The First One
A lovely little thinker, but a bugger when he's pissed
Member # 35
posted
Have these been identified yet? Because I just saw this screenshot from "Star Trek: Armada" and noticed, well. . .
If you haven't seen the rest of these, change the number of the image to any number between 1 and 11 - or go to TrekWeb. Looks fairly sh*te, all in all. . .
Jim Phelps
watches Voyager AFTER 51030
Member # 102
posted
They're the two glowing red thingies next to each nacelle (if you trust Jim Martin's preproduction sketches), or they are in the tail if you trust Doug Drexler who laid out the interior and the Master Situation Display schematic. The problem is that there are no exhaust ports in the tail, which led Rick Sternbach to the idea of microporous exhaust ports, an idea which is possible, but too awkward a theory in my opinion. Simply because there are a lot of things that are wrong with the MSD schematic (no triangle torp launchers, two aft launchers on Deck 4, no indication of the present shuttlebay, warp core hanging in outer space etc, etc)
I have chosen in my commentary on the subject to ignore the MSD systems configuration where it contradicts the VFX (an earlier configuration maintained by engineers out of habit?). Even if it's not immediately obvious that the ports are impulse engines, Jim Martin indicates so in preproduction sketches, and I have no reason to believe that he changed his mind. The Fact Files confirm this placement as well.
------------------ "Wrong again. Although we want to be scientifically accurate, we've found that selection of [Photon Energy Plasma Scientifically Inaccurate as a major Star Trek format error] usually indicates a preoccupation with science and gadgetry over people and story."
---a Writers' Test from the Original Series Writer's Guide
The First One
A lovely little thinker, but a bugger when he's pissed
Member # 35
posted
Well, yes, that's what's implied here. But do we believe it? I mean, we think of the Defiant as this overpowewred beast (especially at impulse - if I remember correctly, its warp speed isn't brilliant), yet there have never been any visible impulse exhausts except these two little dots. Either the vents are as well armored as the nacelles, or engine power is in no way dependent on exhaust size. And I always thought there was one single impulse engine - in "One Little Ship" do they specify which exhaust vent they use?
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
posted
I have always seen those red dots as being the impulse exhaust - what else could they be? It is debatable where the impulse engine reactors are.
------------------ "Forgive me if I don't share your euphoria!" (Weyoun to Dukat, DS9 'Tears of the Prophets')
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