One thing I've noticed about people comparing the original 1701 to JJ's is that they always use an angle of the ship similar to the angle JJ's Enterprise is in, but not quite. However, with BC, it's not difficult to match the angle a little closer, so I did so. Also for the heck of it, I also put in the 1701-A for more comparison. Now, JJ's Enterprise, with its visible weapons ports and hull plating, is a bit more akin to the 1701-A, especially with the saucer. However, the engineering hull of the JJprise has a major difference compared to the other two. It's height is smaller. If I got the scaling right here, then it seems to me that the engineering hull is actually a bit longer than on either version of the original Enterprise. It may seem shorter by the fact that the back-side of the neck on the JJPrise doesn't abruptly stick into the engineering hull but flows further back, giving the neck more substance. The nacelle pylons have been brought forward and attach to the engines closer to the bussard collectors. As for the cowlings, those are completely new. Perhaps they serve some kind of defensive purpose. Perhaps they're just there to look cool. Who knows. It'll be easier to tell when Paramount finally sees fit to give us a full orthographic view of the new/old 1701. Now, the saucer. It attaches to the neck of the ship a little further back than the old 1701/refit. This is one of the things that gives the impression that the engineering hull has been yanked too far forward. While the engineering hull has been moved forward, it's not that drastic, and neither is the movement of the saucer backwards. Now the thing that really made me happy when I noticed it is that on the JJPrise, the underside of the saucer doesn't curve upwards before dipping back down for the sensor dome. While the decision likely bothered some canon-istas, it made me happy. I never saw any use for the curve except as something to look neat. All it did was remove a good amount of space from multiple decks on the saucer.
Now, it's still hard to make assumptions about how it all looks when in motion. After all, the Enterprise-D is one of the clunkiest looking spacecraft on paper, but when she soared across the screen, we all loved it. And of course, we haven't seen a good aft view of the JJPrise, only a couple of forward shots that tell us that for some reason the engine pylons are curved, bringing the engines closer together, but not dangerously so. They also look a little more...beefy to me. But that's just me. I love the new design and anxiously await the day when Paramount gives us more. And I hope that this picture will show people what it should. When people see these, they need to say, "Aren't those the same ship?"
