In the episode "Strange Bedfellows", there is the battle of Chintoka. After the battle, an Excelsior Class ship is seen ventral with 50% of its primary hull destroyed. According to the encyclopedia, a ship that loses 50% of its primary hull is considered destroyed (the USS Melbourne NCC-62043). Other instances-the USS Enterprise NCC-1701, the USS Valley Forge NCC-43305, the various Mirandas. From observation- a. ship's primary hull forward of the bridge is destroyed b. ship goes into either an uncontrolled motion (up like the USS Melbourne, down like the USS Enterprise, spin like the USS Valley Forge) c. ship's accelaration slows d. ship is considered destroyed and unusable What is in the forward bow of a starship from the twenty-third century that if destroyed renders the ship unusable? My only thought is-a sizeable amount of the sif and the idf machinery are located in the forward bow. Any thoughts?
Posted by Shipbuilder (Member # 69) on :
Not to mention that the ship's center of gravity is thrown outta whack which would greatly affect spaceflight, but my main guess is that it has to do with the ship's ability to generate an efficient warp field, this based on the TNGTM's statements about the shape of the hull providing some warp field shaping capability. Not that a ship with 50% primary hull being gone couldn't go to warp, but I'm pretty sure it would be inefficient, dangerous, and extrememly difficult, sorta like flying an F-15 home with only 1 wing (which oddly enough actually happened during an Israeli training accident, no kidding)
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Well, if the warp field shapes itself to the ship, and the front half of the saucer gets blown off, it would be like flattening the front of the warp field. If the field has to have some sort of "aerodynamics" in subspace (yes, I know there's no air in subspace...), doing that could have an extreme effect on warp flight. Think about how well your car would drive on the highway if you cut off the front half (assuming the engine isn't in the front, of course... :-) ).
------------------ "I'm not stubborn. I'm just right." -me
Posted by The First One (Member # 35) on :
Another possibility, from The Vorlon: the computer cores. Remember most of these ships we've seen weren't travelling at warp. . .
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Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Ok, the question is why does a ship start to spin when the front half of it is blown away? I think we're overlooking the obvious.
Pump enough energy into a ship to vaporize half of its saucer, and that ship is going to move. Action/reaction.
------------------ "Fishing promotes a clean mind, healthy body and leaves no time for succumbing to Communistic or Socialistic propaganda." -- Ivar Hemmings, chairman, South Bend Bait Company
Posted by Shipbuilder (Member # 69) on :
The starting to spin question is easy: Computer controlled navigation and guidance relies heavily on knowing exactly where a spacecraft's center-of-mass lies in relation to the rest of the ship. Impulse engines as well as Warp engines are designed to apply their respective forces along certain axes which produce the required effect. If the spacecraft's mass has changed considerably (loss of primary hull) the ship behaves differently when the engines are activated.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Erm... I would tend to agree w/ Sol on this one. If I put you out in space, and punched you in the face, you'd start spinning. It works the same w/ a ship...
------------------ "I'm not stubborn. I'm just right." -me
Posted by Shipbuilder (Member # 69) on :
Didn't mean to sound like I was disagreeing with anyone. I agree with Sol also but its not the only reason. Posted by Shipbuilder (Member # 69) on :
Hey did anybody notice in the scene where the Defiant takes its last blow, there looks like a Galaxy class battle section flipped upside down and burning (top right). Would have been cool to see it get smacked and the saucer section escape away.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Yeah, I mentioned that in the thread w/ the vidcaps. I'm not sure though, whether it's an upside-down Galaxy, or just a Nebula. I would tend toward Galaxy, though. No pod...
------------------ "I'm not stubborn. I'm just right." -me
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Based on how and where the nacelles are attached to the pylons, I would say Nebula. But I'd have to take a closer look to be sure.
------------------ "Fishing promotes a clean mind, healthy body and leaves no time for succumbing to Communistic or Socialistic propaganda." -- Ivar Hemmings, chairman, South Bend Bait Company
Posted by Shipbuilder (Member # 69) on :
The side of the damaged ship that was facing us (bottom if GCS, top if Neb) looked to be too smooth to be a Nebula, there wasn't any sign of the pod or pod strut. To me it looked like an upside down GCS secondary that had either had the primary blasted off or jettisoned.
Posted by Trinculo on :
I believe the hull fragment is from a Galaxy Class ship and primary hull was damaged beyond use. The neck is missing because of massive damage to the forward sections of the secondary hull.
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
Looks like a Nebbie to me. Especially since we saw 2 Nebula's and no Galaxies in the battle. Also, I don't think the way the pylon connects to the nacelle is the same on a Nebula, it's a little bigger (I think)
------------------ "The one, the only, THE 359!"
Posted by Jaresh Inyo on :
Nebula, IMHO.
------------------ Josh: I think they're getting to know each other a bit too well, if you catch my drift. Me: Oh, I agree. I think they're spending too much time together, that is of course, if you catch my drift. Asher: I think he's *ucking her, and he's cheating on his wife, and he's risking his marriage, and if his wife finds out about it she'll leave him and take their son, and his life will be ruined. If you catch my drift...
Posted by Antagonist (Member # 76) on :
There's alot of factors that can make a ship spin wildly out of control.
1. force applied to the space vehicle in question. 2. Unblaanced mass that was previosuly unbalanced (i.e. a piece was blown to hell). 3. miscalculations or malfunctions in the computer, SIF, and Impulse propulsion field. 4. Crazy pilots.
I prefer to go witht the latter. Crazy Talaxian drivers! *waves fist angrily at passing starship*
------------------ "You can burn a man's house & possesions, you can kill his friends, his family, but the most dangerous man is one that has nothing left to lose."
