Designing the Da Vinci-class (Star Trek Online)

The Da Vinci-class is a 25th century successor to the Saber-class. I had a lot of fun designing this ship for Star Trek Online. In this video I go into a bit of detail about my design mentality, and a bit of the lore behind this ship.
Thanks to Cryptic Studios for sponsoring this video!
Learn more at www.arcgames.c...
Learn about the Da Vinci-class www.arcgames.c...

[@mast3734]

So the guy who makes professional looking ship videos actually is a professional ship designer. Who’dathunkit?

[@subraxas]

Yeah, I thought that he was fitting carpets or something. :-D

[@spartantraveler7251]

He made the Battle of the Dreadnoughts for Eckhartsladder and designed the Viscount and the Eclipse

[@adamdubin1276]

@@spartantraveler7251 That's how I found this channel.

[@thoughtfortheday7811]

The Who'dathinkit class of Klingon ships in the Mirror-verse... 😉😁

[@vorrdegard2176]

Pretty much anyone who do 3d modeling

[@Keurosaur]

Henry: "... I've been designing ships for Star Trek Online for the past two years or so, and-" Me, after 2 years: "Aah, now it all makes sense."

[@SephirothRyu]

I still want the Yeager class. I'm sure EC Henry could make it look pretty cool too.

[@sithisarcanis]

@@SephirothRyu He would make the Yeager a proper class instead of an odd kitbash ugly.

[@TemplinInstitute]

Truly awesome work. Really cool to get a sense of the design process and philosophy.

[@StuartLegomanLittle]

What are you doing here? Cool though

[@short72hp1]

That's a beautiful ship I plan on getting one I'm glad you got a job that you can express your talents

[@jimwest3363]

Reminds me of the Andromeda

[@CaptainShack]

DUDE! Your making STO content? AWESOME! Edit - and I was the 1,000 thumbs up. Woot. Great work on the ship! Looks great and loving the lore around it.

[@stargatetitanx]

I don't know how but some how I got unsubcribed from your channel going to fix that now you might want to look into that

[@x_12unknown10]

@@stargatetitanx thanks for reminding me

[@Con5tantine]

Are we seeing a possible Extra Parts contender with this escort? 😁

[@keithgolden77]

@@stargatetitanx wtf, I was unsubscribed as well!! Stupid KZbin BS again

[@zcholnk2943]

I respect the immediate flex

[@MikMoen]

You called it strange for Starfleet, but I say I LOVE it. It's a perfect leave from the typical saucers while maintaining a familiar style Starfleet is known for. It looks much more like a Spaceship now. The nacelles being built into the main Hull, the Hull being a single, solid piece. I hope Eaglemoss makes a replica.

[@Truex007]

If you play STO, you can get 3d printed models of custom ships that are hand painted from within the game itself.

[@jonathansullivan6706]

Well, now we know why a lot of the newer ships are looking so great. On a side note, this gorgeous little boat is looking to be my next t6, alongside the t6 Equinox. Great work as always :)

[@gamefreak3072]

I didn't know you did design work for STO. I loved this ship and was thinking when they started the "ships of the line" stuff that I wanted a modernized saber. This makes me love this design that much more. Good job.

[@Neilhammond64]

Design the Enterprise Era Steamrunner. The model was used in a fleet shot.

[@CaptainForsyth]

i second this.

[@Murarius43]

Demanding that a content creator do something is a surefire way to guarantee it never happens.

[@vascogoncalves8542]

Pay him?

[@joelmulder]

Yes please! The ENT era needs some love!

[@UGNAvalon]

@Chris T But if it gets clicks & views….

[@Sporkmeister]

I don't think there is any ship in that game that I wouldn't want to hear the thinking behind. There are a lot of gorgeous ships in that game and plenty that I just don't get. As somebody that has a passion for Starfleet ship design specifically, anything more you can bring to the spotlight from that game would be wonderful.

[@samuel5916]

Damn, I had no idea you were doing work for STO! I’ve enjoyed a lot of the original ship designs they’ve made over the last decade. Could you give us a list of all the ships you’ve designed in STO? I’m REALLY curious.

[@lukerope1906]

Well that explains why so many of the designs are so great!

[@HarosOfStyx]

I seriously hope that's sarcasm. Everything after New Romulus has been vomit inducing.

[@lukerope1906]

@@HarosOfStyx nope. I really love a lot of the designs in STO. Particularly the Federation stuff. The stuff unique to STO is in my opinion better then the design aesthetic that's come out of the latest shows.

