star trek starship art

• May 5, 2024 | Alex Kurtzman Says There’s An Infinite Number Of Star Trek Stories To Tell, But New Shows Must Be “Authentic”
• May 5, 2024 | Interview: Mary Wiseman On Doing Some “Classic Star Trek” In ‘Discovery,’ And Tilly’s Future
• May 5, 2024 | Doug Jones Explains His Recent Absence From ‘Star Trek: Discovery’… And Confirms Saru’s Return
• May 3, 2024 | Michelle Yeoh Receives Presidential Medal Of Freedom
• May 3, 2024 | Chances Of Skydance Takeover Of Paramount Fades; Competing Sony Deal Reportedly Unlikely Too

Check Out 32nd-Century Starfleet Concept Art And More Behind-The-Scenes On ‘Star Trek: Discovery’

| January 5, 2021 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 109 comments so far

Season three of  Star Trek: Discovery wraps up on Thursday with “ That Hope is You, Part 2 .” Before diving into that, we have gathered together some behind-the-scenes images from the work on season three, including some new concept art.

Federation ships concept art

Today CBS shared two images of season three concept art, each with a collection of 32nd-century Federation ships. These ships were first revealed at Starfleet HQ in episode 5 “Die Trying.” We have zoomed on each of the new images to get a closer look at each ship and provided details for each.

USS Voyager-J – Intrepid Class

Obviously inspired by the original 24th-century USS Voyager from Star Trek: Voyager .

USS Nog – Eisenberg Class

Named in honor of the late Aron Eisenberg , who played Nog on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and passed away in 2019.

USS Le Guin – Mars Class

Named for speculative fiction author Ursula K. Le Guin . This ship is under the command of Captain Bandra .

USS Maathai – Angelou Class

The ship is named for Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement. The class is named for the late poet Maya Angelou .

USS Jubayr – Courage Class

Named for 13th-century Arab geographer Ibn Jubayr .

USS Annan – Saturn Class

Named for Ghanaian diplomat and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan .

And here is the original Tweet with the combined images.

Get an exclusive look at the concept art for the new Federation ships in #StarTrekDiscovery . Which one is your favorite? pic.twitter.com/1ikPGUG0js — Star Trek on Paramount+ (@StarTrekOnPPlus) January 5, 2021

More behind-the-scenes on Discovery

Below, a number of behind-the-scenes photos from last week’s “There is a Tide…” that were shared on social media by CBS , co-showrunner Michelle Paradise , and director Jonathan Frakes .

Composer Jeff Russo posted a brief video clip of singer Ayana Haviv performing Andorian opera from last week’s episode.

New episode of @StarTrek Discovery streams today. Featuring @ayanahaviv singing the “Andorian” opera/aria I wrote for the episode. Check out this short clip of the recording session, she is amazing! #LLAP 🖖 pic.twitter.com/twPivnOw76 — Jeff Russo (@jeffersonrusso) December 31, 2020

Finally,  Discovery star Sonequa Martin-Green shared some of her favorite off-camera images from episode one’s location shoot in Iceland.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Sonequa Martin-Green (@therealsonequa)

New episodes of  Star  Trek: Discovery  premiere on Thursdays on  CBS All Access  in the U.S. and on  CTV Sci-Fi Channel  in Canada, where it’s also available to stream on  Crave . Episodes are available on Fridays internationally on Netflix.

Keep up with all the news and reviews from the new  Star Trek Universe on TV at TrekMovie.com .

Related Articles

Discovery , Interview , Starfleet Academy

Interview: Mary Wiseman On Doing Some “Classic Star Trek” In ‘Discovery,’ And Tilly’s Future

Doug Jones Explains His Recent Absence From ‘Star Trek: Discovery’… And Confirms Saru’s Return

Celebrity , Discovery , Section 31

Michelle Yeoh Receives Presidential Medal Of Freedom

Podcast: All Access Listens For “Whistlespeak” With Commentary From Mary Wiseman Of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’

The future is a kitchen appliance trade show.

Please show us your designs for us to compare….haha – actually, I kind of agree with you but I really don’t think there is much places left to go with ship designs nowadays….hasn’t everything already been done?

Only kidding. But yes, I tend to agree.

“Please show us your designs for us to compare”

That’s what “not understanding the core concept of “criticism”” looks like

Man, I sure wish they still had Jim Martin designing spaceships. He did some great stuff in the 90s for TREK tv, and a few of his unused designs, like one for a Gorn ship, were outstanding. Did good stuff for ALIEN REZ too.

nope ! not by a long shot ! There’s all kinds of futuristic shapes to choose from, even four, five, six dimensional hypercubes with black holes inside them, all kinds of things that would challenge the human mind, it’s just that there seems to be a lot of limits put on what is acceptable insofar as what people will accept, can’t please everyone, especially when the majority of people know nothing about the possibilities of future tech, what is impossible and what is theoretically plausible.

Haha. I like the designs – but I also agree.

Wasn’t there a new Constitution class? Show us that!

They did. It’s cloaked.

These concept designs are much clearer than what we saw in the actual episode, thanks to the show’s low-light aesthetic.

Haha I stopped watching the show 5 episodes ago (for reasons which I won’t go on and on about) but I have an affection for this website so I come back here a few times a week to stay updated. But from what I remember, the lighting was fine when we had to show a close up of one of the characters crying or hugging each other so I think the visual aesthetic reflects the priorities of the show runners. Less science, more feelings.

Despite your assurance that you would not “go on and on about” why you stopped watching the show you made it quite clear why you stopped watching the show.

In all fairness, I didn’t go “on and on”….. I just went on. If you want me to go on and on like a middle-aged grumpy you-tuber that doesn’t like anything new, I can certainly oblige haha – just kidding!

Lol – the lighting’s also blue… so very, very blue!

We are all so lucky to have you participating when you don’t even both to watch the show that these articles are based on.

Thank goodness we have your involvement here. THANKS!

I appreciate your reply. I guess I respectfully disagree with your point that I don’t have cause to join this discussion – but I am inferring from your comments, if I got this wrong, I apologise.

I have grown up with Star Trek. When I was 6 years old I got my first action figures and a Star Trek Duvet cover. My first taste of ST was Wrath of Khan and I was hooked, so I watched Space Seed and still hooked. Watching ST TNG got me through being bullied at school when I saw that Data and Worf were different too and they could earn the respect of the people around them.

I have introduced my friends to Trek, my daughter to Trek (who doesn’t care if the protagonist is a ‘strong female’ or not) and I have engaged enthusiastically and for the most part positively with the Trek community. I have carried the ethical and moral messages of Gene Roddenberry forward.

I feel that the number of shows someone chooses to watch of Disco should not qualify or disaqualify someone from participating in the discussion. I happen to not like Disco. I’m not alone. But I don’t hate it, I don’t hate the characters, nor do I hate the fans, I do not hate Star Trek because of one disappointing production. I hope this allows me to participate still in these discussions.

Live long and prosper (yes, I say that to people in real-life)

yes, and it seems to be getting worse. I could swear I am watching Young and the restless or days of our lives instead of a sci fi show

Space isn’t bright. Much more realistic.

Except for maybe Voyager, these designs are disappointing. It’s like no thought went into these. They are way worse than the rejected designs for previous movies/shows. I could see these as ‘alien’ ships but not as Starfleet.

Seriously, these look both very fresh and very much in keeping with the clean Starfleet aesthetic.

I’m so happy to see the end of awkward and chunky ships in the style of Star Trek 2009.

They might look fresh, but I can’t see how they look Starfleet at all. Awful ship designs, but it’s okay given their limited screen time; the Discovery on the other hand 🤮. What a minger!

How would you know what looks Starfleet? That makes no sense.

It’s 900 years later. Things change. Me, I think they’re neat – although I’m not crazy about this Voyager (too 24th century).

Who knows which alien races joined Starfleet in these centuries? Why shouldn’t their designs influence the look? Therefore they have to look different. ENTerprise made a mistake in that way, that they “downgraded” a starfleet ship and made it an earth ship, while the designs of the Vulcans and Andorians looked totally different from each other and were distinguishable. This was a good idea in ENT per se. But from that point of view into their future, starfleet ships should have looked like elements from earth, vulcan and andorians ships combined and not like an earth ship was used as a blue print for the basic designs of later ships, while elements of vulcan and andorian ships were ommited. Made no sense, since they were way more advanced.

The Nog and Jubayr remind me of the Minbari ships from Babylon 5.

The Jubayr looks like something that Gaudi would have designed – a flying Sagrada Familia. Good name for a ship, though. Not sure that Kofi Annan was remarkable enough as UN Secretary General to be memorialized on a starship 1100 years from now, though, particularly when the fleet is relatively small.

Aren’t there two more not seen in this feature, one of which was said to be a Constitution class and another with long slender nacelles? I like the Nog. Still not a fan of detached nacelles and mighty morphing power ships though.

First ship is nice future take on Voyager. Second ship is a ripoff of the Star Wars hospital ship. I don’t understand the USS LeGuin (love the Oregonian author though!). USS Maathai is cool and reminds me of some agrarian utopian future-city. Must be huge!!! USS Jubayr — fugly nonsense that looks more like a phaser than a starship. USS Annan … meh

With all that said, I like the departures from traditional Starfleet design. To see the same bunch of saucers with primary hulls and two nacelles 1,000 years later would be way more dissapointing. I think they did some good work here and tried to think outside of the Trek box.

I want to like the Le Guin (as I too love the author), but I cannot even tell what angle the picture is from. Schematics needed.

I like the Le Guin best – it’s got something. The Maathai is interesting because it is basically a flying disc of autonomous landscape (including what looks like forest, coastline and sea). So, I guess the world’s finally a disc then :-). I wonder how they light the sky, it can’t just be transparent because that would make the sky quite dark in space. The Jubayr I don’t like, its intricate design does not look to be tied to function and thus seems to waste a lot of building material.

As a general comment about design on Star trek Discovery: A lot of the new tech in STD seems a little too “organic” for my taste: Maybe the writers decided to answer the question “where will future technological development lead us” with “it will merge technology with biological/organic life”. I think it’s a legitimate idea but I don’t really like the resulting tech & design aesthetic (like spore drive, giant flowers planetary defense system, and also the Jubayr looks a little like a veiltail fish…), because to me it feels more “trippy” than Star Trek. The Su’Kal story also fits into that concept of linking technology with organic life.

What was always fascinating about Trek tech was that it presented new technology that had a real, new practical use (transporters, communicators, Padds,..) that viewers could admire & covet. Now that so much of it has become reality, it’s becoming harder to creatively think of new future breakthrough technological devices that adress a real need. So in Discovery we have faster transporters, customised controls, legless chairs etc. which are basically enhanced versions of the same.. It would be great to have a post about future tech in Discovery & other new Trek series, discussing where they further developed pre-existing Trek tech, and where they came up with some really new tech that adresses a special or everyday need or desire.

I hate that we learned nothing about any of them! We don’t get to see the insides, propulsion, nothing…..

It would have been cool to see them featured more.

I totally agree!

More to look forward as Discovery goes forward.

And who knows, maybe another series will be set in this new era.

Totally. We can’t get all at once in one season. I am glad I was able to see the upgrade Discovery, the new federation Headquarters, and Book’s ship which I really really like. Those scenes on the Nebula, changing its shape its something new for Star Trek.

Hopefully in Season 4 we will see one or two more ships in detail. More sets. Everything looks so elegant, they are spending a fortune on each season, movie quality sets, I give them credit for that. Also for the designers and builders, the knowledge to build these futuristic sets it is pretty amazing.

That would require some imagination and intelligence from the showrunners and writers, both of which they lack.

Maybe Trekyards can come up with something? It seems like the fan community has a double duty nowadays of filling in the gaps left by the show runners

Would that add to the story in anyway?

Ah the Courage class, named after Sandy Courage–the composer of the original Star Trek theme tune.

I absolutely love the new look of these ships. Voyager, so cool. We see the impossible, detachable nacelles…the USS Maathai, a transparent spaceship with a green forest.

At the beginning (Season 3) did not see too much differences between 24th and 32nd century. Glad each episode gave us something new. I was impressed with the Discovery retrofit.

