Last night I looked at my family's TV Guide and it had a "preview" of what the Enterprise would look like. However, the Enterprise does look more like the 24th century ships that we have seen in the recent shows and movies. This Enterprise looks more advanced than Kirk's. Now, that does not make sense.
Hear's another thing: By using the ridged Klingon heads, they now have to explain how the Klingons got the smooth heads between Enterprise and Star Trek as well as how they go the ridged heads between TOS and the movies. Kahless's clone could have been surgically altered to appear ridge-headed before, but now I don't know how they're going to explain everything.
1. Cardboard and paper mache does not look as sophisticated as CG.
2. Gene always wanted the Klingons to have ridges.
Ok, now let me propose a hypothesis: if the NX-01 was the first Deep-Space Starship we Humans are gonna have - would it stand to reason that they'd sink a HELL of a lot of money into it to make it the best possible? Car engines from the 1930s are considered the pinnacle of mechanical engineering, while not containing all the electronics they looked very modern for their time because of all the mechanical solutions in them. Why can't it be that way with the NX-01: Highly Engineered with the technology at hand.
We could always justify the "funkyness" of the NX-01 from what Dax said in the DS9 Tribbles ep about the Retro feel of 23rd Century Tech. Maybe Some designer at Starfleet went through a "60s" phase and simplified all the ship designs... But honestly, Does it really matter?
And as for the Klingons, It's a long story about why Starfleet encountered Human-looking Klingons in the 23rd Century... Guess we'll never know because they don't talk to outsiders about it :P
Maybe they thought their ridges struck too much fear into their enemies to be honorable - so all Deep Space troops would be altered to give their enemies a chance... Who Knows!?
My Suggestion to all stressing about continuity in Enterprise: Go make a nice loose-meat sandwich, have a glass of coke, and if all else fails: Play some Elite Force with the phasers set to Kill, Stuff and Mount.
The "New" Enterprise looks alot like the Akira Class Ships from the latest movies set in the 24th Century.
Personally, I think somebody at Paramount thought the fans were SO Gullible we'd not notice. Nonetheless, I plan to give the show a fair chance; I like Scott Bakula.
Jesus Guys, you have to remember that the first series was made in the 60's!!!! just because they didn't want to put actors through 5 hours of MakeUp back then doesn't mean that you have to design this Bizzare and excessive excuse as to why they are like that. Star Trek fans have to have a little imagination, and be able to look past what was on the screen back in the original Series and see what they wanted it to be like. If you are so concerned with Klingon Ridges why are you not Complaining about Worf's ridges?? they changed significatly from the first season to the last! was he having Radical reconstructive surgery every few episodes?? and do you think they should have written that in just to explain why he looks a little different??? NO. Now personally I don't know about this new Series, but the fact that the Klingons look differently should not be our major concern with it, we should be more concerned with how the episodes are going to turn out. Star Trek is about imagination, just because they were unable to make the Technology look as nice as it does now back in the 60s is no reason to flip out.... just roll with it...:)