I’ve gotten so many requests from modelers out there for orthographic views and details of the NX-01 refit, that I’ve put together this pictorial. I hope this will instigate a rash of NX-01.5 modeling! Have fun!
Archive for the 'Ent Tech' Category
26
Mar
11
NX Refit – Plans
26
Jun
09
Eyecandy 19
“D Juxtaposed E”
I found when putting the cover art together for the Ships of the Line book, that I passed by numerous cool compositions on the way to the full complement of ships that you see in the final. It seemed a shame that none of these duets would ever be heard. Just look at the beauty of these two starships in concert!
Click for a better look.
14
Jun
09
Enterprise Drydock
The three fingered drydock as seen later in the series, and was responsible for producing the starship Columbia.
Following the Enterprise class pictorial, this look at the Earth orbital drydock facilities in which the E-class vessels were constructed. Over the course of the series, two types of drydocks were utilized: A five fingered version as seen in the pilot episode, and a three fingered version used for the construction of the Columbia. Personally I prefer the three fingered version. The fiver seemed as big and complex (perhaps even more so) than the drydock from TMP. The fiver sports a gigantic antennae farm on one side which I never understood.The more modest three finger arrangement is more in keeping with the shows time frame, and smaller less sophisticated starship. John designed the dock based on Andy Probert’s mother of all drydocks seen in Star Trek: the Motion Picture.
13
Jun
09
NX-01 Enterprise Class
Enterprise – Rendered by Rob Bonchune
Since we featured the Akira yesterday, I thought it would be fitting to cover the Enterprise class today. The dedication plaque refers to the class as NX (This was a request from on high), but according to naval tradition, the first ship of a new contract is what the class is named, so Enterprise class. My main mission was to inject as much of the original Enterprise into this ship as I possibly could, and I made sure that the basic dynamic between the saucer and the nacelles was the same. To a person with a sharp eye, the NX-01 is loaded with TOS Easter eggs, and one of these days I will write up a key and post it.
By the way, I have posted these images at a higher resolution than I usually do, so that you can see the enormous attention to detail that Pierre and I injected into this ship.
My diagrams of the NX, compiled for Herman’s first ship’s internal arrangement meeting with our producers.
16
May
09
NX Cutaway Diagram
The NX-02 model, as built by Koji for a drydock scene in Enterprise.
We only saw the second NX class ship in four episodes (The Expanse, Affliction , Home, and Divergence). When we first clapped eyes on it, it was under construction. This intricate model was built by my dear friend Fred “Koji” Kuramura. It’s hard to believe that this kind of thought and detail goes in to a shot that lasts a matter of seconds on screen, and is produced on a television schedule. I’ll see if I can get Koji to drop in and answer some questions, he’s a busy guy at JPL in Pasadena, doing CG simulations for NASA (along with our other mad brother, Mike Stetson).
Koji also built the uncanny CG model of the ISS in the Enterprise title sequence. It’s positively amazing. Koji has promised to put together a presentation on that for the blog. Keep your eyes peeled! Continue reading ‘Starship Columbia NX-02 Construction Pictorial’
The NX bridge module was designed to visually conform to Herman’s sets, and evoke a 1701 feel in it’s general design and the way it juxtaposed with the nacelles. (Gigantic kudos to Light Wave modeler Pierre Drolet, good buddy and the best in the business. We are still working together and having a lot of fun). Check the big “gas cap” in the mid ground. Those are big deuterium ports.
21
Apr
09
NX Tech Briefs – 02
The NX design lineage leading to the constitution class warp nacelle is plain in these examples. Just look at the large intercooler assembly and spillway. Externally, the major cosmetic difference between the NX and the Constitution nacelle, is that the NX has more external access hatches, and a heavier construction. Continue reading ‘NX Tech Briefs – 02′
20
Apr
09
NX Tech Briefs – 01
We never got the chance to put together an NX tech manual. It would have been a quantum leap beyond anything we had done previously. Through a new series of articles, NX Tech Briefs, we can get a taste of what might have been. I’m hoping to entice Mike Okuda to help fill in some of the gnarlier high technology we discussed during the early days of planning the ship.
A great view of the engineering staging bays. Mike and I always felt that the NX was a ship that took constant work to keep running. Tearing the warp engines down would have been a regular occurrence, and this area of the ship would have been buzzing with activity after nearly every sustained period of high warp travel. During WWII, my uncle was the engineering chief on a submarine. The old diesel subs had two engines. One was always being torn down, renewed and put back together. My vote would have been for two warp cores. One always in a state of rebuild.
The doors on the fan tail are dedicated engineering facilities, and are not cargo bays. The TOS style A-frame assembly conceals the engineering tunnel. When in drydock, the entire A-frame assembly can be removed, and the warp core, or even the entire engine room, could be slid out like a drawer and replaced. The idea being that while the NX is out there exploring the unknown, a new engineering department is being built and tested in an Earth orbital facility.
19
Apr
09
NX Torp Bay
Dashing production designer Herman Zimmerman, surveys his team’s handiwork on stage 18 at Paramount. Has there ever been a more charming and charismatic designer?
In the DS9 Tech Manual, here is how producer Ira Behr described Herman… “Anyone who watches DS9 knows what a fantastic job Herman does for the show. He builds these huge, beautiful sets every week, then tears them down and builds other huge, beautiful sets to take their place. But what really impresses the hell out of me is that, in addition to being a great production designer, Herman looks like a great production designer. You know what I’m saying? This guy could wear an ascot around his neck and still look cool. The man has style. That’s Herman Zimmerman.
16
Apr
09
Shuttle Pod Cockpit
John Eaves in a contemplative moment.