Berman era Star Trek is my favorite. For the stories. But for the visual aspect, I really enjoy what we are watching now. I like this team for all the new ships, special effects, makeup, and costumes. Taking full advantage of the latest in technology. Can’t wait to see the new episodes with the virtual screens. :P

Agree with so many of your points Jay! Berman era will probably always be my favorite era by far because it just expanded Trek in so many ways. But I am enjoying the new shows a little more at least. PIC started off amazing but stumbled badly by the end. But both LDS and DIS this year have been generally great even if DIS still has tons of flaws IMO. But I think putting DIS in the 32nd century has given it a shot in the arm and really liking the new visual look of the show the most. Going (very) forward has done this show a lot of favors.

But the issue for me with the newer shows, with the exception of LDS, they are not as rewatchable as all the older shows are. But I guess a big part of that is they are much more serialized so you can’t just watch them individually the way you can TOS, TNG or VOY for example.

I was watching DS9’s “Duet” today and having the exact same thought about rewatch-ability. There are dozens of Berman-era episodes I could watch over and over like “Duet.” I just cannot say that about the hyper-serialized modern Trek. I am really looking forward to Strange New Worlds for the return to episodic Star Trek. I really have tried to buy in to the season long arc concept, but I just think it is too limiting and hard to return to for future re-viewing.

But especially Duet needed a follow-up, because it was never quite clear if Kira murdered that Clerk in cold blood or if her failure to render assistance was an unconscious act resulting from her hatred of Cardassians. It angers me that this was written so ambiguously.

Sorry, who was the clerk Kira murdered? I don’t remember that in the episode, but it’s been some time since I last watched it.

The episode was based on “The Man in the Glass Booth” by Robert Shaw.

But the clerk reminded me of German officer Wilm Hosenfeld, who wrote in his diary: “The whole ghetto is a burned ruin. . . These beasts. With this terrible mass murder of the Jews we have lost the war. We have brought upon ourselves an irredeemable disgrace, an inextinguishable curse. We deserve no pity, we are all complicit. I am ashamed to go into the city, every Pole has the right to spit at us”

Thank you for sharing that. I wasn’t aware of the allusions.

You’re not recalling it accurately. Kira doesn’t murder anyone or fail to render assistance. It’s a perfectly self-contained story that needed no follow-up. It does expertly draw upon ongoing themes related to warcrimes during the Bajoran occupation. One of DS9’s best episodes in my opinion.

You can be sure that if Sisko would have been attacked on the promenade with a knife, Kira immediately would have started an emergency transport to sickbay and Bashir would have saved him in a second. (How can a knife wound be lethal in this environment). Instead she showed no intent to rescue him but took him into chokehold until he was finished. I’m sure the writers did not intended to read it that way, but it is how they presented it in the scene. If people call out Discovery writers for such blunders, I find it fair to hold DS9 writers to the same standard. It was not a coherent written scene.

For one, they needed to wrap up the episode quickly; a lengthy death bed scene in sickbay wasn’t needed. Two, he died instantly, which can be written off as being stabbed in some vital Cardassian organ.

Anyway, she didn’t “murder” anybody. You’re reaching for something that isn’t there.

They rescued Jean Luc after he got stabbed through the HEART. Don’t tell me they could not have saved this guy. Kira not even tried and she murdered Cardassians before. Kirk and McCoy were prisoned for less.

It’s pretty clear that the writers had no murderous intent behind Kira’s actions there. She has a change of heart and confronts the killer with her words.

These ships look like works of art, not functional exploratory/ military vessels. They are interesting, but lame for starships. I don’t care for Books ship and others that can pull apart mid-flight. Again, how realistic is that? basic laws of physics stil apply then as they do now. What happens if someone is in that part of the ship when it reconfigures??

I don’t think ship’s shapshifting is that impossible to accept, if you are willing to buy into other Star Trek concepts like warp drive, transporters, or holodecks. Warp drive literally bends the laws of physics. Transporters turn individuals into pure energy beams (or something). And the holodeck concept implies plenty of magical smoke and mirrors that ultimately defy belief to some extent.

Aa for the visual paradox with Booker’s ship, I can imagine space warping around the pilot or passengers but still managing to keep them safe through force fields and what not. Perhaps Booker and passengers sit in essentially a holographic or extra dimensional bubble of some sort that maintains the visual continuity of the ship interior while the ship is actually “shapeshifting” all around them. I would prefer to see some attempt at showing what is happening inside Booker’s ship. Personally, I wish they hadn’t gone there with the ship mechanics because it desperately screams, “Engage! Full speed!! Cool Factor 9!!!”, but to say something is impossible in Star Trek because it defies the laws of physics? It’s more than meets the eye is enough to suspend my disbelief.

All Trek ships, ever, are works of art, and not functional in any way, shape, or form. If you don’t like the asethetic, that’s your perrogrative, but they have always been designed to be pleasing to the eye.

Matt Jefferies, Andrew Probert, Doug Drexler, maaaybe John Eaves to some extent, and maybe a few others were very keen on making some functional sense out of their designs, as well as making them look good. Modern Trek seems only interested in making things look ‘cool’ and flashy in some way, with little care for practicality or functionality. Especially now when they can literally make up anything and run with it.

Functional only to the extent of the existence of a few of the things that may have been necessary to space flight. Form never followed function in Trek design, and as the series continued form became even more straightjacketed, down to the color and lighting of the ships of various Trek races.

Well they look a bit as if different designers each got their go at one artistic starship design, but therefore don’t feel quite consistent between each other (as in one consistent design aesthetic), but a bit all over the place. And it does bug me when, like with the Jubayr, its intricate design is not linked to function in a way that on a large starship scale would waste a lot of building materials and thus would make this ship unlikely to be built (…unless it houses a mobile galactic art exhibition and is actually meant to be lavish :-D – maybe it’s a museum ship or some other kind of representative building like a conference center?) Even in a fictional world, I appreciate the beauty of in-world plausibility besides the beauty of aesthetics :-)

Really love the look of Voyager J! Feels like it’s own thing but you still see elements of the original ship. I really hope we see her in action in the finale! Not holding my breath but fingers still crossed.

Like the other ships as well, but the Le Guin, I can’t make heads or tails of it lol. It’s so strange looking. That’s not necessarily a bad thing I just need to see it at a different angle. But overall I think its nice to see a shake up of what we think of starship designs in the 23rd and 24th centuries. But same time yeah they are a bit funky looking to say the least. But I’m up for it! I am hoping next season we actually get real some real 32nd century starship action and see other ships around and not just Discovery, Burn or no Burn.

I like the attempt to create something truly futuristic here instead of just upgrading traditional designs. However, it is true that some of these designs are oddly reminiscent of household appliances and other franchise designs.

Voyager’s nacelles remind me of my Wi-Fi router. The Annan is the lovechild between a Golden Snitch and a Stargate. Jubayr and Nog are Star Wars fregats.

I appreciate the effort but I just don’t think these designs are too impressive, compared to the Timeship Relativity for example…

These are some of the ugliest starship designs I’ve ever seen. What is the creative team smoking? Simply awful.

Thank you for commenting this. My thoughts exactly. I can’t believe some Trekkies give the people making Discovery so many free passes.

I’m going to assume that these names are jokes, like the shuttlecraft Indiana Jones and the like. Let’s be honest, no one even remembers a nonentity like Kofi Annan even today, and if Maya Angelou is remembered any more than a few decades from now, we’re in trouble. (Continuing the honesty, there’s one reason she’s even known today.)

On the other hand, I have no problem remembering Aron Eisenberg for over a millenium. :-) More deserved than even the transparent telegraphing they used for his ship in the DS9 documentary.

I wonder why they never named a ship after Hans Beimler. Maybe it seemed to nepotistic with his grandson on the writting staff, maybe because he was a communist or maybe he was really to unimportant. But since he was important enough for P. K. Dick to reference him, I think he should be important enough for Star Trek.

No communists, please. Thank you.

A man who gave his life fighting fascism at least deserves to be remembered.

To be plain, he fought one murderous totalitarian regime on behalf of another…which may have been the one to kill him in end in any event. (The Commies killing their own was what Orwell noted in Spain, and what turned him against them too.)

How quaint of you. Don’t you know that communists are A-OK?

A hundred million dead? What’s that?

Well, you learn something new every day. When did Dick reference him?

And why would they name a ship after him? Apart from any negatives, of course.

In Radio Free Albemuth Dick quotes the first stanza of the Hans Beimler Lied.

They named a whole class of ships after a Nazi (Oberth if you ask), they could at least name one ship after someone who fought the Nazis.

Oberth was a Nazi-era German rocket scientist.

If you want, the entry “Russian” on Memory Alpha lists a whole bunch of ships and classes named for Soviet rocket scientists, spacecraft, and astronauts. The Soviet Union murdered tens of millions of people. That’s more than enough balance.

I don”t know what you are talking about. I said nothing about the Soviets. I only said that Oberth was a Nazi.

You said that Beimler fought the Nazis. He was a Communist. The Soviet Union also fought the Nazis. That’s all.

But that doesn’t put me on the side of the Soviets, does it? Beimler fought for the freedom of my people, the Soviets not so much.

Which people did he fight for? The Spanish?

Let’s be frank here, one side of that war were proxies for the Nazis, and the other side were directly controlled by the Soviets. Neither had the best interests or freedom of the Spanish people at heart. (Although individuals fighting may well have, of course. But they didn’t last.) It was a mess.

Seriously???

You mock Maya Angelou? You insist that memory of her works be prevented?

If society comes to its senses, no preventing will be necessary. They’ll pretty much disappear on their own.

Obviously copies should be preserved and be available, if only to see the depths to which the folly sunk.

So 930 years in the future, all of the ships are named after 20th century ‘giants’ like the useless and corrupt Kofi Annan who couldn’t be bothered to care about any of the world events around him, from the genocide in Rwanda to mass killings in Bosnia and corruption in the oil-for-food program in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq..

Nobody is perfect but I think it isn’t a good idea to name starships after politicians unless it’s someone larger than life like Gandhi or Lincoln.Otherwise I prefer more abstract ideas like Enterprise, Voyager, Intrepid, Discovery, Bonaventure, Fidelity, Donager :-)

I agree with you. I prefer these type of names. Abstract names. However, I have to admit, I was emotional to see U.S.S. Nog. However Nog is a character, not a real person.

I guess I got emotional because of Eisenberg. He played such a great character, and he was amazing in real life. (-_-)

It’s probably a good rule that you don’t honor someone in that way until they’ve been dead for a certain amount of time and history has judged. I think the USPS has a rule- or did- that no one apart from a president (who has to wait a year after death) gets on a stamp until they’ve been dead twenty years or so. They should have a similar rule for currency- make it 150 or so. Only a handful of US Navy ships have been named for living people, usually retired.

Of course, Annan, he should live and be well, would be long gone by this point. But in the real world, they named the ship *today*.

Nachum, neshama, Kofi Annan isn’t gonna live and be well any more, he died a couple of years ago.

I do thank you for that update. RIP.

Yeah, s**t happens. Patterns of Force was on last night, who knew the Vulcans appreicated the Nazi’s efficiency.

That was not an uncommon progressive view of fascism in the 20’s and 30’s. It’s just really weird people would still be saying it in the 60’s.

Spock’s line from A Taste of Armageddon applies here too. “I do not approve. I understand.”

Well, if you want to go that far, I suppose I could say that I “understand” why that same regime took all my relations in Poland, men, women, and children, to pits and shot them in the head.

But I wouldn’t want to say it.

Then again, I’m not a Vulcan. And ever since ENT or so we’ve seen the dark side of that “understanding.”

Well, with all due sympathy to you and your family, I wasn’t going that far. Neither was Spock, since that wasn’t the specific thing he was talking about.

This doesn’t come up in conversation much, but Spock was pretty detached about rationalizing questionable behavior in “logical” conversation. Spock’s failure to grasp anything other then the “logical” uses of Genesis in TWOK, while McCoy is practically choking on just how bad the device could go wrong is a classic example. Logic isn’t always a virtue.

