posted
Or to look at the plaque issue from the opposite angle: if the Xhosa wasn't Starfleet surplus but a dedicated civilian ship, then should we take this type of plaque as denoting civilian construction? Perhaps the Enterprise was contracted out to a civilian manufacturer who slapped "Starship class" on her without consulting Starfleet?
posted
Perhaps the transition from using names like "starship class", "freighter class", &c. took place after the construction of the E-nil (hence, it got "starship class"), but before the construction of the Xhosa (hence, it got a "real" name, i.e. "Antares class").
------------------ "You're basically killing each other to see who's got the better imaginary friend." -Yasir Arafat on religious wars
posted
On the subject of ships of the same class which look different from each other...what about the Enterprise- nil and the Enterprise-A? They look very different, but are both classified as Constitution class.
Here's my theory. The Antares and the Zhosa were built around the same time, which would explain the Zhosa's interior. Then, the Hermes and Norkova were either built later or were upgraded, but were still referred to as "Antares class." That would also explain the more modern interior of the Norkova and the five-digit registry of the Hermes.
Ships like the Erstwhile might also represent an Antares refit somewhere along the line, but I don't remember what the interior looked like, or even if it was shown at all. The only problem is that the Talarians, enemies of the Federation, were also using an Antares class freighter. Maybe they stole it and repainted & reregistered it during the war.
Anyway, at least this proves that Chakotay's raider wasn't an Antares class, which I always thought was wrong.
------------------ Homer: "I'm not normally a praying man, but if you're up there, please save me, Superman!"
posted
Maybe Chakotay's radier was an 'Antares Class' but not Superclass Antares... which is reserved for Cargo-type vessels?? OR
Maybe once again those ships that are the raiders were originally not "Starships" but "Antares" meaning they were used for Cargo purposes, first and foremost - only later were they used by the Maquis for tactical strikes. This might fit with the large amount of room for the Maquis crew. This might also explain why the Lantree wasn't an "Antares" but a "Starship" since it was originally built for the role of a "Starship"
------------------ "I threw bitter tears at the ocean But all that came back was the tide..." 'I Will Not Forget You' Sarah McLachlan
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