Huston Huddleston Wants You To Help Save the Star Trek TNG Set

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Huston Huddleston Wants You To Help Save the Star Trek TNG Set

Posted by timothy on Sunday October 21, 2012 @03:44AM from the ok-this-demands-a-video-visit dept.

New submitter ShadoCat points out this interesting project to restore the set of Star Trek: The Next Generation, writing: "This isn't the original set unfortunately (which was destroyed making the ST:Generations movie). This is one that Paramount created for display in 1991. Huston Huddleston saved the pieces of the set late 2011 when they were about to be trashed by Paramount. Huddleston and crew will be refitting the set with working displays and controls. They plan to host parties and educational events in the set which, apparently, is big enough to hold a large number of students. For safety though, I hope they add circuit breakers (a technology along with seat belts that seems to have been lost in the 24th century)."

20 of 131 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

Space the final frontier? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-21 03:52 · Score: 5, Funny

I don't understand why Paramount do this from time to time, other than to make room for the new stuff. Why don't they just chuck everything in the holodeck?
1. Re:Space the final frontier? by hawguy · 2012-10-21 05:49 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  I don't understand why Paramount do this from time to time, other than to make room for the new stuff. Why don't they just chuck everything in the holodeck?
  Because the Holodeck isn't infinite in size - it's an ordinary room (you can see the actual size when people enter it before it's turned on). The unlimited size with the ability to walk endlessly in any direction is an illusion generated by force fields (i.e. virtual treadmills). If they kept throwing junked movie sets in there, it would eventually fill up just like any storage room.
2. Re:Space the final frontier? by K.+S.+Kyosuke · 2012-10-21 06:29 · Score: 2
  
  Hah, I bet that the computer can transparently transport any inanimate stuff into Cargo Bay 3 and replace it with a holographic copy until time arises that someone needs to fetch it back.
  
  --
  Ezekiel 23:20
3. Re:Space the final frontier? by Grishnakh · 2012-10-21 07:00 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  They didn't say that the displays and controls would actually control real devices, just that the displays and controls would themselves work.
  I'm pretty sure that back in the 80s when they filmed ST:TNG, none of the displays and controls actually did anything: they didn't make beeping noises, there were no actual displays, etc. All that stuff was added in post-production. The actors were just pushing on the LCARS panels at random, with nothing happening when they did. When Data read pages of text at ridiculous speed, I could be wrong but that might not have even been there, he might have been looking at a blank panel, with the cool graphics added in later.
  It sounds like these guys want to refit the sets so there's actual monitors in the displays, displaying information that looks like it's from the show, and the control panels so that they're actual working touch panels where you can press the "buttons" and get beeps and maybe some realistic-looking information on the built-in displays when you do. If so, that's a pretty ambitious project, but it's quite doable with today's technology. The biggest challenge would be making the touch panels I think.
4. Re:Space the final frontier? by contrapunctus · 2012-10-21 07:15 · Score: 2
  
  (Morbo voice): holodecks do not work that way!
  (I would have put it in all caps but slashdot didn't let me).
5. Re:Space the final frontier? by Grishnakh · 2012-10-21 12:05 · Score: 2
  
  Not necessarily: the form factors are odd. I'm thinking especially of the helm and nav stations at the front of the bridge: they're long and narrow. You can't take a touchscreen and saw it in half; it has to be manufactured in its final shape. So they have to find something that's already made in the right size. Maybe they could get 2 or 3 screens to fit together.
  However, they don't have to use touchscreen LCD displays for these things; they can just have the regular backlit static controls, and overlay them with a glass touch panel (and maybe embed some smaller LCDs in there). There are companies that can manufacture custom-size capacitive touch panels; they're pretty simple, just glass panels with ultra-thin wires sandwiched between them in a grid.
Is it mounted on gimbals? by Smallpond · 2012-10-21 03:55 · Score: 3, Funny

I hope whenever it is hit by a blast from enemy weapons everybody can fall over to the left and then to the right.
I will take Deanna Troi's clothing by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-21 04:18 · Score: 2, Interesting

particularly her bra collection...
TNG set destroyed by religious+freak · 2012-10-21 04:36 · Score: 3, Interesting

I guess the original TNG set was *intentionally* destroyed by Paramount in the making of Generations? I actually didn't know that. Here's a little paragraph explaining. If anyone has a bit more info, let me know.

http://movies.trekcore.com/generations/behindthescenes.html (see "Brent Spiner also comments on filming the saucer crash scene:" section)

I'm actually surprised a set would be usable as a destroyed starship set. You'd think the cheap, fake plastic parts would be obvious on screen?

--
If you can read this... 01110101 01110010 00100000 01100001 00100000 01100111 01100101 01100101 01101011
Build the Enterprise by Shakrai · 2012-10-21 04:52 · Score: 2

Why limit it to an educational facility? These guys have a plan to make a functional spacecraft out of the basic design, with technology that's available today, albeit never used on this scale before. It's quite the interesting read, and I believe it's been mentioned on /. before.

