When I first started watching Deep Space Nine, I thought that perhaps the Defiant carried a runabout in its tiny shuttlebay on the underbelly. After watching just a little while I realized there almost positively wasn't enough space, but I still don't know enough about the specs of either the Defiant or Starfleet runabouts to know if it could fit or not. So, does anybody here know? Posted by Capped in Mike (Member # 709) on :
what's this then?
Posted by Ayre (Member # 1218) on :
I think this is the beginning of another war..*goes looking for his grenades*
Posted by Defiantly Running About (Member # 1216) on :
What's what? What's the question? Essentially, could a Defiant-class ship carry a Danube-class runabout in its shuttlebay?
Posted by Ayre (Member # 1218) on :
I think the simple answer would have to be "no" unless the Defiant's shuttlepod is the same size as a Danube class runabout. There wasn't exactly much room to spare from the ep "The Sound of Her Voice"
Posted by Defiantly Running About (Member # 1216) on :
That could have been just a single compartment or room in the shuttlebay. It's possible, no?
Posted by Marauth (Member # 1320) on :
However the Defiant shuttlepod that barely fits into the shuttlebay is only 6.5m long, the Danube is a whopping 23m long so there's no way it'd fit through the hole in the bottom of the Defiant if we assume the correct size of 120m. If you're one of those odd folk who think it's 170m then it'll just fit, if you're a very good pilot and don't mind painting the nose of your runabout every time you scrape on the Defiant's hull.
Posted by Dat (Member # 302) on :
Well, partially basing my answer off the DS9TM, there are only 3 bays aboard the Defiant, each only large enough to hold just one shuttle.
Posted by Defiantly Running About (Member # 1216) on :
Anyone know the width/heigt of the shuttlebay opening? If I can find a good shot of the Defiant from the correct angles I could probably figure it out...
Posted by Defiantly Running About (Member # 1216) on :
Here are the dimensions from the Daystrom Institute Technical library at http://www.ditl.org which is a VERY geek site ;P
Length : 170.68 m Beam : 134.11 m Height : 30.1 m Decks : 4
And for the Danube-class (oddly listed under shuttles):
Length : 23.1 m Beam : 13.7 m Height : 5.4 m Decks : 1
I'm still trying to find a good pic of the Defiant to judge bay size, but it's really looking like it couldn't fit.
Posted by Defiantly Running About (Member # 1216) on :
Thanks to Ayre for that image, the final nail in my coffin:D Obviously, the runabout could NOT fit, and I should stop talking now.
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
Man, those things are small. You'd think Starfleet would assign something bigger to guard DS9.
Admiral: Yes, we know you are perhaps the most strategic Federation position outside Earth. Yes, the Cardassians live nearby. Yes, thousands of people inhabit the station. But take these runabouts...we've given you three, haven't we?
Posted by Futurama Guy (Member # 968) on :
quote:Originally posted by Defiantly Running About: Obviously, the runabout could NOT fit, and I should stop talking now.
Most intelligent thing you've said all day... Posted by Defiantly Running About (Member # 1216) on :
*pretends to cry. Waits for you to come over and apologize, then jabs you in the solar plexus* ... Posted by Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
That's enough Star Trek for me. Ever.
Posted by Defiantly Running About (Member # 1216) on :
So why are you here then?
Posted by Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
The sex.
Posted by Manticore (Member # 1227) on :
So why are you here then?
Posted by Futurama Guy (Member # 968) on :
Well, I, for one, am certainly not here for the role-playing...
quote:Originally posted by Defiantly Running About: *pretends to cry. Waits for you to come over and apologize, then jabs you in the solar plexus* ...
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
What makes the discussion mildly more pointless is that the very area where the tractor beam is shown to be emitting from is the spot that the drop bay is shown to be. IIRC, the inner circle of the bump on the bottom slides open. Kind of a bad spot to attach a tractor beam emitter.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
quote:Originally posted by Veers: Man, those things are small. You'd think Starfleet would assign something bigger to guard DS9.
Admiral: Yes, we know you are perhaps the most strategic Federation position outside Earth. Yes, the Cardassians live nearby. Yes, thousands of people inhabit the station. But take these runabouts...we've given you three, haven't we?
The Runabouts weren't there to guard DS9. They were just general workcrafts. If they were suppossed to be protecting the station, then the senior staff wouldn't have borrowed them every chance they get. (Although they did do that with the Defiant. So, er, they are idiots.)
And I don't think that "thousands" lived on the station. IIRC, it was only about 300 early in the series.