The NX shuttlepod cockpit is a marvel of Okudian tech. I’m not going to on and on about the clean lines, no nonsense configuration, love of NASA, love of science, love of Trek, love of order… no siree, you aren’t gonna catch me monologing about the clever, resourceful and original thinking going on here!
11
Apr
09
Serious *hit – The NX Bridge
That’s right, mister! I hate it when a command center is treated like “science fiction”. You know what I mean? I remember that on the original series the network gave Roddenberry some static about taking too much time designing the ship’s bridge. Their attitude was, it’s science fiction! Get some flashy lights and some chairs, and let’s get going! Gene Roddenberry would have loved the NX-01 bridge. It lives, breathes, and eats functional. Why do you think the defense department has contracted Herman over the years to design real world command centers?
10
Apr
09
NX Engineering Department
As I’m reviewing my files I have come to a realization. I always knew that the Enterprise sets were exceptional, but now with some perspective I say that they are Star Trek masterpieces. They represent years of experience, with input from some of the finest Trek minds it has been my privilege to know. Herman Zimmerman, John Eaves, Mike Okuda, and the set designers blew the doors off. The NX Engineering set is not only convincing and functional looking, you can see the respect for what came before it in every angle. We loved the dedicated horizontal warp core, and felt that if you could rip up the deck in Scotty’s engineering, you would find a gargantuan version of this running off underneath the cathedral, and then straight up to the warp engines.
07
Apr
09
Minefield!
Minefield called for Enterprise to wander into a Romulan minefield and sustain substantial damage. The first thing Herman and FX supervisior Dan Curry asked me to do was to explore what that damage might look like.
03
Apr
09
NX Approval Model
There is another…
There were two NX Enterprises; the one you saw on television, and then there was the approval model. It appeared very early on in print before the high resolution model was ready, and was never seen again.
The Paramount publicity machine had shifted into gear for the premiere of Star Trek Enterprise, long before the deluxe version of the of the first warp-driven Enterprise was ready to roll. Most folks never realized that the art department’s “foam core” proof of concept model acted as understudy for the super-high detail version still in drydock in Valencia, California. This CG concept model had been through battles to rival any that the fictional ship had been through during it’s four year television voyage. It had been volleyed back and forth between art department and producers. It had been pulled, stretched, cut, and pounded before it had been given a go for throttle-up, and shipped off to the CG facility where it would be built with extreme attention to detail.
The first appearance of the NX was this centerfold pullout render of the approval model for TV Guide magazine. 
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31
Mar
09
NX Hangar Bay
Undoubtedly one of the coolest sets ever built for any Star Trek series, the NX hangar bay.
Being on this set is an experience unto itself. I’ve spoken before about sets that are immersive. This is one of them. When you are here, you are on the ship. Cool is walking from the top level, down the gangway, and into the shuttle pod. Continue reading ‘NX Hangar Bay’
19
Mar
09
NX Structure
We had an episode of Enterprise where the NX takes a bad hit. Foundation Imaging asked for some guidance as to what one might typically below the skin. I provided them with this example.
Early approval render illustrating how NX Shttle Pod Launch\Retrieval Ops would work. Incidentally, this is the art department model of the NX, well prior to sending it off to Foundation Imaging for the hero build.
14
Mar
09
NX Planetary Sensor Dome
We played around with the idea of a CG set extension for the NX launch bay, turning it into the planetary sensor array. It’s palettes would sweep around like the inside gear of an AWAC dome. You don’t want to be in there when it is engaged, as it would cook you in a matter of minutes.
05
Mar
09
NX Era Dock Motorpool
04
Mar
09
NX-01 Unseen Gear – The APM
While developing the NX Enterprise, I came up with utilities and gear to go with the vessel. One such piece of gear was what Rick Sternbach called the “APM” or augmented personnel module. Rick was inspired by Werner Von Braun’s “bottle suit” from the Disney Man in Space series. I knew early on that the NX would carry a bottle suit, and went ahead and designed one.
04
Feb
09
NX Jack-In-The-Box Systems
The NX – Another controversial ship.
I had a field day detailing out the NX, and every nook and cranny is accounted for. I added details that I hoped would allow for cool ideas later on, if and when the opportunities presented themselves. But I had to be cautious about obvious details to the ship that were not approved, because they could get me into trouble. Yes, The chain of command was heavy on Enterprise. Herman Zimmerman, our stalwart production designer was once balled out because I labeled a nacelle as a nacelle on a framed blueprint in the drydock observation room. He was told that it wasn’t a nacelle until the front office said it was. So I tucked gear behind doors and hatches, and then wrote up notes “suggesting” the vessels potential. This jack-in-the-box approach was the result of ol’ Doug covering his posterior. Necessity is the mother of invention.
31
Jan
09
Ghost in the Machine
“… I’ve got you, under my skin…”
In Enterprise episode “Vox Sola”, a lost alien life form hitches a ride IN the ship. That means I got to build a number of spooky “tween”deck spaces and Jefferies tubes for the wraith-like critter to traverse. How great to get to do classic horror lighting! Joy! Continue reading ‘Ghost in the Machine’
20
Jan
09
Inspection Pod
The pilot episode of Enterprise featured an inspection pod, in which Trip takes Archer on a tour of his brand new experimental warp vessel.
The basis of the pod interior was Zefram Cochran’s warp ship from First Contact. This would dictate the configuration of the exterior. Form follows function. A significant difference between Cochran’s module and the inspection pod, was that this new vehicle was wide open with expansive observation windows. This meant that the pod interior would have to be extensively detailed to match the set. In homage to the TMP travel pod, which took Kirk on a similar tour, I made our little “space jeep” number 05.
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