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Aliens (1986): Miniatures technical supervisor Pat McClung working on the USS Sulaco model, designed by Syd Mead

Ok, let's make it a short thread to celebrate the 20 million users Bsky milestone. #TSSThread Syd Mead: "I originally designed a spherical ship. Cameron corrected me with the comment that the model had to go past the lens, without pulling focus." 2/8

Syd Mead: "I sketched several designs cued by the script’s description of ‘a forest of antennae enters frame, followed by the enormous bulk of the SULACO'. (...) A spherical design would have meant variable focus, something he didn’t want to deal with". 3/8

Syd Mead: "[James Cameron] sketched a kind of submarine affair, but long and flat." If you're passing through Paris, there are still a few weeks left to visit the great Cameron exhibition at the Cinémathèque. 4/8 Art by James Cameron:

Syd Mead: "I followed that cue and came up with the SULACO." 5/8

And this is how you create an iconic design (abridged version 😁). 6/8

But an idea is never dead. It's just put aside, waiting for the right moment. Solar Crisis (1990): The Helios, art by Syd Mead 8/8

I love this ship, it was my inspiration for a Space Engineers run about a year ago.

For the record, here are the only shots of USS Sulaco in this film. Before Acheron:

During↙️ and after↘️ Acheron. So yes, this model was created for 6 shots :)