I've sent e-mails to all my voice actors, and I've already started to get some back (thanks to Michael Liebmann for being so prompt!). Due to the way some of these scenes are, I have to wait until I get a full suite of audio tracks from everyone before I can proceed on that front...so for that reason alone, we'll have to be patient.
But in the meantime, I'm slowly going through the movie and reworking the visuals that need to be reworked. Among the changes that have already taken place:
-the female nav officer in the prologue has gone from having blonde hair to black
-the exterior shot of the Fitzgerald docked at DS9 has been updated, where before it was seven layers deep it's now just one (and looks immeasurably better)
What will follow is a painstaking process by which I go back through and, one shot at a time, make things the way I really want them to be. Some changes you'll notice (like the color of the MSD in the Fitzgerald main engineering going from purple to a more tradition-friendly blue), others you won't (subtle fixes to the lighting on the Voyager bridge). Further, where before if you look closely you can see the evolution of the various Fitzgerald shooting sets (the bridge and sickbay especially), now all background plates will be based from the final drafts of each set. I can also tell you that there's a lighting glitch in Scene 8C (Reyf's private chat with Erickson right after the crew briefing, if you pay attention the lighting changes from one shot to the next all through the scene). Fortunately, once we get past a certain point, basically all the shots of the bridge are re-uses, so the major work on that one set won't take forever.
And I know you guys will notice that the model of the Fitzgerald itself changes a few times, from the Prologic9 version seen in later scenes to the ST:Horizon version (you can spot that one by its thicker saucer section and different deflector dish, see it right after the crew gets the call to the bridge to speak with Admiral Thornton after Garr robs the Alcawell station). A major, MAJOR effort will be to fix that and make it consistent from start to finish.
Last but not least...the infamous "boot" glitch. If you look carefully, when Reyf exits at the end of Scene 49B (after the ISS Voyager explodes), notice that one of his boots is apparently hovering behind him, mimicking the motions of his foot while suspended in midair.
So, basically, some refreshing and updating and fixes of a hundred small bloopers that I've discovered that separate Specter from being "perfect."
And something for everyone (myself included) to look forward to: once the voice cast is added in, there's a coda waiting to be shown after the end credits...but that won't show up until everything else is done.
Stay tuned By the way, I found out today that apparently Specter has been featured in a Facebook group dedicated to all things Trek. The playlist is very much current, so whether this was luck or if someone promoted it by name, I thought that was pretty cool.
And just curious, but has anyone spotted any reviews? A lot of people had said they wanted to review the movie once it was done, and now that it is, the wait to read evaluations of the full plot is killing me!
I haven't made any plans as of yet as far as a release, but at the very least I'll be posting it on Vimeo in hourlong blocks for all to see. If anyone has a suggestion on an alternative method, I'm very happy happy to entertain it!
I haven't made any plans as of yet as far as a release, but at the very least I'll be posting it on Vimeo in hourlong blocks for all to see. If anyone has a suggestion on an alternative method, I'm very happy happy to entertain it!
this is gonna sound weird, but bear with me:
In addition to having it available as a free download, you can write an ebook on the 'making of' based on your experiences and influences. Sell the ebook on DVD with Specter included as a bonus (run it by a lawyer first, to make sure that its ok) - since its already going to be available for a free download, youre not expecting to make any money off it. Its only worthwhile if you can find a company to burn and mail the dvds for you (have the customer pay them directly) so you dont have the expense or the headache of dealing with it. Otherwise, you should be able to upload it in 2 parts, i dont see why not
slighty off topic or maybe not, but i was watching an episode of 'Captain Scarlet and the mysterious' which for those who havent seen it, is a great show done by Gerry Anderson after he did Thunderbirds, its aimed to be a bit more realistic in look and tone, its pretty dark for a kids show seeing people being shot, killed, blood etc
But to get around the gimmicky puppet walk, you would never see them walk, or if you did, never from the waist down so they didnt ' bounce along'
now your animation skills have come along in leaps and bounds since you started the project, but the odd time or so you do see a wobbly foot, or foot go through the floor boards
?
So a quick question would be have you ever though to have the camera not show the actors feet? i know it sounds silly but i mean not let the camera pan past down the knees while characters are walking?
