6. The Enterprise
This was one of the big things Star Trek fans were waiting to see when the reboot was announced. What would the new Enterprise look like? How close will it be to the one seen in the Original series? What we got was a cross between the original Enterprise and the movie version that was first seen in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. In principle, there is nothing wrong with combining those two designs, they are both classics in their own right and beautiful to look at. But rather than an outpouring of joy and excitement, the first pictures of the new Enterprise brought out a very mixed to negative response. The general shape of the new ship was ok but it was hard to focus on anything other than the over-sized warp nacelles. Having been described as looking like huge hairdryers, rather than complimenting the rest of the design, they stick out like balls on a dog as they sit on their strangely curved pylons, looking totally out of proportion.
The design of the Enterprise is something that you have to get absolutely right. The original design by Matt Jeffries is considered a classic and way ahead of its time, every Enterprise that has followed has been embraced with open arms by Star Trek fans with the refitted movie version and the Enterprise-D from The Next Generation being the most popular. It's sad to see that designer Ryan Church dropped the ball with this redesigned Enterprise and forgot that shape and proportion are what makes an object attractive to look at, sticking lights all over the place does not make the ship look cool. After the original hoo-haa that erupted when the first preview picture of the new Enterprise were released, Ryan Church tried to defend his design;
Im not going to get involved in the mud slinging, here, but needed to assure you guys and gals: weve built you a fine ship. To clarify: theres a slight optical illusion occurring here, consequence of the camera angle. For Rick and others who worry the nacelles dont have a clear line of sight over the disc they, in fact, do. We were hardly working in a vacuum. I raided ILM reference photos like a madman. We were deferential to inviolates of Star Trek design vocabulary. Additionally, the profile here isnt 100% representative, because, as youve noticed, the Bussards are dimmed. The true profile of the nacelles may or may not be revealed here, and thats all Ill say.
Unfortunately, when we finally saw the Enterprise on screen, it didn't make any difference, it still looked odd. The point Church makes about camera angles is very true. To make a ship like the Enterprise look good, you have to know the angles it doesn't look good and avoid them, Abrams made the huge mistake of not framing the Enterprise from the correct angles. Where you should have felt an overwhelming sense of awe when you saw the Enterprise, it just always looked a bit strange. And when it was on screen, it was too brief for you to appreciate anything about the new design. From Star Trek: The Motion Picture to Star Trek: First Contact, the Enterprise has benefited from slow fly-by shots, it establishes the Enterprise as another character. But apart from the sequence where the Enterprise is maneuvering through the debris field around Vulcan, Abrams failed to realise the importance of giving the Enterprise a proper reveal and enough screen time.