--
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
Re:SF museum in Seattle not an option??? by drainbramage · 2012-10-21 04:53 · Score: 3, Informative

This Science Fiction Museum in Seattle is still open: http://www.empsfm.org/at-the-museum/current-exhibits/icons-of-science-fiction.aspx#
It is part of the EMP and tickets are $20 or less.
Display pieces include items such as an Imperial Dalek from Doctor Who, the command chair from the classic television series Star Trek, and Neo’s coat from The Matrix Reloaded.
If you know where the Science Fiction Museum in Seattle was, that you say went bust, this Science Fiction Museum in Seattle will be easy to find.

--
No brain, no pain.
Re:SF museum in Seattle not an option??? by Animats · 2012-10-21 05:12 · Score: 2

This Science Fiction Museum in Seattle is still open:
It's just a temporary exhibit (pictures) at what's really a rock music museum now. The permanent science fiction museum closed in 2011.
Working Enterprise??? by uvajed_ekil · 2012-10-21 05:21 · Score: 4, Funny

Huddleston and crew will be refitting the set with working displays and controls.
Working controls? If the helm and weapons controls actually function as intended I'll buy the whole set!

--
This is a hacked account, for which the owner can not be held responsible.
1. Re:Working Enterprise??? by Megahard · 2012-10-21 05:58 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  True story, my sister, who is much more a trekkie than me, took her little girl to a convention. The little one got all excited on seeing a phaser on display, then was greatly disappointed after picking it up and discovering that it was not operational.
  
  --
  I eat only the real part of complex carbohydrates.
24th Century by TrekkieGod · 2012-10-21 05:35 · Score: 4, Funny

For safety though, I hope they add circuit breakers (a technology along with seat belts that seems to have been lost in the 25th century)."
TNG's period was the 24th century, not the 25th.
Nerds these days, missing the most basic of knowledge. Back in my days, we could tell you the stardates of different episodes from memory and wore an onion on our belts, because that was the style at the time.

--
Warning: Opinions known to be heavily biased.
1. Re:24th Century by pangu · 2012-10-21 07:14 · Score: 2
  
  For safety though, I hope they add circuit breakers (a technology along with seat belts that seems to have been lost in the 25th century)."
  TNG's period was the 24th century, not the 25th.
  Nerds these days, missing the most basic of knowledge. Back in my days, we could tell you the stardates of different episodes from memory and wore an onion on our belts, because that was the style at the time.
  I wore Orion on my belt, which will be the style at the time.
What is the point, really? by 93+Escort+Wagon · 2012-10-21 06:30 · Score: 2

Although I'm a Star Trek fan, I wouldn't feel a compelling interest in saving even the original set - but a replica built for display? Really, what's the point in that?

--
#DeleteChrome
Re:Stupid waste of time and space by Grishnakh · 2012-10-21 07:21 · Score: 3, Insightful

TNG was a great show. It wasn't perfect, it wasn't hyper-gritty and dark like everything these days seems to try to be, and it sure as hell wasn't realistic in its depiction of humans (somehow in the 24th century, humans are all extremely competent and not very prone to Jerry Springer-esque drama and idiocy), but it was great fun to watch, and the acting was good for an 80s TV show, though admittedly the first season was a little rough with some of the actors. The stories were excellent for the most part, with a few exceptions as you'd expect on a show that ran for 7 seasons. I just went back and rewatched much of the series over the last few months and enjoyed it thoroughly. I do have to admit though that I tended to avoid episodes which were 1) in the first season, 2) included Wesley as a major character (again, mostly season 1), 3) involved Lwaxana Troi, or 4) involved Q. This isn't to say all these episodes were bad though; the S1 episode "Conspiracy" for instance was one of the best episodes in the whole series.
I do have to admit, however, that probably my favorite thing about TNG is its depiction of humans. It's completely unrealistic, because it shows humans as we (or at least some of us) wish they were: competent, intelligent, considerate, thoughtful, just, and not corrupt. It shows a society I wish I could live in, but which doesn't exist, and probably never will due to human nature. But that makes it good escapist entertainment. Many times, I don't really want to watch a show/movie that shows humans as they really are. If I wanted to do that, I could watch Jerry Springer or Maury Povitch; you can see stupid humans in their full glory there. I see enough of that crap in real life; why would I want to watch more of it on TV?
Re:Did not like set design of TNG by Grishnakh · 2012-10-21 07:27 · Score: 3, Informative

Star Trek V? There was no Star Trek V movie. They inexplicably went straight from IV (the whales movie) to VI (the one where they make peace with the Klingons).
Re:Stupid waste of time and space by Y-Crate · 2012-10-21 11:49 · Score: 2

I like Star Trek, and I tried to watch TNG again recently, and it sucks. The acting is shitty, the sets look crappy, and the stories are stupid.
Try DS9. MUCH better sets, better lighting, better stories and better ac... just watch it.