10 Unused Star Trek Ship Designs We NEED To See
9. Romulan Warbird Vertical Design
Andrew Probert's original design for the Romulan Warbird was completed in 1988. The script called for a new design of ship with no other instructions. He set about creating something that honoured the Original Series. The bird design that had adorned the underside of the Romulan Bird-of-Prey played a big role in designing this ship.
So too did both the Enterprise-D and one of Gene Roddenberry's edicts - the ships had to have two nacelles. Probert extrapolated from this that, similar to the side-by-side designs of the Constitution and Galaxy-class ships, there could be no barriers between the engines. That was the beginning of his idea for two wings on the Warbird.
His initial design was intended to show the scale difference between the Romulan ship and the Enterprise-D. By having the wings vertical, with a nacelle at the top and bottom, he wanted to show how much bigger this ship was than the Starfleet vessel. This was rejected by the producers, who wanted the ship to be horizontal instead. Probert capitulated, though still kept the two winged design.
He was disappointed by the way the ship was depicted in the final episode. He had envisaged a shot that came from behind the Enterprise-D and showed the Romulan Warbird looming ahead of it. This was reversed, showing the Romulan ship from behind, which he felt lost the power of the piece.