Topic: Nacelle philosophising...I got the doughnuts.

[jayvt3]

Well in my own sickly demented, perversely dark mind I don't believe that it is not about treknological advances or about cost to construct better treknology.  I believe that it can be summed up in one single sentence uttered in a terse whisper behind the locked doors of the episode developement department at Paramount Pictures.
"Only those damn trekkies will know the difference!"
Thats right folks the reason the Miranda (oh how I loathe that name ) style ship and the TMP nacelle design along with the Excelsior style design is still around is because it would have cost too much to go out and look under an overpass in San Jose to find some homeless computer arts genius and have him CGI some newer more era oriented ship models.
Hey this is America and this is my opinion! so there nyah!!
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nanny nanny boo boo!!!  stick your head in doo doo!!!
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[Atrahasis]

LOL maybe or maybe not.............If you recall the first time we saw any TMP-style ship in a TNG episode it was in that first season episode with the USS Stargazer, which was an abandoned hulk that was salvaged by the Ferengi. Originally, that ship was supposed to have been a Constitution/Enterprise-class model. It would have been cheaper for them to have used it, certainly, if all we're talking about is an abandoned hulk.

So why didn't they? They actualy had to go out of their way and design and build an 8-foot long *LIT* model with four warp engines.