Trek Geekery: Images Of New Star Trek Movie Details
Nov 17, 2008 by Vic HoltremanAn analysis of where the new Star Trek movie differs from the original series.
First off, we want to let you know that the official Star Trek movie site has been updated to one of those fancy Flash websites. You can view both the trailers, get images, wallpapers and just geek out over the new Trek look of the site. Head over to StarTrekMovie.com to check it all out.
But… that’s not what this post is all about. If nothing else, Star Trek fans are known for their rabid attention to detail when it comes all things tech and history of the Trek universe. I won’t be addressing history, but I’ve pulled out some hi-res screen grabs from the trailer that will be of interest to Trekkies of all ages.
I’ve collected below images of ships, interiors and visual effects (enhanced and sharpened for better detail) that are near and dear to the hearts of any true Trekkie (I’m reveling in this, being a huge Trek geek myself, so don’t go getting all offended). I’m sure there will be debate (argument) over what’s below. 
Included are:
- The venerable USS Enterprise NCC-1701 under construction (yes on Earth, not in orbit as we all know is where it was really constructed).
- What looks to be either the new standard shuttlecraft for the Enterprise, or a larger transport version.
- A brand new transporter effect for the first time in 20 years (all transporter effects in the movies and TV series starting with Star Trek: The Next Generation have been variations on the same basic look).
- A brand new “Warp speed” (aka “jumping into subspace”) effect. Personally I never liked the little starburst effect that’s been used since ST:TNG.
- A look at a couple of shuttlecraft that are similar in look to the familiar design from the original series.
- A look at the shiny-bright new corriders of the Enterprise (this, I’m not too jazzed about – very “2001: A Space Odyssey“).
- A shot of the forward bridge, from the point of view of the Captain’s chair (coming out of Warp).
- A couple of detailed shots of the USS Kelvin, including a rear view that shows the shuttlebay door and clarifies that the seconday hull is above the saucer section and the propulsion unit is below (a hat tip to early starship concept designs from the original series).
- Finally, a more iconic view of the new Enterprise.
Click on all of the images below to see hi-res versions of the images. Under each I give a description and an analysis by a Star Trek fan whose been a Trekkie since the early 1970s (that would be me) and whose favorite series of all is TOS (The Original Series).
Here’s a pretty cool shot of the Enterprise under construction. Doesn’t make sense that they would construct something so massive on the ground, but no dobut there is some sort of plot-related reason for it (beyond the dramatic pause of a young Kirk taking it in).
As a hardcore classic Star Trek fan, does this bother me? No.
From the registration number on the side of the shuttlecraft it’s clear it belongs to the Enterprise (NCC-1701), but is this the new “standard” shuttlecraft or does the Enterprise have a variety of models (a la ST:TNG)?
Does it bother me? A twinge perhaps, but not enough to freak me out.
Here’s the new transporter effect – kind of crazy looking and hard to really get a feel for in a static image, but I’m happy to see a new take on the effect.
Does it bother me? Nope.
This was long overdue – I never liked the “rubber band stretch to a pinpoint of light” version of going to Warp speed. This looks more like distortion of space.
Does it bother me? No, quite the opposite, I like it.
It looks like these are old-style shuttlecraft. I get the feeling that these belong to the USS Kelvin, and that ship is more akin to the original NCC-1701 and that the new Enterprise is more like the NCC-1701A.
Does it bother me? A bit – I’d like to see a bit more basic version of the original Enterprise, and despite the odd design the Kelvin reminds me a lot of the “flavor” of the original Enterprise.
Here’s the a look at the new corridors of the Enterprise. They’ve gone with a stark white look that truly reminds me of the ship from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Does it bother me? Well, frankly, yes. Enough for me to feel “Trekkie outrage?” No, not that much. Look at what they did with the Batman reboot and that worked out pretty well.
Although we have the white “iBridge” look, overall the stations are similar (albeit a lot more spacious) to the layout we’ve known on all iterations of the Enterprise.
Does it bother me? Once I get past the “white bridge” look, no. Although I still don’t understand why they couldn’t at least have matched the color scheme of the original bridge or come close to it.
The USS Kelvin. I’m not familiar enough with the history of starship registries to know if this was from canon, but I have to say that I like the nod to the original designs here.
Does it bother me? Nope, as a matter of fact I really like it.
Another look at the USS Kelvin. Check out the shuttlebay entrance in the top portion of the ship and the impulse engines.
Does it bother me? No, again, this is one of my more favorite details and seems very much a tribute to the orginal.
Here we have a front-on view of the new Enterprise. Suddenly it looks a hell of a lot more like it belongs in the Star Trek universe than it did in the previous image.
Does it bother me? This remains to be seen. I’m still pulling at the reins when it comes to the new ship, but I’m thinking that it probably looks great on screen. This is where they’ve taken the greatest liberties, but in the end if it all gels it will have been worth it I think.
So what do you think? Anathema to established Trek lore or logical updates to bring the franchise into the 21st century?
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Vic-
you are truly a new Hero of mine. Nice job! i think the trailer looks great, im geeked up about it. and i actually dig the bright hallways. it looks like a whole new, updated take all the way around. and we all know kirk likes to bone, so the sexiness is not that out of place, as you have pointed out. nice job.
