Star Trek.
Thank you Doug.
So ashame the sets had to be destroyed.
Makes me wish there was a Star Trek Museum, in which has a fully mocked up Enterprise. Some of the crew quarters could be turned into hotel rooms.
I wonder if that’s what the people of the planet Gideon did with their mocked up full-size Enterprise after that unpleasantness involving Captain Kirk, Odona, and what I assume was an STD.
I would pay good money to stay in a hotel modeled after the ol’ girl. I suppose yo could even make it a chain, with different hotels representing different eras in Starfleet history. Ahhh, if only…
Well, maybe not so much different eras, but different ship classes, as any self-respecting Trekkie would be able to tell the difference between the interior of a Sovereign, Defiant, or Intrepid class ship, even though all were from the same future decade. Oh well, a Trekkie can dream.
They’d probably have to pat people down as they left, or anything that wasn’t screwed down would “transport” itself out of there.
We don’t have to dream about a new TOS series, just wait a bit more than a week between episodes…
http://WWW.STARTREKPHASE2.COM
Really looking forward to see the refit if the ship
Diegoba – I love New Voyages too, but you know what I mean!
Do you have some scetches of the refited NX as it should have been in the 5th season. I would love to see them.
Doug, I am so jealous that you get to play in this universe for a living and have such a blast doing it. Reminds me of Confucious, “If a man can find a job he loves, he’ll never have to work a day in his life.”
As for a continuing TOS-era Trek, we have James Cawley and his ST:Phase 2 to keep us going. When’s the next episode going to be ready for download?
“I have to admit, I have this nagging feeling that we are not done with an authentically portrayed Kirk-Spock era Trek. A Retro version of Star Trek, with authentic levels of style… design-wise and attitude-wise, would be a real kick for this old sea-dog.”
Doug, have you seen this yet?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6zDg0dKygE
Some people think it is a teaser for a new animated teaser set in the classic TOS era. Even if it isn’t, it’s a beautiful piece of work.
Finally, thank you for sharing these photos. You guys did a fantastic job on these sets and even though I enjoyed the new Trek movie I thought it was such a shame that they didn’t ask Mr. Okuda, Sternbach, Probert or you to contribute your vast wealth of knowledge and passion for the subject.
Thomas, thanks for directing us to that! It’s fantastic!
There’s an article and English translation of that peice up on TrekMovie.com.
http://trekmovie.com/2009/10/31/exclusive-creator-of-klingon-propaganda-revealed/
That guy’s website is Flash-based off-the-hook as well.
LLP,
deg
That was quite fun, thanks! I scrolled down the list of vids and found the closed caption version, too, since I’m not fluent in Klingon.
I’m pretty sure that’s been revealed to be a spec demo or presentation piece. Not somethnig generated for or at the request of CBS Paramount.
Fun though.
Jay,
You’re right. I posted that link here and right after I did I found ant interview with the creator over on Trek movie who says he did it just to prove a point that animated Trek could generate interest.
Well, this thing has been pretty popular; I hope someone over at CBS hears him!
http://trekmovie.com/2009/10/31/exclusive-creator-of-klingon-propaganda-revealed/
In any case, I’m glad you guys enjoyed it! Doug, thanks so much for running this blog. You and the other Trek artists truly are some of my childhood heroes and to see so much material from the Trek art department is a dream come true!
Lots to absorb here.
I’m not too keen on the circular access tunnels (would we call them Jeffries tubes, too?), but I have to admit they do fit into Trek continuity very well. A stepping stone between the NX’s corridors and the Refit 1701’s access tunnels seen in Trek V. They just seem so spacious compared to the cramped tubes on much bigger ships like the D.
All the sets look fantastic, though. The lighting might not be much like TOS’s, but the golden colours still evoke a nostalgic, romantic feel. It’s the end of a long day and Shatner’s voice carries from the distance as he recounts an anecdote to Leonard Nimoy on their way out of the studio. The sets are empty and we’ve snuck in to explore.
The colorful, involving TOS look for interiors remains my personal favorite
“I have to admit, I have this nagging feeling that we are not done with an authentically portrayed Kirk-Spock era Trek. A Retro version of Star Trek, with authentic levels of style… design-wise and attitude-wise, would be a real kick for this old sea-dog. Mike and Denise agree with me, that in spite of all the Trek we have gotten over the decades, the one thing we really wanted but never got, was a smart spin on the original.”
My brain and wallet await that day.
Great shots Doug! I think y’all did a great job capturing the inside of the classic Connie.
One of the cool thing about the original Enterptise is that even though it is more than 40 years old it still looks futurisitc and advanced…and so do the original sets.
And the visoon of teh future was pretty close…my Razor phone flips open and is about the size of a TOS communicator…the bridge was full of flat panel display screens…alot of us now have flat panel screens on our computers and some of our flat panel tvs are approaching the size of the main viewscreen.