He wasn’t rationalizing anything. He was pointing out the purpose of Genesis and other things, because he’s a scientist. He wants to understand how things work, and sees it as his duty to point out how things work.

Understanding the use of terrible weapons and philosophies doesn’t automatically make one a proponent of their use, anymore than understanding how fire works automatically makes one an arsonist.

And Spock could just as well make moral judgments of immoral people. As he said to Trelane:

“I object to you. I object to intellect without discipline. I object to power without constructive purpose.”

Voyager will be a bottle opener on the startrek.com shop or eaglemoss.com. Calling it now.

Great. Will be a great success. The Enterprise pizza cutter is in my wish list. :P

More the Annan, I’d think. In fact, the Annan *looks* like a bottle opener.

Someone has to say it…..some of these ships would also make spiffy adult toys.

I don’t get why in a world of advanced CGI where you can have things like the Marvel Helicarrier in all it’s detail without breaking the bank all the new Star Trek ships look not real, plain, not functional nor detailed (exception – Lower Decks, which is a cartoon!). These Discovery ships (when you can see them given the refusal to focus or light external scenes with the exception of their beautiful second season Connie) look less real than even the TOS models used in the 60s. All the new ships look like they are using a CGI modelling program from the early 80s. Hell, the Star Trek II CGI of the genesis planet looks more detailed and real then these. Even the detached nacelles, maybe put some cool effects as opposed to just having pieces “out there”; looks like they did that just because the CGI can’t model the connections and it was all on the cheap. None of these ships look attractive or capture the imagination. It’s like the 1960s Klingon D-7 battlecrusier, it was way more memorable and visible than all the 2020 Klingon ships put together. What is going on?? There are 3d modellers on scifimeshes.com that do way better work for their own enjoyment, why not hire some of those guys and gals??

Are you kidding?! The Marvel and CBS banks are not equal. Also, CBS hired union workers which impacts cost. Sure, amateur modelers could do an equal or better job sometimes, but they might not even have food on the table.

Why not pay them (those on scifimeshes) and reward them for doing such great Trek work vs. paying for this subpar work?? Hell, buy their meshes, that would have been x 10000 then a generic fleet in Picard or a bunch of white disconnected blobs in Discovery (are those Klingon and Federation ships, or a poorly modelled rebel fleet from Star Wars?)

I thought the NX-01 was the ugliest starship design that I would ever see. Now in seeing the Eisenberg Class, I am not so sure.

Love the Saturn Class though.

Why would you have a large hole in the middle of the ship? It just makes it that much more difficult to get from point A to point B.

You mean like a Romulan Warbird? Or the USS Grissom? At least in this time period they have personal transporters to move around the ship.

The GRISSOM is just horrid. I guess the Rom can skate by since that is an alien design, but the GRISSOM just should never have gotten past the sketchpad. A lot of ILM Trek designs suck, actually, though I like the BoP. But Mike Minor’s RELIANT (which ILM only built, didn’t design) works better for me than any of the later ones in the movieverse, even if the design was approved while looking at it upside down.

I’ve wondered if the reasoning behind the Grissom design is the bottom section is meant to be a large piece of tech, like a sensor pod, and isn’t inhabited.

Honestly, I don’t think that much thought went into it, they just wanted a silhouette that was easily recognizable as not the Enterprise. If you look at ILM interviews from the era, it sounds like there were only a couple design passes for EXCELSIOR, a few for the BoP, but everything else was just ground out fast. The merchantman ship was just put together from kit parts, according to Cinefex.

The fact ILM was even able to get into designing stuff they had no business designing, like hand props including the tricorders and a Klingon communicator that (as a good friend who occasionally frequents this site pointed out way back when) looks like nothing but a glorified heat-sink, speaks volumes about how the film was mismanaged, starting with dispensing with the Paramount art direction team from TWOK who DID design RELIANT, and had a more interesting Genesis Cave design that ILM apparently couldn’t successfully execute (not that their final version is successful either.)

To give an example of how ILM working on props seems WAY outside the guidelines, when Abel’s people started trying to redesign the first film by encroaching on other departments, unions had to turn up there and flame them about it (that’s from TMP/TWOK art director Mike Minor interview in ENTERPRISE INCIDENTS.) So the idea that Bennett and Nimoy seem to have actually encouraged this on TSFS suggests a total lack of faith in their new art department (and going by the goofy BUCKROGERS-looking EXCELSIOR interior, maybe that was warranted) and a blatant disregard for who is supposed to do what on a film production, and that latter aspect is inexcusable and should have been actionable (besides being creatively stupid, IMO.)

Sorry for going on and on, just still really PO’d about all the crap going down yesterday … not surprised in the slightest, but mad as Hell.

The Grissom was supposed to be the equivalent of an AWACS, and part of a literally modular-component design.

The main platform was the only “standard” part, with all main computer and engineering systems.

The saucer was an add-on module for when the ship carried a crew. It could be swapped out for a “robotic” module, too.

The nacelles strapped onto the energy interface points on the outboard platform ends… either top or bottom. It could also take a single nacelle on a roll-bar.

The Grissom, as we saw it, was being used to deploy a massive, high-resolution sensor package, which is what you’re thinking of as the “secondary hull.” That was not originally intended to be inhabited at all. Perhaps accessible for maintenance through crawlspaces.

When TNG reused the Grissom model, they misused it, treating the sensor pod as a “hull” rather than as a “nacelle” containing special sensor hardware. And the original intent fell apart after that.

The design, as originally created, made perfect sense. But as happened so often, the original design intent was forgotten at the earliest opportunity.

Which is a real shame. Because the “modular starship” concept, borrowed from FJ and expanded upon, could have given us dozens of unique, easily made, models with very little cost to produce. That was the original designer intent, at least. And, despite it being abandoned by the studio, it was continued, non-canonically, by fans, for years.

The most popular of these was the Jester-class corvette, similar to the Grissom but replacing the high-res sensor pod with a Reliant-style torpedo pod.

I still love the “modular starship design” concept.

https://images.app.goo.gl/6HgXaht8VwMdeswP9

I remember when the Warbirds first appeared on TNG there was a suggestion that that space was meant to contain smaller ships and carry them in their warp bubble, saving energy. But I don’t think we ever saw that.

In some ships, of course, there just aren’t many people in the remote parts, like engine nacelles. But a ring in the middle of the main saucer?

(And yes, I think the same about Discovery’s empty space.)

The Saturn Class looks like a toilet seat.

Have we finally seen a toilet in Star Trek somewhere?

Star Trek V: Final Frontier. When the trio are locked up in the brig.

I need to rewatch that, did they have 23rd century Charmin handy? Enjoy the go in zero gee?

They use bidets.

Boldly Accessorize Your Office With Star Trek Tech Accessories! - SHOP NEW COLLECTION

NEW! Comfort Colors® x Star Trek T-Shirts! - SHOP T-SHIRTS

Discovery Is Back! Gear Up For The Final Season - SHOP COLLECTION

Sign Up & Save 15% Off Your Next Order! - SUBSCRIBE NOW

• Deep Space Nine
• Lower Decks
• Strange New Worlds
• The Animated Series
• The Next Generation
• The Original Series
• Comfort Colors®
• Star Trek Universe

Election 2024

Personalized, starfleet academy.

• Uniforms & Cosplay
• Hoodies & Sweatshirts
• Long Sleeve T-Shirts
• Kids & Baby
• Bags & Backpacks
• Money Clips
• Phone Cases
• Passport Covers
• Socks & Shoes
• Ties & Tie Bars
• Coffee Mugs
• Bar Accessories
• Beer Steins
• Water Bottles
• Beach Towels
• Kitchen Accessories
• Office Supplies
• Party Supplies
• Pet Products
• Tech Accessories
• Wall Decals
• Certificates
• Electronics
• Tridimensional Chess Set
• The Original Series Delta Personalized Laser Engraved Pint Glass
• Starfleet Academy Personalized Certificate
• Picard Chateau Picard Stemless Wine Glass
• Discovery Disco Men's Short Sleeve T-Shirt
• Space The Final Frontier T-Shirt
• Semper Exploro Hoodie
• Live Long & Prosper Phone Case

Mother's Day

• Star Trek Cats

Star Trek: Discovery DISCO T-Shirt

The Wrath of Khan

Star Trek Space The Final Frontier T-Shirt

Star Trek Energize Mug

Star Trek Semper Exploro Hoodie

Star Trek Live Long & Prosper Phone Case

Posters Posters | Star Trek Shop

• Wrapped Canvas
• The Wrath of Khan Movie
• The Search for Spock Movie
• The Voyage Home Movie
• The Final Frontier Movie
• Generations
• Starfleet Collage
• Acquisition
• Righteous Wrath
• Oceans of Blue and Seas of Fire
• Beyond the Farthest Star
• Assignment Earth
• Making for Deep Water
• Yesterday's Enterprise
• Terminal Descent
• Quantum Mystery
• Homeward Bound
• Armored Voyager
• Fortune Favors the Bold
• Wheel in the Sky
• Distant Cousins
• Wind Tunnel
• Mirror Universe
• Star Trek Day
• Ships of the Line

Star Trek The Final Frontier Premium Poster

Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 131): Computation results in '-Infinity'%

"The Final Frontier" Premium Poster is not just wall art; it's an invitation to dream, explore, and boldly embrace the mysteries of the universe. Let it serve as a constant reminder of the boundless possibilities that await.

• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil
• Paper weight: 5.57 oz/y² (189 g/m²)
• Giclée printing quality
• Blank product sourced from Japan

Ordering Information

• Return Policy: We will gladly accept returns for any reason within 30 days of receipt of delivery.
• Shipping: Ship times are estimates of time in transit after your product leaves the fulfillment center. Some items in your order may ship separately to arrive faster.
• Availability: Ships internationally to most countries around the world.
• Shipping Policy: For more information, see our Shipping Policy .

ST-100849-00010-ST-FINALF

Star Trek Resistance Is Futile Premium Poster

This premium poster features a striking design that combines the iconic phrase "Resistance is Futile" with the distinctive Borg insignia, creating a powerful and unforgettable image.

ST-100849-00010-ST-RES

Star Trek: Picard U.S.S. Enterprise 1701-D Ready Room Painting Premium Matte Paper Poster

STPIC-100349-0011-ST-P-SHIP

Star Trek: Lower Decks Crew Key Art Premium Satin Poster

Whether you place it in a frame or hang it as-is, this Star Trek: Lower Decks Crew Key Art Premium Satin Poster lets you represent your favorite crew anywhere you hang it. Featuring Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford and Tendi, this poster is a must-have addition to the home of any fan.

PRODUCT DETAILS:

• This poster is a fun addition to any room!
• Made of: Premium satin photo paper and pigment based ink.
• Additional information: Poster does not include frame and will be shipped in an individual tube mailer.

STLD-100123-0014-ST-LD-KA2

Star Trek: Lower Decks Swag Recruiting Premium Satin Poster

Everyone knows that the best part of joining Starfleet is the swag! A great collector’s item, this Star Trek: Lower Decks Swag Recruiting Premium Satin Poster featuring Ensign Boimler makes a great addition to your home or work space.

• Availability: Ships to the United States and Puerto Rico.
• Shipping Policy: For more information, see our Shipping Policy here .

STLD-100123-0014-ST-LD-SR

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Key Art Premium Poster

Decorate your U.S.S. Enterprise living quarters with a Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Key Art Premium Poster. Available in two different sizes, this colorful, graphic poster is perfect for any wall in your home or office!

• 10 mil (0.25 mm) thick
• Paper weight: 7.67 oz/y² (260 g/m²)
• Slightly glossy
• Fingerprint resistant

ST-SNW-100850-0008-ST-SNW-Key-Art

Star Trek: Lower Decks New Friends Recruiting Premium Satin Poster

Joining Starfleet means making new friends, hostile or otherwise! Celebrate Starfleet and all the adventures it brings with this Star Trek: Lower Decks New Friends Recruiting Premium Satin Poster featuring Ensign Rutherford.