Posted by Captain Boh (Member # 1282) on :
Yeah, and when the Runnabouts were assigned to DS9 it wasn't stratigic and no one thought the Cardassians would be back
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
Yup, and I think it was written somewhere that they WERE supposed to fit 100 people to a runabout for evacuation purposes
The only reference in later seasons is in the seventh season episode "Field of Fire", where a PART of the Starfleet crew quarters is said to house hundreds of people. It's pretty safe to say that at wartime, DS9's use as strategic headquarters made them fill the bunks.
Mark
Posted by Manticore (Member # 1227) on :
How do you fit 100 people into one runabout???
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
50 in the back, 49 in the front, and one in the trunk.
Wait, that's not right...
Posted by Ace (Member # 389) on :
Transporter stasis obviously.
Sorry, was that a joke?
Edited: He beat me to it...and yes, I was kidding about the transporter...but hey, maybe it could work.
Posted by deadcujo (Member # 13) on :
You stack 'em!
Posted by Ace (Member # 389) on :
My, aren't we all [not] a bunch of comedians here at Flare. Haha, but I'll admit deadcujo's answer paints a funny picture...
Posted by Captain Boh (Member # 1282) on :
Arn't they supposed to be modular? Maybe there is a modual that holds more people that is easily swappable
Posted by J (Member # 608) on :
What about the episode where the runabout gets shrunk... "Little Ship" or something like that. Wasn't that a runabout and wasn't it aboard the Defiant?
Posted by worffan1990 (Member # 239) on :
LOL you could fit WAYYY MORE than just one of those on it! Posted by deadcujo (Member # 13) on :
It was onboard in its diminished size, but certainly not in its original state.
Posted by Captain Boh (Member # 1282) on :
One would wonder why they used a Runabout there though, unless the Runabout came in the Defiant. It would make more sense to use a shuttle then have a Runabout follow along after all
Posted by deadcujo (Member # 13) on :
They may have needed the runabout to evacuate the hundred or so people on the Defiant if something went wrong with their experiments in transwarp.
Posted by worffan1990 (Member # 239) on :
and the runabout would probably have a better time maintaing tthe speeds that the Defiant woudl be travelling at, a shuttlecraft might not be able to do it.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
Well, the Runabout in "Little Ship" wasn't shrunk until it entered the anomaly. My guess is it and the Defiant traveled seperately to the anomaly, or that the Defiant tractored the Runabout through warp space. Like a big tow truck and a tiny little bike or something.
Posted by Captain Boh (Member # 1282) on :
why not just use the Defiant's shuttle pod though?
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
The Runabout's sensors would be far superior to a tiny shuttlepod and the Defiant herself might have been to large to manuver into the anomaly.
At a guess, anyway.
Posted by Guardian 2000 (Member # 743) on :
As long as we're at it, let's enlarge the Galaxy Class main shuttlebay so we can park a Defiant in it. And then let's squeeze a runabout into the Defiant. And let's have the runabout aft cabin rebuilt into a mini-shuttlebay carrying a shuttlepod. A shuttlepod with an escape pod in it.
Roga Danar would wet himself.
Posted by deadcujo (Member # 13) on :
Don't forget the escape pod's life raft.
Posted by Futurama Guy (Member # 968) on :
Don't forget Picards nose.
Posted by Nim the Fanciful (Member # 205) on :
Guardian 2000: "As long as we're at it, let's enlarge the Galaxy Class main shuttlebay so we can park a Defiant in it."
The Defiant has no landing feet, has it? I've never seen it land on any surface, I thought it was designed as a spacefaring-only vessel. Though your hypothesis is very desirable.
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
The runabout in "Little Ship" didn't have the pod on it, did it?
I think it was shown or stated somewhere that the Defiant does have landing feet. But only for docking bays and such as it has no atmospheric capabilities.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
I think the Defiant's MSD shows landing feet. The reproduction shown in the DS9 Tech Man definitely shows landing feet.
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
Yep. I think Sternbach noted that not ALL starship landing feet have to be for touchdowns on M-class planets. You could easily have them to land on asteroids or on really large space facilities for ease of repair, etc.
Mark
Posted by Guardian 2000 (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by Topher: I think it was shown or stated somewhere that the Defiant does have landing feet. But only for docking bays and such as it has no atmospheric capabilities.
"Starship Down"[DS9-4] . . . I'd say that more than demonstrates her ability to operate easily within a mere Class M planet's atmosphere.
Posted by Capped in Mike (Member # 709) on :
yeah, but she rusted like a bitch after they pulled that stunt. Voyager is the only ship with Rust-Oleum�� finish for those Demon-class nightmares...
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
I think Starship Down is also the ep where Sisko says, "She wasn't designed for atmospheric entry, but I think she can handle it."
Obviously, it *can* enter an atmosphere... it's just not in the owner's manual.
Posted by Futurama Guy (Member # 968) on :
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