Question about the Centuar Class....what are those things on the bottom of the saucer? I think someone mentioned what those were before but I forgot what they were 
Worst Starfleet ship design
- Thread starter LutherSloan
- Start date
Found the magazine... Star Trek the Magazine, July 1999. "Designing the Akira class with Alex Jaeger of ILM" Basically it's one column of text, and 2 and 3/4 of a page of concept and CGI art. "This was my gunship/battlecruiser/aircraft carrier. It has 15 torpedo launchers and 2 shuttlebays, one in the front with three doors, and one in the back. I really got into it with this one, with the whole idea the front bay would be the launching bay, and then to return they'd come into the back, because they'd be protected by the rest of the ship"
The interview also says he designed it to seperate the saucer "using the catamaran hull to define the start area"
I'm going to have to say the NX-01 as well. Rather than a hybrid of 21st and 23rd century design trends, it was just an upside down Akira, which, in the process, went against the idea of a hybrid. It was more of a retcon than a true ship.
To wit, every ship named Enterprise has gotten sleeker, smoother, and streamlined as time went on: the Constitution, Excelsior, Ambassador, etc. etc . How weird is it, then, that the NX-01 is sleeker in some regards than the Sovereign class two hundred years later? The NX could look a bit more steampunk, sure. I don't mind the concept of a prequel, and in turn I can accept that a previous vessel looks more advanced than Kirk's ship. However, from a design aesthetic, there's no sense of potential evolution that would lead to the Constitution and thus every ship in the franchise.
I know there are people out there who dislike the Ambassador, but to me it was a great concept: a ship that acted as a bridge between the Excelsior and the Galaxy, incorporating designs of both that sort of told the origins of the Galaxy. We don't get such thoughts from the NX-01. Sadly, all we get is an upside down Akira.
To wit, every ship named Enterprise has gotten sleeker, smoother, and streamlined as time went on: the Constitution, Excelsior, Ambassador, etc. etc . How weird is it, then, that the NX-01 is sleeker in some regards than the Sovereign class two hundred years later? The NX could look a bit more steampunk, sure. I don't mind the concept of a prequel, and in turn I can accept that a previous vessel looks more advanced than Kirk's ship. However, from a design aesthetic, there's no sense of potential evolution that would lead to the Constitution and thus every ship in the franchise.
I know there are people out there who dislike the Ambassador, but to me it was a great concept: a ship that acted as a bridge between the Excelsior and the Galaxy, incorporating designs of both that sort of told the origins of the Galaxy. We don't get such thoughts from the NX-01. Sadly, all we get is an upside down Akira.
According to Memory Alpha, the nacelles aren't really a means of propulsion per-se, but as a means of riding spatial distortions, like the nacelles on the sides of a small tropical boat for water. Additionally, the warp coils within the nacelles "warp" space to create those distortions and access subspace, and when you're talking about changing physics to go FTL and enter a fictional realm, does our understanding as we currently know about center of gravity still apply at all?
cyke, i know what the canon sez. I do physics and design real life current technology ships. As well as true to real life physics warp engines.
I can appreciate that there could be technological aspects or problems of which I cannot be aware since this is the future. But from everything NOW KNOWN about physics, your point is moot, because its still a spatial bubble
thats now off center from the ship which means that as the ship moves to accelerate its going to dip towards its center of gravity.
This is actually like the fifth time i have had this conversation, lets help your side.
If we assume that the artificial gravity plating creates gravity which is meaningful outside of the vessel.. (and its implied that in fact there are multiple gravity projectors which work only very locally, so this is a stretch)
The nacelles could be off center because the artificial gravity has to be
centered more importantly than the propulsion.
In which case the explanation in trek tech is that the nacelles have to be
off center point or they would interfere with the artificial gravity.
One thing to appreciate about enterprise D is that the nacelles are possibly centered tho its hard to know what the mass of the two different
hulls is relevant to each other.
E on the other hand flattens the whole ship as if they have figured a different way around the problem.