Here's a question, I'm seriously considering producing a "Making Of" featurette for this monster project, but I'm wondering if there's enough demand for me to do it? What are people interested in knowing about how Specter came to be?
i think a look into how its created and a talk with those cast and crew involve would be an interesting talk, almost 2years to make, should be enough ground to cover?
Could possible get some of your voice over actors to talk about what attracted them to the project?
i think a look into how its created and a talk with those cast and crew involve would be an interesting talk, almost 2years to make, should be enough ground to cover?
Could possible get some of your voice over actors to talk about what attracted them to the project?
That would be an awesome idea. I would love to see that. Maybe you could make it a video, and actually have them record the answers. Maybe from a convo from IM or PM or something. Have both parties record their side, and then perhaps put it into a comlink frame. Or perhaps put the voices to the characters, talking through a comlink.
I'd be willing to volunteer my voice and whatnot.
The Making-Of featurette is on hold for now, but I have a good excuse...
...specifically, that I'm beginning work on a script for a sequel! For now, all I can say is that the working title is Star Trek: Retribution. I'm not actually confirming yet that a sequel is going to be made, just that I'm working on a story. If I can come up with a story I like and that I can make work, then we'll have ourselves a new film to look forward to.
Oh, and...this time the TRT will be no more than 120 minutes. I swear
I suggest a guest appearance of Admiral Janeway. And maybe a glimpse of the timeline/universe evil Garr is from. I'm assuming Mirror, but could be wrong.
Garr builds this powerful machine, housed in a small gold ring, that needs to be brought to mount doom and destr.....never mind, that story's taken.
1. NO BORG!
2. NO TIME TRAVEL BY THE FITZIE
3. A guest appearance by Reyff's nephew in Starfleet Academy, Wes.. or something with that might work.
4. NO MIRROR UNIVERSE.
those are my ideas, sorry i dont have anything better
@homer: I can already tell you that #2 is...not logical Although it's not quite what you think. And no, no need to worry about the mirror universe, not in the equation at all.
Well here is some ideas and my thoughts on a sequel.
This Reality now has Two Garrs.
Braiyon now leads a completely different life due to Future Garr showing him that picture and altering the time line.
By the time it is 2378, almost ten years later, you are going to have two very different Garrs, The Younger Garr from this new time line is going to be a very different person and personality from Future Garr due to different experiences and a more active career in starfleet. You could explore that. Future Garr has been living in the past for the last ten years with Knowledge of the future, has he used this knowledge in some way?
For example, Young Garr resenting Future Garr for what he has done. Have the two stand off ish, instead of being closer, use their different life experiences to put them at odds with each other.
Romulan Civil War
If you set your sequel in 2379, a short time after the events of ST: Nemesis, There is bound to be some sort of internal struggle on Romulus to seize power, You could have to the crew involved somehow, or the federation is sent to trying an oversee peaceful negotiations but it's sabotaged and the fitzgerald crew are accused of it
Gamma Quadrant
So far there has been no episodes to cover exploration into the Gamma Quadrant unless it had to do with the Dominion, So a first Contract mission with a new species, or re introduction of an older species who dont like they way things are going in the alpha quadrant and want to step in.
few other things
No Borg lol
More for the Fitzgerald to do, lets see it get hammered by some enemy fire!
More Space Battles!
I'm content to let the current storyline sit where it is. The rest of the ideas submitted in the last few posts can be addressed in regular text with occasional graphics (such as the renders already embedded in this thread,) in follow-up sequel fics I'm hoping will be submitted to "New Worlds" in the next few months.
I'd love to see tnpir's "Retribution" done text-and-graphics style in the same way as Micheal Gray's "Star Trek: Dark Horizon".
I just wanted to say that i'm glad we can see the light at the end of the tunnel on this.... i for one cant wait to see the full movie... i've not watched all the videos uploaded because i want to watch this in its entirety.. i cant wait to hear some voice overs.. no offence but i've found it unsettling listening to the women in these videos...
as for a sequal.... i just want to stress what homer said... dont you dare do anything with the borg....
You could always have the Fitzgerald pop out of another black hole just as nero attacks the kelvin.... thus avoiding altering the timeline..
interesting. I havent heard from Doug in a while, im guessing that involvement in Caprica is taking too much time. And you emailed Brent Spiner? any response?
