posted
Hello all, I have a design challenge for all of you who are good at drawing robots. In the fan fiction story I am currently outlining, I want to make my Flight Control Officer (Conn) a non-corporeal Medusan.
There are several reasons why I want this character to be a Medusan. Shane Johnson in The Worlds of the Federation describes them thusly:
quote:
The native Medusans have demonstrated vastly advanced scientific abilities and possess telepathic capabilities far more advanced than any other Federation member race.
Medusans have developed interstellar navigation into a fine art and are extraordinary starship navigators. Their talent is the result of their radically different sensory systems. One theory holds that they are able to electromagnetically indentify and lock onto thousands of guide stars simultaneously, including those beyond deep sensor range.
So with a description like that, I was thinking that this character could be my Mr. Sulu-like expert navigator and helmsman and Mr. Spock/Deanna Troi-like telepath/empath explainer. I really didn't want to introduce yet another Vulcan or Betazoid character in my stories for this plot purpose, so in an effort to be different, I decided on a Medusan. Plus with the exoskeleton, the character would have the strength of Cmdr. Data.
The problem that I have is that I don't think that there is much of a character in the anti-gravity containment box shown in the TOS episode "Is There in Truth No Beauty?" or the Medusan Electromagnetic Container, which is a box with octopus-like manipulator arms, created by Shane Johnson in the previously mentioned book The Worlds of the Federation.
After watching Saturn 3 and Robocop 2 again, I was thinking what if the Medusan Electromagnetic Container was housed inside the chest cavity area of a bipedal exoskeleton that was roughly 2 to 2.5 meters tall and was topped with a humanoid-like mechanical head that could show facial expressions? This exoskeleton would need to be flexible enough to sit at the Conn station at the bridge and have arms ending in multiple digit hands with an oposable thumb capable of pressing buttons at the Conn station and using tools such as tricorders and phasers. It also could be no taller or wider than the doors we have seen in starships.
So here is my design challenge. Design for me a Medusan Electromagnetic Container and then an exoskeleton that I call a Medusan Bipedal Conveyor.
The Medusan Electromagnetic Container would be, for example, a large cylinder about the size of a 5 gallon bucket of paint. It would be white, silver, or titanium colored and have decals all over it. In large letters it would say: "Medusan Lifeform Container" and then there would be Danger and warning symbols all over it such as "Eye shields required before opening." I would also like to have a lighted bar indicator, in blue or green, that displayed the strength of the electro-magnetic containment field.
The exoskeleton or Medusan Bipedal Converyor would be designed by Cmdr. Bruce Maddox and his team at the Daystrom Institute of Technology. The Medusan Electromagnetic Container would be housed in the torso or chest cavity area of this exoskeleton body.
For the design of the body, I was thinking of something very similar to Briareos from Appleseed, Hector from Saturn 3, or a combination of Robocop and Robocop 2. Although my requirement is that the body have dextrous hands and not pincers because I want the character to be able to use standard tools.
It doesn't need to have humanoid-like legs, but I want the character to be able to walk on uneven terrain and be able to walk up and down stairs.
There should be an area of the body painted the same shade as Command/Conn red like the duty uniforms. The rank of Lieutenant should also appear.
The body should also be painted with the 2371-2390 Starfleet isignia, the DS9, Voyager, and Nemesis arrow, on the left breast area. The story takes place after the events of Nemesis.
For the head I was thinking of something like Lucifer from Battlestar Galactica or the T-X, without flesh, from Terminator 3. The head doesn't even need to look human. I just want something that would show some facial expressions, such as approximations of anger, irratation, amusement etc, and would more or less light up in the mouth area, or had a mechanical mouth and lips that moved, when the character talked.
The eyes could be two orbits that moved to "look" at things, but this would be just for the benefit of the persons he was interacting with, because the Medusan himself could not use the data sent to him from the mechanical eyes.
The prize for this design challenge is my admiration, the admiration of other fans on this Web site, and a mention of your design efforts on the title page of my stories. Thank you for your time and attention.
