Aerial Base/Conception

Below is the conception of Aerial Base, referring to behind-the-scenes and other insight documents pertaining to the ship itself.
==Description==
The basic concept of a military base floating in the air was inspired by the Spectrum Cloudbase from Century 21 Production's television series Captain Scarlet. The design of the Aerial Base was based on both the Cloudbase and another ship, the BioDragon from Toei Company's Super Sentai series Choudenshi Bioman.Ultraman Gaia Memorial Box, Commentary Book pg 21
Cloudbase.png|Spectrum Cloudbase
Biodragon1.png|BioDragon (Battle Mode)
Biodragon2.png|BioDragon (Carrier Mode)
==Etymology==
During the early design stages, the Aerial Base was simply called the "Air Base". In military terminology, an "air base" refers to a land-based military facility for aircraft. On the other hand, the word "aerial" is an adjective describing something that is operating in the air. Therefore, an "aerial base" is a military base that is actively staying in the air.
===Foreign Names===
*Hong Kong SAR: 
*Mainland China: /
*South Korea: 
*Taiwan: 
==Design Evolution==
Prior to building the prop miniature, the Aerial Base went through a series of design stages before its realization. All of the designs were drawn by PLEX. was credited as the designer. Initially, the Aerial Base was simply referred to as the and later the https://twitter.com/takeshiyoshioka/status/1251298675671699456/photo/2. The ship was given its name, Aerial Base, at least a month before the show's airing.http://www.konaka.com/alice6/ultra/characters.pdf pg 2
===Preliminary Design===
The earliest design resembled the Spectrum Cloudbase the most. Like the Cloudbase, its main hull was rectangular and very thin. It had an open flight deck that covered the front and middle section of the ship. It had markings on it that were used to guide aircraft to the take-off areas.Uchusen 1998 Vol. 86 pg 50 The remaining rear section was occupied by a large box-shaped hangar that would split in half and shift to the sides. The cockpit of the early-design Peace Carry could be seen atop the front side of the hangar. Behind the Peace Carry hangar were two pairs of cylindrical structures and angled wings. This design already possessed the iconic arch-shaped bridge structure but behind it, an extra arch structure could be seen on the starboard side with enough clearance for the right half of the Peace Carry hangar. The ship had four rectangular engine blocks protruded under the sides of the hull, unlike the final design which had six. Two of these blocks were located at the fore while the other two were at the rear. The middle side parts of the ship had trapezoid structures that extended outward, with an outstretched hexagonal wing structure attached to them. The ship was armed with two twin-barrel guns underneath the bow. In between them was a barrel-like object of unknown purpose.
===Followup Design===
A follow up design was made with minor visual differences. A detailed step-by-step launch sequence for early-design Container Mecha and the Peace Carry was sketched out in order to present the existing concept ideas to Tsuburaya Productions. This version had the side arch structure downsized, the guns and wings removed, and had two additional engine blocks. The flight deck was slightly simplified and the hull was more box-shaped. The four cylindrical structures behind the Peace Carry hangar were replaced with two circular structures. A single hexagonal tube occupied the entire starboard side, in which Container Mecha would use this tube to launch out of the ship.
When the Peace Carry undergoes take-off procedures the hangar would split in half and shift to the sides, similar to the preliminary design. This would reveal the Peace Carry, still in its early design with its cockpit extended upwards from the fuselage. The circular structures would revolve and transport Container Mecha from the hangar to the far-left and far-right transport slots of the aircraft. As it moves toward the fore flight deck after retracting the cockpit, an elevator platform located in the center of the ship would bring the third Container Mecha to the middle slot of the aircraft. The Peace Carry would then use the flight deck to take off from the ship.
===Greenlit Design===
The design of the base then underwent major changes, now resembling much more to the ship seen in the show. The production staff decided to choose this design and greenlit it. After that, colors were added and details of its functions and facilities were expanded. By the time the series started airing, some design features were either changed or omitted. While some could be discerned on-screen, they were not shown in use and remained unnamed.
====Annotations and Changes====
*: A deep pit containing a system of pipes that would send power to the front parts of the ship. An opening of the area is located in between the STOL runways. In-show, the opening is protected by a sliding hatch. However, because the hatch is always seen closed shut, the interior of the pit remains unseen.
*: Two triple-barrel laser cannon turrets that are in charge of defending the fore runway deck. They are redesigned into Ultraman Official Data File 33 pg 26/Sheet 01 that fire conventional explosive projectiles. In the toy instruction sheet for the super big-scale toy, the gun piece is still classified as laser weaponry and is named .
*: The four silver-yellow cylindrical structures on both fore and rear sides of the ship. While their purposes and name are omitted in the TV series, they have been incorrectly annotated as the in the TV Magazine 1999 February Issue TV Magazine 1999 February Issue pg 82-83, and later revised as in the TV Magazine Ultraman Gaia Illustrated Ultra Encyclopedia.TV Magazine Deluxe 90 Ultraman Gaia Illustrated Ultra Encyclopedia pg 26-27
*: The four circular ducts beside the Sub Bridge and in front of the Peace Carry Launch Deck. They are located further away from the Peace Carry Launch Deck, unlike as seen on the prop miniature. Their purposes and name have also been left out in other media.