[@HarosOfStyx]

@@lukerope1906 don't ever get into art, mmmkay? 🙄

[@optillian4182]

@@lukerope1906 Also a lot better than the earlier STO ships. Those things are hideous.

[@The_Irish_Fox]

@@HarosOfStyx wheeeeeze

[@1Scimetar]

I think the Da Vinci-class we got looks great, mostly as it has the silhouette of the Sabre-glass, and it looks like it came from the shipwrights as the Odyssey-class, such as the Enterprise F.

[@hoojiwana]

I adore this ship design, I don't play STO but if I did it would be pretty solely to get ahold of this thing. It's beautiful!

[@Toggers99]

It reminds me of a horseshoe crab in shape, but I see the influences of other ships in Star Trek. I like it. Nice job 👍 Edit: ducking autocorrect thinks “horseshoe” means “hermit”

[@ThePgtir]

I had the same thought

[@Erasmusprime]

I had more of a stingray vibe when I first saw it.

[@EVAUnit4A]

EC Henry, Since *Alex Jaeger* created the Sabre-class [along with the Steamrunner, Akira and Norway-class(es)] for _Star Trek: First Contact,_ was he consulted at all for this process? Alternatively, did _you_ get to speak or message with him about the class? EDIT: I originally had John Eaves listed as the ships' creator; my mistake!

[@jasoncaldwell5627]

Eaves didn't create any of those- Alex Jaeger of ILM made all those.

[@EVAUnit4A]

@@jasoncaldwell5627 Ack- yes, Alex Jaeger. My mistake! >.

[@philm7758]

Cryptic Studios has sponsored this video so you can just talk about your newest design. Kudo, Cryptic Studios.

[@elgoblinocoolio4378]

Dude, you are a GENIUS! AN ABSOLUTE GENIUS! My God your designs have so much depth it's a joy to behold!

[@LordBloodraven]

This is why I love the Saber-Class. I have a lot of respect for the "Tough little ships."

[@chheinrich8486]

I would like to hear your opion on other sci fy ships like the normandy from mass efect, the many ships of babylon 5, and of course the battlestar galactica

[@redshirt0479]

Now this is the kind of content I love, even if I'm not a fan of STO in general. Positive, breaks down design principles both with in-universe design logic and real world reasoning, etc. Also love that you have a logical reason for some light greebling unlike so many designs in fiction which just slap it on without a care. Was not expecting an ersatz cloaking device nor the gatling phaser. I never read the SCE books and I wasn't expecting anyone to tap the gatling pulse phaser concept from the early drafts of Star Trek: First Contact. I do like the gatling implementation here more (1) since it feels like an evolution of the _Defiant's_ breakdown prone pulse phasers (given how often it's implied they had to replace components for it during the Dominion War) or possible a further development of the 'megaphasers' mentioned in the original design documents for the _Reliant_ in Star Trek II. Speaking off, was really getting a _Wrath of Khan_ impression from that animation. (1) Even if I'm not crazy about pulse phasers. Beam phasers are my jam since they look cooler, are portrayed as a far more flexible weapon system, and just are more impressive/powerful in general.

[@Erasmusprime]

As a STO player, I've been wanting a updated saber escort for ages as it's one of my favorites. Now I've finally got one and the fact that you designed it is all the cooler to me. While looking at the model in game, I noticed what appears to be a landing pad for a runabout on the upper hull (you can see it at 3:46). Is that what it's for or is it the entry for the whole shuttle bay?

[@Funaru]

Now I'm curious about which other ships you designed.

[@justindelima5607]

I'm guessing all of the ship designs he cycles through while talking at the start of the video are his.

[@Stronghand-yw1lk]

Probably the ugliest ones available.

[@SephirothRyu]

@@Stronghand-yw1lk You take that back! I love my Khitomar class, even if no one else does!

[@linz8291]

Looking forward to more sovereign ships, scientific ships, medical ships, battleships, city-sized motherships, interstellar stations, etc.

[@NeoSaturn69]

wow I never knew. I love to play STO. I hope we see more videos talking about what designs you done in the game or will do. Also are you allowed to share what designs you worked on?

[@Tanglw]

Oh, this video gave me such nostalgia for STO... think I'll download again just to see how it goes o.o

[@H3zzard]

If future Starfleet is taking its design cues / technology from other sources, that explains how many of the STO designs of late appear to ignore the age-old "nacelle line-of-sight" rule. Fair!

[@wikiascratchboy]

It's also a perfect explanation as to why the design ethos of the 31st century Starfleet is as different as it is!