I can get over it, but I really don’t like the ship being built on the ground. That just makes no sense.
Is there some trick to get to the new startrekmovie.com? I keep getting sent to the old one with the original teaser playing on screen.
That first shot of Anakin, ehumm Kirk, on his hoverbike looking at the Enterprise being built is right out of “Top Gun,,,”
^
The hallways of the Enterprise look like the Rebel Blockade Runner, from Star Wars…
Where am I?
Watching hardcore fan reaction is going to be a generational event…
“Servers will fall!”. :-O
I bet trekmovie will crash under the weight of posts.
@Lee-Unit
Go to http://startrekmovie.com and then try hitting Ctrl-F5 to clear the page cache and reload it fully.
Vic
I hate pretty much everything I’ve seen here except the new warp effect, which doesn’t bother me one way or another.
I will not be seeing this movie, and, though I know it’s not going to happen, I wish no one else would either.
I think nobody should be allowed to write a Star Trek script until they’ve read Fredric Brown’s “Arena”, seen Gene L. Coon’s Star Trek adaptation thereof, and explained in an essay why the ending of the latter is and must be 180 degrees different from that of the former.
I love the new look of the production. The ship, exteriors and interiors. The franchise needs a major kickstart for the next generation of fans and move it forward. Die hards like myself been awaiting for a fresh take on Star Trek. As Fans we need to sit back and enjoy the movie for what it will be. A new fresh start and introduction to the World of Trek to the many many moviegoers who are not fans but just want to come in and sit back and enjoy a really good movie without being put off by anal gripes about how white corridors are or who teh ship looks. Time to grow up people and not continually to gripe about things that are so trivial. And for my anal gripe, did anybody forget how white the corridors were in Princess Leias ship when Darth Vadar and the stormtroopers boarded her ship?Really cmon people, get a grip and lets just watch the movie and set aside the critisism when the movie is no longer playing in theatres. Give the Franchise room to breath people.
Just another fan..
@Curt
I agree – While I actually really like TNG when it was on, thinking back it was WAY to politically correct and substituted a lot of committee-think for decisive action.
As to the white corriders – yes, we all know about the Star Wars thing… that’s our POINT.
Vic
@ Forrest; Actually that’s not a bad idea, but who would grade the SA and what grade is considered a go??
I am not a Trekkie, and I did not like the look of the original Enterprise. The 1701-2.0 looks better, though so does a star destroyer.
I was looking forward to seeing something of the original Star Trek on the big screen, not a tribute or a complete reimagining.
The Enterprise was twenty years old at the time of the original series, and it is reasonable to expect a completely new interior and some fairly radical exterior changes. Maybe the original was a little smaller, had a different deflector dish, bridge, et cetera. However, the 1701-2.0 is completely out of proportion with the 1701 and 1701-A. There is no reasonable way to line it up with the Enterprise of 20 years later. Nemesis and ST:Enterprise failed because they were advertised as something other than Star Trek. This movie’s complete disregard for the original series puts it in danger of doing the same thing.
I’m still going to see it because I like space movies, but I was really hoping to see a Star Trek movie.
~ RF
“Time to grow up people and not continually to gripe about things that are so trivial.”
Production design may only be frosting on the cake, but eggplant icing does not bode well.
“Time to grow up people and not continually to gripe about things that are so trivial.”
I have to agree with Forrest on this. These may be trivial to you, but for me they are a sign of things to come, especially considering who wrote this damned thing. This is the second Orci Kurtzman movie based on a franchise I love, and this is the second time I’ve seen a complete lack of respect for what has come before in the visuals alone. It does not bode well for the rest of the movie, especially considering how bad their previous movie was.
Going by the idea that past is prologue, I cannot say that there is any chance this movie will resemble anything even remotely like Star Trek. I didn’t get the feel of a this being a Star Trek story from the trailer, I don’t get the feeling of this being a Star Trek project from the pictures I’ve seen, and I don’t get the feeling the so-called writers even know what they’re doing based on their previous efforts.
The fact is, the visuals are the only solid evidence so far of the direction of this movie. That evidence shows, to me, a lack of respect for the franchise. The evidence shows, to me, that this is going in the wrong direction to be anything that deserves the name “Star Trek.”
Flamestrike, yes I agree there has been a lack of respect when it comes to the Bridge, Ship, and (imo) casting selections,,, but from what I’ve heard of the story, its gonna be a hit… Like it or not, this film will create a new fanbase and more than likely make 50% of the hardcore happy…
Love the larger gravatars Vic.
“from what I’ve heard of the story, its gonna be a hit”
With Orci & Kurtzman writing it, that cannot be a good thing.
I’m no fan of theirs either Flamestrike,,,
But from what I’ve seen its gonna be better than Transformers…
“its gonna be better than Transformers”
Like that’s hard to do.