STLD-100123-0014-ST-LD-NFR

Star Trek: Lower Decks Heart of Starfleet Recruiting Premium Satin Poster

This Star Trek: Lower Decks Heart of Starfleet Recruiting Premium Satin Poster is sure to inspire you to dive into Starfleet Recruiting! Featuring Ensign Tendi, this hilarious satin poster makes a great addition to your media room, office, and more.

59-HYFI-SBIB

Star Trek: Lower Decks Cerritos Key Art Premium Satin Poster

This Star Trek: Lower Decks Cerritos Key Art Premium Satin Poster is perfect to hang in your living room, media room, or office. Featuring Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford and Tendi beneath the iconic U.S.S. Cerritos , this poster is a great way to represent your favorite franchise in the galaxy.

STLD-100123-0014-ST-LD-KA1

Star Trek: The Original Series Ships of the Line Oceans of Blue and Seas of Fire Satin Poster

Hang this Star Trek: The Original Series Ships of the Line Oceans of Blue and Seas of Fire Satin Poster proudly to show the universe that you are the #1 Star Trek fan. Featuring bold colors and the iconic U.S.S. Enterprise, this poster is a fine addition to the home of any Star Trek fan.

• Made of: Satin photo paper and pigment based ink.

3846-ST-TOS-SOTL2

Star Trek Lower Decks Season 4 Poster

Decorate your space with the Star Trek Lower Decks Season 4 Poster. Capturing the essence of the show's latest adventures, this poster brings the excitement and humor of the Lower Decks crew to any room, making it a must-have for Star Trek enthusiasts.

STLD-100850-00010-ST-LDS4

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Landing Party Key Art Premium Matte Poster

Featuring all your favorite characters, the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Landing Party Key Art Premium Matte Poster is the perfect finishing touch for your bedroom, office or starship!

PRODUCT DETAILS    

ST-SNW-100349-0008-ST-SNW-Key-Art

Star Trek: Lower Decks New Life Recruiting Premium Satin Poster

This Star Trek: Lower Decks New Life Recruiting Premium Satin Poster will inspire you to seek out new life each time you see it. No matter where you place it, this premium satin poster featuring Ensign Mariner will get you excited to discover new findings.

STLD-100123-0014-ST-LD-NLR

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Pike Poster

ST-SNW-100849-00010-ST-SNW6

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Spock Poster

ST-SNW-100849-00010-ST-SNW7

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Cast Premium Matte Paper Poster

Bring life to any room and show off your love for Star Trek: Picard with the Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Cast Premium Matte Paper Poster! The bold and iconic key art on this poster makes it the perfect addition to any home!

STPIC-100849-0004-ST-PKEY

Star Trek: The Original Series Scotty Premium Matte Paper Poster

STTOS-100849-0008-ST-TOS-Scotty-Quote

Star Trek: First Contact Movie Poster

A great collector’s item, this Star Trek: First Contact Movie Poster will make Star Trek fans smile each time they see it. Featuring a vibrant design, this poster looks stellar within a frame and on its own.

STVII-100123-0014-ST-FC-P2

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Premium Satin Poster

Give your home, dorm, or office a stellar upgrade with this Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Premium Satin Poster. Featuring the artwork from the movie, this poster lets everyone know that you are the biggest Star Trek fan.

STIII-100123-0016-ST-III-P1

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier Premium Satin Poster

Are you ready to travel into the final frontier? Featuring an eye-catching design bursting with color, this Star Trek V: The Final Frontier Premium Satin Poster makes a great addition to bedrooms, media rooms, offices, dorms, and more.

STV-100123-0016-ST-V-P

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Premium Satin Poster

Celebrate your favorite Star Trek sequel with this Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Premium Satin Poster. From media rooms to dorm rooms, this premium satin poster lets you show off Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan anywhere you place it.

STII-100123-0014-ST-II-P1

Star Trek: Picard Saving The Galaxy Premium Satin Poster

From rescuing Romulans to rewatching your favorite episodes of Picard , this Star Trek: Picard Saving The Galaxy Premium Satin Poster is an excellent addition to your Star Trek collection. Featuring Seven of Nine and made of premium satin, this poster looks great within a frame or on its own.

STPIC-100123-0014-ST-P-STGH

Star Trek: Discovery 32nd Century United Federation of Planets Flag Premium Satin Poster

As seen in the latest Discovery trailer, the design on this Star Trek: Discovery  32nd Century United Federation of Planets Flag Premium Satin Poster is a must-have addition to your DISCO collection. Featuring six white stars against a black satin material, this premium poster brings a sleek look to any room in your home.

3874-ST-D-UFP6H

Star Trek: The Original Series Juan Ortiz Balance of Terror Poster

Equipped with a cloaking device, the Romulan’s starship is wreaking havoc in the galaxy, and only the Enterprise can stop it. Proudly display your love for the “Balance of Terror” episode with this vibrant Star Trek: The Original Series Juan Ortiz Balance of Terror Poster in any room of your choice to show that you are the biggest fan of Star Trek: The Original Series.

3858-ST-TOS-JO14

Star Trek Ships of the Line Starfleet Collage Satin Poster

This Star Trek Ships of the Line Starfleet Collage Satin Poster is the perfect addition to the home or office of any Star Trek fan. Featuring the most iconic ships from the series, this poster encourages anyone who sees it to boldly go where no one has gone before.

3846-ST-TOS-SOTLC1

Star Trek: Picard Premium Poster

Whether you hang it in your office or at home, this Star Trek: Picard Poster is perfect for Star Trek enthusiasts to show their love for Captain Picard. It also makes a great housewarming present.

• Made of: Premium, satin photo paper and pigment based ink.
• Size: 18" x 24"
• Not included: Does not include frame.
• Shipment: Ships rolled in a tube.

ST-P-KA2-3874

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S2 Pike Poster

ST-SNW-100849-00010-ST-SNWPK

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S2 Poster

ST-SNW-100849-00010-ST-SNWKEY

Star Trek IX: Insurrection 25th Anniversary Poster

ST-100849-00010-ST-IN25

Star Trek: IDIC Premium Matte Paper Poster

Every Star Trek fan knows what IDIC stands for! Show off your love for the series with the Star Trek: IDIC Logo Premium Matte Paper Poster and bring life and style to any room!

ST-100849-0004-ST-IDIC

Bring life to any room with your new favorite home decor piece! The Star Trek: IDIC Premium Matte Paper Poster features a fun and vibrant design that is perfect for any fan!

ST-100849-0004-ST-INFINITE

Star Trek XII: Into Darkness 10th Anniversary Premium Matte Paper Poster

Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Star Trek: Into Darkness with the Star Trek: Into Darkness 10th Anniversary Premium Matte Paper Poster! Bring life to any room with your favorite Star Trek series!

STXII-100849-0006-ST-10ANN

Star Trek: The Original Series Uhura The Future is Female Premium Matte Paper Poster

The Star Trek: The Original Series Uhura The Future Is Female Premium Matte Paper Poster is timeless home decor that will show off your love for the iconic Lt. Uhura while brightening any room in your home! Inspire the next generation of Star Trek fans and space explorers alike with this colorful poster.

STTOS-100849-0008-ST-UHURA2

Star Trek: The Original Series Uhura Starfleet Sister Premium Matte Paper Poster

The Star Trek: The Original Series Uhura Starfleet Sister Premium Matte Paper Poster is timeless home decor that will show off your love for the iconic Lt. Uhura while brightening any room in your home!

STTOS-100849-0008-ST-UHURA1

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 30th Anniversary Premium Poster

STDSN-100850-00010-ST-DS30

Star Trek: Prodigy The Protostar Is Landing Premium Matte Paper Poster

Let's warp! Decorate your home, office or library with the Star Trek: Prodigy The Protostar Is Landing Premium Matte Paper Poster and get inspired to take on the day like the adventurous crew of the Protostar.

STP-100849-0006-ST-PROSHIP

Star Trek: Discovery The Discovery Is Landing Premium Matte Paper Poster

Be bold. Be brave. Be courageous. This Star Trek: Discovery The Discovery Is Landing Premium Matte Paper Poster is the perfect addition to any Star Trek fan's home, office, or Captain's Quarters!

 PRODUCT DETAILS:

STDIS-100849-0006-ST-DISC

Star Trek The Starship Is Landing Premium Matte Paper Poster

Decorate your home, office or Captain's Quarters with the Star Trek The Starship Is Landing Premium Matte Paper Poster. Celebrate the many Starships of the Star Trek Universe with this exclusive poster specially designed for Star Trek Month.

ST-100849-0006-ST-STAR

Star Trek: The Original Series The Enterprise is Landing Premium Matte Paper Poster

Decorate your home, office or library with the Star Trek: The Original Series The Enterprise Is Landing Premium Matte Paper Poster. Be inspired by this amazing matte poster of the Starship Enterprise every time you start your day!

STTOS-100849-0006-ST-ENTSHIP

Star Trek: Prodigy To Boldly Go Premium Matte Paper Poster

Decorate your bedroom, living room or playroom with this bright and colorful Star Trek: Prodigy To Boldly Go Premium Matte Paper Poster! Available in two sizes and featuring the entire crew of the U.S.S. Protostar , this poster will bring inspiration to boldly follow your dreams every time you catch a glimpse of it.

STP-100349-00010-ST-PGY-Boldlygo

Star Trek: The Original Series McCoy Premium Matte Paper Poster

STTOS-100849-0008-ST-TOS-McCoy-Quote

Star Trek: The Original Series Kirk Premium Matte Paper Poster

STTOS-100849-0008-ST-TOS-Kirk-Quote

Star Trek: The Original Series Spock Live Long and Prosper Premium Matte Paper Poster

STTOS-100849-0008-ST-TOS-Spock-Quote

Star Trek: The Original Series Uhura Premium Matte Paper Poster

STTOS-100849-0008-ST-TOS-Uhura-Quote

Star Trek: The Original Series Sulu Premium Matte Paper Poster

STTOS-100849-0008-ST-TOS-Sulu-Quote

Star Trek: Prodigy Key Art Premium Satin Poster

Featuring all of your favorite characters from the series, this Star Trek: Prodigy Key Art Premium Satin Logo Poster will give any space in your home the ultimate upgrade. Place this Star Trek: Prodigy poster in your media room, bedroom, office, and more to show off how much you love the series.

STP-100123-0019-ST-PR-KA

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Movie Premium Satin Poster

The more you look, the more you see with this Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Movie Premium Satin Poster. Celebrate your favorite Star Trek movie by hanging this satin poster in your office, apartment, home, or dorm.

STVI-100123-0016-ST-VI-P2

Star Trek XIII: Beyond Movie Premium Satin Poster

This vibrant Star Trek XIII: Beyond Movie Premium Satin Poster brings a pop of color to any room. Featuring James Kirk, Jaylah, and Spock, this poster is a must-have home decor piece for fans of the movie.

STXIII-100123-0014-ST-B-P2

SIGN UP & SAVE!

• Schedules and Guides
• 2020 Schedule
• 2021 Schedule
• Reading Order
• Starships Index

Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection index

91 comments:

Hi all, just a reminder that ordering from the www.startrek-starships.com website is no guarantee that they have the product in stock or that you will get it.I ordered DS9 from it on 02-dec-2013 and I'm still being told NEARLY TWO MONTHS LATER thats it out of stock. After two months. Even though they make the product. Anyway go to other functioning shopping sites if you are ordering your models individually.

If you're dissatisfied you could always ask Eaglemoss to cancel your order and get it elsewhere as you suggest, Conor? If they have completely sold out, then they're probably waiting on another production run before they are even able to send them. Who knows at what time scale they can do that, but I doubt it's as simple as making them as and when they like, they likely have to do them in batches. Considering the Collection is expected to launch in multiple countries over time I'd image that means there's a better chance of older issues being able to get back-issues in stock as they do new runs for each territory's release.