[@jacobktan]

I really love the design, and I can definitely see the relationship to the Sabre class. I also think that it actually looks a lot like a Ferengi Marauder.

[@IAmEvilTree]

You make ships for STO?! That's amazing! Really interesting going over the design phases. The general shape from the ship it's based on, using patterns and curves for depth and contrast to the finer greebles of detail to go along with in-game abilities. Amazing work. Love some of the designs from that game, even some of the stranger/awkward ones (just between you and me, I have a soft spot for the old NPC Jupiter Class Dreadnought)

[@CJ-442]

Wait, you’re designing ships for STO? That’s awesome! Now I want to know what other ships you’ve done and if I have any of them. Also, you should tell them to let you make more videos like this. I love getting to hear about your creative process.

[@rrrhh6168]

It looks great, such a beatiful ship. It makes me almost wanting to hop into STO again, I stopped playing it some years ago but checked it out some months ago just out of curiosity, the Zenn store was dead on PC... looked to me like its dying slowly

[@cjfedler327]

Ok... So.... I love this ship. I loved the Saber Class, I loved the USS Da Vinci and the Starfleet Corps of Engineers, and I Love sleek, streamlined ships. This was all of those combined. I bought this ship the instant I could, and I've been having a massive blast playing it! IT's amazing and so much fun! And now knowing that one my favorite ship designers is the designer of it is just the absolute perfect cherry on top! Excellent work done on this ship, and keep up the good work. STO benefits in *every* way from your designs

[@cardrabitt1159]

This is absolutely GORGEOUS, even if it is in that plucky, underdog way.

[@A-Legitimate-Salvage]

Really cool to see, this is actually the first ship I’ve bought for STO, and I’ve had loads of fun with it. The fact that you were involved in the design makes it even better

[@charlescassels3826]

Couldn’t find it anywhere explicitly stated that you designed the Da Vinci, but seeing as the Sabre is my favorite ship I got it ASAP. I hoped you designed it as it’s so good looking. Hopefully my purchase helped support you and your work.

[@Thebattlefreack]

This is awesome to see your ship designs and you talking about the ships, the game is still fun and seeing you talk about your ships but for the game I play is just amazing to see and to play with your ship, once I can get it will be the coolest. Keep up the good work.

[@TheKulu42]

Now this is the sort of starship/spaceship designing that I like. A lesson in how to make a distinctive and visually pleasing design that makes sense at the same time.

[@erichludwig2095]

This looks fantastic. I can really see the design philosophy carry through into this ship. Beautiful as always.

[@jedimindfrak82]

I'm a huge STO addict, I would LOVE to see more videos like this about the ships you've designed!!!

[@Stingra87]

I had no idea that you work on STO, and I find that really cool. The game is dated (the ground combat is in such desperate need of an overhaul that will never come) but the space combat is still fun. And honestly? STO's timeline is superior to having Picard or Discovery being the future, STO's storyline is fun and it feels like Star Trek. That being said, I would personally, as a ship designer myself, change some things on this model. I find the Saber class to be just unforgivingly ugly so while not a total departure, my design changes would definitely distance it from it being a direct successor to the Saber. I will just never be a fan of the 'gaptooth' portion there on the front of the ship, so I'd just complete the saucer entirely. I'd also reduce the overall width of the saucer by about a quarter and get rid of the sections that connect the nacelles to the saucer itself, essentially shrinking it to the size of the saucer we see in the underside shots of the central hull. I'd move the nacelles to the rear, beef the stern up just a little bit and make it just a tiny bit longer and then mount the nacelles there, maybe even with some variable geometry action. I'd tuck the lower hull and deflector section a bit closer to the saucer as well. It's just a little too 'beer belly' for me as it. Not much, but a little nip/tuck would work fine to fit my personal aesthetics. The upper hull design used in the thumbnail is overall a better saucer. But yes, as one ship designer to another, those are my thoughts.

[@radeadcool]

THIS IS AWESOME! Thanks Star Trek Online and EC Henry! (Take note Star Wars)

[@alisonpage8545]

Hi, just wondering, when do you think you will release the next mystery ships video? I really enjoy your designs and lore :)

[@FattyMcFox]

I just see an assault horseshoe crab and i adore it.

[@vaos3712]

She is gorgeous! Glad you’re on the STO team . It means that a lot of the ships in the game are going to get a BADLY needed design or skin remake. Can’t wait!

[@andrewbeeco967]

Dude... Show of your other designs. Would love to learn more about them.

