I got an interesting email the other day. As you know, in the early days of ST:TMP production the powers that be showed an Enterprise on posters that in design was like nothing to the Enterprise that was shown in the film. I have these pics of it on my site One Two Three
Well, the email I got said this: I put a Star Trek item up for sell on Ebay, not knowing it's origins. A member emailed me, telling me that it might be a drawing by either Andrew Probert or Mike Minor. Here is her email:
The item you are selling is an image of possibly either an Andrew Probert or Mike Minor illustration of the lost "Phase II" Enterprise, which was used in early "Motion Picture" advertising before they knew what the new Enterprise looked like. The "Phase II" Enterprise was designed an built for the lost Star Trek Phase II series that went into extensive preproduction, even having fully-written scripts, but then was scrapped and replaced by the motion picture. The original model I believe is missing last I checked. Early promotions for the motion picture are not very common, and I have never seen anything like this before. It is absolutely beautiful and could be one-of-a-kind, if the others were destroyed after promotion ended. I believe it may be better suited if you got in touch with Star Trek: The Experience or another Star Trek museum like the World Tour. They, or a more experienced collector for that matter, could give you more information. But as it is, this may ! be something unique that would be great in one of the museums, if they buy that sort of thing. Thanks
He then told me this: It's not a picture or photograph. It's a design board or prop. It's the image mounted on a masonite backing. It is 80" X 50" in size. It has cut outs for all the windows with blue cellophane behind them. With a bright light showing behind the ship, it is lit up.
So, anyone have any ideas as to the origins of this thing?
Posted by The Mighty Monkey of Mim (Member # 646) on :
I'm a little confused. You mean this thing was supposed to be used as a prop in the show? Like a matte painting, only with the windows backlit? Like, instead of a model?
-FtK
[ August 27, 2002, 12:12: Message edited by: Felix the Kzin ]
Posted by The Red Admiral (Member # 602) on :
This is quite surprising. I have seen this pre-TMP Enterprise, but not for a long time, and hence it has been long forgotten. I believe it was just an early and speculative Enterprise drawing used in hype and publicity events in the late seventies, prior to the release and even filming of TMP. Someone here must know more about this....
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
I'm not the greatest expert on "Phase II," but it's my understanding that that design was the one they were planning to use for the television series. It's also on the cover of the book Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series.
From what I've heard, "Phase II" was literally a week or two away from starting principal filming when TPTB decided to switch gears and make a movie instead. Given that pre-production was that far along, it's almost certain that they had a finalized design for the Enterprise and probably had even been working on building the sets.
Just a guess here, but could that poster/matte be some kind of background/wall dressing for one of the sets?
Posted by Captain-class, Mike-variant (Member # 709) on :
um..
> phase two is in preproduction, new E being built > phase II is scrapped and TMP is greenlighted instead > the phase II enterprise, which was in a middle stage of design (almost built, but not photographable) is scrapped > the E is redesigned for TMP (this didnt happen overnight) > advance publicity for TMP ends up using artists renditions of what the phase II might have looked like, since the TMP E isnt drawn up yet. however, the artists rendition is inaccurate to even that, since the pII E only consists of a partially built studio model and a line blueprint. plus the art sucks wang, IMO. it was a great idea to backlight this pic, but the rendition is flawed in perspective i doubt the artist was at all familiar with any enterprise, or was planning to change many details of it. it does look a little probert-ish, but i dont see how he could skew the nacelles and saucer like that while at the same time doing high-quality draftsmanship on the actual models being built. i doubt he'd make those errors. (BTW, we could ask him). i tihnk the art is pre-phase II or, if it is post phaseII and pre TMP, done by someone unconnected to the studio designers working on the models. possibly an ad agency or publicity department. if this was art to be used for theater ads or some other publicity, then it would be blessedly unconected to any actual version of the E, as it would rely heavily on the artist imagination, and not in exacting detail to any blueprint/model.
Posted by USSMillennium74754 (Member # 822) on :
I don't think this is a Probert work... he didn't come onboard the project until TMP was well underway and the Enterprise design was mostly finalized. It looks very much like the Jefferies/Minor design for the Phase II Enterprise as presented in The Art of Star Trek, and if it's authentic it might be his work. As MinutiaeMan says, quite a bit of design work had been done and at least the bridge, engineering, and the corridor sets had been mostly completed.
If it is real, I agree with Captain Mike... it was probably just a test run or a promotional piece. It looks a little crude to be an actual set dressing.
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
In that 'new pic' what is that maroon boarder up top? I'm guessing wallpaper... or what do they call those designs that they put around the tops of walls... and sometimes the bottoms? Mostly in older houses no?
Andrew
Posted by Captain-class, Mike-variant (Member # 709) on :
by the way..
..
Felix the Kzin!?!?!?
oh and, i doubt probert could do something like that.. his work is always very draftsman-like.. this has much too much 'artistic license' taken with perspective and forms.. it looks like a bizarre distortion even of the unseen design, and his work stays true to dimensions, not distorting them.
Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
It seems likely that this thing would have gone up on some movie theater wall to promote the movie - and might have been intended to provide a false-perspective effect when placed properly, say, above the ticket counters.
I'm intrigued about that choice to mount the pylons on the inner faces of the nacelles, instead of the bottom. This doesn't seem to be the case in the photos of the half-finished Phase II model, nor really in the original line drawings or Guenther's reproductions. If this art came after the model was (half-)built, does it mean the nacelles on the model were relocated, too?
