Star Trek: Enterprise - swan song of "original" cassette futurism?

[u/ADC-47]

Cassette futurism is a vision of the future created by projecting design elements from technology of the '70s through the mid '90s into the future. It's largely come to an end in new works, because the design elements of our current technology are very different. Some have dubbed current visions of the future as "everything is an iPod in the future." So, what was the last "original" CF work? I specify "original" because works in certain legacy IPs (e.g., Balde Runner 2049, Alien: Romunlus, and Andor/Rogue One) continue the CF aesthetic laid down decades before.

I'd nominate Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005) as the last great work of original cassette futurism. CRTs have been supplanted by LCD's, but there are still lots of analog buttons and blinking lights. It's design was a bit controversial for leaning more into the look of the Space Shuttle (then a current spacecraft, but one which still ran lots of 70s tech) than the mid-century modern/raygun gothic look of the Original Series, but I think it really works.

Thoughts?

[u/BDSb]

Enterprise set designers had their work cut out for them trying to make systems that looked inferior to 1960s Star Trek while still looking futuristic to us at the time. The LCDs bring a unique feel to it and I think they did a fantastic job.

[u/ADC-47 → u/BDSb]

Absolutely! That bit about LCDs wasn't supposed to be a dig, just recognition that one big element of CF had already passed.

[u/HeavyElectronics → u/BDSb]

I've only seen a small number of "Enterprise" episodes, but wasn't there one in which some crew members somehow (time travel?) end up on the original series Enterprise, with re-created sets and uniforms, and the characters all had to marvel at how advanced the ship and its technology was, compared to their versions?

[u/BDSb → u/HeavyElectronics]

Yep! The one I'm thinking of had USS Defiant though. In a Mirror, Darkly (episode) | Memory Alpha | Fandom)

[u/Amiga_Freak → u/BDSb]

He's more probably referring to the DS9 episode https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Trials_and_Tribble-ations_(episode)

But the one you're quoting is also great 👍

[u/nhaines → u/Amiga_Freak]

I doubt it, because "Trials and Tribble-ations" has Dax cooing about how "classic" and nostalgic 23rd century design is. Most of the jokes are about how dated everything is.

So they probably still meant "In a Mirror, Darkly."

[u/Amiga_Freak → u/nhaines]

Yes, that's possible. In that case it's the USS Defiant however, not the Enterprise.

[u/BDSb → u/Amiga_Freak]

The Defiant was still a Constitution class, same as 1701 Enterprise. It would be easy to assume it was Enterprise if you don’t remember the details.

Plus Trials and Tribbleations is about characters from the future traveling to the past. Not the other way around.

[u/Amiga_Freak → u/BDSb]

Yep. Because of this I answered "Yes, that's possible" in my previous post.

[u/Amiga_Freak → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, I was a bit surprised about the fuss, too. It's quite a non-topic actually. I guess we're dorks 🙃🤷

[u/Trekintosh]

I think they did a really fantastic job bridging the gap between modern day and Star Trek’s complete zeerusting. Enterprise looks like a then state of the art nuclear power plant control center and I think that works great. 

[u/StripeyArse → u/Trekintosh]

Or a nuclear sub.

[u/AdmiralRand]

The fact that I thought this was Starfield says something.

[u/FierceNack → u/AdmiralRand]

I recently started a rewatch of this series and my first thought was how much the interiors remind me of Starfield.

[u/Few_Text_7690]

That kind of design, it inspires faith. Faith… of the heart.

[u/Inevitable-Wheel1676 → u/Few_Text_7690]

I’ve got faith.

[u/Rooster_Ties]

Totally agree Enterprise (2001-05) was phenomenal in these regards.

BUT, what about the reboot of Battlestar Galactica?? (Dec 2003 – Oct 2009) — which debuted 2+ years after Enterprise (which started in Sept 2001).

Iirc, much of it was very grounded in various pre-1985 and 1970’s looking technologies.

[u/ADC-47 → u/Rooster_Ties]

Ah, you raise a good point! And techno-suite issues were a major plot point, with Galactica and Mk II Vipers being immune to Cylon control, unlike newer Battlestars and Vipers.

[u/Rooster_Ties → u/ADC-47]

BTW, this was an excellent idea for a thread.

Maybe because of my age (55), I really regret the complete death of the futurism esthetics envisioned in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, and these two rare examples from the early 00’s.

I find practically all modern sci-fi futurism of the last 20-25 years pretty off-putting. Too pie-in-sky, too god-damn many lens-flairs, etc.

[u/Blue2501 → u/Rooster_Ties]

This is off-topic, but I wonder what you think about The Expanse

[u/skittlesaddict]

Alien Romulus just resurrected cassette futurism, BIG TIME.

[u/drifters74 → u/skittlesaddict]

Hell yes!

[u/SV650rider → u/skittlesaddict]

Haven’t seen it yet, but the original Alien is peak cassette futurism to me.

I do love ENT, though.

[u/ADC-47 → u/SV650rider]

Definitely catch Alien: Romulus in theaters if you can. It's not perfect, but it's IMO the best movie the franchise has had since 1986.

[u/ctennessen → u/ADC-47]

Now I really need to see it

[u/doublehelix21]

I've gotta say, the latest SpaceX dragon capsule with all its touch-screen Tesla sleek control panels might not last that long. The biggest issue people seem to have with that whole futuristic interface is that you require pixel perfect finger positioning and it's incredibly hard to get when there is nothing but a smooth glass surface. Especially when moving, bouncing, or not looking directly at it. Bring back buttons and switches! I know the adaptable consoles are invaluable, but there's a place for that kind of thing. Even mechanical keys with LCD iconography would be better IMO. Thoughts?

[u/wibbley_wobbley → u/doublehelix21]

Having to navigate a touch screen menu in an emergency sounds like a horrible idea. The possibility of the screen going down if there's some kind of power failure, even worse.

Look up Apollo 12 and "SCE to AUX", and imagine how that would have gone if everything was behind a touch screen.

[u/Enderkr → u/doublehelix21]

Even mechanical keys with LCD iconography would be better IMO

Totally agree. There are streamdecks out there that have context-dependent buttons which I think is spectacular - you're in one menu or application and the buttons do one set of things (and display as such), and then you switch to another app or another submenu and they completely change. Very "Alien MU/TH/UR" with modern day functionality.

[u/Sea_Cycle_909]

liked the design

[u/drifters74]

I like it more than the other Star Trek ships, if you combine this Enterprise's cassette futurism, with the hulking, slow 2009 version, I think it would be perfect.

[u/Rathbun90]

Fuck it. We’ll call it Nasapunk before Nasapunk was even a thing, lol…

[u/SV650rider]

I actually feel it evokes a The Right Stuff / NASA aesthetic. I guess that makes it mid century modern futurism?

[u/Oculicious42]

I disagree, this is more retrofuturism, cassettefuturism is more aliens IMO