Damon Lindelof talks STID, Red Shirts, Easter Eggs, Cumberbatch and loads more

[that_therapist]

Really good read this. Lindelof talks about how casting Cumberbatch had them go back and tweak the script, how much time has passed between the films, why they didn't film on the Paramount lot and loads more. Will take a while to get through it, but well worth a look.

http://collider.com/damon-lindelof-star-trek-2-into-darkness-interview/220137/

Comments

[ayaneva]

No, it's much bigger. Although in the 9 minute under water shot, you're right that it looks to be about 300 meters, which is definitely the wrong size. Goddammit, ILM! My guess is that it's an intentional ILM sizing error for aesthetic reasons. If the ship was the proper size Kirk and Spock would be little specks and you'd barely be able to see them under water. ILM has given an approximate size for the Abramsprise that is between 725.35 meters long and 763 meters long, depending on which designer you ask on any given day. Unless, of course, they've changed their minds and scaled it back down, although I doubt it because JJ was the one who wanted it scaled up in the first place.

Here's the method I used with the 2009 movie to figure out the size (others used different methods but obtained similar results. All of us, hilariously enough, were in the ballpark of the official figures). OK so take the scene where Kirk and Bones are standing next to the shuttle, figure out how tall Karl Urban and Chris Pine are. From there you can figure out the height of the shuttle. Skip to the scene where the shuttle is entering the shuttle bay and you can use the height of the shuttle to figure out the approximate dimensions of the shuttle bay doors. Take those measurements and look at a shot of the Abramsprise where you can see the open shuttle bay in relation to the rest of the ship, use the the shuttle bay height, figure out the measurements for the rest of the ship. All you need are stills from the movie (I used stills from the trailers) and a ruler or tape measure up against your computer screen.

...yeah there were like 15 of us who argued endlessly over the size of the ship, which resulted in increasingly ridiculous attempts to measure the damn thing. I'm pretty sure someone was counting pixels at one point. LOL

[that_therapist]

Right, let's try this again. I replied to this last night, and it never posted. I can't even remember most of what I wanted to say now...

Anyway, I'm one of these people sticks his fingers in his ears and refuses to believe this 700 metre malarkey until it's mentioned on screen and therefore becomes canon. Sorry! lol But it does seem that ickle Kirk and Bones being the just-about-right relative size while swimming into the airlock seems to have upset the apple tart once again!

And I remember discussions just like that from when the film came out from when I was on message boards! Is startrekmovie.com still active, or have Paramount taken it off-line?

[ayaneva]

lol I hate it when LJ does that. If I'm typing a long reply or comment, I sometimes save it in word. I've lost one too many comments to Frank the goat chewing on the wires.

As for the size of the ship, I figure the people who designed it are the ultimate authorities on what size the ship is supposed to be since they made it. If they say it's 725+ meters long then I certainly won't tell them that they're wrong. They rendered it after all. I just go with the flow and create an in-universe explanation for the size differential- more for my own amusement than out of necessity. If ILM changes their mind and says it's only 300 meters after all than I'll go with that too. I'm really not too hung up on the size, tbh. I'm always curious about why people really hate the ship being larger than 300 meters. It's a different universe so there's absolutely no reason for the ship to be the same size as it was in the Prime universe. It could be but there's nothing that says it has to be. It could go the other way and be only 150 meters instead or something. The Star-Dinghy Enterprise.

I imagine the boards are off-line since they're revamping the site for the new film. I'm sure they'll add new forums back to the site before the film comes out though. Or maybe not. They started off as a lot of fun but a sudden influx of shit-stirring users and increasingly arbitrary moderation ruined the forum. If they have forums for the new film, I hope they have more moderators on hand and less subjective moderation.

[that_therapist]

Right, now that LJ is now back in fine working order and not getting attacked my malicious virus hacker people... XD I was also unaware that the goat had a name! :o

I like your thoughts of the size of the ship, and like you, I'm not too hung up on the size at the end of the day. As long as they deliver unto me reasonably entertaining movie that reminds me of Trek, I'm happy. But I've seen some people across message boards that totally flip when the subject is brought up. lol I'm not big on the nacelles or the Budweiser brewery for Engineering, but she's an OK ship at the end of the day.

Sounds like the Paramount board went something like the same way the happened to startrek.com when CBS revamped and reopened it. Shit heads and bullshit moderation took charge. CBS are more interested in the st.com store than anything else on that rubbish site.