[@Myname-il9vd]

It’s a horseshoe crab ship!!

[@NickMichalak]

When I first looked at the design I thought that it would make sense by the 25th century for Starfleet to take in elements from other species to enhance their new ships. Good work! It's definitely different than your standard 24th century designs with the bulkier, yet more organic shapes, but I think it can definitely integrate into the next century of Trek lore.

[@exilestudios9546]

man i wish you would do your own redesigns of discoveries 32nd century fleet. i would love to see someone who actually understands star trek aesthetics make a far future starfleet

[@nexy12]

Now that I know you design some of the ships for STO, I wanna play even more!

[@InventorZahran]

2:04 I didn't know the Kardashians were designing their own startships!

[@porkupineexe6862]

I’d love to see this guys takes on some of the Star Citizen ships. They haven’t gotten anything as big as the STO ships in terms of scale, but they have full interiors and multi crew stations

[@richardched6085]

Wait... So you were the one who made the beautiful M'Chla Refit that actually fits in continuity? Excellent. Purely excellent.

[@theodoremccarthy4438]

Congratulations. You’ve made horseshoe crabs warp capable. ;) that said I absolutely love this design.

[@tonyah.960]

Outstanding video my KZbin friend! I think you are one of the best shows on 'KZbin' today and the best by far! Keep up the _MAGNIFICENT_ work you do for all the people online! Please give a thumbs up to all the comments in the chat my KZbin friends! Thank You a lot, my people. W0W what a superb StarShip is a great book! Marvelous class of starship The Da Vinci-class A1+.

[@duartevilelas9688]

So you're ACTUALLY a ship designer for the real deal!? 👀👀👀AWESOME!!!🤯🤯🤯✊✊✊ Thats just great 💯. People see many talented designers on the internet and say "Lucas films should hire this guy!" or "This person should be a part of the next Star trek show", and you actually are working for them.😃 The only thing left to do is do some models for Star Wars Galaxy at War 😁👉 🖖

[@HalferLandPerformance]

Ironically I think your designs also lead into the potential design theory for ships in newer shows such as Discovery...where those ships look nothing like the old ships

[@Neo_Tenko]

I have to ask. Are you cannon yet?! Because Picard took a lot STO designs and used them in season 2, so have any of yours been used yet or are you waiting with baited breath for future shows and seasons? 🥰

[@adamgoss3638]

Cool design, organic feel to it - kinda like a horseshoe crab! BTW, at the 3-second mark at the start of the video is a ship called USS Columbia which looks rather like the Loknar-class from the old FASA Starfleet Battles game. Do you take some of your inspiration from those designs? (Also, I'm not a player of STO, I had a ton of trouble figuring out controls and just got frustrated. Is there anywhere a gallery of your designs online?)

[@nickmalachai2227]

This is the single most beautiful Horseshoe Crab I've ever seen. Also the single most effective advertisement for ST:O I've ever seen.

[@WalterDWormack214]

You do really great work! I'm definitely looking forward to buying your creations and adding them to my Federation/Starfleet collection. Here's hoping you'll keep making really cool Federation Starships!

[@kauske]

That's honestly really neat that not only did STO pay you to indulge in your passion of modeling ships; but doubled down on your sharing of your redesigns too. IMO the creatives behind the visuals and such should get more spotlight than they typically do when it comes to gaming. Also, are those launch bays I spy near the nose? I immediately got lucer-hulk vibes with the curves and the forward launch bays in the gap when I noticed that tiny detail near the end.

[@joeacevedo4390]

Love the design. If Gene Rodenberry saw this design, we could've had EC Henry tubes rather than Jefferies tubes.

[@SultanOfAwesomeness]

Had no idea you were designing stuff for STO, man! I’m sure that both myself and many many others would love to see you break down some of the other ships you’ve made as well, if you can remember your processes behind any of them.

[@strikerevimus]

Wow, I had no idea that you designed ships for STO. I thought you did the designs as a hobby that you just loved to share. Makes me wonder if you have some work in a Star Wars game or two now? Either way, it's a very aesthetically pleasing design, and I'm curious to know what other ships you've had a hand in since you started two years ago? Hopefully you can talk about all of the ships you designed so we can get an idea of what you were going for. I've been playing fairly recently myself, so much of it is new to me and I look forward to seeing what else you got out there.

[@jetfowl]

Wouldn't a continuous beam land more phaser damage on a target than a phaser beam continually broken up by intermittent breaks (ie, a 'gatling' phaser)?