So been over to the wikki site and had a look at some of your sequel ideas, this is just my two cents, that's all
The story would be set ten years after the events of Star Trek: Spectre, in the year 2388. The Romulan Civil War would still be ongoing following the events of Star Trek Nemesis, and would play a central role in the story
That's 11 years after nemesis so you're into uncharted story waters here, but there is only one main canon point you cant really ignore and that is in 2387 Romulus is destroyed by that supernova ( as seen in ST XI )
and please dont tell me that because of the time line changes we see at the end of Spectre, Romulus is saved, I dont think anyone would buy that lol
but some sort of conflict with the Romulans would be interesting, Your story would be set only 12months after the seat of power has been destroyed, i would like to see who and what could take advantage of this situation to go to war with the Romulans? Gaius Reyf would hold the rank of Admiral
I was gonna query that isnt that pretty quick, since he's only been a captain for 10yrs? But then again Kirk made rear Admiral after only a 5 year expedition into deep space
Admiral Kathryn Janeway would make a cameo appearance at the beginning of the film
Insert ST: Nemisis gag here :P lol
The story would open with the discovery of a duplicate of the USS F. Scott Fitzgerald in the center of an ice comet, displaced in time by five hundred and four years
*cough* Time's Arrow *cough*
I'm pretty sure i've seen a dozen episodes of numerous Star Trek series with a ' ship from the past/ future / time displacement' plot point. You've already created an interested time travel story by introducing elements that other ST stories didn't cover
Please dont dilute it with this ST : Go to Time travel displacement story
but everything thing else i like, and can't wait to see what goes where
But of course you need to finish your first feature lol
That's 11 years after nemesis so you're into uncharted story waters here, but there is only one main canon point you cant really ignore and that is in 2387 Romulus is destroyed by that supernova ( as seen in ST XI )
and please dont tell me that because of the time line changes we see at the end of Spectre, Romulus is saved, I dont think anyone would buy that lol
Of course I'd never say a thing like that! I'm simply going to be like Nicholas Meyer when he was working on TWOK. When he made the decision to change the uniforms, people asked how he'd explain the change from the first film's costumes. He famously answered: "That's easy--the first film didn't happen." To me, ST XI is just a bad dream
but some sort of conflict with the Romulans would be interesting, Your story would be set only 12months after the seat of power has been destroyed, i would like to see who and what could take advantage of this situation to go to war with the Romulans?
This is the proposition:
Following the Shinzon incident, the Romulan Star Empire splintered into factions, all of whom want control of the entire Empire, with the resulting conflict having plunged the entire Empire into chaos. It's actually rather like the Kazon from the early seasons of ST:VOY. Out of this mess, a mysterious figure has arisen, and has begun to try and unite the warring factions behind a single goal: conquering the Federation. The plot's primary goal would be to identify this individual, find them, and expose them, saving the Federation and bringing peace to the fractured Empire.
*cough* Time's Arrow *cough* I'm pretty sure i've seen a dozen episodes of numerous Star Trek series with a ' ship from the past/ future / time displacement' plot point. You've already created an interested time travel story by introducing elements that other ST stories didn't cover. Please dont dilute it with this ST : Go to Time travel displacement story
Fair point, but you should know I love plot twists, and the "duplicate" (notice the quotation marks) starship is a good example
That.... is a pretty big plot point to miss/ignore though,
but I could see your mysterious figure story working quite well with realms of after Romulus being destroyed they would easily follow someone who could unite the fragments of the government
HELL, you could have it that the mysterious figure purposefully destroyed Romulus with Trilithium (Star destroying like in ST Generations) to put his/her evil plan into action
Quickest way to win people over to your cause is to let people want to hear, or give them someone to blame. Worked for Hitler, The guy was an evil douche, but he managed to get his claws into germany by tapping into their hatred and fears. Same thing with Emperor Palpatine
And to be fair Nicholas Meyer changed alot of things around in TWOK to give it a more Nautical feel in space, not ignore the first movie lol
I'm not really sure about the "duplicate" Fitzgerald though... You've already mentioned they ISS Voyager will make a return which is a "duplicate" as well. You'd have to come up with an amazing plot twist to convince me that its a good idea :P
@batboy: that looks like a lot of lore to sift through. I didn't know that was there though, so this is worth checking out when I have a little more time.
