Facts Revealed of Star Trek 2009/ J.J. Abrams' USS Enterprise NCC 1701

Kenny and I was invited to Richard Chua's house warming cum chinese new year party yesterday. Richard is also a fellow Trekker and the proprietor of sci-fi movie memorabilia and toy store, "The Outpost" at e @theCurve, formerly known as Cinneleisure, Mutiara Damansara. That means one thing: topic of conversation - Star Trek.

It started raining about 4pm, just as Kenny and I were about the leave, so we decided to stay for a while to check out a blu-ray version of Star Trek 2009 with interesting technical specs of JJ Abrams' famed reincarnated USS Enterprise NCC 1701. The blu-ray set comes with 2 DVDs, the movie and the bonus materials.

The bonus materials DVD contains, among others, a layout of and simulation of almost the entire starship with superb CGI and details.It's confirmed- the official length of the 2009 starship is 725 meters/ 2,380 feet compared with the classic Enterprise spanning only 288 meters/ 948 feet. In my September 2010 (click here)posting on the subject, I remarked:

Maybe this time ILM will get the USS Enterprise NCC 1701 sizing right! For the uninitiated, the size of the new starship has been subject of debate. The design size was 366m according to Alex Jaeger of ILM, and this still makes sense, considering that in this case the shuttle bay door and the torpedo launcher would be the same size as on the TMP refit. Also, the hatches would be reasonably tall compared to just 1.8m on a 302m ship. The VFX team at ILM, however, purportedly scaled up the ship to as much as 725m (200%!), the main intention apparently being to be able to squeeze in all the big shuttles.

So the debate is settled, as I found out.

Since the images on film can be too fast to pick up, I never knew that the 2009 Enterprise's hangar bay doors had a indented Starfleet Delta Shield design when closed.

Phasers on the 2009 Enterprise are for once utilized in the way they should. The ventral primary hull phasers has a 3-point axis configuration. Naturally, the tactical officer should be able to discharge all 3 emitters simultaneously or in succession and on multiple vectors to the limits of the tageting range. Prior to the TNG, DS9 and Voyager, all audience saw was one or two single continuous beams.

Back then , phaser emitters were in pod configurations and it seems from the close-up above, a single emitter has a swivelling mechanism giving it the most line-of-sight from the target subject. With CGI, these details can be seen. On a movie prop, these details can only be made out if the prop makers actually built a scale version of individual components.

And for the first time (for me at least), the Enterprise's aft photon torpedo launcher. Located on the belly of the ship, on the stardrive section.

What does the prefix "NCC" on a starship mean?

Interesting question...there are several answers found on the internet:

• Star Trek Wikia says: The Starfleet starship registry prefix "NCC" doesn't officially mean anything other than it is the standard prefix for starships in service. There have been other prefixes, notably "NX," denoting a prototype, or experimental vessel- Captain Archer's Warp 5 flagship was designated the NX-01, and its sister ship, the Columbia, was NX-02. Archer once referred to that style of starship as "NX-class." Whether or not "NX" was intended to indicate prototype status in the 22nd century is unclear- this is pretty consistent with Gene Roddenberry's answer (below).

• When Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was asked this question, he replied that there was no significance to the letters and numbers comprising the registry of the U.S.S. Enterprise. At the time Star Trek first aired, airplanes commonly had "NC" on them, and adding the extra "C" updated the look.

• The Star Trek Encyclopedia says: Original series art director (and avid pilot) Matt Jefferies commented that he chose the "1701" combination of numbers because it was legible from a distance and the numbers wouldn't be confused. Other numbers, like 3, 2 and 5, were not used for this very reason. Also, the extra "C" in "NCC" was a nod to the Russian abbreviation for the old Soviet Union, "CCCP." According to Jefferies, "If we do anything in space, we (Americans and Russians) have to do it together."

• According to non-cannon sources: "NCC" is short for "Naval Construction Code", "Navigational Contact Code" or "Naval Construction Contract" (Star Trek Starfleet Technical Manual. New York: Ballantine Books (1975). ISBN 0-345-34074).

• Another possible explanation for the "NCC" registry code comes from 20th century US Navy Hull classifications. "CC" was the classification for a Heavy Cruiser during Gene Roddenberry's stint in the Navy. The "N" would imply that the Cruiser is nuclear powered. This explanation would account for the Enterprise, but is unacceptable for explaining many of the other ships shown in the motion pictures and subsequent series, which would have used other designations (CV=Aircraft Carrier, BB=battleship, etc.)

