Most original design- Enterprise or Serenity or Falcon?

POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Thursday, May 6, 2010 20:21
VIEWED: 11519
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LEMMING

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 12:02 PM

The Enterprise. (If I must pick one)

"No bloody A, B, C or D" to quote Montgomery Scott.

(So glad that you posted the wonderful original version or what appears to be a good version of it)

I love Serenity completely, I too have the Blueprints on the wall, but it in fact owes much to The Enterprise which was without doubt (apart from the classic "Hugo" style rocketship - which was essentially a V2) the first truly iconic and different spaceship design. (You could see that this thing *belonged* in space, never meant to land or fly aerodynamically despite the smooth lines)

Serenity has the double nacelles, the neck, the bridge section and main body in a broadly similar configuration the Enterprise. Heck the cargo bay door is even where the deflector dish would have been.

Serenity owes more that a bit to the Falcon as well with the whole "a bit beaten up but maintained with care and love" vibe going on. (The Falcon of course notable as the first asymetric iconic design afaik, but it's still a straight saucer variant and so not the most original IMO)

This is not that surprising as functionality often drives design - so most planes look similar because of how they have to operate. It's also why there are the aircraft parallels with Serenity especially because of how it operates as well. You can even apply this principle to the Enterpise as a cross between classic Flying Saucer and aircraft with obvious engines outboard.

What makes all these designs attractive, apart from any emotional attachment we have (growing up with Trek , then Star Wars, then Firefly), is the combination of features that just *works*. There's a sense of inherent "rightness" about all 3, in the same sense that an Aston Martin DB5 looks a million time better than some of the deeply generic 80's or 90's cars you see around.

I guess that's why The Enterprise is "the one" for me. Similar vintage to myself (and DB5s in fact) and it was the first spaceship I fell in love with - one that sowed the appreciation and sometimes similar feelings of affection for those that followed.

I get the warm fuzzies when I look at Serenity, or even the Falcon, same as I do for the old NCC-1701, but wouldn't have developed one without the other.

Nick

The Signal < www.serenityfirefly.com>

BYTEMITE

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 2:04 PM

Quote:
The Falcon - for me. If I could have a ship it would be that one. It's so damn cool. I've always loved the off kilter aspect of it, and I adore that the cockpit is not central to the rest of the ship. It has a hyperdrive and room for smuggling and the engines aren't as exposed as that of the Enterprise (A major weakness in design for me)

SERENITY is cool with the glowing engine, but I never liked the cockpit and the limited viewing it provides.

...The Falcon doesn't have limited viewing as well? I'd say it has a comparable transparisteel to windshield factor, including an inability to see below or to the sides, but what's more, the position of the cockpit of the Falcon, if a loveable quirk, is also impractical. Vision would be partially obstructed by the forward projection.

Anyway. You can't call any of them UNORIGINAL, not unless they ripped off another design. "Most original" is an unquantifiable designation.

HKCAVALIER

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 2:56 PM

Most original? Gotta be Enterprise, 'cause--come on!--thing makes NO SENSE! Who would ever design a ship like that? Who? I love the idea that it was designed to be drawn by small children. Those other ships? Too much adherence to principles of engineering and utility.

HKCavalier

Hey, hey, hey, don't be mean. We don't have to be mean, because, remember, no matter where you go, there you are.

CHRISISALL

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 3:33 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by HKCavalier:
Most original? Gotta be Enterprise, 'cause--come on!--thing makes NO SENSE! Who would ever design a ship like that?

You flunked Warp Displacement & Magnetic Stress Engineering class, didn't you?

Yep.

The laughing Chrisisall

BROWNCOAT1

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 4:05 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by micjwelch:
The Enterprise is definitely based on the flying saucer idea. That's why the front part is called the "saucer section."

And the Millennium Falcon is a saucer as well.

Serenity is based on an insect, obviously.

They're all spectacular designs, but it's hard to call any of them "original."

I agree that both the Enterprise and Falcon are both basically derived from flying saucers and in my thinking that does not make them very original.

In all honesty I have to say that Serenity is the most original of the three choices. Her curved neck and cockpit, which resemble those of a horse, are far removed from the normal linear design we see in space craft. Even looking at other ships we see in the 'verse the Firefly class stands apart.

My vote is for Serenity.

__________________________________________
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CHRISISALL

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 4:15 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BrownCoat1:

I agree that both the Enterprise and Falcon are both basically derived from flying saucers and in my thinking that does not make them very original.

I disagree; the "saucer" section of Enterprise looks like no saucer I've ever seen (think Forbidden Planet or Invasion Of The Saucer Men or Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers), and the Falcon is so NOT a "saucer" that I can't accept the term being used to describe it.

I *could* say that Serenity is just a copy of Voyager, with the general shape and the feet & all, but I won't. All ships will have antecedents
but I see Enterprise as being the FIRST modern era break-away design, and that's why it gets my vote, even if it is a difficult & somewhat personal choice.

The laughing Chrisisall

STORYMARK

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 5:50 PM

For originality, I'm going to go with the Falcon, because it's asymmetrical - which in spaceship design is incredibly rare, and thus more original.

"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."

CHRISISALL

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 5:54 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Storymark:
For originality, I'm going to go with the Falcon, because it's asymmetrical - which in spaceship design is incredibly rare, and thus more original.

I can hover with that reasoning.

The laughing Chrisisall

WINDIE

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 7:04 PM

The Falcon for me, been in awe of the ship since the seventies.

Very close tho, is Serenity due to the I want to be there feeling.

A confused younger me votes the Falcon.

An old and not wiser me votes for Serenity.

The engineer in me, likes things that need to be tinkered with, the enterprise is to sterile and clean.

Why have they taken the sky from ME

IMNOTHERE

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 9:04 PM

If those are the only choices, I'd have to go with the good old NCC 1701.

Main reason: back in 1966, it was almost totally original, at least on screen: almost everything else was a saucer or a rocket (except a certain blue police box of course, but lets give the US a sporting chance ).

Plus, although it acknowledges that a starship that never lands doesn't need to be aerodynamic, it still looks fast. NB: in the accounts I've seen of its design, it looks like the saucer section started out as a sphere - plus it was always meant to be detachable in an emergency (although that didn't make it to the screen until TNG).

But what's this about no other contenders, Chris?

What about:

Or this:

Or any of these:

(Can't find a decent Starfury...)

PS: Serenity always reminds me of this, for some reason:

EDIT and how could I forget this:

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