We’re getting to the end of the Iowa/Kelvin concepts, and here are a few of the final ideas. The exterior was a color layout test for the med-evac version of the shuttle and the interior views. The cockpit shown here has two different layouts, one has an off center doorway and asymmetrical floor-plan while the other has a central floor mounted console. Both were ideas that had to be tossed around with how much would it take to redress the final set for interiors for other shuttles. In the end, the asymmetrical concept was scrapped for the easier straight forward layout. It was a treat to work on both the exterior and interior views, and this one had a lot of variations before it got to this stage. From the art department’s line of assembly, these sketches would get the green light from our production designer, Scott Chambliss, then go to art director Curt Beech, who would then do some layouts and sketch up models to coordinate the final dimensions for the blueprint stage and then construction. Next Clint Schultz the graphics designer would run with the drawings to make his own versions for graphics color, text and all the layouts for playback. As all of this is happening, Jeff Frost, the model maker, builds a little scale miniature, and finally Joe Hiura builds the 3D model CG style for the VFX group and the modelers at ILM. Lots of great talent in so many fields!!! The collaborative process on this film was awesome, and the end results were pretty darned cool.
Enjoy today’s posts and back on Monday with some more fun stuff, happy weekend everybody.
exterior
interior
int
Eavesdropping with Johnny 
John These a really nice. I like the rudder pedals on the cockpit sketch.
It looks like from the film, the sets didnt stray too far from the conceptual drawings.
Haaaa!!! glad you like those peddles!
Makes sense to me…perhaps instead of an actual rudder they could operate a thruster for yaw and roll.
or perhaps it’s just a good place to scrape the mud n poop off your shoes!
Great concepts. I like the pedals!
I love those peddles,, I don’t believe they made it into the final though, HAAA!
Those interior shots are awesome. It must have been fun doing Trek where you didn’t have to follow strict rules of what had been done before. It allowed you guys to be even more creative than usual. I like the look of the whole film but the Kelvin parts are my favorite. It really had a grungy, realistic look to it, especially the engineering sections and shuttle area. The shuttles themselves are another great example of this. Your pedals gave the shuttle a very realistic feel, instead of everything being push-button or touch pad, like it was in the original Trek. I also like the shuttle exterior, it’s a nice homage to Matt Jefferies’ original shuttle. Why did it get changed to more of a Star Trek V-style look?
Nevermind, ignore that question. I haven’t had my coffee yet. That is the final shuttle design for the movie. (I’ll be OK eventually)
HAAA! Well go have a big cup then!
Beautiful work – love the color and the text on the exterior image. The detail on the interior shots is just amazing and, I too, love the pedals – nice touch!
Thanks for posting these and have a great weekend.
Bests,
Richard
Thanks Richard!!! There were a lot of versions of that interior from very squatty to a more higher ceiling like seen here!! lots of fun!
Cool stuff, proving once again it’s all in the details. And what details they are! I especially like the ceiling mounted windows, ala the Space Shuttle. Heavy feeling of verisimilitude.
Thanks Don and I love ceiling windows and it was fun to put them on this version of the shuttle
I love the interior concepts, and those peddels are just ginus
wow everyone loves the peddles,,, thanks!!!
So whcih one is accelerate and which on is the brake? ha!
Fab stuff! I love the blending of lines between the classic TOS shuttle and the later TNG/Voyager ones, just a lovely update of the look like the previous posts. Gotta agree with everyone re the pedals, great idea, shame it didn’t get carried through the the final set.
One thing I never quite understood re the interior was the transparent plastic curtains. Was that to continue a kind of hospital aesthetic perhaps? (though they were carried through on to the Enterprise shuttle too).
I saw those plastic curtains for the first time when I saw the film so I would imagine it was in lines with what your thinking!
I really like the Shuttle Concept, it has the classic feel with a sleek touch.
WOOOO thaks Scott D!
Really like it, those pedals give it a race car touch.
Thanks Paul, do you remember the scene of the way cool Batmobile pedels in the 1989 Batman movie??? I loved that little throw away scene
I remember that! So that’s where you got the idea? Very cool. I’d love to see it used in a future movie.
Another vote for the pedal love. Though I would imagine myself getting too carried away playing with them if they had any control over the ship. Put on some music, tap your feet to the beat and I’d be way off course.
HAAAAA yu said it!!!
Dude, fantastic! Those interiors are DA BOMB! I see your Cobb influence peekin’ out for one. Reminds me of originally seeing the Nostromo interior sketches run in Starlog way back. Dude, you so rock the blue-line of design!
Thanks for sharin’, bro!
peace | deg
I am curious about all the seating inside, I would think that like a modern Blackhawk Medical Helo you would have jump seats so you would have the room for more patients. It seems like that is a lot of shuttle for just one patient as there is only one bed inside.
One question, do you think about filming requirements when you design small craft like this, or is it all if it was real how would it look?
Terry
Thats just WAY to many people to make such a small ship:)….
the red/white would have been nice on a few of the shuttles as they evac’d//- also like the “piping” look shown on the nacelles- yes i think its meant as deep panel scoring, but if you reverse with a squink..- its pattern-especially from the front squares on the nacelles- makes a nice retro look of exterior tubing–aka seen on NASA rockets-tanks. etc..a cool way to make clean TOS design, -older looking- at least IMO looking at your sketches..
still cant make heads of tails of 800 survivors on a dozen shuttles shown in long shot, and where they all came from….lol
anyhow — the more i see the more im convinced matt jefferies was the man….. and i would have smiled so much more with the shuttles looking more like these while watching the pic.
we really need to find and finish the restoration of the orig. stage prop shuttle being IN SEARCHED OF over at Drex’s blog….
if found, id travel anywhere in the us for a weekends sanding duty if needed:)
c3
Love it! These are soooo cool!
Can I get another witness for the pedals? Ha! Love these designs! John, when you were a kid, did they install a printer into your brain that some how transforms these images out to paper? They are so precise and fantastic! I love the detail. I look at them and instantly start thinking what it would be like to actually be there…maybe I’ll have to model it! 😀
I love your work, but I’ve actually got a slightly OT question. I’ve stumbled upon some fantastic drawings you did of the D4 for Enterprise, and you list it having phasers. Now, I’ve never seen a Klingon ship with phasers, except for in games. Is it accepted that Klingon ships have phasers? I have a DIY Trek game, sort of D&D for Star Trek, and I can’t decide about giving Klingon ships phasers… I’d really appreciate your opinion…
Thanks