Origin of the word "starship"

This topic came up when a certain egotistical, Indian ex-colleague of mine brought up the word in the context of the 70's rock band who brought us unforgettable hits like "We built this city" and "Nothing's gonna stop us now". I could not resist but incite a debate on the origin of the word with me remarking "deep down, everyone is a Trekkie".

Now, a "starship" is a fictional (which may not be true in the near future) space fairing vehicle capable of tremendous speeds for interstellar travel, an indispensable nomenclature in a plethora of science fiction works.

We all know the most famous one of all, the Starship Enterprise.

In the realm of science fiction, certain quarters claimed it was Jules Verne (1828-1905) and who can forget "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" (1864) which has appeared in many remakes and renditions, "From Earth to the Moon" (1865) and of course, the adventures of Captain Nemo in "20,000 Leagues under the Sea" (1875). Nonetheless, it was quickly dismissed at the closest reference contextually is "extra-terrestrial".

Robert A. Heinlen (1907-1988) was also traced back as one of the first sci-fi authors who may have coined the word in "Starship Troopers" first published in 1959. Heinlen was one of the "Big Three" in science fiction with Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov.

The honor however goes to Harl Vincent (1893-1968) under the publication name of Harold Vincent Schoepflin, an American mechanical engineer and of course, science fiction author who was published regularly in science fiction "pulp"-quality magazine "Amazing Stories". The year was 1934.

It would have been almost inconceivable, even back in the late 19th and early 20th century to fathom interstellar travel. The closest star system that we know of is Alpha Centauri, located roughly 4.37 light years (4.51 trillion km) and probably visible with unaided eye (if you live in the Southern Hemisphere). It's astounding to know that the light we see originated 4.37 years in the past.

To give some perspective, the Cochrane warp chart will give you an idea of time vs distance against velocity.

Rittenhouse Star Trek 2009 Movie Costume Cards

Over the years embarking on collecting Trek merchandise and collectibles, little is done about actually owning a part of movie history until now. I've always been a great fan of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Now, I have a piece of costume by Spock and an autographed photo of Bill Shatner is being dispatched to me as I blog. Of course, that would probably be in the next few postings in which the rest of the captains' autographs will be subject of discussion.

Back to the issue at hand...I ordered almost a dozen costume cards, made by Rittenhouse Archives. They come layered in gloss-coated cards which houses the vaunted fabric...those worn by the very people who portrayed the legendary crew of the USS Enterprise.

These fantastic non-sporting cards are affordable now and most can be found on eBay. If not for the sentimental value, they'd make a great investment. In years to come, I'd probably be able to ask for 2-3 times the value, possibly more on the rarer ones.

But I noticed prices going up. Released end 2009, they were between USD15-20, but now easily goes for USD25 and above, depending on which cast member or character. They're the next best thing to autographs, which incidentally Rittenhouse carries also. Naturally, they come at a premium now and are scarce. I would however, love to come into possession of a JJ Abrams autograph. The man behind the alternate reality in Trekkers' lives.

The other reason for expanding into these collectibles is the uniform material pattern. Trekkers have always known and been sharing that they're tiny delta shields in a repeated motive. If I so wish, I could do some more research to acquire the correct uniform replica to be added to my personal collection. Having these costume cards now gives me the perfect excuse.


Last I read, all cast members of ST09 has signed up for ST XII (2012) and JJ Abrams has been very very tight-lip about the whole thing. No one knows for sure the plot that awaits intrepid Trekkers worldwide, but I suspect that the sequel to the alternate reality franchise will not be a let down. The suspense kills me everyday with speculations flaring in my mind. But as one great captain once said...all things have their place in time.

Restoring Old Toys

About 2 weeks ago, I picked up these two relics from eBay for just over GBP10.00. A real bargain in deed. They arrived early this week. The package came with a 1992 Playmates Star Trek Federation Type 5 Shuttle craft (No. 15, aka Goddard) and check this out...a 1989 Galoob Star Trek Federation Type 7 Shuttle craft Galileo.

For those of you who aren't really aware, these are amongst the USS Enterprise, NCC 1701-D's compliment of support and executive shuttle transport.

Goddard looked okay
I tested the electronics which works fine and
the hull and decal application was left more to be desired

Galileo on the other hand needed work
Notice the cellophane tape over the windows and warp nacelles?

The seller emailed me about the condition of these 2 shuttles...left in a loft too long and from the browning and discoloration, I'd say they had been exposed to UV rays at some point in time. There were signs of moisture damage on the decals, especially with Galileo. She was, amongst others, Cmdr. Riker's executive transport of choice for medium range destinations.

