10 Greatest Ship Reveals In Star Trek

2. The New Enterprise - Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Star Trek The New Enterprise
CBS

Never before had a starship been given such a long and loving reveal as the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The scene divides audiences, and there are valid arguments on both sides. This writer is firmly in the camp that it is an outstanding scene, yet I concede that one wouldn't want to be in any kind of hurry.

Admiral Kirk's approach to the vessel, via shuttle pod, is a victory lap around the newly refit ship. Gone now are the cylindrical nacelles that were a staple of Matt Jefferies' earlier design, replaced by sleeker rectangular ones. They were now swept back, rather than jutting directly out from the hull. This we see from the aft.

When the ship is revealed in full from the fore, we can see that the 60s style deflector dish has been removed, replaced with a concave section at the front of the drive section. There now sits a torpedo launcher above, merged with the neck of the ship.

As Jerry Goldsmith's score rains down on the scene, it's hard not to feel all of the emotions in seeing this giant of engineering moored and ready to take on V'ger.

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"