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Posted by Mikey T (Member # 144) on :

In the new issue of Star Trek: The Magazine, there is an article with the making of the Vor"cha. It said in the article that it's bridge can be ejected like the Enterprise-D's and Voyager's! That better be a misprint about replaceable bridge modules.

(The rest of the magazine has a feature on Majel Barett, the final making of the Enterprise-D bridge, a Rick Berman interview, the construction logs of DS9 and the promenade cutaway)

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Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :

I could barely buy the E-nil bridge being ejectable - it looks compact enough for that. No chance for E-D or Voyager, and I doubt it would be honorable for Klingons to eject at all. A Klingon commander shouldn't abandon his bridge in the event of defeat or other impending loss of ship, and having "a bridge that can abandon the ship" makes cowardice much too easy... Subordinates can take the escape pods if they wish.

What about the Promenade plans? Are they of the four-turboshaft style we saw in the DS9 Tech Manual, or a more proper trilaterally symmetrical shape? Or do they only show the "real" Promenade, that is, the section that was really built as a set?

Timo Saloniemi

Posted by Starship Freak (Member # 293) on :

I was wondering if anyone could scan in the latest pics of starships from st:the magazine for us poor fellows who can�t get the magazine.
As for me, the latest issues from st:fact files are on my webpage as of yesterday. This includes schematics of Ares 4 and the borg probe.

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Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :

pIn'a' Sov, if you're really interested in getting The Magazine I might be able to help you. I send Bernd issues. Though it gets a bit expensive.

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Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :

I never saw the ejectable bridge module as a "lifeboat" (although I DID like the idea of Star Station Aurora's "command hull lifeboat" on their Ingram-class made from Decks 1 & 2) & given the way it works, I can't see it as being a "blowaway" deal. I think it's JUST swappable for a new bridge module...& that's VERY easy to see.

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Posted by Fructose (Member # 309) on :

Well, the TNGTM says that the original Galaxy class prototype had an ejectable bridge module during it's spaceworthiness trials that even had sublight drive. But that was the prototype. They may have made some like that during the Dominion War. But I think I may have heard somewhere that they thought about doing that for Voyager, but changed their minds somewhere.

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Posted by Jim Phelps (Member # 102) on :

The ejectable Vor'cha bridge isn't a new idea, IIRC, I believe it comes from Sternbach. I think he even said that the Galor bridge can eject.

Having a way to abandon ship doesn't seem that dishonorable - The BoP from "Penumbra" had six starboard pods, and presumably six port ones as well - I mean what if the ship is in danger of being hit by a stray comet, there are always less honorable ways to die...

Boris

Posted by Bernd (Member # 6) on :

I don't recall any occasion where ejecting the bridge was regarded as an option. On the contrary, captains always seem to be going down with their ships, and if not, they take normal lifeboats. I think the bridge separation is just a phantom like the Aerowing or whatever it may be called.

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Posted by Black Knight (Member # 134) on :

The idea of bridge ejecting seems laughable. Whenever the bridge crew needs to leave, it is done in normal escape pods. Though, it does make sense for prototype vessels. I think that if you were testing a new drive system or something that you would want to get out as quickly as possible. And being a prototype vessel, you might have a small crew which would negate the practicality of having many escape pods scattered throughout the ship.

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Posted by Trip Tucker (Member # 297) on :

I think that the ejectable bridge modules were never to be thought of as a survival device, but mearly an easy way of upgrading a bridge. Sort of like, this one's got worn carpet, let's pop in a new one

This would explain how we saw in Generations a new Enterprise bridge with the side stations and elevated command seating. They just replaced the bridge module with an upgrade.

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Posted by Cartman on :

Jello all

Correct me if i'm wrong, but don't the Enterprise-D
blueprints mention something about a Bridge Ejection system???

I could be wrong, I really don't feel like digging into the back room to find my blueprints.

BTW, would the Prototype Galaxy have to be the U.S.S. Galaxy.

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Posted by Trip Tucker (Member # 297) on :

Boy Cartman, you're on a roll!

Yep they do, they latches and associated systems are on Deck 2, so I would assume that all the Galaxies have it, the same I think is true of Miranda classes.

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Posted by Michael Dracon (Member # 4) on :

The Galor (and Keldon) Class head section can clearly seperate. You can easely identify 3 impulse at the rear end of the module.

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Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :

One wonders what the real connection is between the shape of the Galor class ships and the Cardassian symbol. Was the former modeled after the latter or vice versa? Were the designers of the Galor given the order to build a ship in the shape of the honored symbol, engineering aspects be damned? Or was this ship so influential in expanding the Cardassian Union that its silhouette was adopted as the symbol of new Cardassia?

In any case, I agree that the "head" part of the Galor can separate in an emergency. The "heads" of most Klingon designs might be optimized for that as well - although there's an interesting theory in the new novel "Diplomatic Implausibility" that the command pod is up front because the captain must be seen leading his troops to battle... And for that same reason, nobody sits in front of the captain, unless his station hugs the walls (the ST 4 BoP is an obvious exception to this rule, but perhaps Kirk and pals modified the bridge extensively? At least it looks completely different from the original ST 3 bridge).

Timo Saloniemi

Posted by Cartman on :

TY, nx59650

That kind of makes me wish i joined this forum months ago and not just read it.

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Posted by Trip Tucker (Member # 297) on :

If TY means "to you", then thanks Cartman.
I was in the EXACT same position as you, and then I joined. This place is just THAT cool!

BTW, how old are you?
BTW, how old is everybody HERE?

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Posted by Cartman on :

TY means "Thank You".

And yes, this place is cool, I wish I joined months ago.

and I'm all of 16
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[This message has been edited by Cartman (edited June 20, 2000).]

Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :

OK, I know the point has been clarified but... heh:

Yes, the bridge ejection modules aren't for actually escaping using the bridge, but rather swapping bridges in say spacedock. A good example is the difference between the E-A's bridges from Star Trek: IV to Star Trek: V and then to Star Trek VI.

Also, why the Yamato and the Enterprise can have identical bridges but then the Odyssey doesn't.

Where EXACTLY on a Vor'cha is the bridge though... I'm picturing a less 'dirty' bridge than the BOP's or the larger flag ship - whatits name...

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Posted by Mikey T (Member # 144) on :

That would be the Negh'var (sp), the ship the late Gowron used to attack DS9 in "Way of the Warrior." And what's wrong with using the bridge as a possible way to escape? The Klingon reason I can understand, but the rest...

The current ST: The Magazine shows diagrams of the DS9 Prommenade, not the actual set. But the diagrams are different from the ones in the DS9 Tech Manual.

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Posted by spyone on :

FWIW, the Galor Class alledgedly is the same shape as a critter called the Galor which is what the Cardassian symbol is in the shape of. All too convenient for me, but that's what they say.

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Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :

Well the idea of the Galor class ships being based on an animal design IS similar to the Romulan way...

Also, speaking of that detachable cardassian 'bridge' I think its the DS9 Tech manual that mentions that the half circle part at the front actually can detach like a saucer on a Federation starship.

Andrew

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Posted by Sunspot (Member # 77) on :

Cartman -

Because a ship is a prototype doesn't make it the first one... It would make sense to use an experimental spaceframe that has probably been cut aprt and re-gammawelded to switch out defective components, etc...

Starfleet/Federation is kinda centered around their appearances... I feel that they'd want a totally new ship, freshly out of the construction pod to represent the latest in Starfleet ship design.

*phew*...I've lost my edge...took me five minutes to put together those paragraphs! I miss my home internet... ;..(

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