enterprise era technical manual w.i.p.

My idea for an Enterprise technical manual is something I started quite some time back but was put on the back burner until I found reliable info to put in it. This is a wip for the front cover. What do you think?









I wanted the front cover to look similar to the starfleet technical manual by Franz Joseph.
For those of you wondering about the United Earth Space Probe Agency - Starfleet Division reference at the top. Basically after reading a lot of posts on other boards saying Starfleet shouldn't exist in 2151,
I came up with this idea:- before 1947 the United States Air force didn't exist as a seperate service. Previously it was the United States Army Air Force - a division of the Army. When I realised the potential similarities between the upcoming Romulan Wars and World War 2, I figured what if similarly to the U.S.A.A.F., the early Starfleet was the military and defensive arm of a larger organisation? e.g. the United Earth Space Probe Agency. What if Starfleet only became a seperate entity in it's own right upon the founding of the Federation, when it became a much larger organisation, no longer responsible soley to the united Earth Government but to the whole of the newly formed Federation. Just an idea I've been toying with. Does it sound plausible to you guys?

Anyway, back to the tech manual. I decided to dig my original design out of my files after seeing resistance3 post a manual idea on trek bbs ( i still can't post there. I tried to to register a week ago and I'm still waiting for my membership approval. Very frustrating. Does this happen a lot?)

Any comments or suggestions for improvements to the manual would be great.

p.s. sorry if this post is a bit long, I'm relatively new to this.

Looks good, matches very well with the TOS tech manual.

Here's a quick update to the tech manual cover:



The front cover of the star trek:tng tech manual has schematics of the 1701D in the background. I wondered what the enterprise technical manual would look like using this approach. I can't decide if it looks better or not.

Credits for the schematics images: the shuttle pod is by Resistance3, I'm afraid I've no

idea who to credit for the other schematics. If they look familiar to anyone please let me

know and I'll include the credit.

I've started thinking about the layout and style for the content, but I'm undecided if I

should use line drawings and enterprise era technical orders like in the Franz Joseph manual or 3d rendered images and photo's. Any opinions?

If anyone would like to contribute to the manual with art/illustrations/renders/text or

whatever. feel free to do so, I could use some help with this.

I should have some basic ideas for the inside layout ready to post in a couple of days.

[Commodore-SirJohn]

Personally, I like the first version of the cover.

If you need help with text for it, I'd be happy to contribute.

Not bad...this is the version I post over at trekbbs.. Still not sure if I should do a black and white or color version. I will be doing all the artwork in the book. some lineart others in 3D

[General Phoenix]

I'm with John on this one - I prefer the first cover. The second one seems a bit too elaborate for a military tech manual.

[Darrell Lawrence]

I like the second one except for the text on the bottom schematics. That's what ruins the "look" of that one.

Originally posted by FCapt-SirJohn
Personally, I like the first version of the cover.

If you need help with text for it, I'd be happy to contribute.

If you can help that would be great.

One of the first things I'm going to need text-wise is a short history of the warp 5 development project, starting from the first flight of the pheonix in 2063, and the founding of the warp 5 complex in 2119, and developments leading upto the design and testing of Henry Archers warp 5 capable engine. How was it achieved for example. What problems had to be overcome?

Some basic facts are already known and others will have to be invented to fill in the gaps plausibly. Think your up to the challenge? Go for it!

Does any one have any scans etc. of enterprise schematics? Particularly any external line drawings from all angles of the nx-o1?

Also I heard that star trek: the magazine printed some schematics of enterprise's phase cannons. Scans of those would be useful too. Can anyone help?

Here's another update:



This is an example of the basic layout for the contents of the manual. I based it on the look of the technical orders in the starfleet technical manual. I tried to keep it consistant with the style used by Franz joseph but with an enterprise era feel to it.

The contractors proposed design box on the schematic is a homage to the one featured in Mr. Scott's guide to the enterprise by Shane Johnson. If you look carefully at the box you will see Henry Archer's signature there. I know that the image isn't 100% clear but it's the best I could manage at the moment.

more to follow soon.