Flame, I totally hear ya bro,,,
You gotta look at it this way,,,
Star Trek had a great run, we have TOS, TNG, DS9, Voy, and Enterprise,,,
Over 700 episodes, the next, Next Gen is about to take over. Its still Star Trek we just have to let it be…
If not, you and I both would just drive ourselves crazy with canon issues that don’t amount to really much ,,,
I’ve Learned to let Star Trek canon go,,, (lifes to short)
The new Trek will have to prove itself, or die…
I’m not going to give it a chance to prove itself. If Orci and Kurtzman are the ones to create the new version, it doesn’t stand a chance of being good. It might as well have been directed by Michael Bay as well.
I’d rather Star Trek just die, and as far as I’m concerned, it now has.
I was hoping to see a Star Trek movie, not a tribute to Star Trek movies. I understand that people change as they grow older, but the ship had better be consistent with the ship of the original series. If this ship is not corrected, then Abrams is not even trying. If he makes a Star Trek movie that fails, it could hurt Star Trek, but if all he is making is an Abrams movie with some Star Trek names and symbols, then Star Trek should be unaffected.
~ RF
flame, do you like anything that has a predecessor? reading your stuff, you hate everything thats not a exact copy of what was before it
Thanks for the post Vic, I’ve been a follower since I heard you over on /film.
Anyway, what is the core of Trek? The tech, the characters, the message? Most of the Trek films have been so-so. WOK, Undiscovered Country were great, and I do hold a spot for the Voyage home…but the still Trek has lost it’s glimmer that Gene put in the TOS. It needs a jump-start, reboot whatever. Think of it as a house project. You love you house, but you want to fix up a room that has layers and layers of wallpaper etc. So you remove the paper, sand, and repaint. The walls are new…but the frame is still there as before.
As for those who are thinking this is an outrage, or whatever I do recall the same Fan reaction to the NXT GEN when it was first announced, “what trek without kirk, preposterous!” or DS9. Heck the same was said for R. Moore take on BDG but look at how well that series has done.
This film is chance to regain that hope that Gene first instilled in trek, and from what I have heard about the story it is very character driven…something that Trek has not had in some time.
I’m hopeful that it will bring back trek to forefront, not to mention this is something that I can be apart of with my kids, as my parents were with the TOS-films.
Now if only Lucas would keel over and the same overhaul be done with Star Wars
.
“flame, do you like anything that has a predecessor? reading your stuff, you hate everything thats not a exact copy of what was before it”
To quote myself: “Anyone who believes that’s I was asking for an exact recreation is, at worst, a complete idiot, and at best has not been paying attention and has no idea what he’s talking about.” In other words, learn to read.
I want to see the original series respected and, at the very least, a visual continuity maintained. This is such an abrupt departure from the visual aesthetic of what was established in the original Trek that it doesn’t even feel like I’m looking at anything Star Trek related, and certainly nothing from the relevant era. Updates can be made while still respecting the original work. For example, you increase the detail on the model of the ship while still keeping the same design. You can keep the same color scheme and bridge layout, while updating the control panels.
None of that would impact the story, and all of it would give long time fans some reason to believe the people making the movie knew what they were doing when they took on the Star Trek project.
There is a huge difference between saying I hate the direction this project has taken, and saying that I want an exact recreation. Maybe, if you paid closer attention to what I said, you’d have picked up on that.
None of that, incidentally, addresses my other big problem with this movie: the so-called writers.
@flamestrike
I certainly understand your trepidation based on Orci/Kurtzman. I’m of the opinion that at this point almost ANYONE is better for the franchise than Berman & Braga.
I’m really trying to keep an open mind about this just out of love of Trek. Personally (and I’ve said this before) I think going back to the beginning and doing a “Batman Begins” style reboot is a great idea if executed correctly.
I’ll tell you the one thing I’ve heard that doesn’t sit well with me at ALL: Pete over at /Film wrote that his impression of the “swelled hands/tounge” scene shown in the press preview was reminiscent of the scene where the Transformers hide in the back yard in that movie.
That was one of the things I absolutely despised in Transformers and to hear ANY scene in the new Trek movie called “equivalent” to that makes me shudder…
Vic
Toastbutter said; “it is very character driven…something that Trek has not had in some time.”
Can you amplify on what you mean by that? It seems to me that all the movies are character driven. All characters have goals and aspirations and drive the stories from beginning to end. I just don’t get that, I guess..
Well to be fair TOS had its embarrassing quirks. Maybe old fans can take one on the chin and hope for a better one next time…. In twenty years.
Toastbutter,
The 1701-D was a different ship from the 1701. DS9 was a space station. Of course they look different. The 1701 of 20 years before the original series is supposed to be the same ship. Differences in detail are to be expected, but Abrams take is the equivalent of doing a movie about the War of 1812 and making the USS Constitution out of titanium alloy because it looks cooler. I think the new Enterprise looks better than most of the others, but it does not look like what it is supposed to be. I wish Abrams had focused on the characters rather than mucking around with the hardware. Hardware is not what makes the story.
Star Trek movies should be consistent with Star Trek. Otherwise, start a new franchise.
~ RF
That sucks about that scene Vic – I hope it aint really that bad.
Let’s hope so Rob it was a totaly over the top CGI…
And there’s still time to fix it.
Like Vic said it was a Transformers moment for sure.