Galileo had what appears to be water damage

The roof needed a good cleaning

The first task was to wash them down. With Galileo, it was easy. Since it didn't contain any electronics, I brought the hippopotamus-looking craft into the kitchen sink and rinsed it out, followed by a good scrub with dish washing detergent and warm water. When that was done, Goddard was wiped down with a damp cloth and lather.

Later in the night, I applied lighter fluid to facial cotton and gave Galileo a good scrub! Zippo worked liked a charm as I noticed the shine on her hull began to show.

After a good clean-up and the painting detail, I added a couple of
black landing pad supports for Galileo's warp nacelles. Notice the
transporter annular confinement targeting scanners on
the front...

That's more like it.

Phase two involved restoring the details; bussard collectors and the field release grill on the warp nacelles. Aerosol spray cans and a paintbrush mostly. I did some masking and started repainting the details. It was actually quite therapeutic doing this after a long day's work. Nothing like spending some quality time indulging in my Trekker moods.

Galileo's blue field release grills warp nacelles
are actually automotive stickers cut-to-shape

For phase 3: decal replacement, I kept a decal sheet containing various Trek fonts with which to give Galileo her identity back. I also recycled some used automotive stickers to add the port and starboard navigational lights. Of course, no Federation shuttle craft is complete with Starfleet's delta shield logo and stripes!

After I was done with Galileo, I started work on Goddard. She didn't need much work. A simple clean-up job was required and some detailing. I added a gold tint to the warp nacelles and removed the cheesy decals. I replaced some of them with recycled automotive stickers.

There was however one thing that irked me. Enterprise's registry number on the bow was lobbed sided. I applied some Zippo magic and peeled it off slowly to correct the alignment. Thankfully, the sticker was salvageable. Much better.

After replacing some stickers with new ones and
giving a good polishing, she "rolled out" of
Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards looking spic and spam.

The Type 6 shuttles are favorite away mission landing crafts during the first 2 seasons of Star Trek:Voyager and also their favorite shuttles to crash or destroy!

Finally, the two former derelict shuttles are restored to their proper glory

Soon to come: How to repaint a TOS classic Phaser.

Cortical Stimulator: My interpretation

After watching countless episodes of Star Trek Voyager on Youtube, I decided to embark on making a prop which exists not in my collection. The life-saving cortical stimulator, a 24th century medical equipment which induces neural activity in the brain by electric shocks, much like a defibrillator except it channels pulses straight into the cerebral cortex instead of via your torso.

Parts needed:

An old calculator, flip-flop circuitry, glue,
paints, parts you can scrounge out from your
tool box and a vivid imagination

The "On" button is in gray and as you may have
noticed, is a recycled calculator key pad. Also notice the
now exposed circuit board of the deceased
calculator.

3 hours later, something to add to my ever growing
prop collection.

eFX Star Trek Prop Prototypes for 2011: Tricorder Mark VII TR-580, EM-33 Pistol, Laser Pistol & Communicator and TOS Type 1 Phaser

As Trekkers are eagerly anticipating Star Trek XII set for release in 2012, eFX Collectibles showcased their prototype props about 2 months ago making the wait even more anxious. The Trek fever is starting to brew as many are left guessing what's left in store for the forthcoming year leading up to the latest J.J. Abrams' Trek film.

The spy photos of the TNG Mark VII TR-580 Tricorder reveals the prop-maker's appreciation for nostalgia. Observe the tricorder's casing. The glossed over light dull gray is reminiscent of the screen used prop on many TNG episodes. The prop has really curvy corners; staying true to form. The 80's creation was said to be a box of flickering lights, but I believe I speak for most Trekkers when I say, who cares? For one, this design was one serious attempt to imagine a future hand-held multi-purpose scanner.

A first look at the fully-deployed TR-580. The LCARS display is true to it's screen-used prop having more blue and reds compared to the yellows and orange in Star Trek Voyager and Star Trek Deep Space 9 (DS9).

The sensor array hints that this would be the version set after the 3rd season of TNG, with sweeping LEDs and the lower assembly...

... as opposed to the earlier version; Mark VI TR-580 which incorporates a small hand-held sensor at the bottom of the unit.