Great shots Doug!
And I would love to see a series that revisits this classic look… streamlined.
Why do I know this but I could swear that the red, rectangular plant-on in the 8th picture (on the far wall) was a lighting panel from above the bridge stations on the Ent-A.
Am I right??
One of those swing-out pieces that look like they were some kind of sealed worklight that came from a modern hardware store? Yeah, I’m pretty sure you’re right. You see ‘em pretty clear after the smoke clears at the end of TUC.
Considering how many folks felt the CG effects were necessary for getting new viewers to TOS (an opinion I do not share, as cleaned up original elements would have more than sufficed, given the story quality), I doubt anybody is ever going to go full-on TOS look, but I’d sure love it if they did!
As always, Doug, you warm the cockles of this old-school Trekkie’s heart.
Doug;
Thanks for sharing these amazing images. “Tribble-ations” and the fan produced “New Voyages” proves that old school TOS style can be done and not look dated. Let’s keep fingers crossed that someone in charge ses things that way as well.
All these wonderful ships and sets, all the talent and love that has gone into them to make them believable, living environments.
All the more reason the next Trek series should be an anthology show that tells stories from all around the Galaxy through all eras, without being stuck with one ship and crew. We could see the Romulan War or the first Cardassian War, the last battle of the Enterprise-C, all-Klingon episodes, the birth of the Borg, Kirk in Starfleet Academy done properly (no apples please), anything and everything, making use of and showing the vast Trek history created over the years.
Perhaps with Q (or a Q if John DeLancie isn’t available) presenting each episode.
Doug, is this what you had in mind for a secondary Hull? http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/2990/nx1701refit2204views.png
Or something like one of the proposals on http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/articles/enterprise_design_comment.htm ?
Hi Paul! I would make a clearer division between the primary hull and the secondary hull, more like the TOS ship. I can’t look at the Ex Astris page. Stings too much!
I found this one:
http://img338.imageshack.us/i/410325pz3.jpg/
Can’t remember the original site…
But it is still missing the neck
That looks alot like mine, It’s on the EX astris page.
Paul F.
Hi Diego,
That image you found was of the USS Atlantis NCC-05. It’s part of a NX-Class fleet pack for the game Star Trek Bridge Commander.
I gotta say that the EAS page is a bit hard for me as an NX-01 fan, too. But I like the link that takes you to the page where all the goodies and details of the NX-01 are explained further, revealing your great care and attention, Doug.
It’s a real shame that the show didn’t went on tho the 5th season.
Sorry Doug, it’s not possible to link you to the pictures Directly. I was talking about this one http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/articles/akiraprise/enterprise-frenczli.jpg and http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/articles/akiraprise/nx01-niklas-redesign.jpg
I hope to see your ideal version one day on the cover of an Enterprise Book.
I can always trust the love and care the entire team put into the TOS episodes. Awesome work!
Wonderful article! I love the little changes from the Constitution-class Enterprise, like the carpet and the updated access tubes. Did any parts of these sets make it over to the New Voyages/Phase II team then?
Hi Mark, Not at all. Aside from some consulting with us, everything James and the NV’s team did, they did through hard work an perseverance.
Okay, I’ve finally snapped out of my trance…Boyoboyoboy, how I enjoyed those episodes…
But whatever happened to those sets, I know normal studio policy has it that they are trashed after use or after a series ends…I take it that’s what happened with these as well and if so what is the reason (probably legal I guess) not to turn/sell them over to let’s say New Voyages where they could be of more use ?
A few pieces of the set were sold in the 2006 auctions and on eBay. The large panels on the inside of the Jeffries tubes/tunnels in the sixth image turned up quite often.
I remember hearing that you borrowed some parts from James’ Enterprise Bridge for the Defiant. I think it’s pretty cool how fan made series and TV series crossed paths like that.
James Cawley was kind enough to let us use the “targeting scope” from New Voyages for the helm console. The Paramount special effects department was certainly capable of building one for us, but it was a last-minute addition. The original plan was to have a non-motorized scope that would just sit on the console. Then, at the last minute, writer Mike Sussman asked if there was any way that we could see it rise up from the panel, like it did in the original show. He didn’t demand it, but he just sounded soooo disappointed when I told him that we just didn’t have the time. At this point, everyone was so crunched with getting the sets ready that there was no way I could ask our effects department to do this, but I hated to disappoint the writer. Fortunately, James came to the rescue! Thanks again, James!
