There will be a lot of controversy over the change in the look of the original Enterprise. It is arguably the most recognized fictional space craft in the world. Of course the opinions vary widely. Some people love it and some people hate it. Even if you aren't in love with the new look, hopefully this page will pursuade you that the new ship doesn't deserve your ire. I am going to analyze what we were able to see of it at the end of Discovery's season 1 finale: "Will You Take My Hand?"

The designers of the new look for the Enterprise had to walk a knife's edge. The 1960's look for the ship was no longer supportable in the modern day, but being so well known, changing the ship completely would have angered most of the fan base. Added to the issue was the fact that the Enterprise being shown was 10 years newer than the ship seen on the original series, and that needed to be visually apparent as well.

When we first see the Enterprise NCC-1701, it is recognizable and at first most fans probably can't see any difference other than the Star Trek Discovery choice to have ships self-lit, closer to the style of Star Trek The Motion Picture. The overall shape looks identical from this head-on view.

As the ship approaches closer we begin to notice some differences. The hull has far more details and windows than in TOS. We could expect this change, as a minimum, in order to make the ship seem realistic. The saucer has a more tapered edge, which produces a nice aesthetic. The panels on the saucer seem to have a basic ring and spoke scheme, which is in keeping with the detail we have seen in more modern renderings of the ship. The texture, though apears to match closer to the Motion Picture Enterprise. The nacelles have had their components exaggerated to prevent them from looking like basic, unremarkable tubes like they once did. The deflector dish and front of the ship seem much the same except for added detail and texture.

As the ship passes by, we begin to notice more radical changes. The neck maintains its size from top to bottom like the Motion Picture Enterprise. I like this change because it gives the ship structure, making the connection between saucer and hull seem less precarious. The secondary hull has an overall shape closely matching TMP ship. It is slightly rounder with a less dramtic cut up to the shuttle bay. The shuttle bay has an extended launch area. The inside of the nacelles glow blue. We have never seen this before, to my knowledge, but all other starfleet ships have this blue glow, so it stands to reason the Enterprise would follow suit. The burssard collector (the red half sphere at the front of the nacelle) is held in place in similar style to the NX-01. A nod to the ship's predecessor.

The pylons are interesting. Each one is divided into two parts by a long cutout section. The front section would almost be like the original Enterprise, but it is slightly tapered. The aft portion, when combined with its partner, has a similar shape to the TMP ship. We see now that the shuttle bay is more angular to give a streamlined feel.

The impulse engines have changed as well. They are further apart and look more like they propell the ship than the simple squares that were present in TOS. The nacelle pylons look far more solid and structurally sound to me.

The rear of the nacelles appear just as they did in the TOS pilot episode "The Cage", with the addition of a blue glow. This helps to indicate that this is a newer ship than that we saw in TOS. The name of the ship is self-lit, once agin like TMP.

Finally, we see the size of the ship compared to Discovery. They are similar in size, it appears.

My conclusion is that the changes to the ship bring it into the modern era as subtlely as possible. Some fans will have difficulty finding the differences, while the die-hard fans will either love or hate the changes. We must remember that it is Star Trek's attention to detail and immersiveness that even make it possible for fans to be so wrapped up in a world where every slight difference is noticed. Almost no ther show achieves a level of continuity that it would be worth the time noting the changes to the visual elements. Star Trek is not about continuity. Gene Roddenbery told the new writers on Star Trek TNG not to watch the original series. Gene wanted something new. That is part of Star Trek's heart: sailing into the future. I think the changes to the Enterprise fit very well. It is apparent how this ship could be modified into the ship that appears in TMP. Simultaneously there are elements that tie the ship with both Discovery and previous star fleet ships. I commend the team for the excellent work.