From what i can remember from the youtube videos i saw on Star Trek Online timeline, The Klingons go to war with just about everybody
But to save everyone some MAJOR reading time, i'll just post their time line bullet points for everyone to read, and maybe possible incorporate into a story?
Apologies to tnpir if this is all a little off topic
2379/2380:
Following the death of Praetor Shinzon at the Battle of Bassen Rift, the Romulan government fell into disarray. Tal'aura, one of the few remaining members of the Romulan Senate and a former ally of Shinzon, declares herself the new Praetor, supported by Fleet Commander Tomalak as the new leader of the Imperial Defense Force.
2381:
Starfleet is monitoring the deteriorating state of the Romulan Star Empire, which appears to be moving toward open civil war. Federation ambassadors are consulting with representatives of the Klingon Empire and other Alpha and Beta quadrant powers about a proposed course of action to either bring peace to the Romulans or control any conflict that spills out of Romulan space.
2382:
The unstable situation of the Romulans continues to be a source of concern for the Alpha and Beta quadrants.
The Klingon Empire takes advantage of the weak position of the Romulans to stage lightning strikes into Romulan space, retaking Khitomer and the sector surrounding it. The Federation Council criticizes the move, but Ambassador K’mtok responds that the empire is simply reclaiming territory that belonged to the Klingons by right.
2383:
Starfleet Intelligence continues to gather reports of unrest on Romulus. Praetor Tal’aura enacts food rationing and strict limits on replicator use on the homeworld, saying that the empire’s resources must be reserved to support the military’s campaign against Donatra and the breakaway Imperial Romulan State.
2384:
Federation analysts say that a shakeup in the Romulan power structure has left the empire vulnerable to attack from within and without. Starfleet is dispatching additional ships to the border of the Neutral Zone and considers the Romulan situation one of the main threats to Federation safety and security.
2385:
Starfleet Command announces it has completed its re-evaluation of all of its post-Dominion War assets and resources and that it will be refocusing some ships that have been assigned to defense and diplomacy to exploration and scientific discovery.
Posts
I've sent e-mails to all my voice actors, and I've already started to get some back (thanks to Michael Liebmann for being so prompt!). Due to the way some of these scenes are, I have to wait until I get a full suite of audio tracks from everyone before I can proceed on that front...so for that reason alone, we'll have to be patient.
But in the meantime, I'm slowly going through the movie and reworking the visuals that need to be reworked. Among the changes that have already taken place:
-the female nav officer in the prologue has gone from having blonde hair to black
-the exterior shot of the Fitzgerald docked at DS9 has been updated, where before it was seven layers deep it's now just one (and looks immeasurably better)
What will follow is a painstaking process by which I go back through and, one shot at a time, make things the way I really want them to be. Some changes you'll notice (like the color of the MSD in the Fitzgerald main engineering going from purple to a more tradition-friendly blue), others you won't (subtle fixes to the lighting on the Voyager bridge). Further, where before if you look closely you can see the evolution of the various Fitzgerald shooting sets (the bridge and sickbay especially), now all background plates will be based from the final drafts of each set. I can also tell you that there's a lighting glitch in Scene 8C (Reyf's private chat with Erickson right after the crew briefing, if you pay attention the lighting changes from one shot to the next all through the scene). Fortunately, once we get past a certain point, basically all the shots of the bridge are re-uses, so the major work on that one set won't take forever.
And I know you guys will notice that the model of the Fitzgerald itself changes a few times, from the Prologic9 version seen in later scenes to the ST:Horizon version (you can spot that one by its thicker saucer section and different deflector dish, see it right after the crew gets the call to the bridge to speak with Admiral Thornton after Garr robs the Alcawell station). A major, MAJOR effort will be to fix that and make it consistent from start to finish.
Last but not least...the infamous "boot" glitch. If you look carefully, when Reyf exits at the end of Scene 49B (after the ISS Voyager explodes), notice that one of his boots is apparently hovering behind him, mimicking the motions of his foot while suspended in midair.
So, basically, some refreshing and updating and fixes of a hundred small bloopers that I've discovered that separate Specter from being "perfect."
And something for everyone (myself included) to look forward to: once the voice cast is added in, there's a coda waiting to be shown after the end credits...but that won't show up until everything else is done.