Following behind the tricorder is the Star Trek Enterprise EM-33 Pistol, a pre-cursor to the newer Phase Pistol which you will see Captain Archer brandishing in many episodes of Enterprise. The latter was introduced circa 2151. According to canon sources, one of the disadvantages of the EM-33 was the need to compensate for particle drift, making the transition to the next generation, point-and-shoot phased pulse weapons difficult for some Starfleet personnel.

Next, the TOS Laser Pistol and communicator set. These were seen in the episode "The Cage". Crude but effective. The laser pistol was introduced circa 2250s but this seem to contradict the Enterprise timeline during which the Phase Pistol had been around since 2151. It makes little sense that Starfleet would issue lesser-yield handheld weapons.

Then, a little teaser for the TOS die-hard fans. A prototype cast of the Type I Phaser is shown here. This hand-held weapon was normally seen incorporated into the the Type II Phaser circa 2260. I've always personally liked this one, equipped with a targeting sight and is always considered a "back-up" weapon for Starfleet personnel.

If eFX is consistent, these things will be announced on their website a pre-orders and fans could lock in one with a payment of a small deposit and the balance upon completion of the prop. Usually, eFX limits these things to no more than 1,000 units in a run, possibly less.

If eFX is planning to replicate all the tricorders in range...well, let's just say it'll be a long way to go...

Star Trek XII: Charting the Future

To continue to go where no one has gone before...

The 2009 Star Trek movie was not a let down. I almost always walk into the movies with high expectations. It was nominated for 4 Oscars at the 82nd Academy Awards and won the Academy Award for Best Make-up, making it the first Star Trek film to win an Oscar. Midway through the shoot, Paramount Studios chose to delay the release date from December 25, 2008 to May 2009, believing the film could reach a wider audience...which evidently turned out to be true!

Now that the slate has been wiped clean and the new franchise dubbed "the alternate time line" has taken flight, I greatly anticipate the 2nd installment to be another heart-stopper.

For that, I know that Roberto Orci (Screenwriter), Alex Kurtzman (Screenwriter), Damon Lindelof (Screenwriter), J.J. Abrams (Producer), Bryan Burk (Producer) are involved. It's almost for sure that the drama, character development and action will be present. Still, one has to wonder the premise now for the 12th movie in the Star Trek franchise. Star Trek 2009 took me by surprise. Even non-Trekkies (for lack of a better word) were astounded and I do believe most of the closet cases have revealed themselves after the awesome debut of the new cast. J.J. Abrams' direction was superb, to say the least.

Apart from the sometimes annoying lens-flare, his work takes the audience into a plateau of dynamism and movement. If anything which he can't do is make it less remarkable. I would not render my vote J.J. Abrams polls with vacillation. He's the man for the job. From what I've been reading, the cast in the 2009 movie has signed on.

Word has it that Bruce Greenwood has been husting it for Admiral Christopher Pike. Lest he be strapped to a life-support machine and warps into oblivion as in the Original Series, his reprisal will ever-so guarantee the brass behind Kirk's success. After all, since George Kirk does not live to see James T. Kirk grow up in this time line, Pike is the catalyst in the young captain's career. I really loved his character in the 2009 movie.

Almost nothing has slipped out about the new plot, save as Abrams indication that past stories would not be rejected to form the substratum of the alternate time line sequel. I'm sure fans around the world like me are just dying in speculating the next installment. Could there be a Wrath of Khan tie-in? Who knows? Or does Kirk finds his love interest in Dr. Carol Marcus?



Maybe this time ILM will get the USS Enterprise NCC 1701 sizing right! For the uninitiated, the size of the new starship has been subject of debate. The design size was 366m according to Alex Jaeger of ILM, and this still makes sense, considering that in this case the shuttlebay door and the torpedo launcher would be the same size as on the TMP refit. Also, the hatches would be reasonably tall compared to just 1.8m on a 302m ship. The VFX team at ILM, however, purportedly scaled up the ship to as much as 725m (200%!), the main intention apparently being to be able to squeeze in all the big shuttles.

Shooting is said to start in January 2011, which makes a summer blockbuster release in May 2012 (or thereabouts) a very real possibility, failing which, Christmas 2012 would be a nice present for Trekkers.


Evidently, the Star Trek 2009 movie replica market is not letting up yet. Playmates came out with a few waves of figures and play-sets and of course, the USS Enterprise NCC 1701 starship. Just the other day, I came a across a superbly molded resin core Phaser with chrome and steel plating on eBay. It's 1:1 and the mirror finish does it justice. A nice little, advance birthday present for me I suppose.

