scans are from ST:M
SHUTTLECRAFTMANSHIP
- Designing the Type-12 Shuttlecraft
PAGE 2This article is almost the ST:M article verbatim as I like to retain as many of the original words of the
production staff involved, in this case Rick Sternbach, senior illustrator, whose words are shown in this colour
Click any image which shows a link to see it full-size.
Rick Sternbach's approach to the design of the new Type-12 shuttlecraft was accepted at once, and the shape went through very few changes before the model was built. But, in order to complete the shuttle, his exterior design had to be integrated with the interior Richard James and John Chichester were designing. Fortunately, Rick Sternbach says, their design did not have any serious implications for the shape or size of the ship. Unlike the Delta Flyer, whose exterior had to be enlarged to fit its growing interior, the speedboat remained at a manageable 28 feet, give or take a few inches. The overall shape was lower and narrower than the Type 6, but the length was similar.
However, his design did evolve subtly to match the completed interior. The first sketches of the exterior hull were obviously produced before the set designers finalized the window and door shapes. I had sketched in 'placeholder' versions of the windows, which were close proportionally and in the right locations. Those were changed to the final versions during the blueprint stage. I also mirrored one of Chichester's ceiling curves on the top of the speedboat to become the dorsal sensor array, so that was a nice bit of serendipity.
Red alert: The picture below is 113Kb.
We gave the shuttle all of its basic interior parts; the seats, consoles, aft 'cargo hold,' windows, and lighting units. Aside from the DS9 Runabout, we've almost never seen actual transporter hardware in a small craft. We've assumed that the transport emitters were buried in the structure somewhere.
The only little bottleneck was a few days' delay on deciding how the aft entry hatch would operate, which impinged slightly on the exterior shape. Every step of the way, Tony Mcininger's Brazil Fabrication model shop was kept in the loop with sketches, color samples, and construction drawings.
The model. Source: the web.
The model. Source: the web.
The model. Source: the web.
The model. Source: Encyclopaedia.
As Rick Sternbach points out: the speedboat shuttle marked the end of an era for Star Trek because it was the first time the Art Department did not bother to build a full-sized version of the exterior that could be used on the sound stage. On the few occasions we saw the shuttle in the shuttlebay, it was a CG (computer-generated) model. The speedboat was also the last shuttlecraft that was built as a practical miniature before the show moved over to CG.
Thanks to Eos Development for the page background from the set Swags Horizontal
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