Why is it that Intrepid-class' escape pods look so out-of-date, being rectangularlly shaped, but the Steamrunner and Akira's pods so modern?
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Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Doesn't Voyager have the hexagonal pods like the Defiant? They just sit behind square-shaped covers. Unlike the Enterprise, Voyager's escape pods don't rest flush with the hull.
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Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
And why would triangular pods be more "modern" than square or hexagonal or octagonal ones?
Perhaps it's the E-E and the Akira that have completely outdated and old-fashioned triangular pods, while the Galaxy class has more modern square ones and the Intrepids like Voyager have the even more modern polygons?
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
I don't think it's a question of modern vs. outdated. Let's face it, if you're going to stick someone in a box to float in space, it better work!! I think it's more a question of which kind of pod the ship was designed to carry. Remember, the Akira and Steamrunner are both older than the Sovvie. They could have been slightly refit to accomodate "new" pods or the pods could've been around for a while and the Sovvie was designed to carry those type of pods.
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What about the effect escape-pods have on the hull? Of course you can't bend the rules about how many pods should be on a ship, you must always ensure the safety of the crew, at least on a Starfleet-vessel. But don't they (the pods) weaken the armor-level in the areas they are installed, putting a chink in the armor?
I think they look bad aesthetically speaking, like acne for starships. It looked disgusting in the escape-pod scene in FC!!
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Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :
Maybe there's just no set design. Some ships have rectanglar pods, some have trianglar it just depends on what the starship designer decides works best.
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Posted by Elim Garak (Member # 14) on :
Sol's right. In the last minute of "Year of Hell", the square latch doors pop open and hexagonal pods come out.
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
Well I reckon - that the best explanation for the lower registries, the 'similar' designs/feel and escape pods along with so many ships of the type Steamrunner and Akira, that they had been recently refitted and were undergoing shakedown cruises with in the innercore of the Federation and that they were luckily around to get back to sector OO1 - or maybe they all took off from Utopia Planitia, Copernicus and McKinley stations...
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Posted by Jim Phelps (Member # 102) on :
An interesting difference between Sovereign-style and hexagonal pods is that the former have their own cover (the diamond bottom), while Voyager's and Defiant's hexagonal types require external hatches (either square or some other shape). A damage to the ship's hull automatically damages the diamond pods, while in the case of Voyager and the Defiant, only the exterior hatches would be damaged.
The Defiant pathfinder was designed with Sovereign-style pods which were then replaced with hexagonal pods in the Defiant version, possibly to increase safety. It is also possible that a particular pod type depends on in-built shield strength - ships with stronger shields may not require external hatches.
On the other hand, diamond pods seem easier to deploy - no delays opening the hatches or worrying whether or not they will open at all. The cover also serves as an atmospheric shield, and might allow for a smoother landing (if one were required). There are probably a number of factors to consider in deciding which ship gets which types of pod.
Boris
Posted by Saboc on :
How many people can ONE escape pod hold? I was just looking the Enterprise-D and noticed that there were only a handful of escape pods while the crew complement is 1012.
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Posted by Dat (Member # 302) on :
Escape pods can hold 4 people "comfortably" with room for up to 6 IIRC. The entire crew of the E-D could evacuate using escape pods alone leaving some pods behind. Assuming all the pods used carried 4 people each.
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Posted by Jim Phelps (Member # 102) on :
The situation is similar in the case of Voyager. There are 42 six-person pods of the Defiant type, which gives us a maximum capacity of 252 people. They are meant to hold the normal crew complement with some in-built redundancy, just in case there are more people around or some crewmembers cannot run to their designated pods.
Boris
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Having the escape pods flush with the hull would seem to raise some serious compatibility issues with the ablative armor, which may explain the switch in the Defiant's design.
------------------ "Oh, it's an anti-anti-WTO song. It's essentially a pro-Starbucks song. I saw this picture of a guy sticking his foot through a plate-glass window in a Starbucks in Seattle, and he was wearing a Nike. Man, couldn't you just change your shoes?" -- M. Doughty