-Mike
Cool story! Thanks for that, Mike, and for mentioning it in the first place, Paul.
dea
Wish I could take the credit/blame… but it was really Manny Coto who insisted on the moving targeting scope. I distinctly recall the conversation with Mike. I was writing part one and wanted to indicate in the script that Archer pressed a button, and the scope would rise up and he’d then peer into it. So I called Mike and he said they could give us a non-moving scope, but a moving one was probably not possible. Considering everything else we were asking for and getting (bridge, corridors, crew quarters, briefing room, me playing a Defiant redshirt, etc.) I wasn’t about to complain. When I excitedly told Manny we were going to have a scope, first thing he asked was, “Is it gonna rise out of the console?” And I explained, well, no, actually, but… “It’s gotta rise out of the console!” So I felt bad — but not too bad — about calling Mike back and saying, well, now it was Manny asking for the moving scope. And amazingly we got one (thanks Mr. Cawley). I can’t remember if it was Mike’s suggestion or not, but I had to then make sure we actually saw the thing in action by indicating it in the script, otherwise what was the point? I specified once in each script where exactly the scope would rise. I was on the set for the filming of a scene in Part II and I noticed that the scope was already out of its cubbyhole — I knew we were supposed to see it rise up in a scene immediately following. Anthony Montgomery I believe had requested that we have the scope “up” in that earlier scene so he could use it to report to Tucker his discovery of Phlox’s sabotage. I pointed out to Marvin Rush (our director on Part II) that we couldn’t see the scope rise the next time we cut to the Bridge if it was already extended in the previous scene, and our crew went to so much trouble to give us a working scope, so could we please, please put it away for now? Marvin was kind enough to put the scope back into the console and instead Anthony looked down at the off-camera astrogator (or whatever the hell that thing is) to gather his sabotage info. So then in the subsequent scene we get to see the scope rise dramatically when Defiant’s power is restored. More than anyone wanted to know, right?
Another great story…the reason Doug’s blog is the best site on the web! Thanks, Mike S. for that; it was definitely not more than I wanted to know. I’m a behind the scenes kinda gal.
More than anyone wanted to know? Never! Thank you for sharing that with us! Thanks to Mike as well! Hearing these stories first hand from those who lived it is really a fantastic treat.
“More than anyone wanted to know, right?” Absolutely not good sir – this post and the comments have all been pure delights for everyone gathered here. We are eating this up – it apparent to me that there is such a longing for the real Constitution Class we all just may conjure one up – Tulpa-like.
I am imagining us all now going for a spin . . .
Oh no, all the better more, Mike! And thanks! My wife and I really enjoyed Threshold, BTW, and we really like Legend of the Seeker as well.
LLP,
deg
Thanks for the ‘Legend of the Seeker’ shout-out, Deg. For ‘Enterprise’ fans who may be interested, Jolene Blalock is guest-starring for us this season in a pivotal role… and for me, it was her performance as Mirror T’Pol that sold me on the notion of Jolene as a kick-ass villainess. She’s awesome in the dailies, can’t wait for her episodes to air.
In case anyone hasn’t caught ‘Legend of the Seeker,’ there’s a Season One mini-marathon airing tonight (Thursday November 5) on SyFy to promote our Season Two launch this weekend (Seeker is syndicated to local stations and the new season will not air on SyFy, so “check your local listings” as they say). Many of my fellow Trek-mates are on board in the writer’s room, including Voyager vets Ken Biller and Raf Green and the lovable Andre Bormanis. Hope you guys enjoy the show.
No prob, dude. It deserves attention! My wife read the books, and says you guys really are good at portraying them. I have just seen the show myself, but I dig it a lot. I had read in Entertainment Weekly that Jolene Blalock was guesting on the show, and that of course put a smile on my face.
Best of luck with it all, eh. I look forward to the new season.
Check it out guys!
Oh and Mike, FYI, (shameless promotion) since you are a producer as well, please know I am a freelance gun-for-hire, in regard to digital hard-surface model building and painting. If interested, you can get to my website and demo=reel by clicking on my name here. Thanks.
LLP,
deg
“More than anyone wanted to know” is not in the Star Trek fan vocabulary, good sir.
Thanks for the sharing and the posting. You guys made one hell of a great season of TV that last season.
where can i find a red ladder like the one used in TOS? I want to incorporate somthing like that in the house that i will be building in the immediate future….
Awesome pics Doug !
Thanks Mike and Mike for the story on the targeting scope
Would have loved to have seen what stories would have come up in the 5th season. I’m absolutly fascinated with the idea of a Refit NX Enterprise looking closer to Enterprise of TOS.
Just one season more…
Until I could find frame grabs online, I wore out the videotape I originally recorded these episodes with, still-framing through every scene that featured this amazing set re-creation. The added details were perfect and faithful; they made the TOS designs look far more like a place where real people work, without sacrificing any of their colorful style.
And I love the diamond plate. That’s something I wish we could have heard Jimmy Doohan’s boots clang upon.
Excellent attention to detail, loved those epsiodes and the sets merged perfectly into the past with a modern twist without upsetting anyone!
The first time I saw “In a Mirror, Darkly” on television I was truly amazed by the engineering corridors. That and the recreation of the Defiant bridge were the main reasons that I acquired season 4 DVD of ST-ENT. Amazing work. Grady Christie