Detailed Look At Star Trek (Toy) Prop Designs
Jan 23, 2009 by Vic HoltremanThere have been images of Playmate toys related to the new Star Trek movie floating about, but today I came across the cleanest versions of …
There have been images of Playmate toys related to the new Star Trek movie floating about, but today I came across the cleanest versions of them yet. There are pics of the the new transporter room and bridge plus a detailed look at the new tricorder.
Oh and a first clear look at the phaser. 
Now keep in mind of course that these are toys, and probably prototypes at that – so don’t get all wound up if they don’t look as great as you might expect. Also, I understand that the phaser doesn’t look nearly as shiny as depicted below, but has more of a brushed steel look with grey highlights that harken back to the original props.
And as a bonus there’s a two view line drawing of the new Enterprise, with a comparison against the original movie version of the NCC-1701.
New Star Trek transporter room
New Star Trek Enterprise bridge
New Star Trek tricorder
New Star Trek communicator
New Star Trek phaser
Compare original movie NCC-1701 to new design
(Click on image for larger version)
I have to say that the new ship design doesn’t look as bad to me in this comparison image, but I still think that the rear of the secondary hull looks too thin and I wish the support pylons attached to the nacelles farther back. It looks like there is no way those pylons could support the nacelles from an engineering standpoint.
The tricorder isn’t bad – looks like a cross between the Next Generation design and the original. The phaser? Not to sure about that one… I think they may have gone all shiny on it so it looks better on camera, it certainly has lots of gizmo details. If you want larger versions of all of these images click on the Flikr link below.
So what do you think?
Star Trek opens on May 8, 2009.
Sources: Flikr (hat tip to AICN), ShipSchematics.net
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Toy makers sometimes exaggerate their products so I will take these pictures with a grain of salt. Nice comparison pic. It’s not to much like the movie version but it does fit with the original series ship. And the support pylons on the original series ship were straight also. And I just realized that because I remembered this little tidbit I need to get out more!!!
“Star Trek opens on May 8, 2008.”
Damn, must’ve missed it.
As for the Enterprise design … the nacelles are too close together for my taste.
Nothing beats the NCC-1701-A version, IMHO.
I will definitely watch the new flick, but without expectations of any kind.
(As far as that is possible.)
@David
Doh!
That’s what happens when I write late at night. Thanks for pointing out the error!
Vic
I have all the TOS and Next Gen replic phasers and tricorders etc, but I won’t be buying these.
I agree with the comments on the nacelles and pylons – they just don’t look right! 1701A ftw!
Sweet Jesus that new Enterprise is F-ing aweful!!
Look how amazing the TMP looks next to it. Church design sucks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It makes me all the more angry about it in looking at it next to the beautiful TMP design. I tried to reserve judgement, even with the laughable pic they recently released in high res. POOP!!
I like seeing the whole ibridge in one shot. I have to wonder: How many Red Shirts are going to crash those glass panels? My guess is two.
The dimensions of the iEnterprise do look a little off. The nacelles sit too close together and too far forward on the pylons. Remember Vic, gravity isn’t a concern in space (or Hollywood) so they may just stay in place the first time they go to warp!
Is it me, or does that phaser look like something from Wrath Of Kahn?
I guess I’m the only one who seems to love the new design. I love the whole retro-future look, it’s simply splendid. And as far as the pylons and nacelles are concerned, in science fiction and films about the future, assumptions can be made that they are using materials or technology in which the pylons can and do support the nacelles in that fashion. And the fact that it’s a movie and it doesn’t matter since warp speed defies Einstein’s theory of special relativity.
@Ash Ali – I think we all know that – but it doesn’t make them look any less *wrong*.
Well then. I stand in defiance! I think the new ship looks great!!
I think the new ship looks great and is aesthetically pleasing enough in it’s design and it captures the old design of the Enterprise from the Original Series while capturing a more modern look for the new franchise…I think the new design actually looks more stable then the NCC-1701 but I know I will be in the minority on that one…
I am guardedly looking forward to this one … I hope Abrams doesn’t screw this one up…
Here is a cool article on the new Star Trek comic book which I think is a tie-in to the new film..
********WARNING********
****SPOILERS AHEAD*****
Here is the link:
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39855
I don’t know if Warp Speed (FTL) travel will ever be possible but I think if the answer to transversing the vast reaches of space is found it will be found in quantum physics and more likely in the Law of Superposition…WHich would technically not be travelling faster than light speed but rather being everywhere at once and truly understanding how to use the Unified Field Theory..
First, the phaser and tricorder. They are pictures of toys; so I won’t judge color schemes or anything like that, but I like the shapes of both. They look like decent updated versions of the originals.
The transporter room, again a toy, so-so. I’ll wait to see it in the movie. The one in the picture does look very cheap though.
The bridge; I have issues. The red floor is remenicent of the Enterprise-E, but doesn’t fit here. And David, I was thinking the same thing about those glass panels and red shirts, lol. Maybe they’ll break in the movie and be deemed a safety hazard by Starfleet and removed from the ship. And personally, I don’t like that it looks like you could fit 18 to 20 people on the bridge. It’s a bit big.
Finally, the Enterprise. Vic, just a suggestion, maybe you could post a schematic of the TOS enterprise instead of the TMP version. I think people would see a lot more in common between the new one and that one than the one posted.
Greenknight, you are actually in the majority now, because I also like the design. I couldn’t tell a lot of detail in the first photo they posted, but these drawings look very well done. And I know it’s not perfect, (i.e. the pylons and engineering hull,) but I definately see the TOS in that design, and it works for me.