Hi 8of5, Just to clarify. The website side DS9 was in stock. This was only 5 days after it came out after all. I put the order through and paid through Paypal. I checked my balance the following day and they had taken my money. They never sent the model. I then emailed them 4 weeks later asking where the DS9 is. And they said they are out of stock and I'd get it when it was available. And they don't know when that will be. I have now been waiting two months. All I'm saying it ordering from startrek-starships.com when the stock is available is no guarantee it IS available and you will actually get it. Yes I could cancel my order. But my original order was when DS9 was in many different websites at the same price. It would cost a FORTUNE now. As you said you'd think that since DS9 became available in America another batch would be created and I'd have my DS9 by now. But I'm still getting the "we don't know when stock will be available" runaround from customer service. And I'm just warning people to go to the alternative websites rather then startrek-starships.com. For their sanity.

Any news on the Aventine?

I'm still waiting for my replacement DS9 model. Mine came with a couple of the vertical spires broken in the box. I thought it was odd it rattled :( They said they would replace it, but it would take a while and still waiting. Also getting a little irritated by small errors. The Defiant's left nacelle pennant is backward...which people told them about long before it was released and never corrected. There is almost always at least 1 or 2 errors in each issue, the worst being the cover of the Excelsior issue. A little bit of proofreading and editing would be nice, especially for the price of these things.

Are you going to be doing any more Eaglemoss reviews? Seems like it kinda stalled out awhile back.

Fear not mcarp555, more reviews forthcoming, I've just not made the time for a few weeks, but I plan to do a big old catch up starting in the next week. Christopher, I agree the Defiant error is Very annoying! Matthew, no Aventine news yet, I imagine if we do get her it wont be until a expansion of the series beyond the initial 70 planned issues.

Looking forward to reading more! As for the Aventine, Is there really any push for ships only in novels? There are still ships that have appeared onscreen that have not been mentioned, like the Pasteur. Yeah, it's not pretty, but at least I've seen it. If you haven't read the novels the Aventine is mentioned in, would you want to buy it? I don't think I would. I'd prefer EM to stick to actually visualized craft (even if only for a screen grab!).

There have been quite a lot of requests for the Aventine, and a handful of other non-canon ships. The Collection's Facebook and Twitter have replied to the effect of: Maybe, one day. I certainly wouldn't expect any to turn up in the first 70 issues. I think three ships have a very small chance of getting in though: USS Titan - It is technically canon, in name, and is probably the most prominent non-canon ship design, starring in its own book series no less. USS Enterprise-F - If any STO original design is going to get the model treatment it will be an Enterprise. This design has had a lot of fanfare, and has a presence outside the game thanks to regular features in Star Trek Magazine. USS Aventine - Some way behind the other two as it's more obscure, but while it's only appeared in a few novels, it did star in the biggest novel event ever, Destiny. Plus it's a just a damned cool design, and it seems to have some love from the STO crowd.

Discovered this site soon after I started collecting these models. Love the reviews. Been following closely. Wondered what the early opinion is on the Stargazer? I had a close look and it doesn't match the one from the show! I did a quick search on the interweb and found some doug drexler orthographics that seem to match the model more than the one from the show. Wonder if anyone thinks the same? Still like it though :)

Glad you're enjoying Thoughts. I think the Stargazer is one of the more middle-ground ships in the series. It's overall a decent model, but the level of detailing is little inconsistent; could have done with a few more prints on the engineering section. Plus mine seems to rattle a bit!

Just as something different, wouldn't mind seeing Captain John Christopher's Lockheed F-104 Starfighter from the TOS episode "Tomorrow is Yesterday". Just a thought...

Hi, I am from germany. Eaglemoss is making very, very nice starships and Batmobiles, but are not very good organized. There are many customers with stories like "I never got what I have ordered" or "I had to wait too long" or "I am not sure, if I will ever get what I have bought". Eaglemoss´ phone / mail - service is very polite and tries to help, but after all I am just happy for every order that arrives. They are pretty - those starships!

Hi. Can you tell me where you get your release times from? I'm having serious issues sourcing these. The only local place that is still selling them is Forbidden Planet and for the last 3 ships, when i have called there on the release date listed on the site they are telling me that they actually received them a week earlier.

I do love this line of ships.

Does anyone know when they will release the special gifts such as the abrams enterprise to U.S subscribers? I know the other gift line such as future enterprise and borg cube are scheduled for much later dates but I really want my ds9 and abrams enterprise.

You need to order the special issues.

I received DS9 several months ago... probably in March or April. (and I live in Seattle) I love it!

i have never had trouble with Eaglemoss. the customer service is excellent. i am sure if you gave them a call they would be more than happy to fix your issue.

I would love to see a model of Voyagers Aeroshuttle.

Has anyone had any problems with receiving their subscription gifts and could you confirm when I'm supposed to receive each of them (UK).

After being in relationship with emma for seven years,he broke up with me, I did everything possible to bring him back but all was in vain, I wanted him back so much because of the love I have for him, I begged him with everything, I made promises but he refused. I explained my problem to someone online and she suggested that I should rather contact a spell caster that could help me cast a spell to bring him back but I am the type that never believed in spell, I had no choice than to try it, I mailed the spell caster, and he told me there was no problem that everything will be okay before three days, that my ex will return to me before three days, he cast the spell and surprisingly in the second day, it was around 4pm. My ex called me, I was so surprised, I answered the call and all he said was that he was so sorry for everything that happened, that he wanted me to return to him, that he loves me so much. I was so happy and went to him, that was how we started living together happily again. Since then, I have made promise that anybody I know that have a relationship problem, I would be of help to such person by referring him or her to the only real and powerful spell caster who helped me with my own problem and who is different from all the fake ones out there. Anybody could need the help of the spell caster, his email: [email protected] m you can email him if you need his assistance in your relationship or anything. CAN NEVER STOP TALKING ABOUT YOU SIR HIS EMAIL ADDRESS IS:jacobalabispelltemple@gmail .com CONTACT HIM NOW FOR SOLUTION TO ALL YOUR PROBLEM

Personally, every interaction I have had with eaglemoss has been a nightmare. They have yet to meet a single commitment on the individual issues I ordered from the collection shop. I ordered seven ships that were listed as in stock, website stating only 3-5 days for delivery...That was over a month ago. Every email has resulted in a different response and every new ETA has passed. I finally received the K'tinga class last week and it was missing the acrylic stand. I called, they said they would have one out within the week, and that was 8 days ago. Fortunately a local comic dealer gets them from Diamond Distribution and keeps a file for me. I would suggest any other potential collector's do the same as most comic shop's offer a discount for setting up a file, and you can get this wonderful collection without the hassle of the horrid company that publishes it.

Has anyone received the bonus subscription ships, the future Enterprise and the Borg Cube? All I have got is excuses when I have contacted them.

I have mine from the local paper shop. Every fortnight without fail the models are there and the special issues. Try asking at your local shop if they can order for you.

We are yet to receive the Enterprise D future model after a year of trying. Always out of stock even though its a subscription. :(

I finally got my Future Enterprise but it doesn't come with book. I hope the USS Pasture includes info on the design of the Future Enterprise. There is one ship I have not seen any mention of and is my personal favorite "enemy ship"; the Husnock warship from the TNG episode "Survivor".

Hey any Canadian subscription owners had much trouble receiving ships. I just started and they told me Canada only has first 35 ships right now but assured me it will get more also they said we have no specials I really wanted ds9

Anybody heard if they're considering the Federation Class Dreadnought from the Starfleet Technical Manual by Franz Joseph? I'd just about kill for one of those!! I'd love to see ALL of those ships from the tech manual made into these models! Those would be a sure way to get me to finally make the move & subscribe!!

I made a poll to include the Promellian Battlecruiser from TNG's Booby Trap! Sign it here and add your name! http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/promellian-battlecruiser

I received the USS DEFIANT today and the decals on both sides pointed in the right direction. I live in the United States.

is it possible to name your own ship and have it delivered to you???

.....and ive just signed the petition for the Odyssey Class USS ENTERPRISE-F, But, couldnt the odyssey class ship just be made regardless of the petition and renamed something else (like USS Odyssey), otherwise its gonna take ages to get 5000 signatures and to create the model itself causing a load of fuss!

I didn't get issues 50 or 51 and i have called them about it 4 times now. Each time they just go hmm, that strange, you should have got it by now, then they tell me they are showing in stock but may not actually be and that they will order them for me again. They tell me if i haven't got them by such and such a date to call back, but as said i have done that 4 times now and it's the same each time. The next couple didn't come either, but when i called about those ones and they resent them i actually received those ones about a fortnight after i should have originally for them. I think their customer service is terrible. They are polite and all, but seem completely and utterly unable to offer any help beyond telling you to call back again and again. Seriously considering cancelling my subscription.

I hear you. Hands down the worst customer service i have ever experienced. They'll happily keep taking your money, but not so keen on actually sending out the products you have ordered. Call them up, and they haven't a clue as to what has occurred. I was told issue 50 was was re-posted to me 4 times before i actually received it, 3 months late. Oh they're very nice and apologetic about it, but they never seem to do what they have assured you they would. My latest 2 issues are now nearly 2 weeks late. I have been trying to call them about it all week, but they have a new trick with their phone it would seem. Every day this week i have called them at 6.30pm only to be greeted by a recorded message stating that they are closed and their opening hours are 9am to 8pm. Umm, what? last i checked, 6.30pm is EARLIER than 8pm!! Can't explain that at all. I have called them several times at after 7pm. Sadly, they have me by the.....because i really like the collection and want to complete it. Ebay is no use because as is usually the case with collecting 'geek' memorabilia a bunch of assholes buy up as many as they can get their hands on and sell them for ridiculously overpriced amounts. I have seen ships listed as buy it now for £30 quid. I'm not sure they are worth the £10 they currently cost (soon to be £11) never mind £30+.

Like Gavin Montague I've had trouble with deliveries but have found emailing them works better than calling. I went two months with no deliveries then six items turned up on the same day. Also, I have just seen the SPECIAL EDITION ISS ENTERPRISE MIRROR (mentioned above) complete with MU1 MAG being advertised for sale on Ebay, before it's even been announced at $82 or £53(approx) seller seems sure of release since there is a waiting time for a buy it now item! Eaglemoss have emailed me offering the shuttles collection with a £20 discount and I noticed the 'Japanese' Borg Cube (not the crap one the UK got) on sale for £20 but out of stock. https://shop.eaglemoss.com/star-trek-the-official-starship-collection/borg-cube-model-

I finally received the Future Enerprise D about a month ago but still waiting for the Borg Cube. I can't understand why they started selling on their website (and now out of stock) before giving it to their existing subscribers. I'm sure I'm not the only one still waiting for it.

Baldrick - The link you've supplied is for the 'crap' Borg cube we got here in the UK. I don't see the Japanese cube listed.

For the most part the level of detail and craftsmanship is most excellent. Most models have amazing detail however some lack that detail as if whoever did it was rushed or didn't have detailed knowledge and left important details out. I hope they continue to release more ships especially from the books. I would really love to see the Achilles class battle cruiser the one with the broadside of quantum torpedoes. Also I think that making the series to scale would have been totally amazing. I understand you couldn't make a Borg cube and runabout to scale but mayb in groups like small ships and shuttles on one scale. Capital ships on another scale and large stations Borg cubes to another scale. Models being in scale makes their display together all that pre dramatic.

Hey guys, I noticed that the USS Titan petition has reached 5,061 signatures. Has anyone told Ben Robinson about this?

Lee - He has known since September. He mentioned it on Twitter and implies that they are working on it https://twitter.com/BenCSRobinson/status/649265681838546944

Hi Joe, thanks for the update.

Would like to see a model of the U.S.S. Essex (Daedalus class) from ST:TNG episode "Power Play".

"left important details out." The Ambassador class is missing it's impulse engines. I don't mean they forgot to pain them, i mean they didn't put impulse engines on the model at all!

Is anyone else getting royally sick of them downright wasting the specials on the crappy ships from the Abramsverse? Personally, i think the specials should have been all the Enterprises, and other 'hero' ships such as the Defiant or Voyager.

for some reason they stopped mine at issue 69 anyone had the same I life in the uk

I'm still waiting on them to deliver my ISS Enterprise I ordered about a month ago. hughe1971 do you mean 59? I'm up to my 63rd issue so far, 69 (Breen Warship) isn't out till March, and I'm in the UK as well.

hughe1971 if you are a subscriber, like myself, and are not getting the recent models I would suggest contacting them to check whether your payments have gone through properly with them. My brother subscribes to the Doctor Who collection and a few months ago one of his payments didn't go through properly and so they stopped sending them to him without getting in touch with him quickly enough so he is now waiting for the back issues to still be sent out to him.

