The Making of the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek Beyond

Summary

In this article, we explore the making of the Starship Enterprise in the 13th Star Trek feature film, Star Trek Beyond. We delve into the extensive work that went into creating the interior and exterior of the ship, including the thousands of screens and display graphics that needed to be designed. We also look at the character work involved in bringing the digital aliens to life and how the team respected the cultural and historical significance of the Enterprise in the Star Trek franchise.

The Enterprise in Star Trek
Building the Interior of the Ship
Designing the Display Graphics
Creating the Digital Aliens
Respecting the Cultural Significance
Conclusion

The Enterprise in Star Trek

For 50 years, fans have enjoyed the Star Trek universe and the near-constant presence of the crew’s home in space, the Starship USS Enterprise NCC-170. However, the Enterprise has not always been treated well and has undergone many changes on screen. In the new film, Double Negative in London headed the visual effects team, with Atomic Fiction providing support by building the inside of the ship.

Building the Interior of the Ship

Ryan Tudhope and Kevin Bailey supervised the work of building up much of the interior of the ship, including new areas such as the manual release room and the new engineering space. The team had to work out all the internal logic and layout of the ship as it would be ripped apart and seen in new ways. Thousands of screens and thousands of things, including props, were created to make the Enterprise believable.

Designing the Display Graphics

The display graphics team, led by Gladys Tong of G-Creative Productions in Vancouver, was responsible for designing all the graphics, from the practical archive screens to the nebular holograms. The graphics were then handed over to companies like Atomic Fiction to animate and bring to life. The team had to make sure that the graphics were understandable and believable to the audience, even though they were completely made up.

Creating the Digital Aliens

Almost all the aliens, apart from Kral himself, were fully CG characters created by Atomic Fiction. Stuntmen were filmed on set to give eye lines, but then the actors were replaced with fully CG aliens. This added to the difficulty of creating the set extensions, as the team had to make sure that the digital characters fit seamlessly into the scene.

Respecting the Cultural Significance

The Enterprise and its design are historical items that reflect both the fictional and filmic Federation ancestry of the last 50 years. The team had to respect the cultural significance of the ship and make sure that the science and engineering made sense within the world of Star Trek. The concept art was crucial in working out the look of the ship.

Conclusion

The making of the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek Beyond was an extensive process that involved building the interior and exterior of the ship, designing the display graphics, and creating the digital aliens. The team had to respect the cultural and historical significance of the Enterprise in the Star Trek franchise while making sure that everything made sense within the world of the film. It was a challenging but rewarding process that brought the beloved starship back to the screen.