Registered: Jun 2003
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-------------------- Lister: Don't give me the "Star Trek" crap! It's too early in the morning. - Red Dwarf "The Last Day"
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted
A Medusan bipedal conveyor would be interesting. Somewhat similar to the Vorlon encoutner suit of Babylon 5; or more like the original description of the Vorlon encounter suit with arms and hands.
I can see the lost scene from "Is There No Truth in Beauty?":
Spock (to McCoy)
I have looked upon the face of the Medusan and nothing is the same anymore, Doctor. Nothing.
Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
The simplest and most elegant design that I can think of would be a Soong-type android body sans the head. Around the neck would be a silvery collar which projects a holographic head that the Medusan can use to communicate. Of course unlike Data or Lore the body wouldn't be "fully functional" ( ) but would have the extra thumb you described (possible at the request of the Medusan.)
This would be the easiest (easy read cheep) design to depict and it's what they'd probably do on the show if they had a regular Medusan character.
posted
I guess that the Soong-like android body with the holographic head would be the most elegant solution Reverend. But I was trying to get away from the actor with gold tinted mime face paint look of Brent Spiner's Data. Maybe if it was stripped of the outer skin covering and you could see the blinking lights, hoses, ODN cable, motors, and gears. I would prefer to make the body more Borg looking, than Brent Spiner looking.
Droids, mechanoids, or silver metal men are absent from the Star Trek universe. (With the exception, of course, of the Captain Proton holodeck sequences in Voyager.)
Now I am thinking does it really need to look human-like at all. What if the mechanical body was constructed by an alien member race of the Federation. Like the battledroids in Star Wars Episodes I and II.
Am I wrong in my original thinking that there isn't much of a character in a silver-colored anti-grav container with medusa-like mechanical arms? If you saw it in a TV series, or movie, would you guys think it was cheesy looking? It's Mr.Box on the bridge.
I also didn't want to have an obvious copy of Commander Data, Lore, or B4. Its new and improved Mr. Data. If you saw it in a TV series or movie, would you guys think it was a rip-off of Data?
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
Well something completely non humanoid would be my first choice since I rather think that the Medusans could probably design a conveyor themselves.
posted
They probably would design it themselves if they are true to their description of possessing "vastly advanced scientific abilities." Consider the Bruce Maddox and the Daystrom Institute of Technology idea dropped. Unless, of course, the Daystrom Institute of Technology had Medusan scientists who manufactured the bodies there. Sounds to me like the Medusan homeworld would be too hostile to the materials and they would decompose or melt in their Class C homeworld "blanketed by dense clouds of super-heated carbon dioxide." I believe that their mechanical bodies or containers would need be manufactured off-world.
Starfleet would most certainly build an orbital space station or outpost for this member world. Large dumb-bell shaped starbase like Star Base 1? So why don't I make this space station the place of manufacture of the Medusan Electromagnetic Containers and any supporting material or mechanisms. Consider the Daystrom Institute of Technology idea dropped as well.
PS -- Thanks for not shooting this down as a terrible idea.
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
To add yet another creative wrinkle, what if in addition to a bipedal mode, it would have a quadra-ped mode like AMEE from Red Planet and a telescoping neck that could bring the head to humanoid eye level when it was in this mode? Then it could cover terrain quickly and move like a big cat.
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
I was actually thinking of the AMEE robot, although with six limbs instead of four to give it a slightly more alien look and to make it more adaptable. As for the face I'd use a blank mimetic-alloy face plate that can just mould itself into basic expressions.
posted
The bio-mimetic alloy face idea would work well. Are you thinking of the liquid metal of the T-1000 in "Terminator 2" that could be shaped into faces like those shown on the water device in "The Abyss"? Of course, at no time would it look like real human flesh or hair.
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
That's the basic idea, yeah. Most of the time it would be just a blank reflective orb but it can smoothly transition into a theatrical mask type face depending upon the emotion that the Medusian wishes to convey. No moving lips though, the voice should be somewhat eerie like that of the Vorlons on B5.
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) but would have the extra thumb you described (possible at the request of the Medusan.)
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