Has Ben commented anywhere about the Japanese Borg Cube petition passing its require signatures? I see he's confirmed more about Titan coming, but I haven't seen acknowledgement anywhere yet that there's something in the works for the reissue of the DeAgostini Borg Cube.

It looks like he doesn't even know this petition.

Then he must not know of the Titan one either, since the Cube petition is specifically mentioned in it. :)

Did he ever mentioned the borg cube petition? I don't think so. All he wrote was "no" to a possible release outside Japan. The Titan is confirmed. They are already working on the model.

That was my question, to which you responded that it looked like he didn't even know of it, when he obviously had to (as I showed). The "no" you mention, was the reason why the Titan petition was started. I'm sure Ben said "no" to the Titan too...at least before that petition became successful. They are only working on the model now due to the success of that petition. Since the Cube petition prompted the Titan one, and, now , since it is successful too , there's no reason not to expect the same, hence my question. So, has Ben responded to it anywhere yet? I'd love to hear he has...and of course with good news as well. :)

He did not. Remind him.

Perhaps we all should...

Hello All, Also have delivery problems with EAGLEMOSS in France. I've bought the DEFIANT set 2 months later. The Set is still available on french eaglemoss website, and shipping delays around 7/10 days. And for moment still never received it.... That's pity but i will ask Paypal to return me money. Not very professional from EAGLEMOSS. Cheers, Komaro

Get used to it. Great models, but terrible company with dreadful customer service. You call them and they just fob you off with the same crap each time.

Uss odyessy from the star trek odyessy serious would be a great model would love to see that and have one craig from dublin

i've had decent customer service from eaglemoss usa, but my gripe is with shipping. i have received what i believe to be my fair share of broken or otherwise damaged models. seems like every other month i get something that needs to be replaced. they do replace it, and usually pretty quickly, but better to package better.

Here in Australia - we have 8 books not in binders, making then 4 months behind with binders. Issue 53 is MIA (they continued to supply issues 54 and 55 with no update on what's going on. Its a subscription service right, they know how many they need right? They haven't been able to verify if we are even going beyond the initial 70 ships yet. They don't respond to emails. Nice collection - service drives you crazy.

Hi everyone. I am a subscriber in the US. I was getting everything fine until around issue 40. I believe this is when they opened offices in the US. Since this time every magazine that has arrived has been damaged. Corners are bent the edges are worn. I have talked to and emailed customer service numerous times. They sent some replacement issues but those where also damaged. I am still waiting on there response from my last email that was sent to the US and UK customer support. I am on issue 61 right now. I have not received any additional binders, which customer service said was now included in subscription. I am disappointed that they plan on milking the run past 70. I will probably drop it after issue 70 comes along. It is very expensive and had planned on a 70 issue run, not 110 or however many they think they can make. The models themselves are good but as others have noted there are errors.

I agree bisset mags drive me nuts i got my 53 becuase i was getting them thorugh a newsagent because of there service but have had to go back im missing issue 51 not very happy with the newsagent it apperently never got loaded on the truck but i live in hope as for the binders dont even get me started ordered some way back last year and still no sign of them

I enjoy the issues I get. They do replace things that are damaged for the US Postal service that is pretty rough with the packages. If you did not receive something they do get on it right away for any mistakes. The only thing that is annoying is the packaging or lack of that they use to make sure the items do not break or books get bent up. I expect high quality and in mint condition when Items are received. You guys just need to package things a lot better and you will not have to be sending replacement every time due to poor protection and packaging. I am happy other wise with what I have and look forward to others that are coming.🇺🇸😀

I stopped their service about two years ago mostly because I was going overseas. But I decided to try again and saw all the comments again. The models are at best mediocre and yes. I have had several come to me broken. They could be better in detail and material and definatly not worth what they are being charged. After seeing all the reviews here I will not renew my subscription with them. Disappointing because I really wanted to collect all the models. Is there anywhere else that someone can purchase these models?

love the ships that they bring out. although the ship I would love them to make doesn't appear to be on the potential list of ships to be made... the Elachi Escort it did appear briefly on Enterprise. the triangular shaped ship admittedly is more popular in the online MMORPG Star Trek Online. http://images-cdn.perfectworld.com/www/3b/da/3bda481ce3f0e04abe43fd95ab9baefd1376424154.jpg but again would love this ship to be made to add to my ever growing ship collection.

I was hoping for dagra's ship, he was almost a main character in Enterprise series 3. His ship was in quite a few episodes. Way more than some of the ships we have already. Also Dagra was the leader of the Xindi and in the end helped Archer stop the weapon from being used to destroy earth. I asked eaglemoss if they where going to do it, they said no!!!! Im a bit disapointed with that, but such is life......

could you post a 360 view of the gorn ship?

I dont know what the timeline for the special editions are in Aus. We seem to be almost a year behind now. I am waiting for the Kelvin edition to come out.

They're never doing Degra's ship? That sucks. I hope they do the Xindi Weapon as a special.

Welcome to the great Spiritual Spell Caster, where you can get a solution to all problems You want to be rich, famous, wants prosperity in business, you want your ex back to you, to the people you love, success in their study, to win the bet, they want to see a vision, you have to promote the work, you need healing all types of diseases and much more just contact your great spiritual caster, and now by notifying me, and your problems will be solved. Contact to [email protected]

What about the Talarian Warship? That thing looked cool.

Why does this page not get updated anymore?

Damn you're back after 1 year !

what about jem hader battleship for the star ships collection

Wow, updates!! Really pleased to see the page is live again

more star ships price goes up what you going to do as long the quality is good

When will this collection be complete ???

What's the rarest ship and the most expansive ship in the collection now?

Expensive *

Does anyone know when this will end? The pricing is just plain silly now.

When will this collection end? I dont have unlimited space for all of them to showcase. I thought i was buying 70 which tbh is more than enough, i now have 100+ more than i originally thought i would.

The collection finishes at issue 180.

A pity they didn't deliver on the promised BoBW Cube and a few other long-desired models. Hopefully another licensee will produce a Cube of the same quality as DeAgostini or better to finally fill the void of the missing Eaglemoss one.

Hi, my brother was a sci fi fan, he collected the die cast models from the magazines. Sadly he passed away in June and there is a cabinet with about 20-30 models. Are these still collectible and if so how best to sell. The money will be going to charity.

Post a Comment

Starship Design Guidelines

"I wouldn't want to be a third nacelle." (Barclay, VOY: "Inside Man"); "There's no rule that says the bridge has to be on top of the ship." (Reed, ENT: "Babel One")

Why do Star Trek's starships look the way they look? Is the ship I sketched up well-designed?

Strictly speaking, such questions can only be answered by a 23rd/24th century starship engineer. Star Trek is only a show, and there is no way we could explain or understand how starships work, let alone build them and test them in space.

Nevertheless, the design of Star Trek ships, official and fan-designed, should not be haphazard. First of all, they should comply with real-world engineering principles wherever possible, at least as far as physical dimensions and basic mechanical properties are concerned. In addition we have guidelines in the form of the design history and the aesthetics and lineage of starships, of Gene Roddenberry's design rules and of secondary literature such as the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual . All of them show us certain requirements, which may be without a foundation in real physics and engineering, but which make up the distinctive "Treknological" rules of the Star Trek Universe.

Alas, Star Trek websites and communities show lots of insufficiently considered starship designs, often cut-and-paste work combining components of different ships that are scaled up and down at whim. This is one reason why I have compiled possible guidelines for myself and for other fans interested in starship design, in order to improve our work. The rules are not meant as directives, but may provide an idea what a "technically correct" ship could look like, which would most likely be a beautiful ship in my opinion.

Important notice This article focuses on design aesthetics and on the assumption that these aesthetics reflect engineering principles of Starfleet of the 23rd/24th century. It is not meant to be an assessment of whether these designs are realistic, or of how to design a realistic starship with present-day knowledge. Please consider this before you file a complaint.

Starfleet's Design Lineage

The Star Trek Art Department as well as various fans continually come up with new starship designs, predominantly Federation ships. All these designs have evolved from Matt Jefferies's original Starship Enterprise and its distinctive saucer/engineering/stardrive configuration. The first prominent publication featuring starships other than the Constitution class was the Star Fleet Technical Manual by Franz Joseph Schnaubelt in 1975 (reissued 1991). This book became the first incentive for fans to create new starships by rearranging familiar starship components, long before the official Star Trek production discovered this possibility. Ships of the Star Fleet (vol. 1) 2290-2291 , first published in 1987, continues with this concept. Since the 1990s, the internet has become the by far most productive platform, and thousands of websites show tens of thousands of fan-designed starships besides the canon classes.

The Miranda class (USS Reliant) as the first canon Starfleet design apart from the original and refitted Constitution class appeared in "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan" in 1982. The first starships not re-using components of the Constitution class were the Oberth class (USS Grissom) and the Excelsior class in "Star Trek: The Search for Spock" in 1984. Since then, a wide variety of canon starships has been developed, some of them built as large-scale studio models, some as kitbashes like the infamous ships from the Deep Space Nine Technical Manual , and finally the CG (Computer Generated) ships from the latest movies and series. Despite all the design variations throughout more than 30 years of Star Trek and more than 200 years of Starfleet history (not to mention parallel timelines and leaps to the far future), almost all ships share common design features, and they can be recognized as Starfleet ships also without lettering.

Roddenberry's Design Rules

The following are Gene Roddenberry's official design rules. I found them at Jim Stevenson's Starship Schematic Database .

"Years ago, I was lucky enough to attend an Industrial Design class conducted at a Star Trek convention by Andrew Probert, head of the design team for the Enterprise in ST:TMP and primary designer of the Enterprise-D. He was nice enough to relay to me the 'Unofficial Starship Design Rules' as told to him by Gene Roddenberry..." Rule #1 Warp nacelles *must* be in pairs. Rule #2 Warp nacelles must have at least 50% line-of-sight on each other across the hull. Rule #3 Both warp nacelles must be fully visible from the front. Rule #4 The bridge must be located at the top center of the primary hull.

Andrew Probert confirmed at Trekplace that these are really the design rules that Roddenberry and he himself nailed down for TNG.

Starship Design in the TNG Technical Manual

Specifications

Chapter 1.1 of the TNG Technical Manual lists the "mission objectives for the Galaxy-class project" , comprising specs for the ship's propulsion, mission, environmental systems, tactical and lifetime. Although Rick Sternbach apparently conceived most of the specs when the design of the model was finished, it is obvious that usually their definition should take place at the very beginning of the design process. At least the basic purpose, size and speed of a ship should be known before the (24th century or 21st century) designer begins work on the actual plans, rather than marginal specs like "peak transitional surge reserve to exceed 4,225% of nominal output" . The infamous Defiant size problem is an example of a design becoming inconsistent because of insufficient basic specs that are changed or thoughtlessly supplemented after the completion of the studio model.

Construction time

Of course, the long construction time for a "real" starship is not an obstacle to the construction of a ship on a computer or drawing board. Nevertheless, anyone who conceives a design should keep the long construction history of the USS Galaxy (2343-2356, chapter 1.4) in mind. It may be feasible to design, build and launch a new starship like the Defiant in only a few years, but this is not the normal case. The idea of hastily assembled ships as in the Deep Space Nine Technical Manual is objectionable in this regard.

Warp nacelles

Chapter 5 discusses the warp propulsion system . The warp drive subject inherently comes with a lot of technobabble that cannot simply be verified in real world physics or be used to determine the appropriate number, size and location of warp nacelles. One of the few definite statements in the book is: "A pair of nacelles is employed to create two balanced, interacting fields for vehicle maneuvers. In 2269, experimental work with single nacelles and more than two nacelles yielded quick information that two was the optimum number for power generation and vehicle control" . This indicates that there are few to no starships with other than two nacelles. The existence of the Cheyenne class and Constellation class with four nacelles can easily be explained by the fact they do have the same symmetry as two nacelles (even one more symmetry axis), and Roddenberry's rule #1 that "nacelles must be in pairs" does not exclude that there are two or more pairs.

