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Alternative Enterprise-B?

It looks to me like the letter in the registry is a "D" that's been scratched out with pen.

I do like all the little jokes and fodder for speculation. Data's death scene, the shuttle's name being written in Klingon... This would've been a hell of a hoax if it had gotten out at the time. Though I guess in 1989, it wouldn't be able to spread that far.
 
Does that shuttle's name in Klingon actually say anything, or is it gibberish?
 
That's a good question. It's definitely a variation of Tlhingan-Hol (KLI pIqaD script) and not Klinzhai (Mandel script). Unfortunately, the former's alphabet really sucks ass, as it has several character glyphs that look very similar to each other. That, coupled with the low-resolution photo, I cannot be 100% certain. Looks like it could be either "Looghnyvwlo" or "Looghnivelo". Not sure if there are word breaks between the letters either. No translator I've found recognizes any variant of the word.
 
That's a good question. It's definitely a variation of Tlhingan-Hol (KLI pIqaD script) and not Klinzhai (Mandel script). Unfortunately, the former's alphabet really sucks ass, as it has several character glyphs that look very similar to each other. That, coupled with the low-resolution photo, I cannot be 100% certain. Looks like it could be either "Looghnyvwlo" or "Looghnivelo". Not sure if there are word breaks between the letters either. No translator I've found recognizes any variant of the word.
There's a higher res version here:
What you're interpreting as an "o", I'm seeing as an "r". So I'm seeing "LRRghNYVWLR", which looks like random letters to me unless it is an actual Klingon word.
 
Oh, that's much better! Yes, now that it's a cleaner view, I would concur that the label says "LRRghNYVWLR". Total gibberish - but looks cool, which I'm assuming was the intent.
 
I even ran it thru several substitution cipher decoders, and still gibberish. And I was hoping for a fun Easter egg. :(
 
The large shuttle with the Klingon labeling looks pretty cool. And it seems to me that some of the design elements of this hoax actually made it into the DS9 runabouts. Interesting (and understandable) that hoax drawings would influence actual production.

--Alex
 
I think that the saucer may be oblong and not circular, based on that side view. There’s definitely some asymmetry going on there. Maybe even egg-shaped from the top.
 
Looks good, although I imagined the drive section more like the Galaxy with an ovoid cross section.
 
I would imagine these were the kind of things you'd make to find a leaker, like fake scripts (want to say they did that for BOBW?) so they would have to be juuust convincing enough to look official but also clearly wrong to people in the know... such that somebody stealing and selling off confidential concept art to fans or the media would be caught redhanded. Maybe that was the original idea, and then Rick decided to use them for a con prank.
 
The shuttle concept art there is pretty cool though, even if the details are hilariously out there. "2000 lbs of thrust x 4" and "must be delivered to Marine Corps by Aug '92 for interface with CH-53" are gems.
 
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