skywaterblue

It isn't comprehensive to EVERY PERSON who worked on art in the movie, nor is it comprehensive about every detail I even liked. Just stuff I want to ramble about.

As a child, I used to check out Star Trek reference books from the library and read them straight, so I know way more about Okudagrams and LCARS and Jeffries tubes and flimsy costumes for ladies than is strictly healthy. In fact, I recently realized that the orange coral decorations on my wall look exactly like the design of the TOS Enterprise. My brother pointed it out.

Shameful, shameful imprinting, guys.

This Kelvin crewmember is called Alnschloss K'Bentayr. His design work is by Neville Page, who also designed the big ice planet bug/monsters (and Cloverfield OF COURSE.)

Please ignore the symbol in the corner; I'm using a new batch converter trial. Anyway, this is when Captain Robau, long may he live in spin-off novels, gets stabbed. I like that the ship has the ability to track the health of its members remotely, something the ship never could do before but which only makes sense.

Blueshirts in command?! Obviously as a multitude of people have pointed out, this costume is a throwback to Enterprise, where everyone wore blue. Except that there are goldshirts (and medical in white) in this sequence, so let's say the Kelvin is a science-vessel. (They made it real difficult with that name, eh?)

The thing I really wanted to comment about, is not the uncanon blah blah DELTA SYMBOL wank. Boring. I think the design of the ship is relative to whatever period we're in, and not particularly relevant; the heart of Star Trek isn't in LCARS, but in the relationships, guys.

No, I just think this hollowed out pin is totally rad looking.

Crappy shot. I appreciate the constant immenseness of the planets and stars as we come up on them. The awesomely luminous star in the Kelvin sequence is really memorable, with the tiny escape pods streaming away.

James Clyne is responsible for this, I believe. He also did the excellent hanging cliff buildings of Vulcan, which I have an even worse shot of and won't subject you all too.

Baby!Spock's little educational pod is interesting because it's isolating, which you would expect, but you wouldn't think Vulcans would be so into the bright colors for kids palette. I like that the questions are the same questions he is asked in the first act of Voyage Home, minus the one about how he feels, of course. (Emanuel Kant!)

Oh, and the little IDIC etched into the glass bubble at the center is fun. Especially when he beats the tar out of the bigger kid on it. Take that, made up symbol!

The big corsets on the ladies is probably the first appropriate Vulcan costuming we've seen in a while. Maybe. I kind of liked T'Pol's original brown woven wrap outfit. It's restrictive and corsetry gives women a tall imposing stance and maybe that wouldn't bother Vulcan women because they're adapted to the heat. They're always into scarves for the ladies because it's a desert planet.

I like pleats. Michael Kaplan did the design; don't think he has a website. Are you interested in the history of Vulcan costumes? Yes, no? Memory: Alpha has an article anyway.

Kelvin saltshakers are my dad's 'must have' from this movie. I'm still trying to track down the china Excelsior teacup that Sulu breaks in "Undiscovered Country", a thing he has literally wanted since we first saw it. Someday, I vow, I will get him Star Trek tablewear.

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I like that the viewscreen actually looks out to space, that you can polarize it against the light of a star, and I especially like that it flashes updates about the ship's systems. And they gave the transporter an easily understood symbol, carrying forward the language of electronics design. Nifty.

A firm called Ooo-ii did the new computer consoles. Link is to a lengthy interview about the technical work. This wobbly 'gravity fluctuation' display is really fun looking.

On the transporter display, you can see that Kirk has a rank of Lieutenant by this point in the movie.

The little ship that zooms past Spock's head pleases me as a detail. Escape, Vulcans, escape!

The transporter has a weird joystick thing for locking on to people.

Look, it's alternate universe T'Pau! I also like that the cranial scanner has little Vulcan ears on the display.

Don Lanning did the Keenser design. I found him one night randomly trawling Deviant Art; there's some more Trek stuff and maquettes for Where the Wild Things are and ... just, jealous.

Here's some costuming I think I don't like. While I love the jacket part of Spock Prime's outfit, OMG WHY did they put some Neo-Pagan junkshop belt buckle there. We get it, Spock's in touch with his feminine mystique, okay?

The tribble in her cage is in the background.

Scotty's scarf is the same material as Spock Prime's shirt, amirite? I like the Netflix wrappers and the Klingon Bloodwine mug on his desk, though.

Okay, so this is the real reason I wanted to write about the design of the movie. I'm OBSESSED with this design detail on the door lintel. Does anyone else recognize it? I'll wait a second.

... okay, so it's The Feather of Ma'at, one of the Egyptian Hieroglyphs. Ma'at is the principle of justice from Egyptian philosophy and mythology. With her consort, Thoth, the god of writing and knowledge, she is present at the judgment of the dead. If the heart weighs less than her feather on the scale, then the deceased can proceed to the afterlife.

From Ma'at, the Greeks took Ma'at's scales and gave them to their goddess of Justice, Themis. The Romans took Themis and gave her a blindfold and sword, and from the Romans we get the modern personification, Lady Justice - who continues to sit in judgment in every courthouse in the United States.

Here's Chekov, using one of the digital display boards. Note the little Enterprise and Saturn on the bottom and top of the left side.

Another view, with the moons of Saturn.

Saturn!

These little visual display headsets are a throwback to TOS. I kind of like them, but Chekov doesn't wear one when he beams everyone up earlier, so I kind of wonder what the function is supposed to be, since it's obviously not vital.

The feather of Ma'at again. It's seriously everywhere in the film. The lights are around the transporter turn red when it's engaged. I like that the hazard symbol hasn't changed much in two centuries. (The label reads something like 'do not leave safety area when transporter is engaged'.)

New phasers. I don't have good caps of this scene, just wanted to say I like that they turn blue when it's on stun, and red when it's on kill. And a little clip pops out, whirs, and reloads, but only when they switch settings.

The Jellyfish makes a little IDIC!

The new font faces are: Korataki, Zekton and Domyouji.

More displays for you to see, plus some more feather decals.

Oh yes, and this crewmember with the afro poof, who I mentioned in the big old

spock_uhura black hair wank? I found out her name is Jessica, and she's Sufe Bradshaw. Apparently the bug girl on the bridge is named Madeline, which I totally love.

That's it for the picspam of design, thanks for playing!