The Freedom , the Challenger , the Niagara as well as the "All Good Things" Enterprise do not seem to violate this principle, if we assume they use Galaxy-class nacelles with pair-wise warp coils. The Galaxy warp coils, however, are vertically staggered instead of a left-right arrangement. Interpreting the above quote from the TNG Technical Manual , the horizontal nacelle arrangement insinuates that maneuvering mainly takes place in the horizontal plane, which cannot be accomplished with vertical warp nacelles or with a single Galaxy warp nacelle. Moreover, the fields of staggered coils in a single nacelle would only envelop one another, and not the ship. The same applies to the vertical arrangement of the small auxiliary nacelles (one on the top, one in the bottom) of the Prometheus saucer section. In brief, the single or three-nacelled ships or ships with any other odd number of nacelles or nacelles that are not symmetrical in the dorsal elevation do not really comply with Roddenberry's rules and the TNG Technical Manual .

Roddenberry's rule #2 (50% line-of-sight) may be explained with the same reason of port-to-starboard warp field interaction. This rule is violated by the Raven .

Bussard ramscoop operation

Chapter 5.5 features a schematic of the Bussard collector operation, and it becomes apparent that at warp speed hydrogen is predominantly collected from space directly ahead. It is not explicitly mentioned in the TNG Technical Manual , but quite obvious that nothing must block this trajectory, otherwise the efficiency would be drastically reduced. This is the Treknological confirmation of Roddenberry's rule #3. While most ships comply with it, some ramscoops are partially covered, and that of the upgraded Excelsior class is almost completely hidden behind the saucer.

Warp field and hull shape

A "hybrid angular-curvilinear shape" for future starship hulls as mentioned in chapter 17.2 seems to have been designed for the Intrepid class , which resembles the first depicted concept, and to a greater extent for the Norway , Steamrunner and Saber classes. The development from circular to elliptical and finally triangular saucers is apparently meant to reflect changes in the understanding of warp field vs. hull geometry. This should be taken into account when designing a ship supposed to fit into a certain era, although it is not imperative. Chapter 5.3 states that the typical "aft hull undercut allows for varying degrees of field flow attachment, effectively preventing pin-wheeling, owing to the placement of the nacelles off the vehicle Y-axis (dorsal-ventral) center of mass" . Although this sounds nice, there are many starships whose nacelles are located at the very top or very bottom of the ship and have no undercut, so an "amateur" starship designer does not necessarily have to care.

SIF and hull shape

In chapter 2 the TNG Technical Manual demonstrates impressively that the structural integrity field (SIF) actually keeps the ship in one piece during warp and impulse flight. This would enable very bizarre hull shapes in theory. Still, the power consumption of the SIF can be minimized if the ship takes advantage of a compact hull design. The required power for the navigational deflector (chapter 7.4), on the other hand, can be lowered if the collision cross-section for an obstacle is small. In this respect a good starship design may be described as sleek and slim but compact, with the Galaxy class being a nearly perfect example.

Bridge location

Despite the recurring argument that the bridge should not be unnecessarily exposed to hostile energy weapons, the producers put an interchangeable bridge module at the top of the saucer (see also Roddenberry's rule #4) to explain the fact that different bridge sets are used for ships supposed to be of the same class.

Twelve Mistakes to Avoid

1. no or insufficient specifications.

Don't just draw or build a starship without nailing down some very basic specs. At least its origin, age, purpose and size should be known in advance. Avoid the Defiant size paradox .

2. "Faster, bigger, stronger"

Don't mistake starship design for Olympic Games. Don't think that you can build an über-ship that outguns or otherwise outperforms every other design. While it can be assumed that starships are continually improved, sudden performance leaps and engineering miracles are unrealistic and silly. The same applies to monster ships such as the Vengeance . Take into consideration that most starships are slower, smaller and weaker than the most advanced ships of the respective era.

3. Unnecessary design lineage

The apparent use of similar components does not automatically imply that ships share a design lineage. The mere coincidence that the 200 years old Daedalus class and the Olympic class both have a spherical main hull does not mean that the latter must be derived from the first. The same applies to the "Akiraprise" and the Akira, although here the similarity at least of the models in the real world is intentional. Starship "family trees" drawn by fans may outline a rough development, but don't show actual design stages.

4. Drawing only one elevation

Don't draw either a top view or a side view only. Be aware that this can hardly give a complete impression of the ship's appearance. If one view looks technically correct and aesthetically pleasing, this does not necessarily apply to the other views.

5. Rashness

The first solution is almost never the best solution. There has been long evolution of good starship designs such as the Constitution or the Galaxy (see for instance The Art of Star Trek ) up to their eventually built versions that look both aesthetic and technically correct.

6. Unmotivated kitbashing

If you just rearrange available components instead of creating a really new starship, you have to find excuses. For a 24th century starship engineer it is a huge amount of work to change the location of a major component such as a warp nacelle or to combine components of different starships, considering that countless power conduits, data transfer lines, environmental systems, Jefferies tubes and turbolifts have to be relocated and the whole computer system has to be reprogrammed. It's everything but simple. The benefit of the DS9 Technical Manual kitbashes is already hard to explain, but it is virtually impossible to build high-performance ships in this way as some fans insist on. Read more about kitbashing .

7. "Space dragsters"

Ever since Matt Jefferies conceived the original Enterprise, Starfleet ships are intentionally laid out to be sleek and to have only few and well-defined external components. Like with kitbashing too, be cautious when adding additional components to existing ships. As popular as the Enterprise-D from TNG: "All Good Things" may be in fan circles - the additional nacelle, cannons, spoilers and spikes totally ruin the graceful lines of the ship and turn it into an immature "space dragster".

8. Scaling of ship components

If not impossible, scaling is the worst choice of designing a new part based on a smaller or larger prototype (see Bird-of-Prey size paradox ). A smaller or larger part will inherently have completely different mechanical, electromagnetic and subspace properties, so a completely new design and simulation is inevitable. The result might look similar to the original component, but not the same.

9. Resemblance where there should be none

The top view of the "Akiraprise" is almost identical to that of the 200 years younger Akira, and even several details are the same on the two ships. They have actually more in common than many Starfleet ship classes of the same era. It is almost inexplicable why the "Akiraprise" should be 200 years ahead of her time, or the Akira 200 years behind. No matter how much you like a certain existing ship design, imitating its look and transferring it to another time is a bad way to start. A good designer who wants a new ship to be "a tip of the hat" to another design should do this by retaining only the basic configuration while changing the ship's lines (as it was always nicely done with the various Enterprises from -nil to -E).

10. Arbitrary size and location of external components

Windows and lifeboats are arranged deck-wise, and one deck is 3-4m tall. Be aware that this predominantly determines the size of your ship, no matter what you say in your specs.

11. Naming and numbering inconsistencies

There are various lists of canon starships, so it should be possible to give your design a name and a number that fits into the Star Trek chronology without ambiguity. Furthermore, NCC-XXXX-A,B,C,D,E is an exceptional case and should not be applicable to starships other than the Enterprise. Even the TNG production crew themselves fixed the Yamato registry that was NCC-1305-E at first.

12. Early resignation

There are some people who design amazingly realistic looking ships. Not everyone has their artistic talent, but be aware that this only one aspect of a design. So don't give up after the first try, your result will definitely become better the more you work on it.

Starship Scaling - about starships that look the same but are (supposed to be) of different sizes

Starship Kitbashing - about the feasibility of combining components of different ship types

The "Akiraprise" Design - why I think the overall exterior of Enterprise NX-01 is unsuitable

The New Enterprise Design - my two cents on the redesign in "Star Trek (2009)" and its true size

https://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/articles/design.htm

Last modified: 11 Dec 2022

© Ex Astris Scientia 1998-2024, Legal Terms

This website is not endorsed, sponsored or affiliated with CBS Studios Inc. or the Star Trek franchise.

Fleet Yards

Designing the First Enterprise

In 1964, everything that would become Star Trek rested in the handful of typewritten pages that had convinced Desilu Studios to enter into a three-year television deal with Gene Roddenberry. Those pages described the mission of the USS Yorktown , a spaceship with a crew of 200 commanded by Robert T. April. Landing parties would be beamed down to planets by an energy matter scrambler, stay in contact with the Yorktown on their telecommunicators and protect themselves with laser beam weapons.

The terminology was still to be refined, but the cornerstone of a billion-dollar entertainment franchise was solidly in place. When NBC committed to ordering a pilot episode in June 1964, it was time to start building the franchise’s foundation. As Star Trek producer Gene Coon put it, “Gene created a totally new universe.” Television being a visual medium, the question was: what should this new universe look like?

The USS Enterprise was launched in 2245 and made its television debut 279 years earlier on September 8, 1966. More than any other artifact created for the series, the Enterprise represented Star Trek . It was as much a character as Mr Spock. And like its human (or organic) counterparts, it has changed shape but never its name; changed configuration, but never its mission. From its inception to its demise, Matt Jefferies’ starship has been beloved by millions of fans.

As art director, Walter Matthew “Matt” Jefferies was assigned to design the Starship Enterprise . “In my approach to Star Trek , I wanted to be as practical as possible,” he told Star Trek: The Magazine in an interview that was published in 2000. “I could tell Gene was serious enough, but I really didn’t know where to start. I knew the Enterprise was going to be on the cutting edge of the future, but essentially he gave me the job of finding a shape and I didn’t know what the shape looked like.”

Although Roddenberry knew a lot about his ship, he had never visualized it. His only guidelines were a list of what he did not want to see — no rockets, no jets, no firestreams. The starship was not to look like a vintage science-fiction rocketship, but neither could it resemble anything that would too quickly date the design.

Gene described the 100-150 man crew, outer space, fantastic, unheard of speed and that we didn’t have to worry about gravity. He had emphasized that there were to be no fins, no wings, no smoke trails, no flames, no rocket.

Somewhere between the cartoons of the past and the reality of the present, Matt Jefferies had to get at a design of the future.

In the 1960s, the benchmark for dramatic science fiction was Lost in Space and the popular image of futuristic space travel was the flying saucer. Jefferies’ early sketches reflect this. But Roddenberry wanted something that could host a larger crew, a ship that could travel at incredible speeds, so he told Jefferies to go back to the drawing board.

His next proposal was the now familiar “ringship”, which appeared on display in Star Trek: The Motion Picture . (See The Ringship Enterprise Mystery Solved .) Roddenberry rejected this too.

Extremely powerful

The theory that space could be warped was first proposed by Albert Einstein in 1905 and first demonstrated, according to Star Trek , by Zefram Cochrane in 2063, proving that objects could travel faster than the speed of light.

Warp drive is a delicately balanced, intricate web of chemistry, physics, mathematics and mystery. “I was concerned about the design of ship that Gene told me would have warp drive,” Jefferies remembered.

I thought, ‘What the hell is warp drive?’ But I gathered that this ship had to have powerful engines — extremely powerful. To me, that meant that they had to be designed away from the body. Boy, I tried a lot of ideas. I wanted to stay away from the flying saucer shape. The ball or sphere, as you’ll see in some of the sketches, was my idea, but I ended up with the saucer after all. Gene would come in to look over what I was doing and say, ‘I don’t like this,’ or, ‘This looks good.’ If Gene liked it, he’d ask the boss [Herbert Solow] and if the boss liked it, then I’d work on that idea for a while. For the hull, I didn’t really want a saucer because of the term flying saucer and the best pressure vessel of course is a ball, so I started playing with that. But the bulk got in the way and the ball just didn’t work. I flattened it out and I guess we wound up with a saucer! I did it in color on a black matt board, and by the time I finished I thought we really had something.

It worked. “It looked better than the other sketches and Gene said, ‘That one looks good!’ They — and Bobby Justman too when he came aboard later — were a dream to work with.”