Stay tuned
And just curious, but has anyone spotted any reviews? A lot of people had said they wanted to review the movie once it was done, and now that it is, the wait to read evaluations of the full plot is killing me!
this is gonna sound weird, but bear with me:
In addition to having it available as a free download, you can write an ebook on the 'making of' based on your experiences and influences. Sell the ebook on DVD with Specter included as a bonus (run it by a lawyer first, to make sure that its ok) - since its already going to be available for a free download, youre not expecting to make any money off it. Its only worthwhile if you can find a company to burn and mail the dvds for you (have the customer pay them directly) so you dont have the expense or the headache of dealing with it. Otherwise, you should be able to upload it in 2 parts, i dont see why not
But to get around the gimmicky puppet walk, you would never see them walk, or if you did, never from the waist down so they didnt ' bounce along'
now your animation skills have come along in leaps and bounds since you started the project, but the odd time or so you do see a wobbly foot, or foot go through the floor boards
?
So a quick question would be have you ever though to have the camera not show the actors feet? i know it sounds silly but i mean not let the camera pan past down the knees while characters are walking?
Here's a question, I'm seriously considering producing a "Making Of" featurette for this monster project, but I'm wondering if there's enough demand for me to do it? What are people interested in knowing about how Specter came to be?
Could possible get some of your voice over actors to talk about what attracted them to the project?
That would be an awesome idea. I would love to see that. Maybe you could make it a video, and actually have them record the answers. Maybe from a convo from IM or PM or something. Have both parties record their side, and then perhaps put it into a comlink frame. Or perhaps put the voices to the characters, talking through a comlink.
I'd be willing to volunteer my voice and whatnot.
:P
...specifically, that I'm beginning work on a script for a sequel! For now, all I can say is that the working title is Star Trek: Retribution. I'm not actually confirming yet that a sequel is going to be made, just that I'm working on a story. If I can come up with a story I like and that I can make work, then we'll have ourselves a new film to look forward to.
Oh, and...this time the TRT will be no more than 120 minutes. I swear
1. NO BORG!
2. NO TIME TRAVEL BY THE FITZIE
3. A guest appearance by Reyff's nephew in Starfleet Academy, Wes.. or something with that might work.
4. NO MIRROR UNIVERSE.
those are my ideas, sorry i dont have anything better
Got ya hooked yet???
This Reality now has Two Garrs.
Braiyon now leads a completely different life due to Future Garr showing him that picture and altering the time line.
By the time it is 2378, almost ten years later, you are going to have two very different Garrs, The Younger Garr from this new time line is going to be a very different person and personality from Future Garr due to different experiences and a more active career in starfleet. You could explore that. Future Garr has been living in the past for the last ten years with Knowledge of the future, has he used this knowledge in some way?
For example, Young Garr resenting Future Garr for what he has done. Have the two stand off ish, instead of being closer, use their different life experiences to put them at odds with each other.
Romulan Civil War
If you set your sequel in 2379, a short time after the events of ST: Nemesis, There is bound to be some sort of internal struggle on Romulus to seize power, You could have to the crew involved somehow, or the federation is sent to trying an oversee peaceful negotiations but it's sabotaged and the fitzgerald crew are accused of it
Gamma Quadrant
So far there has been no episodes to cover exploration into the Gamma Quadrant unless it had to do with the Dominion, So a first Contract mission with a new species, or re introduction of an older species who dont like they way things are going in the alpha quadrant and want to step in.
few other things
No Borg lol
More for the Fitzgerald to do, lets see it get hammered by some enemy fire!
More Space Battles!
I'd love to see tnpir's "Retribution" done text-and-graphics style in the same way as Micheal Gray's "Star Trek: Dark Horizon".
http://stexpanded.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Trek:_Dark_Horizon
as for a sequal.... i just want to stress what homer said... dont you dare do anything with the borg....
You could always have the Fitzgerald pop out of another black hole just as nero attacks the kelvin.... thus avoiding altering the timeline..
As for what I AM considering...new updates: http://stexpanded.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Trek%3A_Specter_of_the_Past#Sequel
The story would be set ten years after the events of Star Trek: Spectre, in the year 2388.
