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Posted by The First One (Member # 35) on :

The USS Centaur was seen in the DS9 episode "A Time To Stand" where it was commanded by Captain Charlie Reynolds. The same oficer, a friend of Sisko's, is mentioned again in "Sacrifice of Angels" (and other episodes?).

The Centaur seems to be constructed from an Excelsior saucer with certain additional protuberances on the underside, with a pair or sideways Excelsior nacelles in Miranda configuration attached by what appears to be an outsized (i.e., definitely not to scale) Miranda rollbar.

No class is specified, and no registry is visible, therefore the age of the ship is unknown. One point of view is that if there is a Mirandaised Excelsior then this it it. Another viewpoint says this is a kitbash in the tradition of the other ships in the DS9TM, one of which resembles this ship quite closely - with some telling differences such as the positioning of the nacelles.

So which is it? All together now: we don't know! I prefer to think of it as a proper class, maybe one of the ones we have heard of but never seen. . . the only thing to contradict this is a logical argument - why is there a kitbash that looks so similar? If the components are nearly identical, then why not make a 'proper' Centaur-type ship?

Posted by The First One (Member # 35) on :

Two more arguments to consider:

1. The name: a centaur is a hybrid of two different species. Indicative of something?

2. The Centaur is seen three months into the war. . . would they be creating kitbash ships already? Consider, however, that we'd already seen the Excelsior-kitbash Curry-class. . .

I'll combine these with the rest once everyone's commented.

Posted by bear (Member # 124) on :

Chimera Class

I just thought I would post this again...lol
-Saucers to thin
-Nacelles are too short

I really should post the updated version.

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[This message was edited by bear on June 21, 1999.]

Posted by bear (Member # 124) on :

Oh...I am not strenuously saying this is the Chimera Class, but somebody commented on them both being Greek monsters a while back , so I changed the name.

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hello world

Posted by The First One (Member # 35) on :

There was a much better version going around just after it was seen. . . and The Vorlon did one too. Anybody got them? And where did the Chimera class come from?

Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :

It was from the encyclopedia. Was it the Portland? Something from "Nor the Battle to the Strong...", I think. Anyway, some ship that we never saw was listed as Chim(a)era-class (did it have the 'a', or not?), and some people have commented that it's a good name for the Centaur's class.

I think I've got my own Centaur diagram somewhere, if I can find it...

Oh, and the nacelles aren't Excelsior. From the side, they are shaped like the top of an Excelsior's, so they may have been made from parts of an Excelsior's, but they aren't exactly the same...

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Pinky: "I think so, Brain, but, if you get a long little doggie, wouldn't you just call it a 'dachshund'?"

Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :

my Centaur orthographic views

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Brain: "Are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
Pinky: "I think so, Brain, but, if you get a long little doggie, wouldn't you just call it a 'dachshund'?"

Posted by Cargile (Member # 45) on :

I'll lean the other way and say they are "kitbashed" destroyers made only for the war. And Starfleet could have been creating "kitbashes" so soon if all their intelligence reports indicated that war was inevitable.

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Posted by The First One (Member # 35) on :

I'll try to incorporate all this extra and rewrite over the weekend, and will redo my other SWDAO's then too. . .

Posted by The First One (Member # 35) on :

OK, rewrote this one. . .

quote:
The USS Centaur was seen in the DS9 episode "A Time To Stand" where it was commanded by Captain Charlie Reynolds. The same officer, a friend of Sisko's, is mentioned again in "Sacrifice of Angels."
The Centaur seems to be constructed from an Excelsior saucer with certain additional protuberances on the underside, with a pair nacelles (which closely resemble those of an Excelsior turned sideways but with differences in details) in Miranda configuration attached by what appears to be an outsized (i.e., definitely not to scale) Miranda rollbar.
No class is specified, and no registry is visible, therefore the age of the ship is unknown. One point of view is that if there is a Mirandaised Excelsior then this it it. Another viewpoint says this is a kitbash in the tradition of the other ships in the DS9TM, one of which resembles this ship quite closely - with some telling differences such as the positioning of the nacelles. Points to note:
1. The name 'centaur' refers to a mythical creature that is a hybrid of two other species. There is a mention in the Encyclopaedia of a Chim(a)era-class starship - could this be it? Maybe the imminent Encyclopedia update will confirm it once and for all.
2. The appearance of the Centaur comes only 3 months into the war - could they have deployed 'kitbash' ships this early in the conflict? If so, Starfleet must have anticipated the losses they'd suffer.
So which is it? All together now: we don't know! I prefer to think of it as a proper class, maybe one of the ones we have heard of but never seen. . . the only thing to contradict this is a logical argument - why is there a kitbash in the DS9TM that looks so similar? If the components are nearly identical, then why not make a 'proper' Centaur-type ship?

Posted by Bernd (Member # 6) on :

All I have is a side view, but I think it's fairly correct. Looks like a proper starship class, not like a kitbash (apart from my opinion that I deny kitbashing anyway).

http://www.uni-siegen.de/~ihe/bs/startrek/schematics/centaur.jpg

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Posted by Antagonist (Member # 76) on :

The Centaur class, possibley one of my favorite designs, simply because it's a cool looking kitbash.

The Centaur class has a look-alike in the DS9TM, and that look-alike is said to be either a design custom made by the shipyards, or salvaged componets from a battlefield where the rest of the hull was too badly damaged to use for reconstruction. I like to think of the Centaur as a customly made destroyer...and if we see ay others, which I am sure we will, then I will quickly add that Starfleet has seen the Centaur-type's effectiveness and so produced more of them. Simple as that, it's a patrol vessel, no more.

Just a quick question, but does anybody else think it's stupid for them to put the maneuvering thruster that close to the center of gravity?!

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Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :

What are those pod-things underneath the saucer?

Hobbes
9906.28

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Posted by Elim Garak (Member # 14) on :

I believe they're sensors and torpedo launchers...

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Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :

Bernd: Two things I'm not comfortable w/ on that diagram:

1.) It uses Constitution-II pylons, which I believe was a mistake on the DS9TM's part (they did the same on the Curry).

2.) I don't think the Centaur had the fins on the backs of the nacelles.

Granted, I could be wrong on either or both of these counts. If I am, I'd like to know it, though...

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Posted by Bernd (Member # 6) on :

The nacelle pylons are probably not from the Constitution, I just kept them for convenience and because the top side was not visible anyway.

However, the nacelles have fins:
http://www.shiporama.org/images/newships/ship1_13.jpg

Posted by Federation Shipmaster (Member # 15) on :

Why hasn't anyone mentioned that the ships in the DS9TM are seriously messed up, so we should ignore what's in there?

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