“D Juxtaposed E”
I found when putting the cover art together for the Ships of the Line book, that I passed by numerous cool compositions on the way to the full complement of ships that you see in the final. It seemed a shame that none of these duets would ever be heard. Just look at the beauty of these two starships in concert!
The three fingered drydock as seen later in the series, and was responsible for producing the starship Columbia.
Following the Enterprise class pictorial, this look at the Earth orbital drydock facilities in which the E-class vessels were constructed. Over the course of the series, two types of drydocks were utilized: A five fingered version as seen in the pilot episode, and a three fingered version used for the construction of the Columbia. Personally I prefer the three fingered version. The fiver seemed as big and complex (perhaps even more so) than the drydock from TMP. The fiver sports a gigantic antennae farm on one side which I never understood.The more modest three finger arrangement is more in keeping with the shows time frame, and smaller less sophisticated starship. John designed the dock based on Andy Probert’s mother of all drydocks seen in Star Trek: the Motion Picture.
Enterprise – Rendered by Rob Bonchune
Since we featured the Akira yesterday, I thought it would be fitting to cover the Enterprise class today. The dedication plaque refers to the class as NX (This was a request from on high), but according to naval tradition, the first ship of a new contract is what the class is named, so Enterprise class. My main mission was to inject as much of the original Enterprise into this ship as I possibly could, and I made sure that the basic dynamic between the saucer and the nacelles was the same. To a person with a sharp eye, the NX-01 is loaded with TOS Easter eggs, and one of these days I will write up a key and post it.
By the way, I have posted these images at a higher resolution than I usually do, so that you can see the enormous attention to detail that Pierre and I injected into this ship.
My diagrams of the NX, compiled for Herman’s first ship’s internal arrangement meeting with our producers.
The NX-02 model, as built by Koji for a drydock scene in Enterprise.
We only saw the second NX class ship in four episodes (The Expanse, Affliction , Home, and Divergence). When we first clapped eyes on it, it was under construction. This intricate model was built by my dear friend Fred “Koji” Kuramura. It’s hard to believe that this kind of thought and detail goes in to a shot that lasts a matter of seconds on screen, and is produced on a television schedule. I’ll see if I can get Koji to drop in and answer some questions, he’s a busy guy at JPL in Pasadena, doing CG simulations for NASA (along with our other mad brother, Mike Stetson).
Koji also built the uncanny CG model of the ISS in the Enterprise title sequence. It’s positively amazing. Koji has promised to put together a presentation on that for the blog. Keep your eyes peeled! Continue reading ‘Starship Columbia NX-02 Construction Pictorial’
The NX bridge module was designed to visually conform to Herman’s sets, and evoke a 1701 feel in it’s general design and the way it juxtaposed with the nacelles. (Gigantic kudos to Light Wave modeler Pierre Drolet, good buddy and the best in the business. We are still working together and having a lot of fun). Check the big “gas cap” in the mid ground. Those are big deuterium ports.
The NX design lineage leading to the constitution class warp nacelle is plain in these examples. Just look at the large intercooler assembly and spillway. Externally, the major cosmetic difference between the NX and the Constitution nacelle, is that the NX has more external access hatches, and a heavier construction. Continue reading ‘NX Tech Briefs – 02′
We never got the chance to put together an NX tech manual. It would have been a quantum leap beyond anything we had done previously. Through a new series of articles, NX Tech Briefs, we can get a taste of what might have been. I’m hoping to entice Mike Okuda to help fill in some of the gnarlier high technology we discussed during the early days of planning the ship.
A great view of the engineering staging bays. Mike and I always felt that the NX was a ship that took constant work to keep running. Tearing the warp engines down would have been a regular occurrence, and this area of the ship would have been buzzing with activity after nearly every sustained period of high warp travel. During WWII, my uncle was the engineering chief on a submarine. The old diesel subs had two engines. One was always being torn down, renewed and put back together. My vote would have been for two warp cores. One always in a state of rebuild.
The doors on the fan tail are dedicated engineering facilities, and are not cargo bays. The TOS style A-frame assembly conceals the engineering tunnel. When in drydock, the entire A-frame assembly can be removed, and the warp core, or even the entire engine room, could be slid out like a drawer and replaced. The idea being that while the NX is out there exploring the unknown, a new engineering department is being built and tested in an Earth orbital facility.
Dashing production designer Herman Zimmerman, surveys his team’s handiwork on stage 18 at Paramount. Has there ever been a more charming and charismatic designer?
In the DS9 Tech Manual, here is how producer Ira Behr described Herman… “Anyone who watches DS9 knows what a fantastic job Herman does for the show. He builds these huge, beautiful sets every week, then tears them down and builds other huge, beautiful sets to take their place. But what really impresses the hell out of me is that, in addition to being a great production designer, Herman looks like a great production designer. You know what I’m saying? This guy could wear an ascot around his neck and still look cool. The man has style. That’s Herman Zimmerman.
John Eaves in a contemplative moment.
The NX shuttlepod cockpit is a marvel of Okudian tech. I’m not going to on and on about the clean lines, no nonsense configuration, love of NASA, love of science, love of Trek, love of order… no siree, you aren’t gonna catch me monologing about the clever, resourceful and original thinking going on here!
That’s right, mister! I hate it when a command center is treated like “science fiction”. You know what I mean? I remember that on the original series the network gave Roddenberry some static about taking too much time designing the ship’s bridge. Their attitude was, it’s science fiction! Get some flashy lights and some chairs, and let’s get going! Gene Roddenberry would have loved the NX-01 bridge. It lives, breathes, and eats functional. Why do you think the defense department has contracted Herman over the years to design real world command centers?
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