*: Two launch areas for conventional non-Container Mecha aircraft. They are located at the far sides of the Fighter Launch Gates. Although they are visible in-show, they are not shown in use.
*: Rectangular elevator platforms used for transporting individual Container Mecha to the flight deck and into the hangars. The elevators are located on both sides of the Peace Carry Launch Deck. A yellow-black warning stripe is marked around the perimeter of each of the elevator area. They are also only visible on-screen.
*/Gate-3Uchusen Editing Fantastic Collection - Fantastic World of Fictional Special Effects Filming: Ultraman Tiga/Ultraman Dyna/Ultraman Gaia pg 47: A large double sliding gate that protects the stern landing area, behind the Peace Carry Launch Deck. The prop miniature lacks major detailing of it and aircraft are not shown using this area to land on the ship.
===Final Changes===
Two visual changes were made before the prop building phase. The side schematic view of the ship was flattened and slightly widened to appear less blocky and more streamlined. This version would also be used as the main image for promotional materials and in-universe display screens.
==Prop Miniature==
The prop miniature was built by Marbling Fine ArtsTV Magazine Special Editing Ultraman Gaia pg 4, measuring approximately two meters in length. It was hung with wires atop of cotton wool patches and in front of a sky backdrop. It had numerous window lights and signal lights inside the miniature to give the ship a realistic feel. Light bulbs were installed inside the thruster nozzles to mimic flames. There were electric rotating radar parts on the structures beside the Central Bridge.
The miniature had a number of differences from its finalized design drawings. Notable differences included larger three-barrel guns, lack of detail for the rear gate, two radar structures on both sides of the Central Bridge that were not present in the original designs, more height space between the Central Bridge platform and the main hull, and the side tower blocks that supported the Central Bridge platform being significantly wider.
During the filming of the forty-seventh episode, the miniature was heavily modified several times in favor for the plot.Uchusen 1999 Vol. 89 pg 52 To expressively present the base itself opening fire on the kaiju, the prop miniature was turned into a fortress. Large single-barrel guns were put onto the flight deck and subsequently replaced with destroyed parts as the scenes progressed. To avoid destroying more than it should had with explosives, separate wooden and mortar sets of the guns and superstructure were made and blown up instead.Expanded and Revised Edition: Earth is Ultraman's Planet - Dyna & Gaia Volume pg 141-142 The explosion scenes were then digitally keyed onto the main miniature. Then, parts of the miniature were hand-destroyed and replaced with battle damage effects. At the end of the episode, the miniature was deliberately rammed into an explosives-rigged Mokian prop. While the Mokian prop was completely destroyed, the bulk of the Aerial Base miniature survived. However, almost all of the details on the flight deck and the fighter launch area perished in the explosion.
===Exhibition Display===
The prop miniature in its destroyed state was displayed at the Ultraman Festival 1999. It was shown to the public again in 2002 at the Tedori Fishland's Ultraman Adventure World attraction. The miniature was displayed again, from March 15 2003 to November 30 of the same year, at the Enakyo Wonderland's event area Ultraman Wonderland. It was put face-to-face with the Mokian prop in front of a space backdrop, replicating the final moments of the ship before it rammed into the monster.
Some destroyed areas or missing parts that are noticeable in 1999 differed from those in later exhibitions.
UFes1999f.jpg|Ultraman Festival 1999https://twitter.com/musibahayata/status/1278990461793787907
TedoriFishland1.png|Ultraman Adventure World, Tedori Fishland, 2002Ultraman AGE Vol.6 pg 82
EnakyoWonderland1.png|Ultraman Wonderland, Enakyo Wonderland, 2003Uploaded with permission from https://twitter.com/musibahayata
Aerial Base Miniature Comparison.png|Structural differences
The current state of the miniature and where it is stored at are unknown.
==Filming Sets==
To make the Command Room appear wide and spacious, it was given a low ceiling design.TV Magazine Special Editing Ultraman Gaia pg 75 The filming set for the Command Room displays several inconsistencies with the prop miniature. According to the design of the set, such as the angled windows, the Command Room would supposedly be located on the far starboard side of the Central Bridge structure. There are several instances in the show and data books where the Command Room is in the center. This would however make the filming set's design inaccurate.
The Container Mecha Standby Room hangar sets were built by WAI Corporation.
AerialBaseCommandRoomDesign.png|thumb|Command Room's blueprint
AerialBaseContainerMechaStandbyRoom.jpg|thumb|Left, middle: Container Mecha Standby Roomhttps://www.wai-arakawa2.com/1998/06/11/%E3%82%A6%E3%83%AB%E3%83%88%E3%83%A9%E3%83%9E%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AC%E3%82%A4%E3%82%A2-%E3%82%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%97%E3%83%8B%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0-1-2-3-4%E8%A9%B1-tv%E3%82%B7%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BA-1998%E5%B9%B4/
==References==