Best 'warp' effect

[RobertScorpio]

We have seen various representations of ships going into orbit over the various years for TREK...which was your favorite warp effect of them all? For me? Star Trek The Motion Picture. I still like that tunnel/rainbow and the whole sound effect thing going on as well. Even kirk's wink at Chekov (could you imagine if he had winked at Sulu?)

Rob
Scorpio

 

[Carpe Occasio]

The warp effect in Nemesis (I think). The Enterprise would leave a visible warp trail and then the flash.

 

[Basill]

I'd have to say TMP as well. I never liked TNG's version with the whole stretchy thing. Not that there wouldn't be some sort of visual distortion if a ship was able to break the light barrier mind you, but I just thought it looked a little cartoonish from the very beginning of TNG onward. I always did like the light burst effect at the end however. The ENT version looked better, but didn't look particularly realistic.

 

[RobertScorpio]

I'd have to say TMP as well. I never liked TNG's version with the whole stretchy thing. Not that there wouldn't be some sort of visual distortion if a ship was able to break the light barrier mind you, but I just thought it looked a little cartoonish from the very beginning of TNG onward. I always did like the light burst effect at the end however. The ENT version looked better, but didn't look particularly realistic.

I agree..the TNG stuff looks pretty cartoonish. And I agree Enterprise improved upon the stretchy-thing. But it just isn't as 'wow' as the TMP effect...

Rob
Scorpio

 

[Carpe Occasio]

I'd have to say TMP as well. I never liked TNG's version with the whole stretchy thing. Not that there wouldn't be some sort of visual distortion if a ship was able to break the light barrier mind you, but I just thought it looked a little cartoonish from the very beginning of TNG onward. I always did like the light burst effect at the end however. The ENT version looked better, but didn't look particularly realistic.

I agree..the TNG stuff looks pretty cartoonish. And I agree Enterprise improved upon the stretchy-thing. But it just isn't as 'wow' as the TMP effect...

Rob
Scorpio

I always thought TMP warp effect looked cartoonish.

 

[RobertScorpio]

I'd have to say TMP as well. I never liked TNG's version with the whole stretchy thing. Not that there wouldn't be some sort of visual distortion if a ship was able to break the light barrier mind you, but I just thought it looked a little cartoonish from the very beginning of TNG onward. I always did like the light burst effect at the end however. The ENT version looked better, but didn't look particularly realistic.

I agree..the TNG stuff looks pretty cartoonish. And I agree Enterprise improved upon the stretchy-thing. But it just isn't as 'wow' as the TMP effect...

Rob
Scorpio

I always thought TMP warp effect looked cartoonish.

It might be a generational thing. My son agrees with you, he thinks the TMP shots are cartoony too. But maybe it was seeing it that first time in 1979 and being totally awed by it....and then, to me, the technolgy took a step backwards with some of those awful first season FX of TNG.....

Rob
Scorpio

 

[Carpe Occasio]

I agree..the TNG stuff looks pretty cartoonish. And I agree Enterprise improved upon the stretchy-thing. But it just isn't as 'wow' as the TMP effect...

Rob
Scorpio

I always thought TMP warp effect looked cartoonish.

It might be a generational thing. My son agrees with you, he thinks the TMP shots are cartoony too. But maybe it was seeing it that first time in 1979 and being totally awed by it....and then, to me, the technolgy took a step backwards with some of those awful first season FX of TNG.....

Rob
Scorpio

Yeah, the effects in the first couple of years of TNG were pretty cheesy. But by the end they were pretty good.

As for TMP, I was disappointed with the whole thing.

 

[RobertScorpio]

I always thought TMP warp effect looked cartoonish.

It might be a generational thing. My son agrees with you, he thinks the TMP shots are cartoony too. But maybe it was seeing it that first time in 1979 and being totally awed by it....and then, to me, the technolgy took a step backwards with some of those awful first season FX of TNG.....

Rob
Scorpio

Yeah, the effects in the first couple of years of TNG were pretty cheesy. But by the end they were pretty good.

As for TMP, I was disappointed with the whole thing.

I think at the core they had something with the story...BUT it had already really been done with Nomad already....the whole new life form part is cool (human/A I) but it just takes too long to get there...

And I understand Spock's character was effected by his studies on Vulcan and his mental connection with V'ger, I get all that. But by taking the companionship between Kirk/Spock/ McCoy, which made TOS so good to begin with, and writing against it until the end just didn't make since to me....

Rob
Scorpio

 

[drasche]

The warp effect in Nemesis (I think). The Enterprise would leave a visible warp trail and then the flash.

That goes for me too.

 

[The Wormhole]

The effect that's been used since TNG. Simple and effective.

 

[Cyke101]

I quite liked the Star Trek VI effect, if you can call it that. It combined the movies' warp trail with the streaking stars of TNG.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Quantum slipstream.

 

[Sheliak]

Barclay's manipulation of the warp drive in "The Nth Degree".

 

[RobertScorpio]

Quantum slipstream.

Sounds like a lower kidney problem to me..

Rob
Scorpio

 

[Colonel Midnight]

I liked both the one in TMP and the slightly-modified one used in TWOK. After that, not so much...

Cheers,
-CM-

 

[JuanBolio]

I like the stretchy-effect because there would indeed be distortion of light if you suddenly expanded space-time behind your ship. However, I agree that the TMP effect is more dramatic.

 

[Sisko4Life]

Definately the Quantum Slipstream or Trapswarp conduit from VOY. Hell, even Voyager's warp effect looks cool.

 

[Procutus]

But it just isn't as 'wow' as the TMP effect...

Yeah, 'wow' describes the feeling I had when I first saw the movie in '79. I thought it was a brilliant, more modern take on the idea of launching into FTL travel, far more imaginative than the 60s budget of TOS allowed for.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I didn't like the TMP effect, because it was 'too much'. Like most of the effects used in that movie (such as the transporters). Probably since this was the first Trek film and thus the FX people were eager to show off their new toys.

I mean, is there any reason why the transporter sequence takes almost a full minute, or that thunder-and-lightning flash at the end of the warp effect? Does that actually *mean* something? I think not.

 

[DonIago]

I'm not sure whether this counts, but I really liked "Scorpion Pt. 1" when Voyager's fleeing 8472 and the destroyed Borg cube...8472 fires on Voyager and sends it into a tumble, then the ship rights itself and warps off. Thought that was very cool at the time.