Drex Files

[Atekimogus]

I don't know if it was posted already but here is a link to a cool blog, the Drex Files. Apparently it is from the guy who designed the NX01 Enterprise.

Lots of very interesting behind the scenes stuff from the art department point of view. Everything Trek related it cool but the articles about "Enterpise" are very interesting imho. For example, did you know that the Akira wasn't only the template for the NX 01 but that the powers that be just wanted to use the Akira model without changes?

http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/

Also there are lots of impressive artwork posted from the ship of the line calender etc...a really great blog imho.

[Lazar]

Yes, that is a really good blog. John Eaves has got one too.

For example, did you know that the Akira wasn't only the template for the NX 01 but that the powers that be just wanted to use the Akira model without changes?

Yep, my jaw dropped when I first read that, but that is what they wanted. (They eventually settled for a retro-styled Akira ripoff as we all know.) He also describes the creation of their beautiful ENT-era Romulan BOP, which came complete with a ventral bird insignia as in TOS, but TPTB told them to take the insignia off for no reason. He also describes the creation of a really nice ENT-era Klingon cruiser, but TPTB told them at the last minute that it didn't have enough windows, so they were forced to use the magical 250 year old K'T'Inga instead.

[Sionnach Glic]

Wow. This is worse than even I would have derided them for.

[Atekimogus]

Yeah, it is both fascinating and sad reading about such stupidity.

Well here are two articles about the Enterprise.

http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/06/ ... ise-class/
http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/02/ ... x-systems/

and a few quotes I found interesting. The first is about why Enterprise is shoot so dark, the B&B logic beeing that the viewer shouldn't be distracted from the characters be a shiny ship and bright universe.......... . Well I have to say giving your flagship as much personality as possible sure never worked out and I am also sure I am the only person who took Spocks death in a stride but winced when the E went down over genesis.

.....seething kinetic look there like TOS. It was not to the taste of our bosses. I found (and all due respect), that during the Berman years, anything brassy, meaning what they perceived as loud, was pushed into the background. The musical score became wallpaper, and colors were desaturated. One day I came into the living room, and Enterprise was on Hey! What's wrong with the TV? There's no color! Then someone walked onto the scene in the blue uniform. Oh! The color IS on! It's just that Enterprise was shot in all blues and greys. Very monochromatic. Anything colorful was crushed out of the picture.

"As a matter of fact, we were told to just plain use the Akira for the NX. How would that have been?"

>>I doubt that TPTB scrutinized it as much as that. If I had to guess, I'd say that they though the Akira was both "kewl," and that they didn't think the fans would notice a background ship from the 24th century <<

BINGO!
But there was more we had a basic configuration for another ship that was very close to the 1701, although still too futuristic to my mind. Apparently someone walked into Mr. Berman's office and said, "Cool! It looks just like Kirk's ship!", and that was the end of that. That was a real beating. "Use the Akira!" came the order. They really thought no one would notice. - Doug

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.

Now and those to the creative professionals who already mad TNG and DS9 a success, I can only imagine how fun it must have been working for THIS show !

On the bright side, here a few EYE CANDY shots of the Lakota for Mr. Deepcrush.

http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/01/ ... b-details/

.

[Aaron]

I think I posted his blog in another forum but it is quite shocking to see just how frakked up Enterprise was, almost destined to fail from the very start thanks to bad management and network interference. Trek had been circling the drain for a number of years but these blogs really illustrate why.

[Mikey]

Holy. Hopping. Snot.

Was this show planned to fail from the start?!

[Aaron]

Holy. Hopping. Snot.

Was this show planned to fail from the start?!

I think they just misread what fans wanted, which means they probably never read a rating chart from the proceeding three series.

[Atekimogus]

I wouldn't say they didn't know what fans wanted, after all a retro series were you let an art department - dedicated to TOS as they were - free reign and paint a believable picture of this area could have been really really great and a welcome departure from 24th century which became admittelty rather boring.

Ultimatly I think they failed because they treated fans like a bunch of idiots. If you really think noone would notice that your main actor (the ship) also played an AKira class vessel inuniverse centurys later in one of the more successful star trek movies than it isn't hard to believe that they simple couldn't grasp that there are still fans somewhere out there how 'gasp' actually have watched TOS.