Zach Sweigart
Star Trek Phase-II Enterprise Refit
DETAIL 1: Illuminated navigational deflector and visible external torpedo bay. The original idea Roddenberry had for the deflector was that it would be the older copper color when the ship was under impulse or in dry dock and it would glow blue at warp; increasing in intensity in proportion to how fast it was traveling. This mechanic was not seen in any of the films or shows
DETAIL 2: The torpedo bay (and other visible weapons) was something Gene fought against in the original series he felt visible weapons were unbecoming of the ethos of the Federation. He acknowledged the need for vessels to be armed, but seemed to not want combat as the focus of the show. Though future Federation ships would have visible external weapons against his wishes, designers seemed to keep with the idea of not having the weapons ever stick out from the design.
HISTORY: In the years between 1969 (the cancelation of Star Trek: The Original Series) and 1979 (Before the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture) and idea to continue the voyages of the Enterprise and her crew was being formulated. Titled "Star Trek: Phase II", it was intended to be a new TV show for the 70's era audience. Though Phase II would not reach fulfillment, many elements of it did make into future Star Trek productions. The pilot episodes of the show were re-tooled into becoming the the plot for Star Trek TMP, and characters like Decker and Ilia become the strong inspiration for Riker and Troi in Star Trek TNG.
Another bit of the show that made it into future Star Trek productions was Matt Jeffries desire to update the look of the Enterprise. Jeffires, the original designer of the now-famous Constitution Class, had admitted that there was aspects of the original Enterprise's design that he was not fully happy with and wanted to tweak. He initially approached CBS during the original series and wanted to make some changes (particularly to the warp nacelles), but the studio felt it would be an unnecessary cost.
When it came time to film Star Trek TMP, Paramount knew they wanted a more detailed and grand Enterprise, and ultimately went with artist Andrew Probert to design the new hero ship (along with everything else featured in TMP). Probert clearly took some notes from Jeffries and either intentionally or unintentionally adapted some of the changes that the original designer had in mind.
Those changes included redesigned warp nacelles, exterior lighting, swept back nacelle pylons, visible weaponry (which Gene Roddenberry was actually opposed to), and the glowing blue navigational deflector.
The following is my rough interpretation of what the Enterprise in Phase II could have looked like, using the Mega Construx TOS set as a base. I have taken a few creative liberties, as the designs for Phase II were never quite nailed down.
Star Trek Phase-II Enterprise Refit
DETAIL 1: Illuminated navigational deflector and visible external torpedo bay. The original idea Roddenberry had for the deflector was that it would be the older copper color when the ship was under impulse or in dry dock and it would glow blue at warp; increasing in intensity in proportion to how fast it was traveling. This mechanic was not seen in any of the films or shows
DETAIL 2: The torpedo bay (and other visible weapons) was something Gene fought against in the original series he felt visible weapons were unbecoming of the ethos of the Federation. He acknowledged the need for vessels to be armed, but seemed to not want combat as the focus of the show. Though future Federation ships would have visible external weapons against his wishes, designers seemed to keep with the idea of not having the weapons ever stick out from the design.
HISTORY: In the years between 1969 (the cancelation of Star Trek: The Original Series) and 1979 (Before the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture) and idea to continue the voyages of the Enterprise and her crew was being formulated. Titled "Star Trek: Phase II", it was intended to be a new TV show for the 70's era audience. Though Phase II would not reach fulfillment, many elements of it did make into future Star Trek productions. The pilot episodes of the show were re-tooled into becoming the the plot for Star Trek TMP, and characters like Decker and Ilia become the strong inspiration for Riker and Troi in Star Trek TNG.
Another bit of the show that made it into future Star Trek productions was Matt Jeffries desire to update the look of the Enterprise. Jeffires, the original designer of the now-famous Constitution Class, had admitted that there was aspects of the original Enterprise's design that he was not fully happy with and wanted to tweak. He initially approached CBS during the original series and wanted to make some changes (particularly to the warp nacelles), but the studio felt it would be an unnecessary cost.
When it came time to film Star Trek TMP, Paramount knew they wanted a more detailed and grand Enterprise, and ultimately went with artist Andrew Probert to design the new hero ship (along with everything else featured in TMP). Probert clearly took some notes from Jeffries and either intentionally or unintentionally adapted some of the changes that the original designer had in mind.
Those changes included redesigned warp nacelles, exterior lighting, swept back nacelle pylons, visible weaponry (which Gene Roddenberry was actually opposed to), and the glowing blue navigational deflector.
The following is my rough interpretation of what the Enterprise in Phase II could have looked like, using the Mega Construx TOS set as a base. I have taken a few creative liberties, as the designs for Phase II were never quite nailed down.