Redresses of the Mazarite Shuttle
by Jörg Hillebrand, Alice Orbán and Bernd Schneider
This little ship was seen a total of four times, exactly once in each of the four seasons of Star Trek Enterprise. Only for one appearance, as the Enolian shuttle, the CG model was extensively modified. On the other three occasions it remained more or less unchanged.
1. Mazarite shuttle (ENT: "Fallen Hero")
2. Enolian shuttle (ENT: "Canamar")
3. Denobulan shuttle (ENT: "Twilight")
4. Augment shuttle (ENT: "Borderland")
Analysis
Mazarite shuttle
The CG model is first seen in season 1 in ENT: "Fallen Hero" as the Mazarite shuttle. The two yellow glowing slots on either side and a kind of rail or landing pad on the underside of the shuttle are characteristic features. The hull color is brown. The shuttle docks with Enterprise, but no docking port is visible on the design.
Enolian shuttle
For the appearance as an Enolian spacecraft in ENT: "Canamar", the model was heavily modified to make it look much more detailed. The color of the hull is more grayish now, so it matches that of the Enolian prison ship better. The shape of the yellow areas was not modified, but they glow much paler here, almost white. In addition, the hull was modified in several places and new light sources were added.
Comparing the rear of the Denobulan and Enolian shuttles, one major new structure that has been added is an angular docking area on either side of the Enolian design. This was necessary because in a later scene in "Canamar" we can see how a docking hatch is extended and the shuttle docks with Enterprise. Before that, we can already see how it is connected to the Enolian prison transport.
Many small details have been added to the previously smooth hull, which is also clearly visible on the underside. The landing rail is still there, but it has also been modified a bit and there is now a kind of tube on the previously relatively smooth rail. If the shuttle were to land on a planet, this tube would probably be a bit of a hindrance.
In addition, windows were added that did not exist before. There are two indentations in the front area of the shuttle's main hull, which can be seen in all four appearances. These indentations are colored yellowish on the Denobulan shuttle and are apparently meant to be a large canopy, probably on the other two incarnations of the smooth model as well. In these depressions the Enolian version features eight small triangular windows that were not present before. There are also two new lights on the docking ports on both sides of the shuttle, which the model didn't have before (obviously because the ports didn't exist before, either).
So for its appearance in "Canamar" the existing CG model of the Mazarite shuttle was modified to look better in the episode, since it had a much more important role in the episode and was seen from much closer than in "Fallen Hero".
Denobulan shuttle
We can see the model again in "Twilight" when Dr. Phlox arrives at the human settlement on Ceti Alpha V in an alternate future. For this brief and unspectacular appearance the simpler Mazarite version from "Fallen Hero" was used. The hull color and the engine color are unchanged. It looks like the cockpit window is yellowish a bit like the engines, but that may be a matter of the lighting.
Augment shuttle
The shuttle used by the Augments in ENT: "Borderland" to hijack the Klingon Bird-of-Prey may be of human origin. Once again, we can see the smooth hull, as already in "Fallen Hero" and "Twilight". It is possible that the hull color is more grayish though, which may have been done to imply that it is indeed an Earth vessel.
Summary
This table summarizes all the variants and appearances of the shuttle CGI:
| Ship type | Episode | CGI version | Hull color | Engine color |
Mazarite shuttle |
ENT: "Fallen Hero" | Original, smooth | Brown | Yellow |
Enolian shuttle |
ENT: "Canamar" | Windows, docking port and many hull greebles added | Brownish gray | Pale yellow |
Denobulan shuttle | ENT: "Twilight" | Original, smooth | Brown | Yellow |
Augment shuttle |
ENT: "Borderland" | Original, smooth | Brownish gray | Yellow |
See Also
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