A comment regarding above about Nxo1 and its design characteristics-
I could not agree more. Making that ship sleek and aerodynamic makes little
or no sense esp since its stated it does not go into atmosphere. Previous Canon ships don't look anything like that, and the established evolutionary path from pheonix on thru etc pre tos ships has us working with spheres, squat spheres, and only later settling on first squat and then sleek saucers.
Given that this is SPACE, sleek may look cool, but its utterly pointless.
NX01 should have been a squat sphere 4 nacelle vessel, with long tapered nacelles twice the size ratio as other trek ships because its the big
"warp 5 project." Instead, they continued on with 3rd rate writers, designers, and etc.
As i said in another thread, VOY IMO jumped the shark and the franchise really never recovered. ENT was better than VOY because its premise was stronger, the characters more thought out, and the situation was fresh rather than with VOY which was really just a contrived repeat of the obvious "wagon train" premise.
I can appreciate that there could be technological aspects or problems of which I cannot be aware since this is the future. But from everything NOW KNOWN about physics, your point is moot, because its still a spatial bubble
thats now off center from the ship which means that as the ship moves to accelerate its going to dip towards its center of gravity.
This is actually like the fifth time i have had this conversation, lets help your side.
If we assume that the artificial gravity plating creates gravity which is meaningful outside of the vessel.. (and its implied that in fact there are multiple gravity projectors which work only very locally, so this is a stretch)
The nacelles could be off center because the artificial gravity has to be
centered more importantly than the propulsion.
In which case the explanation in trek tech is that the nacelles have to be
off center point or they would interfere with the artificial gravity.
One thing to appreciate about enterprise D is that the nacelles are possibly centered tho its hard to know what the mass of the two different
hulls is relevant to each other.
E on the other hand flattens the whole ship as if they have figured a different way around the problem.
A comment regarding above about Nxo1 and its design characteristics-
I could not agree more. Making that ship sleek and aerodynamic makes little
or no sense esp since its stated it does not go into atmosphere. Previous Canon ships don't look anything like that, and the established evolutionary path from pheonix on thru etc pre tos ships has us working with spheres, squat spheres, and only later settling on first squat and then sleek saucers.
Given that this is SPACE, sleek may look cool, but its utterly pointless.
NX01 should have been a squat sphere 4 nacelle vessel, with long tapered nacelles twice the size ratio as other trek ships because its the big
"warp 5 project." Instead, they continued on with 3rd rate writers, designers, and etc.
As i said in another thread, VOY IMO jumped the shark and the franchise really never recovered. ENT was better than VOY because its premise was stronger, the characters more thought out, and the situation was fresh rather than with VOY which was really just a contrived repeat of the obvious "wagon train" premise.
Peeps:
Oh, for me, the Stargazer, Constellation-class, is the ugliest. That's followed by the horrific Daedalus-class, and the Oberth-class. Whoa!
Red Ranger
Oh, for me, the Stargazer, Constellation-class, is the ugliest. That's followed by the horrific Daedalus-class, and the Oberth-class. Whoa!
Red Ranger
VOY had a decent premise, they should've just tried sticking with it instead of so many TNG clone episodes...
I'll throw in another vote for The Flying Braun Electric Shaver, a.k.a. the Defiant.
That's what it looks like to me, at least. *shrug*
Cheers,
-CM-
That's what it looks like to me, at least. *shrug*
Cheers,
-CM-
The DS9 Dominion War-era kitbashes are definitely the worst. I don't understand how or why they existed. DS9 kept showing us the same few ship classes ad naseum during fleet battles (Galaxy, Excelsior, Miranda, Nebula, Akira, an occassional Steamrunner). How hard would it have been to have shown us an occassional Ambassador-class? Or more Intrepids (they did show us an Intrepid-class once, so why couldn't they show more)? Why create all of these god-awful designs that make no sense and look terrible? I keep telling myself those designs aren't real, and that those ships never really existed.