Smooth surface

Although they now had a shape, it was not the end of Jefferies’ efforts. He theorized that since space was such a dangerous place, starship engineers would not put any important machinery on the outside of the vessel. This meant that, logically, the hull should be smooth.

Not everyone agreed and Jefferies had to fight his corner. “I constantly had to fight anyone who wanted to put surface details on the thing,” he says.

Another advantage of the smooth design was that it would reflect light, and at this point it was not a foregone conclusion that the ship would be white.

I thought the atmosphere or lack of it out there in space might produce different colors, and this gave us a chance to be able to play light and to throw color on it.

Registry number

Jefferies was also responsible for the Enterprise ‘s famous registry number.

I wanted a very simple number that could be spotted quickly. You’d have to eliminate 3, 6, 8 and 9, so I just went for 1701, which incidentally and coincidentally, happens to be very close to the license number on my airplane — NC-17740. But I have never really stepped out and squashed the rumor that the number on the Enterprise came off my airplane.

After the number had been decided, Jefferies would explain that the Enterprise was Starfleet’s seventeenth starship design and that it was the first in its series, hence the number “1701.”

19 comments

No doubt the greatest-ever space ship design. I remember watching Star Trek in the 1970’s, and like most kids back then making the AMT model kit of the Enterprise . Who would have thought that in the year 2012 and at the age off 44 that I’d still be building this kit!

Waaait. So according to this, the Next Gen Enterprise should be NCC-1705!

No. The original 1701 registry number was kept to honor the original, the letter designation is similar to British monarchs choosing their ruling name, like King George III (the third).

Ya, I read most of this in an old book called The Making of Star Trek , it came out sometime just after the end of The Original Series .

I know it’s about 8 years later in posting this, but The Making of Star Trek came out after the second season. That’s why at the end it only lists episodes from Seasons 1 and 2. And near the end, it actually acknowledges that a third season was, at the time, still in doubt.

Correct Chis. When it comes to the Enterprise and all here variants, “normal” Starfleet numbering doesn’t matter.

Gene Roddenberry had just a couple of basic rules about how warp drive worked that Franz Joseph did not care about. One was two nacelles only, that create a warp field between them. No third nacelle! Only in pairs! Nothing placed between the pairs. Simple rules that wipes out almost all of Joseph’s designs. Matt Jefferies created a beautiful timeless design under Gene Roddenberry’s supervision, that I personally have been obsessing over for forty years.

No, Roddenberry invented those rules after collaborating with Franz Joseph on the Technical Manual . They had a falling out, and Roddenberry wanted to discredit FJ’s designs after the fact.

All science-fiction films, up until this point, were either flying saucers or some sort of V-2 rocket ship. The simplicity of combining the two was magic, and totally new. The design of the first Klingon cruiser was simply creating a ship with the exact opposite constructs as the Enterprise herself. Amazingly simple!

I understand Jeffries’ seventeenth design, first ship concept in ‘1701’ but it doesn’t make sense when applied to the Constellation , NCC-1017. How can ‘sister’ ships in the same class be seven designs apart?

My personal theory is that the Constellation was a complete refit from an earlier class that was very similar in design. Much like the Enterprise going through her refit and the ships built after, from the keel up, are considered by some to be of the new Enterprise class. Because she it was a refit, the Constellation kept its original registry number. In the case of the Constitution class, NCC-1700 was the first one built from the keel up.

Wasn’t the Constellation just an AMT model kit? And with only “NCC-1701” printed as decals, they simply switched around the digits to make them different.

I never could work out why they didn’t go with NCC-1710 for Constellation to stay in some kind of sequence with NCC-1701. Guess they never figured on the series living on in the minds of fans long enough for details like registry numbers to start to be questioned!

I worked on the infamous Unobtanium Enterprise replica, and got to sit in and talk with Matt Jefferies on quite a few occasions. One of the first, he came by the shop and pulled out a sheaf of papers, and the black-and-white designs that you have above were all within it. They were all auctioned off individually not long after (in the same auction where the original production layout model was sold, which we got to see in person before it went to the auction house). It was great getting to talk to him about everything from his original concepts to the “flipping” of the design (right side up to upside down). We were lucky though, we had an original D7, a Tholian ship, and others to actually hold and work from. He was super cool, and I am glad I got to work with him.

As far as the registry number is concerned, that’s all explained and made clear in The Starship Designer , in the part “About My Starships”

I think is is so cool. We are talking about a TV show from the 1960s!

Matthew Jefferies is my great uncle. As a mechanical/civil engineer, I truly appreciate the aerospace engineering thought and design that went into this craft.

Thanks for your comment, Eric, and thank you for reading the site!

Ship of dreams. Escape vessel from worldly cares. It made my life more bearable

Does anyone know when the Enterprise was first referred to as “a starship” by the people making the show?

Submit comments by email .

Advertisement

Supported by

Original ‘Star Trek’ Enterprise Model Is Found After Being Missing for Decades

The 33-inch model surfaced on eBay after disappearing around 1979. An auction house is giving it to the son of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of “Star Trek.”

• Share full article

By Emily Schmall

The first model of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the starship that appeared in the opening credits of the original “Star Trek” television series , has been returned to Eugene Roddenberry Jr., the son of the creator of the series, decades after it went missing.

“After a long journey, she’s home,” Mr. Roddenberry wrote on social media on Thursday.

For die-hard Trekkies, the model’s disappearance had become the subject of folklore, so an eBay listing last fall, with a starting bid of $1,000, didn’t go unnoticed.

“Red alert,” someone in an online costume and prop-making forum wrote, linking to the listing.

Mr. Roddenberry’s father, Gene Roddenberry, created the television series, which first aired in 1966 and ran for three seasons. It spawned numerous spinoffs, several films and a franchise that has included conventions and legions of devoted fans with an avid interest in memorabilia.

The seller of the model was bombarded with inquiries and quickly took the listing down.

The seller contacted Heritage Auctions to authenticate it, the auction house’s executive vice president, Joe Maddalena, said on Saturday. As soon as the seller, who said he had found it in a storage unit, brought it to the auction house’s office in Beverly Hills, Calif., Mr. Maddalena said he knew it was real.

“That’s when I reached out to Rod to say, ‘We’ve got this. This is it,’” he said, adding that the model was being transferred to Mr. Roddenberry.

Mr. Roddenberry, who is known as Rod, said on Saturday that he would restore the model and seek to have it displayed in a museum or other institution. He said reclaiming the item had only piqued his interest in the circumstances about its disappearance.

“Whoever borrowed it or misplaced it or lost it, something happened somewhere,” he said. “Where’s it been?”

It was unclear how the model ended up in the storage unit and who had it before its discovery.

The original U.S.S. Enterprise, a 33-inch model, was mostly made of solid wood by Richard C. Datin, a model maker for the Howard Anderson Company, a special-effects company that created the opening credits for some of the 20th century’s biggest TV shows .

An enlarged 11-foot model was used in subsequent “Star Trek” television episodes, and is now part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum , where it was donated by Paramount Studios in 1974.

Mr. Roddenberry, who said he gave the seller a “reward” for its recovery but did not disclose the terms, assembled a group of “Star Trek” production veterans, model makers and restoration specialists in Beverly Hills to authenticate the find.

The group included a “Star Trek” art supervisor, Michael Okuda, and his wife, Denise, an artist on “Star Trek” television series and films, and Gary Kerr, a “Trek x-pert” who served as technical consultant for the Smithsonian during a 2016 restoration of the 11-foot model.

“We spent at least an hour photographing it, inspecting the paint, inspecting the dirt, looking under the base, the patina on the stem, the grain in the wood,” Mr. Roddenberry said.

“It was a unanimous ‘This is 100 percent the one,’” he said.

Gene Roddenberry, who died in 1991 , kept the original model, which appeared in the show’s opening credits and pilot episode, on his desk.

Mr. Kerr compared the model to 1960s photos he had of the model on Mr. Roddenberry’s desk.

“The wood grain matched exactly, so that was it,” he said on Saturday.

The model went missing after Mr. Roddenberry lent it to the makers of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” which was released in 1979, Mr. Maddalena said.

“This is a major discovery,” he said, likening the model to the ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz,” a prop that was stolen in 2005 and recovered by the F.B.I. in 2018, and that Heritage Auctions is selling.

While the slippers represent hope, he said, the starship Enterprise model “represents dreams.”

“It’s a portal to what could be,” he said.

Emily Schmall covers breaking news and feature stories and is based in Chicago. More about Emily Schmall

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

The Netflix stalker series “ Baby Reindeer ” combines the appeal of a twisty thriller with a deep sense of empathy. The ending illustrates why it’s become such a hit .

We have entered the golden age of Mid TV, where we have a profusion of well-cast, sleekly produced competence, our critic writes .

The writer-director Alex Garland has made it clear that “Civil War” should be a warning. Instead, the ugliness of war comes across as comforting thrills .

Studios obsessively focused on PG-13 franchises and animation in recent years, but movies like “Challengers” and “Saltburn” show that Hollywood is embracing sex again .

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings   on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime  and Hulu  to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter  to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.

Original 'Star Trek' Enterprise Model Resurfaces Decades After It Went Missing

N early 50 years after it went missing, the original model of the  USS Starship Enterprise from the hit show “ Star Trek ” is finally voyaging home. The 33-inch model—the same one that appears in the opening credits of the original series—is now back with Eugene Roddenberry Jr., the son of the show’s creator.

“After five decades, I’m thrilled that someone happened upon this historic model of the USS Enterprise ,” says Roddenberry, who goes by “Rod,” in a Heritage Auctions statement . “I remember how it used to adorn my dad’s desk.”

The tiny model has been missing since Roddenberry’s father, Gene Roddenberry (who died in 1991), lent it to the makers of 1979’s  Star Trek: The Motion Picture , the first Star Trek feature film. Unfortunately, he never got it back. What happened to it at that point is unknown.

Last fall, the spaceship popped up on  eBay —with a starting bid of $1,000. The listing was titled “Rare Custom Star Trek USS Enterprise Spaceship by Richard Datin .” Datin, a model maker from the Howard Anderson special-effects company, built the original model out of solid wood. The  New York Times ’ Emily Schmall reports that the seller came across the item after discovering it in a storage unit. After receiving many inquiries about the item, the seller contacted Heritage Auctions.

“Once our team of experts concluded it was the real thing, we contacted Rod because we wanted to get the model back to where it belonged,” says Joe Maddalena, executive vice president at Heritage Auctions, in the statement. “We’re thrilled the Enterprise is finally in dry dock.”

The ship’s whereabouts after its disappearance remain a mystery; unfortunately, the missing years aren’t described in a captain’s log. The younger Roddenberry says there had even been rumors that he’d thrown it into a pool as a boy, per Jamie Stengle of the Associated Press (AP).

While the model would “easily” sell for over $1 million at auction, it’s a “priceless” piece of television history, Maddalena tells the AP.

Since Star Trek ’s debut in 1966, the Enterprise has become an instantly recognizable image—and a pioneering design that inspired many other fictional spacecraft.

“We didn’t want the Enterprise to look like something currently planned for our space program,” said Walter Jefferies, the Star Trek art director who designed the fictional craft, in the 1968 book The Making of Star Trek , per the auction house. “We knew that by the time the show got on the air, this type of thing would be old hat. We had to go further than even the most advanced space scientists were thinking.”

The younger Roddenberry rounded up a group of Star Trek production veterans to help authenticate and restore the model. One of them was Gary Kerr, a “Trek x-pert” who worked on the 2016 restoration of an 11-foot model of the Enterprise for the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum . Kerr still had old photos of the model sitting on the elder Roddenberry’s desk.

“We spent at least an hour photographing it, inspecting the paint, inspecting the dirt, looking under the base, the patina on the stem, the grain in the wood,” Roddenberry tells the Times . “It was a unanimous ‘This is 100 percent the one.’”

While other models of the Enterprise exist, the newly discovered ship is the original. Looking ahead, Roddenberry wants to ensure that this one-of-a-kind artifact is accessible to the public.

“This is not going home to adorn my shelves,” he tells the AP. “This is going to get restored and we’re working on ways to get it out so the public can see it, and my hope is that it will land in a museum somewhere.”