USS Enterprise Workshop Manual

(click on the picture to read m0re)

Coming October 2010

Basic reading for Starship Engineering 101

Small enough to fit in the captain's chair arm compartment

Good bedtime reading after a long duty shift

Star Trek Commemorative Stamp

This came in the post yesterday. The newest member of my collection: the 1999 Star Trek Commemorative Stamp. Notice the delta shield-shaped sun in the background. It seems that it took some years and hundreds of letters from fans and ex-governors and presidents to convince the US Postal Authorities to issue a stamp paying tribute the Gene R

This Original Series USS ENTERPRISE NCC-1701 stamp Beginning in 1998, the United States Postal Service issued its largest--ever series of commemorative postage stamps. By the time the program is completed in 2000, a total of 150 designs will have been released, providing a decade-by-decade look at significant personalities and events of the 20th Century.

Voyager: Full Circle

For Trekkers who wanted more from the legendary crew of USS Voyager, these two books are the perfect read: Full Circle and Unworthy.

The continuing encounters of Captain Kathryn Janeway, Chakotay and Seven of Nine will spurn interests which was once since the tv series which saw its last season finale in 2001. The timeline :places the characters about two years after Voyager's return from the Delta Quadrant. The story unfolds when the vaunted vessel , now equipped with the new slipstream drive and a few augmentations is assigned to return to the Delta Quadrant supposedly for a recon mission to ascertain the balance of power after the massive defeat of the Borg but as the story unravels, you'd see that the storytelling sets out whole new possibilities in the Voyager franchise. And you'd think you saw the end of it when the future Admiral Janeway helps her younger self and the valiant crew get back home.

Kirsten Beyer is a brilliant writer.

Her writing grips the reader with her understanding of the characters and she interpolates the canon sources with her stories with remarkable outcome. The books left sanguine expectations. It was hard to put them down once I started.

Beyer is working on an unannounced Voyager novel scheduled for release in 2011. I am looking so very forward.

The Art of The Film Star Trek 2009

I think this 100-pager houses fantastic conceptual renditions and illustrations of film. The Art of the Film: Star Trek 2009 houses palatable paintings utilizing gouache and marker techniques with minimal computer enhancements.

For me, what bears lacking is the screen props used for the filming. Although I am grateful for the working drafts of the Starfleet Phaser and Communicator, there is nothing much beyond one or two photos of the final versions. I thought the addition of detail of Nero’s staff (which deploys into a 3-bladed spear), Romulan and Klingon weaponry would have made the book’s “inventory” more complete. No harm could be done by detailing the shipboard phaser banks, pulse cannons or photon torpedoes. Perhaps those lies in store for the next coming book for Star Trek II said to be scheduled in June 2012.

The artwork and drawings does justice to the visionary ideals of J.J. Abrams in the making of the film. We all know props and sets play a crucial part in any good film and as a tailor’s creed, the suit is only as good as the man wearing it. The landscapes and gargantuan structures which fill them are functional as they are beautiful.

The initial ideas of the USS Enterprise NCC 1701 lays present in The Art of the Film as expected with the book now putting on record that according to scale, the Enterprise is about 1200 meters long, putting to rest the discrepancy in length due to ILM’s on-screen rendering which made the ship appear between 760 meters to 1000+ meters long in different screenshots. Leave it to ardent Trekkers to figure the discrepancy and scaling of the flagship.

My favourite work is that of James Clyne, whom I think is a commendable film and conceptual artist having credit in Transformers and X-Men 3 amongst others. As a teenager, I somewhat possessed the penchant for poster colors and pencil sketches. I remember making rough sketches of what I thought the new Starship Enterprise was going to look like after the Original Series and without exaggerating, my visualization on paper was quite close to the USS Enterprise D which made its debut on celestial TV back in 1990 as far as I could recall.

I like this one: Clyne’s rendition of the Enterprise-Narada confrontation. The piece invokes a surreal feeling of David and Goliath with the behemoth and the flagship in orbit against the backdrop of Vulcan’s atmosphere. The movie’s one is almost identical, save as additional shadows and lens flares (a J.J. Abrams signature) creates an intimidating marauder imposing on and completely overshadowing the sized-challenged Federation flagship.

Price at RM109.90 (now available at the Kinokuniya Bookstore, Suria KLCC), The Art of The Film is more worthwhile than collecting Ship of the Line/ Star Trek calendars published by Pocket Books every year which costs about RM70.00 each. Come to think of it, my office charges RM0.50/ page for photocopies and I’m getting 100-pages of artwork and drawings for roughly RM1.00 each from The Art of the Film.