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Description

Ported to OBJ from the model created by Rick "p81" Knox for the Starfleet Command (SFC) series of video games. Tikopai design by Aridas Sofia as first published in his Enterprise Evolution Blueprints (DDB), itself directly derived fromn the early form of the revised upgraded Enterprise as created by Andrew Probert for TMP pre-production purposes. Preview picture posed in XNALara XPS. NO MODEL DOWNLOAD.

Okay, what's a good way to share this data and keep it short? This is the original re-design as initially approved for the TMP Enterprise by Andrew Probert, based of course on the prior efforts of Mike Minor and Matt Jeffries for the aborted Star Trek Phase 2 (STP2) television series but with Mr. Probert going his own way on a lot of features. Why the redesign? Because going to the big screen required a more detailed model, and the old design (while very nice) just wasn't going to cut it. As you can see this is very close to the final form of Enterprise for TMP and the only other changes that were made were some additional tweaks here and extra detailing there (such as the exterior below the bridge). One other feature to note on which fans have mightily expounded upon in the past is that the dimensions of everything aren't quite the same. Why? Because this concept of the new Enterprise wasn't just a mere overhaul and selected systems upgrade with new warp engines added. This was going to be a totally rebuilt ship, and that would help explain why she looked the way she did when compared to her old TOS form. I'd say it was a good idea. Wouldn't you? XD

When Aridas Sofia created his wonderful Enterprise Evolution Blueprints set (EEB) back in the day he took Mr. Probert's original concept for the rebuilt Enterprise, tweaked it a bit more, and included it as the Tikopai class. He also expounded mightily upon it as to why it might exist in the TMP era, as have others since (including me), and Tikopai's backstory mirrors in part her actual real-world origins. Tikopai was going to be the original form that Starfleet wanted for its new Class I heavy cruiser at the start of the TMP era, but it was strongly encouraged by more than a few experienced folks (include Enterprise chief engineer Mr. Scott) that it needed even more tweaking. That's how you get the final form of the Enterprise class as it's known in the Gunther/Sofia school of classic Trek fandom. The story doesn't stop there, however, because eventually cost did become a factor and the original Tikopai program was brought back as a lower-cost alternative to the full Enterprise upgrade. Starfleet got away with it by justifying that it could always take a Tikopai and upgrade it to the more robust Enterprise spec whenever it was needed, although there was a lot of debate about this at the time. Fortunately this never had to be done once the Praxis Event occurred (STVI) and the eventual signing of the Khitomer Accords that brought the long-standing threat of war with the Klingon Empire to a more or less permanent end. No Tikopai was ever upgraded the rest of the way to the full Enterprise class spec, and they eventually ended their service lives pretty much in the same form as when they had first been built save for the usual and typical in-service refits and selected small upgrades and such.

One final note. Because of its very close likeness to Enterprise, some fans have argued that Tikopai is still around in the TNG/DS9/VOY era and we might be seeing a reactivated Tikopai anywhere we think we might be seeing a reactivated Enterprise in selected episodes of those various shows. I'm not going to say yea or nay either way; you guys and gals can take that theory and do with it whatever you want. I could see some Tikopais being kept around for quite a while as parts hulks to keep the better Enterprise class cruisers in service, and there are many real world examples of this in naval history during the 20th and 21st centuries, for instance (a good example is USS Lexington [CV-16] and her four mothballed sisters, go look them up!). Of course, as with everyone's individual thread(s) in the Trek multiverse, this is your call for yours.

Tikopai's canon status depends on which source you go by. If you go by Andrew Probert's original TMP pre-production design sketches then it's probably safe to say it's semi-canon. If you go by the Aridas Sofia version then it's fanon, even though all of his work is based on or derived from Mr. Probert's. Most people accept it as semi-canon period, although you rarely see Tikopai get used given the availability of the somewhat better and more popular Enterprise. Whatever works for you, folks.

Live long and prosper.

ASIDE - My personal advice, if you use Tikopai in your stuff, is to use this "as is" as your cookie-cutter Feddie TMP era heavy cruiser and save the better Enterprise class either as a upgrade you can get later or for use right away as existing upgraded flagship types (not command cruisers, just flagship types). You, kind of like the way World of Warships does for selected classes in everyone's navies? "This (Tikopai) is the base model, but for 10,000 experience points more we'll give you the Legendary Flagship Upgrade (Enterprise), which adds all of this ...." Of course, who listens to me?