The Romulan Civil War would still be ongoing following the events of Star Trek Nemesis, and would play a central role in the story
That's 11 years after nemesis so you're into uncharted story waters here, but there is only one main canon point you cant really ignore and that is in 2387 Romulus is destroyed by that supernova ( as seen in ST XI )
and please dont tell me that because of the time line changes we see at the end of Spectre, Romulus is saved, I dont think anyone would buy that lol
but some sort of conflict with the Romulans would be interesting, Your story would be set only 12months after the seat of power has been destroyed, i would like to see who and what could take advantage of this situation to go to war with the Romulans?
Gaius Reyf would hold the rank of Admiral
I was gonna query that isnt that pretty quick, since he's only been a captain for 10yrs? But then again Kirk made rear Admiral after only a 5 year expedition into deep space
Admiral Kathryn Janeway would make a cameo appearance at the beginning of the film
Insert ST: Nemisis gag here :P lol
The story would open with the discovery of a duplicate of the USS F. Scott Fitzgerald in the center of an ice comet, displaced in time by five hundred and four years
*cough* Time's Arrow *cough*
I'm pretty sure i've seen a dozen episodes of numerous Star Trek series with a ' ship from the past/ future / time displacement' plot point. You've already created an interested time travel story by introducing elements that other ST stories didn't cover
Please dont dilute it with this ST : Go to Time travel displacement story
but everything thing else i like, and can't wait to see what goes where
But of course you need to finish your first feature lol
Of course I'd never say a thing like that! I'm simply going to be like Nicholas Meyer when he was working on TWOK. When he made the decision to change the uniforms, people asked how he'd explain the change from the first film's costumes. He famously answered: "That's easy--the first film didn't happen." To me, ST XI is just a bad dream
This is the proposition:
Fair point, but you should know I love plot twists, and the "duplicate" (notice the quotation marks) starship is a good example
That.... is a pretty big plot point to miss/ignore though,
HELL, you could have it that the mysterious figure purposefully destroyed Romulus with Trilithium (Star destroying like in ST Generations) to put his/her evil plan into action
Quickest way to win people over to your cause is to let people want to hear, or give them someone to blame. Worked for Hitler, The guy was an evil douche, but he managed to get his claws into germany by tapping into their hatred and fears. Same thing with Emperor Palpatine
And to be fair Nicholas Meyer changed alot of things around in TWOK to give it a more Nautical feel in space, not ignore the first movie lol
I'm not really sure about the "duplicate" Fitzgerald though... You've already mentioned they ISS Voyager will make a return which is a "duplicate" as well. You'd have to come up with an amazing plot twist to convince me that its a good idea :P
http://www.startrekonline.com/fiction
But to save everyone some MAJOR reading time, i'll just post their time line bullet points for everyone to read, and maybe possible incorporate into a story?
Apologies to tnpir if this is all a little off topic
2379/2380:
Following the death of Praetor Shinzon at the Battle of Bassen Rift, the Romulan government fell into disarray. Tal'aura, one of the few remaining members of the Romulan Senate and a former ally of Shinzon, declares herself the new Praetor, supported by Fleet Commander Tomalak as the new leader of the Imperial Defense Force.
2381:
Starfleet is monitoring the deteriorating state of the Romulan Star Empire, which appears to be moving toward open civil war. Federation ambassadors are consulting with representatives of the Klingon Empire and other Alpha and Beta quadrant powers about a proposed course of action to either bring peace to the Romulans or control any conflict that spills out of Romulan space.
2382:
The unstable situation of the Romulans continues to be a source of concern for the Alpha and Beta quadrants.
The Klingon Empire takes advantage of the weak position of the Romulans to stage lightning strikes into Romulan space, retaking Khitomer and the sector surrounding it. The Federation Council criticizes the move, but Ambassador K’mtok responds that the empire is simply reclaiming territory that belonged to the Klingons by right.
2383:
Starfleet Intelligence continues to gather reports of unrest on Romulus. Praetor Tal’aura enacts food rationing and strict limits on replicator use on the homeworld, saying that the empire’s resources must be reserved to support the military’s campaign against Donatra and the breakaway Imperial Romulan State.
2384:
Federation analysts say that a shakeup in the Romulan power structure has left the empire vulnerable to attack from within and without. Starfleet is dispatching additional ships to the border of the Neutral Zone and considers the Romulan situation one of the main threats to Federation safety and security.
2385:
Starfleet Command announces it has completed its re-evaluation of all of its post-Dominion War assets and resources and that it will be refocusing some ships that have been assigned to defense and diplomacy to exploration and scientific discovery.