I'm also not a huge fan of the Daedelus class, and its later cousin, the Olympic class. Something about a giant ball attached to a hull with nacelles, it just doesn't look right.
I'm also not a huge fan of the Daedelus class, and its later cousin, the Olympic class. Something about a giant ball attached to a hull with nacelles, it just doesn't look right.
It's slightly phallic if you think about it.
But I agree. I "ignore" the DS9 kitbashes too. Just terrible, terrible stuff. What were they thinking?! "Let's ram a Marquis Raider ship up the ass of the Intrepid's saucer and get a new ship design!"
I've seen Star Trek RPG fan-made designs that are far better than the Yeager.
DS9 for all its greats has some pretty big faults in areas like this.
ILM effects specialist - hmmm, we need a new design for Ent E and itś almost lunch time. I wonder what I can do with these scale and stretch functions and that Ent-A CGI we had?
Cadet - Wow! so the warp nacelles on Voyager go up when it jumps to warp speed?
Starfleet Engineer - Yes, itś the latest thing in warp technology!
Cadet - Cool, so, why not just leave them up?
Starfleet Engineer - Umm, uh, dammit get to your post cadet!
DS9 special effects engineer - So they want a ship for the crew to use this season and itś almost lunch time? Hmmm, if I start with the Millenium Falcon, move the cockpit up front, add a couple thingies on each side and change the bitmap textures... wah la!!
Cadet - Wow! so the warp nacelles on Voyager go up when it jumps to warp speed?
Starfleet Engineer - Yes, itś the latest thing in warp technology!
Cadet - Cool, so, why not just leave them up?
Starfleet Engineer - Umm, uh, dammit get to your post cadet!
DS9 special effects engineer - So they want a ship for the crew to use this season and itś almost lunch time? Hmmm, if I start with the Millenium Falcon, move the cockpit up front, add a couple thingies on each side and change the bitmap textures... wah la!!
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We should be kind....none of US had to deal with time and budget pressures, or the fact that CGI was not used heavily just yet.
RAMA
Hated:
Akira
Steamrunner (even the name is a joke!)
Defiant (Can't understand it's popularity)
Oberth
Voyager
Most TNG/DS9/Voy Era ships in general
Loved:
Constitution
Refit Enterprise and Enterprise A
Phase II Enterprise from TMP Posters and whatnot
Daedalus (I might be poor in company there)
Klingon D-7 and K'Tinga
Akira
Steamrunner (even the name is a joke!)
Defiant (Can't understand it's popularity)
Oberth
Voyager
Most TNG/DS9/Voy Era ships in general
Loved:
Constitution
Refit Enterprise and Enterprise A
Phase II Enterprise from TMP Posters and whatnot
Daedalus (I might be poor in company there)
Klingon D-7 and K'Tinga
And it one of the most visually boring pieces of crap I have ever seen! LOL
Yeah, I agree. The Defiant doesn't impress me any either.
I like the Daedalus-class too. It's not impressive by anymeans but it works for what it "is" and that being (in Trek's unvierse) one of Starfleet's most ambitious designs at the time and a late 22nd/early 23rd vessel. And we also have to consider it was (one of) the first starships designed on a production level for the series. So, naturally, it isn't going to be the best.
Which, of course, is exactly the lesson that had been hammered home to Sisko et al when the Odyssey was lost in the Gamma Quadrant - once the Jem'Hadar got those shots in on the warp nacelle, the ship was in serious trouble.
Defiant wasn't built to look pretty - it was designed to fight.
The Defiant wasn't one of Starfleet's ships that was designed in order to look good. It is purely a warship designed to fight the Borg (although it only did it once). It's just fine as a weapon of destruction, but I don't give it negative points for looking like an ironclad ship.
Its designed to look muscular...can't argue with those aesthetics!
No its not graceful, but man it can pack a punch. The A-10 Warthog of the 24th century.Man I can't believe how many people hate the Akira. Its such a graceful design. I would easily put it in my top 10.
RAMA
