Minimalism of Star Trek...

POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 21:58
VIEWED: 4857
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ANTHONYT

Thursday, June 17, 2010 8:05 PM

"unlike Starwars where we see 3 mile long ship bellies in the opening scene and you're trying to figure out what possible use all those "things" sticking out could be for."

Hello,

It's ironic, because I like Star Wars ships for that same reason. (The old Star Wars ships, mostly.) All those 'things' sticking out seem to have some kind of purpose. Hoses and protrusions and cooling fins and...well... Texture. Made it feel like a real machine, with all the ugly bits and bobs real machines tend to have. The three-mile-long ships made sense to me because those ships were supposed to be carrying a hundred-thousand troops along with tanks and humvees (walkers, etc) and essentially all the stuff you'd need to fight a war on a planet. Everything we've got sitting in Iraq is supposed to fit inside one of those monsters.

Meanwhile I look at the poor Galaxy class, which seems to be big for nothing based on their evac capacity. The saucer sep irks me because it's ostensibly so that people can escape a battle... But it just sticks them all in a big sitting duck- no warp capability. Plus it removes the most powerful phaser array of the ship from the 'battle' section. It's no wonder they stopped using saucer sep for anything but crash-landings.

Starting with the Oberth class, Trek ships started to make serious design errors.

--Anthony

Due to the use of Naomi 3.3.2 Beta web filtering, the following people may need to private-message me if they wish to contact me: Auraptor, Kaneman, Piratenews, Wulfenstar. I apologize for the inconvenience.

TRAVELER

Saturday, June 19, 2010 3:18 AM

I like the original Enterprise design. It is the wonderful pearl white paint on the film versions, that followed, that I like. Put the The Original Enterprise with that paint and you have the most cherry looking starship of all time. But as for paint jobs, we are talking apples and oranges. If the original Star Trek had the advanced special effects of the film versions then we may have seen something different in the color scheme. Given the technologies of the late 60's it is a damn fine ship.

We have Walter "Matt" Jefferies to thank for this original design.

http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=28764731
Traveler

REENACT12321

Saturday, June 19, 2010 3:57 AM

I'm mostly a dabbler into the Trek universe. A dozen episodes of the newer series each, 2 dozen of TNG, most of the original episodes, and all the films. Okay, well by most people on the outside looking in, a fan, by real fans, a dabbler. Lets just say I never spent time tracking down details about the origin of tribbles. I saved that for some other series'

But I have to give a big "I second" to the cluttered, glassy, white hot, "everything gives a lense flare, or a blue spectrum" aesthetics of the JJ Abrahms film. The bridge being at the heart of that style and by far the most boggling. The visual style of the opening scenes with sparks flying, people falling, cameras shaking and being really in on the action gave a great sense of chaos which is really appropriate for that scene. But to me it felt like someone forgot to turn that switch off. That cramped, things are a bit of a blur feel never left and I frankly found it exhausting. I hold the same complaint of every Michael Bay film, as well as a slew of other action films that, "action is crazy! so it should be consuming and hard to tell what's going on" It makes sense for moments, but when used for extended periods it just is.... exhausting. I cite Chris Nolan's Dark Knight as a great example of pulling back the camera, and use of angles that both express speed/movement/hectic action without feeling like you're a camera that has been thrown into a clothes dryer with your favorite hero and villain.

but anyway,
I appreciate the minimalist design, however being a military historian in my spare time, and a computer programmer in my professional time, I totally see the argument for functionalism, buttons can be reassigned (think how many different things you use your keyboard for from one application to another) but they still have labels, and clear purpose. Even highly trained navy officers have a few "idiot proof" elements at the helm.

"...we need a hood ornament..."

GEEZER

Saturday, June 19, 2010 3:58 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Oldguy:
uh.. Chris... I think it was called "budget" (grin).

Yep. Read David Gerrold's book "Trouble With Tribbles" about the making of that episode. Had to be careful with the fight scene in the bar, because the tables and chairs came from the studio comissary. Also discusses how expensive just plain corridor was to make.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

ANTHONYT

Saturday, June 19, 2010 2:50 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Geezer:
Quote:
Originally posted by Oldguy:
uh.. Chris... I think it was called "budget" (grin).

Yep. Read David Gerrold's book "Trouble With Tribbles" about the making of that episode. Had to be careful with the fight scene in the bar, because the tables and chairs came from the studio comissary. Also discusses how expensive just plain corridor was to make.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

Hello,

Even as a youth, the unpainted wood in the corridors bugged me. It's near the ceiling, when they pass from section to section. I used to think, "Really? You couldn't paint that little piece of wood?"

--Anthony

Due to the use of Naomi 3.3.2 Beta web filtering, the following people may need to private-message me if they wish to contact me: Auraptor, Kaneman, Piratenews, Wulfenstar. I apologize for the inconvenience.

CHRISISALL

Monday, June 21, 2010 5:47 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by AnthonyT:

Even as a youth, the unpainted wood in the corridors bugged me. It's near the ceiling, when they pass from section to section. I used to think, "Really? You couldn't paint that little piece of wood?"

Tony, that's wood coloured metal, to give the corridors an organic touch in space!

The laughing Chrisisall

OPPYH

Monday, June 21, 2010 7:44 PM

'Spectre of the Gun'

Prime example how minimal sets and budget can create some really thick, creepy atmosphere.

Man, that's a great episode.

-------------------------------------------------

70's TV FOREVER

CHRISISALL

Monday, June 21, 2010 9:25 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by OPPYH:

Prime example how minimal sets and budget can create some really thick, creepy atmosphere.

That clock in mid air...

The laughing Chrisisall

CHRISISALL

Tuesday, June 22, 2010 3:27 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by reenact12321:

But I have to give a big "I second" to the cluttered, glassy, white hot, "everything gives a lense flare, or a blue spectrum" aesthetics of the JJ Abrahms film. The bridge being at the heart of that style and by far the most boggling. The visual style of the opening scenes with sparks flying, people falling, cameras shaking and being really in on the action gave a great sense of chaos which is really appropriate for that scene. But to me it felt like someone forgot to turn that switch off.

My biggest peeve with that flick was the window on the bridge.
A person in a ship traveling at warp & subwarp speeds can't *see* other ships through a WINDOW due to the relative distances between them inherent in space travel at such velocities. The only thing you could make out is a planet you're orbiting, or a ship you're about to ram in the last mili-second.
Not very useful or even logical IMO *CRACK*!!

The laughing Chrisisall

TRAVELER

Tuesday, June 22, 2010 4:02 AM

The bridge on the JJ Abrams Enterprise gave me a headache. Imagine your keyboard glowing in your face. Even the Next Generation looked more like a cocktail lounge then the bridge of a spaceship. But we are talking several hundred years, so who can say what would be practicle. I prefer the original. I thought Firefly had a great bridge. Simple and effective. Being a more advanced design and a military vessel I can see the Enterprise having a more complicated bridge. I don't see Solo playing with plastic dinasaurs on his consule.

http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=28764731
Traveler

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