quote:

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Major bits: Ever wonder just why Stiles suddenly decided there just had to be Romulan spies onboard (even before he saw that they looked like Spock). Well, we are told why this suspicion is on his mind in a bit of dialogue from Outpost Four Commander Hanson and in the original conception of what the Bird of Prey would look like.

In the script, after Hanson turns his viewscreen on so the Enterprise can tie in and see what he is seeing, we get this:

INSERT - SHIP'S VIEWING SCREEN

The attacking vessel can now be seen definitely to be some modified version of a starship saucer main section... but with the dark markings on its underside which suggests a bird-of-prey with half-spread wings. And centered there is a threatening-looking "weapon tube" device. We see it in full size only momentarily... then it launchs a torpedo-like bolt of blinding energy from the weapons tube.

HANSON'S VOICE: You see it, Enterprise?! Starship design. Warn Earth...
(STATIC CRACKLE)
... espionage, stolen our designs... traitors...

Then later, before the reveal of the Romulans, Kirk and Stiles' exchange in the script is:

STILES: (interrupting) ... and in a vessel remarkably similar to ours. The Outpost Commander mentioned "espionage." Add to that the fact it was a sneak attack...

KIRK: Are you questioning my orders, Mister Stiles?

STILES: Negative, sir. I'm pointing out that we don't even know what the Romulans look like, maybe just like us. We could have Romulans aboard our own ship.

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Now, looking back at the episode, you can see why Wah Chang built the Romulan ship the way he did. It's clearly got hints of the Enterprise about it, ableit not quite as obviously as the script suggests.

Ah, if only we could see what Matt Jeffries drew up for that vessel!
 

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Posted by The Mighty Monkey of Mim (Member # 646) on :
 
Yes, which is why I'm disappointed that ENT "Minefield" showed similar designs in use a century-and-a-half earlier.
 

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Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
 
Interesting indeed...

Also, the emphasized espionage aspect paints the Romulans as somewhat more primitive than in the aired version. Why, they can't even present a credible threat without humaning the ap... I mean aping the humans!

Alas, much of the belle exotique of a new alien species is lost with this, even after the de-emphasizing in the aired version. A truly alien vessel would have had a much greater impact, and would increase the shock when familiar faces are sighted aboard.

OTOH, the "Stiles suspects spies" angle certainly moved towards darker shades of bigotry with the rewrite. A more neutral hue could be restored by some innocent line where e.g. Sulu muses how the Romulans knew to strike exactly when, exceptionally enough, only one UFP starship was in the region.

Timo Saloniemi
 

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Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
 
But...there's always only one ship in the region.
 

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Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
 
I always thought that the nacelles were similar to the Enterprise's simply because it was the first new starship that had even been built, so they probably weren't sure exactly how "different" to make the various bits and bobs that became standard on big ships.
 

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Posted by WizArtist II (Member # 1425) on :
 
AND it was cheap!
 

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Posted by HerbShrump (Member # 1230) on :
 
Especially since the "Klingon" style model that the Romulans also used wasn't built until the third season.
 

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Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
 
It still would've been nice if they'd painted it some other color.

Say, ....green.
 

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Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Jason Abbadon:
But...there's always only one ship in the region.

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quote:

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Data: We need to go after the Enterprise.
Quinteros: We can't. All our ships are either too far away or under repair.
Yar: What kind of an incompetent deployment system do you call that?
Quinteros: Standard Starfleet policy.
-- Five-Minute "11001001" (TNG)

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