So *those* are the impulse engines? What are the outboard triangles on the saucer trailing edge, then? Saucer separation emergency impulse engines? Another thing that just happens to look like something from Akira yet fills a completely different function?
The nacelles are an interesting intermediate between the TOS and TMP ones in terms of glowing "field windows". Too bad this isn't the niche where this ship is supposed to sit...
The flattening view here is quite flattering. I trust we won't be seeing the ship in side profile too much!
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Or are the things on the saucer the impulse engines, while the new glowies are something totally different?
I'm glad it doesn't look like those blueprints, anyway...
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
I just realized that it reminds me of an upside-down Centaur, sort of...
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
Interestingly, the indentation of what we formerly assumed to be impulse engines seems to creep a lot of the way back into the underside of the saucer... One possibility might be shuttlecraft bomb-bay type paraphanelia, assuming the doors on the top of the saucer and whatever's where the Akira's shuttlebay is aren't for shuttles.
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
...and the business end Note spacedock...
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
Wow, I really do like that aft shot. I like the way in this angle it beefs up the catamarans a bit more. They don't look like they're purely decorative like the blueprints seemed to suggest (in my mind, anyway). I think the positioning of the aft pod is pretty good. It seemed to hang a little low, but it's still in line with the saucer. Seems to be fairly protected from the front. That front view in the space dock is nice as well. That sensor dish up front strikes me as a bit on the funky side, though. It's really short and really long. Interesting.
Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
The presence of an indentation in the forward sector still seems anachronistic, especially when there are those odd blue glowing things behind the deflector dish itself. It’s as if the guy who redid the Akira template forgot to remove the bow shuttlebay forcefields. Admittedly, there is such glow behind the Intrepid class auxiliary deflector, but none in the starships preceding that one.
I think the separate little pod for engineering is a nifty idea: an early version of "core ejection", except that Tucker gets ejected along with his machines. There still seems to be a discrepancy between the plasma conduit angles of the set and the pylon angles of the ship, but it's hard to tell how much from this angle. I think the blueprints are probably in error, representing a rather early draft.
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
Since I was just looking over Shane Johnson's "Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise" tonight, I had a thought about the impulse engines. If those blue glowie things at the ends of the catamarans are indeed the impulse engine, could they be unusual because they draw their power from the main reactor as well? In Johnson's work, the intermix shaft extends from the base of the secondary hull all the way to the deflection crystal at the top of the aft saucer hull. There, it bends aftward and feeds into the impulse engines. What if that is the intention here?
It's a small ship and there may very well not be enough space for all the atomic reactors necessary for normal use with the impulse engines. There's a few back there in case of total system failure, but what if it's primary power source is to feed off of the main reactor's power transfer conduits?
Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
No matter what the TNG TM says, I'm pretty sure that most starships have their impulse engines equipped with a hookup to main power systems. "Raw" main power might not be compatible as such, but going down one step of "transformers" would allow the warp plasma to at least energize the acceleration coils if not actually substitute for the fusion reaction. The impulse engines could operate without the main power, but it's nice to have that additional oomph available.
Heck, if they can tie phasers to the mains, then impulse should be possible as well.
It could of course be that NX-01 has a fancy arrangement where the glowing things on the boom aft ends act as "tailpipes" for the warp engine. Perhaps the ship continually vents plasma while at warp or something. Part of that leakage is then harnessed for impulse power in this ship. The impulse engine lookalikes on the saucer aft rim could be "proper" impulse engines, brought to play when the ship actually maneuvers at impulse, and not feeding off warp engine plasma leakage.
The Akiras, with a similarly dual impulse system, could have a similar arrangement.
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
Funky....now it appears the pod doesn't go up OR down! It's just straight inbetween the catamarans. Which explains why it was missing from the side view of the blueprints.
It does look nice though, but...uh, where did you get these from?
Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
Actually its always appeared to be even with the struts to me.. maybe im just gifted.
I assume he got these from the new commercial theyre running.
And I'm pretty sure the impulse reactors and warp energy all work on the same power grid. whenever they shut down the warp core they still had power. In one episode of TNG (help out a brother in need, which one?) they nixed the idea of separating the ship because they would need the energy from the impulse reactors, indicating theyre certainly on the power grid and were in use even though the saucer impulse engines are rarely initialized.
And the engines-rear, living forward configuration is used on the majority of ships on star trek, if not because of the possible 'separate and ditch the engines scenario' but because of radiation concerns. Many novels illustrated this about Klingon ships.. the 'Drell design' was created becayuse early Klingon warp engines release tremendous amounts of radiation, and the crew needed to be way the hell up front to be safe, hence the neck and pod. The joke in the Klingon navy was that, even by the Drell-7 (D7) the radiation was eliminated, but the configuration was maintained so the fleet officers would not have to sleep anywhere near the marines (in the back near the shuttles and attack transporters)
[ September 20, 2001: Message edited by: CaptainMike ]
Posted by NightWing (Member # 4) on :
So when is the show premier again??
[ September 24, 2001: Message edited by: NightWing ]
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Wednesday.
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
It's Tuesday for me. Guess I get to post all the spoilers on a Trek Premiere before you guys again.
Mark
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Don't make me smack you...
I don't get it 'til Saturday...
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
Don't that beat all, though? I get it Saturday, too.
Admittedly, there is such glow behind the Intrepid class auxiliary deflector, but none in the starships preceding that one.