I think the simpler cover is better for a real manual, but you'd see the more elaborate one on a book sold today. Anyway, I look forward to seeing this project completed!

PS: You spelled San Francisco wrong.

Originally posted by Masao

PS: You spelled San Francisco wrong.

lol.....dammit, I can't believe I did that.
Oh, the shame!

Well spotted there Masao. I'll correct that a.s.a.p.

[Commodore-SirJohn]

I'll see what I can come up with on the warp 5 project over the weekend. Today, I'll be going to see Nemesis...

I like what you've got so far, really nice.

If you use Resistance's shuttlepod diagram, it doesn't look quite right. Resistance, did you trace it off some reference or did you go by eye?

Also, Resistance...I thought those corner circles were some kind of interface button on the computers. Wouldn't it be like having a - and a X in the upper right corner of a book?

Originally posted by FCapt-SirJohn
I'll see what I can come up with on the warp 5 project over the weekend. Today, I'll be going to see Nemesis...

If you need good reference material
to help you with your writing, check this site out:

http://rain.prohosting.com/entcom/

And here you will find some background info on the enterprise nx-01 by it's designer Doug Drexler.

http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/articles/nx01.htm

Without restricting your writing too much, I'd like Drexler's idea's regarding the technical aspects of the ship to be included somewhere, as this info is what gave me the idea for the manual in the first place.

this could be useful too:

http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/inconsistencies3b.htm

Thanks again for offering to contribute, I appreciate your help.

Originally posted by Reverend
What is that UFP/UN style seal intended to represent?
Starfleet? the United Earth Government? or UESPA?
If it's Starfleet or UESPA then I believe their symbols have already been shown onscreen.
The UESPA one being on the side of the Friendship One probe and I believe the 22nd Century Starfleet logo was seen on a flag in San Francisco.

Firstly please keep in mind that this manual is my personal interpretation of the enterprise universe and is not necessarily intended to be 100% cannon.

In my opinion (and I should stress this is only an opinion), we have yet to see a genuine U.E.S.P.A. or 22nd century starfleet logo on screen.

Yes a flag was shown at starfleet headquarters in San Francisco, but it was in the distance and it's design was not at all clear. Interpretations of what was on this flag have been posted on the web, but until we actually see one up close and personal on screen, no one can really say with 100% certainty what's actually on it.

As for the symbol on the side of friendship one, to my knowledge this wasn't actually seen in great detail on screen either, and the art work for the probe which has been released clearly shows what is pretty much the same starfleet pennant as on 23rd and 24th century ships. I consider that to be pretty lame, not to mention lazy on the part of the voyager art department. it would've been better if they'd designed something we have'nt seen before.

In answer to your question the seal on the manual page is intended to be what I feel would be a more plausible U.E.S.P.A./starfleet seal.

I'm just exercising a little artistic license here.

I wonder how many pages it has...
20, 30 thousand

Originally posted by FirstBorg
I wonder how many pages it has...
20, 30 thousand

I'm not sure yet. It depends on a number of factors including:
(a) how much reliable info I can get to put in it.
(b) how much info I have to make up myself.
(c) how much help I can get with the writing and art.

I'm hoping for an absolute minimum of 50 pages, but ideally I'd like at least 100.

If you've seen my earlier posts you'll know that I've already made request for scans, writing, and reference material but so far I have'nt had much response...........Still, it's early days and all that.

Here's the latest update. not much, just a warp drive system schematic for Nx-O1 :



I'm not sure if I'm completely happy with it yet.

Sorry for the image quality. If there's anything you can't quite make out text wise I'd be happy to translate.

I've almost got another page complete and i'm working on a couple of seals. One for "Cochrane Industries" and another for the "warp 5 development project."

I'll post those as soon as I have them finished.

[Commodore-SirJohn]

Sorry I haven't posted the history section yet. I'll try to get to it ASAP.