[@adamsmith4787]

Do you know if Eaglemoss will make a model of this? Can you answer what the things below the deflector dish are? Are those phaser canons on the front saucer that are tear drop shaped? Sorry a lot of questions, but I like this take on this class. Way improved over the original.

[@adamdubin1276]

Well done sir, don't play much STO these days but I always did like the ship designs. If Cryptic allows it, I would like to hear more about the process for some of the other designs that you worked on.

[@BensBrickDesigns]

This ship and its abilities remind me of playing the Maul's Sith Infiltrator. You can cloak and wait and then slide in behind and enemy and then let loose with the ships rapid blaster canons.

[@SephirothRyu]

Oh, did you do the Khitomar class itself? Some people think its weird, but I love that thing. If only it were in the top tier...

[@lucidity1]

hey EC, tell us more about the other ships you've helped design. as a long-time player, I'd love to see what other designs you've had a hand in. this one looks amazing. hope they didn't throw away the other design the angular shapes look interesting, it could make for a really cool variant skin someday.

[@JDSleeper]

I get major horseshoe crab vibes from this design, too. Wonderful work all around.

[@HazelofStarfleet]

This ship is awesome and was a much needed refit for my aging saber class U.S.S. Zoboomafoo. Will you ever do videos on your other STO ships?

[@theseventhnight]

If they're getting you to design ships for the game then why the fuck have they not asked to put your Pacific 201 ship and your NX redesign in there!?

[@shinyagumon7015]

That explains what you do when you aren't making videos.

[@xell4701]

I love the Da Vinci class, very sleek and gorgeous design. Define one of the best looking ships in the game

[@alexojeda9048]

So basically you created an A-10 Warthog for space.

[@sisyphus988]

I'd love to see you flesh out some of the 32nd century ships from s3 and onwards in discovery because there are some really interesting designs there. keep up the good work man!

[@christopherchase3061]

I just got this ship in the two pack with the Equinox class. The Da Vinci is beautiful. The Appalachia class is awesome too.

[@mangamegs]

These ships you design match my love of the federation ships from the golden age of star trek.

[@UndeniablyElated]

Ayy, legitimately one of the prettiest fed ships that's been put into the game. Glad it was yours ♥

[@BON3SMcCOY]

I got bored with STO, but I'd love to hear you talk about your other designs for the game.

[@Kristophtehrussian]

She looks amazing - easily one of my favorite new STO designs!

[@shankshoanatlprez4453]

Definitely the most unique Star Fleet vessel I've seen thus far. I really like the Gatlin emitter as well.

[@schmantikor]

Has one of your designs become a eaglemoss model? And if so which one is it? I'd love to have it on my shelf.

[@XiahouDun1225]

Even being a Cruiser main, I do really like the look of this ship.

[@kamenwaticlients]

This is such a great design a real evolution. I love designing Trek ships and lore for them.

[@philippschweizer6449]

This seems as good a place as any to tell you: the ShiKahr remake looks fantastic!

[@robotJoelwb]

As someone reading my way through the Star Trek SCE novels, this was a such a nice suprise as a lapsed STO player. Lovely looking ship!

[@salenstormwing]

I really love this ship design. I've always loved the Saber-class, so seeing a 25th C. version is the bee's knees. Keep up the great work.

[@sambrasen2587]

I absolutely love the fact that the newest Star Trek Online Starfleet Ship was designed by one of my favorite Trek KZbinrs! This is the victory lap video for your achievement good sir, and to you I say congratulations! LLAP

[@hal-7397]

wow, one of the coolest looking ship that I have ever seen, definalty getting it in game!

[@ajax_galaxy1701b]

2:00 initially it reminded me of the Ru'afo's Son'a ship

[@exilestudios9546]

if only this ship didn't cost 30 bucks to get in game

[@sadlerbw9]

This ship looks fantastic. You really do have an amazing talent for sci-fi ship design.

[@GunRunner106]

its deflector dish setup ressembles a bit the look of the akira

[@Coyote_Man]

Ffs this is making me want to play STO again lol.

[@leightoncressman6188]

Awesome as always EC Henry I didn’t know you designed ships for Star Trek online I think I’m going to have to buy this one. 😃

[@jamesgross6921]

It reminds me of the Leviathans from Farscape

[@shadowalliance3824]

It's a space manta... It only attacks when threatened

[@jasonwhite7905]

Oh eaglemoss? I'm ready to mortgage my house...

[@UGNAvalon]

I’d love to see more videos exploring the behind-the-scenes thought process behind designing your ships! 🤩