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FORGOTTEN TREK: Designing the TMP Drydock

FORGOTTEN TREK: Designing the TMP Drydock


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Phase II


Phase II
The Motion Picture
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Starlog
Star Trek
The Motion Picture

Given the variety in shapes and sizes among Starfleet vessels, “I thought it would be a good idea to have an all purpose dry dock that would change shape to conform to these other ships as well,” he said. “In one design, I utilized hinged modular sections.”This was further simplified and eventually, “the design came back full circle and we ended up with a box shape again” — similar to Minor’s original idea.

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The drydock reappeared in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan but due to that movie’s limited budget, footage had to be recycled from The Motion Picture.It also later appeared in Star Trek Generations when Industrial Light & Magic heavily modified it for the scene in which the Enterprise-B is seen leaving drydock in a scene reminiscent of the one in The Motion Picture.Nick Ottens is the man behind the Forgotten Trek website. The site bills itself as "the largest resource about the production and behind the scenes of Star Trek." Online since 2002, it features concept art, photographs and interviews, some of which has never been published before.. or until now. Be sure to visit the site at Forgotten Trek and keep an eye on StarTrek.com for future pieces from the site's archive.