Had a wonderful idea about how they got from the Phoenix to the Bonaventure (Sternbach's version, not the TAS one) to Enterprise, but I fell asleep before I could get back to the computer to put it on the hard drive... Hopefully, I'll have the inspiration hit again...

EDIT: I posted a "off the top of my head" version over on the Subspace BBS.

Here's another update. I've just completed the seal/logo of the warp five development complex :


I'm going to include some logo's and seals relating to the various projects involved in designing Nx-01 Enterprise. I don't know as yet weather I'll use 'em extensively in the manual or just a few printed on the back cover.

This one for the warp five complex, was designed around the Roman numeral for the number 5.
The winged figure represents the mythological figure of Icarus, which I thought was appropriate for the warp 5 project. I also wanted the design to be simple as possible and it took me several hours to get it to look right.

I've included the full color version and a grey scale version for comparison. I'll probably use the greyscale version somewhere inside the manual.

I've also completed another page for the manual and I'm about to start the "Cochrane Warp Technologies" logo. I'll post those in soon as they're finished. Check back in a day or two.

enjoy...!

Here's another up date for ya.

The corporate logo for Cochrane Warp Technologies ltd. The 22nd century market leader of advanced warp propulsion systems and manufacturer of the warp 5 engine onboard NX-01.



I'm also working on a few other logo's.: Chiokis Starship construction Corp.,the manufacturers of NX-01's spaceframe, The warp 5 development project, Enterprise NX-01 construction, and last but not least The Annular Warp Drive Project logo.(as requested)

Gimme a few more days and Should have a few more pages of schematics etc. to post.

let me know what you think of the latest logo.

If anyone has any ideas for what else should appear in the project, let me know. If I use the Idea you'll be guaranteed a credit in the finished manual.

Totally Awesome work. I am truly impressed with the work done here. I am glad that someone is working on a technical manual for Enterprise. We really need one. :thumbsup:

[Commodore-SirJohn]

You think this is good?

You ought to see what we're doing over on subspacebbs.com

Thanks a lot for the positive comments.

As Sir John pointed out, if you like this I urge you to check out the link here:
http://www.subspacebbs.com/forums/sh...6&pagenumber=1

I garuantee you won't be dissapointed.

Several months back I transferred all posts regarding this project over to subspacebbs, and since then the work done for the manual has literally exploded. It currently numbers over 200 posts and 18 pages worth of stuff. Thanks to the help I am receiving from some truly dedicated and exeptionally talented collaborators such as SIr John , Middy seafort and Jaster, the project has exceeded all my expectations and taken on a life of it's own.

So please check out the work so far and comment, I value all opinions and contributions. I hope to see you there sometime.

theelnombre

[Commodore-SirJohn]

Which reminds me... Are we going to finish this by the end of June? I'd still like to present a copy to Vaughan Armstrong at Shore Leave...

I think it's certainly possible, however I would'nt like to say that it'll definitely be completed as life can be a little unpredictable, so who knows.

It would be nice to present one to Mr. Armstrong sure. maybe even if it's not totally complete you can even present a "first draft" of an almost finished version if necessary. Like I say, only time will tell.

I'm actually a technical writing editor by trade, so I enjoy finding spelling errors.

Here are a few more I noticed on your charts:
Inboard cutaway: "Non-symetrical warp coils" - missing an m in symmetrical.
Warp drive system: "Warp core output tranfer junction" - missing an s in transfer (both port and starboard labels)

Usage error: "Port" and "starboard" mean the left and right SIDES, so "port side" and "starboard side" are redundant.

Also, for the sake of consistency, you should decide on the spelling of certain terms, such as antimatter (anti-matter) and nonsymmetrical (non-symmetrical). Some people use hyphens, some don't (my preference).

Doh!!!! Damn typo's :o

Thanks a lot for the pointers Masao, I'll rectify 'em ASAP.

[General Phoenix]

Wow - some nice progress, guys!

Lemme know when this puppy is finished, and I'll buy a copy.