Description

Ported to OBJ from the model created by Rick "p81" Knox for the Starfleet Command (SFC) series of video games. Tikopai design by Aridas Sofia as first published in his Enterprise Evolution Blueprints (DDB), itself directly derived fromn the early form of the revised upgraded Enterprise as created by Andrew Probert for TMP pre-production purposes. Preview picture posed in XNALara XPS. NO MODEL DOWNLOAD.

Okay, what's a good way to share this data and keep it short? This is the original re-design as initially approved for the TMP Enterprise by Andrew Probert, based of course on the prior efforts of Mike Minor and Matt Jeffries for the aborted Star Trek Phase 2 (STP2) television series but with Mr. Probert going his own way on a lot of features. Why the redesign? Because going to the big screen required a more detailed model, and the old design (while very nice) just wasn't going to cut it. As you can see this is very close to the final form of Enterprise for TMP and the only other changes that were made were some additional tweaks here and extra detailing there (such as the exterior below the bridge). One other feature to note on which fans have mightily expounded upon in the past is that the dimensions of everything aren't quite the same. Why? Because this concept of the new Enterprise wasn't just a mere overhaul and selected systems upgrade with new warp engines added. This was going to be a totally rebuilt ship, and that would help explain why she looked the way she did when compared to her old TOS form. I'd say it was a good idea. Wouldn't you? XD

When Aridas Sofia created his wonderful Enterprise Evolution Blueprints set (EEB) back in the day he took Mr. Probert's original concept for the rebuilt Enterprise, tweaked it a bit more, and included it as the Tikopai class. He also expounded mightily upon it as to why it might exist in the TMP era, as have others since (including me), and Tikopai's backstory mirrors in part her actual real-world origins. Tikopai was going to be the original form that Starfleet wanted for its new Class I heavy cruiser at the start of the TMP era, but it was strongly encouraged by more than a few experienced folks (include Enterprise chief engineer Mr. Scott) that it needed even more tweaking. That's how you get the final form of the Enterprise class as it's known in the Gunther/Sofia school of classic Trek fandom. The story doesn't stop there, however, because eventually cost did become a factor and the original Tikopai program was brought back as a lower-cost alternative to the full Enterprise upgrade. Starfleet got away with it by justifying that it could always take a Tikopai and upgrade it to the more robust Enterprise spec whenever it was needed, although there was a lot of debate about this at the time. Fortunately this never had to be done once the Praxis Event occurred (STVI) and the eventual signing of the Khitomer Accords that brought the long-standing threat of war with the Klingon Empire to a more or less permanent end. No Tikopai was ever upgraded the rest of the way to the full Enterprise class spec, and they eventually ended their service lives pretty much in the same form as when they had first been built save for the usual and typical in-service refits and selected small upgrades and such.

One final note. Because of its very close likeness to Enterprise, some fans have argued that Tikopai is still around in the TNG/DS9/VOY era and we might be seeing a reactivated Tikopai anywhere we think we might be seeing a reactivated Enterprise in selected episodes of those various shows. I'm not going to say yea or nay either way; you guys and gals can take that theory and do with it whatever you want. I could see some Tikopais being kept around for quite a while as parts hulks to keep the better Enterprise class cruisers in service, and there are many real world examples of this in naval history during the 20th and 21st centuries, for instance (a good example is USS Lexington [CV-16] and her four mothballed sisters, go look them up!). Of course, as with everyone's individual thread(s) in the Trek multiverse, this is your call for yours.

Tikopai's canon status depends on which source you go by. If you go by Andrew Probert's original TMP pre-production design sketches then it's probably safe to say it's semi-canon. If you go by the Aridas Sofia version then it's fanon, even though all of his work is based on or derived from Mr. Probert's. Most people accept it as semi-canon period, although you rarely see Tikopai get used given the availability of the somewhat better and more popular Enterprise. Whatever works for you, folks.

Live long and prosper.

ASIDE - My personal advice, if you use Tikopai in your stuff, is to use this "as is" as your cookie-cutter Feddie TMP era heavy cruiser and save the better Enterprise class either as a upgrade you can get later or for use right away as existing upgraded flagship types (not command cruisers, just flagship types). You, kind of like the way World of Warships does for selected classes in everyone's navies? "This (Tikopai) is the base model, but for 10,000 experience points more we'll give you the Legendary Flagship Upgrade (Enterprise), which adds all of this ...." Of course, who listens to me?