Star Trek question (where is Engineering ?)

[Earth 2 Chris]

I have to admit, this aspect of Trek bores me to tears. I get into the character history, but the ship layout never mattered to me. I think it was pretty loosey-goosey on TOS, much like who they flippin' worked for, and whether they were military.

Chris

[johnmiic]

I think Matt Jeffries designed the engine room to be in the secondary hull. The shape of the beams on the celing match the shape of the secondary hull more than the primary hull the way it's oriented. I think the intent was to suggest those beams were on the starboard side of the ship. The view down the intermix rows was looking aft:



Just like the beams in he Briefing Room suggested that room was near the curve of the saucer:



The rows of glowing tubes were probably supposed to be under the warp pylons, behind the neck of the ship and not as part of the impulse engines.

The Saucer Seperation was mentioned in an episode once. So there had to be a secondary engine room in the saucer. Also there was a line in Day of the Dove where they mention most of the crew is trapped below decks while in the upper levels the Klingons keep trying to hijack the ship. That line make less sense if main engineering is in the secondary hull. There are more decks below the saucer spot for Main Engineering to hold the crew than if it's in the secondary hull.



The blueprints and Tech Manual were drafted after the show was off the air. I don't think Matt Jefferies was consulted or maybe this would have gone the other way. I have to give kudos to Franz Joseph tho. He did a great job interpeting the sets and finding places for things in the ship's interior.

[mego73]

The Tech Manual is not considered (so called) cannon but it's cool anyway.

[mego73]

I pretty sure that due to Scotty's constant battle with alcoholism....JJ's enginnering is now a brewery.

That was a big bugging point of that movie. I almost expected to find Bob Mckenzie in one of those tanks (Take off ayyy!)

[johnmiic]

The Tech Manual is not considered (so called) cannon but it's cool anyway.

At the time it was published I think cannon was furthest from everyone's minds. The show was off the air with little expectation it would be brought back, (at least not to resemble what it used to look like). The sets were long gone. They just trusted Franz Joseph to come up with these 2 great works of art.