Like Greenknight & Lee-Unit, I too like the new look of The Enterprise (actually I’m a convert), but all those years of the TOS and motion picture design doesn’t change my perception that it looks a little off. Much the way 1701-D didn’t look quite right when it first hit the screen, which also grew on me. BTW my favorite TNG design is 1701-C.
I’ve always been a fan of the gadgets and gizmos, my favorite part I guess. I really like the new tricorder and phaser and if you want to see a picture of the communicator:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2009-01-21-star-trek-toys_N.htm
When you get there, click on the “First Look” link on the page. There is also a shot from above of the 14 inch Enterprise model. It’s not just an ibridge, it’s the whole iEnterprise.
One more thing; Isn’t the two tricorder pictures upside down to each other?
@David
Oh man… I had the communicator pic but forgot to add it to the post.
Also, I apologize for the less than stellar image quality – I was using the Mac version of the software I usually use and was not used to it yet, and didn’t save the images at a high enough quality level.
Vic
The glass is probably not glass, as we know it – probably something much tougher and less likely to shatter?
Annys:
So you mean there’s a chance that they might install fuses under the console terminals and keyboards this time around to prevent spurious sparking and electrical fires?
man, i hope the bring back the original Chirping ring to the comunicator.
thats what my cell phone ringtone is.
and i allwase answer “Kirk here”.
Lolz
there should be no comparisons to the 1701-A as that hasn’t come out in the time this movie takes place (in it’s alternate timeline form, that is).
The N1701-A of this timeline won’t be out for years…perhaps in a sequel to this movie?
WHo says it will be that ship (NCC1701-A) will make it in future movies…I guess we really won’t know which of the old series designs will make it into sequels and how much they are going to change the mythos…they could toss a lot of great history for the sake of selling this brand to a new generation..this is just speculation so don’t jump on me for making a point of idle speculation…
I wont jump on you Greenknight and you make a valid point. I still hope your completely wrong, but I doubt it! If this movie is a runaway hit the changes from the TOS style will only become more prevalent until only the names remain the same!
Still there is a chance that Rodenberry’s vision could survive mostly intact. Just like the original Battlestar Galactica’s did! 
As for 1701 vs. 1701-A in future movies; I hope we get a chance to see what this incarnation can do before they go and change it again. But like McCoy said: “Engineers just love to change things”.
@ David
I have two seasons of the new BSG on DVD but have not got around to watching it..probably because when I start I will be addicted and my wife and kids will be wondering what in the hell happened to Dad for a week…Lock myself in the attic with only my tv and the dvd player and get caught up…can get smelly up there after a week with only my two-year old’s potty for a bathroom respite…
@greenknight … and David (later on)
Know the feeling. But my wife usually gets addicted to the same shows as me.
And as long as we haven’t got kids … we’re only hurting ourselves when we skip an entire weeks sleep for an two entire THE SHIELD series(es) …
Uhm … well … my point?
None, why? I should be in bed anyway.
Okay, back to the “1701-A” debate:
we will NOT see our old, beloved A in the future movies.
Sorry David. (Or as I shall call you “Just David” in my head from now on).
Engineers love to change things, very true and if they continue THIS Trek movie, we will most likely get to see an “upgraded” version of THIS Enterprise.
The old Starfleet designs MAY have an occasional cameo, but these new people with their own new style sure as hell want to keep it.
I will remain cautiously optimistic about the new movie.
Abrams let me down with M:I3 before and I stopped watching LOST (until people tell me that there actually is one HELL of a sane and logic ending), so … come on, surprise me, J.J.!
@ David Hasselbach
My wife enjoys Sci-Fi & comic book movies as much as I do (when we figured that one out I think I asked her to marry me…well that and her carrot cake
) We love Star Trek & Babylon 5 and we both know we will love the new BSG..We are just waiting for a time when our kids survival is less dependent on us and they can more capably fend for themselves before we delve into BSG series..One episode at a time would be the mature approach and I know she has the will power to do this but I on the other hand would fold like a dry cleaners on a Saturday morning and hence be lost to them for a span of time as of yet predetermined to watch the two seasons we have and then I would have to rush out to get the rest of the episodes and well then we get into a cycle that no good can come from especially for me…Dog-house would only be a joke..
By-the-way…it has been killing me not to go on that thread:
“WHo is the last Cylon?”
Cheers
Hey Greenknight, don’t forget to stock up on some food. You don’t want to pass out from hunger mid way through your marathon!
@ D. Hasselbach: “Just David.” I like it.
Lee-Unit, that bridge looks about the same size as TOS to me, just that the outer “ring” was railed off and raised, which might have made it appear smaller.
David, that link’s got the best view I’ve seen yet of the new Enterprise, even if it is a toy. Still not entirely convinced, and probably won’t be till I see it in motion, but it’s actually quite funky in that shot. With you on the Enterprise-C, and I know what you mean about the D. That was a proper departure from the original, and resembled a gorged goose waiting for its liver to be extracted. I grew to love it in the end. The real ugly beast of the bunch in my opinion was the B from Generations, which looked like some kind of mad bath designed by Philippe Starck in the depths of an ether binge.
Enterprise-B; The Excelsior with a gland problem!
The ugliest ship in the fleet. Worse than J.J.’s Enterprise. Far worse!
@ Just David
Actually, the minor changes to the Excelsior class didn’t really bother me.
The Excelsior class looked quite neat actually.
What bothered me was that they named it “Enterprise”.
The friggin FLAGSHIP of the fleet.
As for the JJprise(TM) … I want to see this thing in motion. THEN we’ll discuss it further.
@ Big Dentist
On second glance, I agree that it’s very close to the size of the original, but did the original have enough seats for those 20 people to sit in? I count 15 in the picture.