How many Galaxy-class variants do we have now? Here�s my count:
1. Standard Galaxy (USS Enterprise-D) 2. Alternate timeline Galaxy (Riker�s ship) 3. Weapons modified Galaxy (USS Venture, phasers on nacelles) 4. Modified Galaxy (THe one with the black "spine") 5. Modified Galaxy II (The one with active impulse-engines in saucer-section)
------------------ "The Starships of the Federation are the physical, tangible manifestations of Humanity�s stubborn insistence that life does indeed mean something." Spock to Leonard McCoy in "Final Frontier"
Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
I think the "modified Galaxy II" should be considered more of a setting than a modification. Apparently, Starfleet just found the ship's impulse combat performance lacking. The added-weapons USS Venture might be a one-off experiment, while the dark spines might in turn be something applied to already existing basic ships as well as to newbuilds. Do the dark spines persist to the final episodes or "Tears" close-ups as well?
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by Michael Dracon (Member # 4) on :
Nope, they were only visible in episodes between 'Call to Arms' and 'Sacrifice of Angels' (and not in either of the two mentioned episodes).
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Posted by Nemesis (Member # 255) on :
And not even in the battle scenes! Only just prior in front of starbase 375, where the Fleet was regrouping. Are these "black-spine" galaxy really persistend? Maybe it was just an odd camera-angle or a shadow.
------------------ This is how i prefer the borg... in pieces!!! -- Janeway in Dark Frontier
We saw two of the black-neck Galaxies...it did in fact appear to be a painted-on design or something.
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Posted by Matrix (Member # 376) on :
To me the black neck Galaxies are either just a painted on design or just a trick of shadows. I am going for the shadows because I don't think Starfleet would approve for a non standard look to their ships. However it would be neat to see Defiant class ships painted in an array of color schemes!
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Posted by Starship Freak (Member # 293) on :
These black strips could just as easily be structural reinforcements of some kind.
------------------ "The Starships of the Federation are the physical, tangible manifestations of Humanity�s stubborn insistence that life does indeed mean something." Spock to Leonard McCoy in "Final Frontier"
Posted by Constellation of One (Member # 332) on :
I'm going for the idea that the black necked Galaxies are distinct variants. I see no reason for these ships alone to have been painted since we've seen no other "custom" paint jobs on other starships, and disruptive paint schemes might fool the human eye but not sensors. Also, after having looked at the picture of the two black necked Galaxies at pIn'a' Sov's site (nice site, BTW!), I don't think that they are shadows. The dark areas are identical in size and shape, despite the fact that one ship is further away and slightly offset laterally, and thus away from whatever could possibly be generating the shadow. What probably happened was that the FX guys used the same CG image twice, but just scaled it for distance.
This still begs the question of "Why?"
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Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
Actually? Looks like a CGI bleedthrough. Like they modeled a separate battle section & separate saucer, then stuck the 2 together.
------------------ "Do you know how much YOU'RE worth??.....2.5 million Woolongs. THAT'S your bounty. I SAID you were small fry..." --Spike Spiegel
Posted by Constellation of One (Member # 332) on :
But, then why is the black panel on both the saucer and the neck? If the CGI guys made separate saucers and neck/secondary hulls, shouldn't the black panel only be on one of the two sections? I can see what you mean about the bleed-through; the curved section does resemble the neck underneath. However, since its on-screen there must be some sort of logical explanation for it within the actual Trek universe.
My favorite explanation is that Star Fleet decided that the separate battle section was a failure for some reason, and locked the saucer to the secondary hull, perhaps for more impulse power, phaser banks, shield generators, etc. The dark area could then be a structural reinforcement, as was previously mentioned, intended to strengthen the former joint between the two. This might not preclude an emergency saucer separation, a la Enterprise-D, but it might preclude a casual separation. It might also explain why we saw whole Galaxies during the Dominion War arc, and not battle sections.
Just a theory.
------------------ Everything in life I ever needed to know I learned from The Simpsons.
Posted by Mikey T (Member # 144) on :
Why would Galaxy Classes separate during a battle, especially during the Dominion War? It's an emergency procedure only, for worst case scenarios. The saucer section would be somewhat of a sitting duck without warp engines. We saw already what a small group of the Dominion fighters did to a whole Galaxy Class starship. Even with all the defensive and offensive advancements, a Galaxy saucer alone might as well have a target painted on the hull.
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Posted by Starship Freak (Member # 293) on :
Thanks, constellation of one.
------------------ "The Starships of the Federation are the physical, tangible manifestations of Humanity�s stubborn insistence that life does indeed mean something." Spock to Leonard McCoy in "Final Frontier"
Posted by Dat (Member # 302) on :
IIRC, the explanation of a separation sequence on Galaxy class ships was mentioned back in the series as a battle maneuver getting the saucer away from a battlefield the save the crew's families. It could also serve as a way to create two attacking targets if there was no family on the saucer. And there is always the emergency separation from the stardrive in case of antimatter containment failure.
And all these explantions might also have been explained in the TNG Tech Manual.
------------------ Teddy Roosevelt: "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Yosemite Sam: "Well, I speak loudly and I carry a bigger stick...and I use it too!"
Posted by Identity Crisis (Member # 67) on :
Here's a nice simple possibility: when the stored Galaxy hulls were rushed into service during the Dominion war they were finished off with whatever materials were at hand and sometimes this resulted in different hull colouration when compared to the more mainstream earlier ships.
------------------ -->Identity Crisis<--
Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
Or, perhaps the paint job (or the thin ablative surface layer) required some sort of protective coating to dry properly, and this dark coating wore off in flight, leaving the recently launched ships with just a dark shadow over their stern parts in the SB375 scenes of "SoA" and with not even that in the battle scenes of the episode, or in later episodes...
Migth explain the difference in warp effects between TOS and TNG: the surface finish of TOS ships had adhesion problems and tended to peel off, creating colorful contrails (the brightest in TMP where the Enterprise was freshly painted, and fading towards the end of the movie series). TNG ships have more adhesive paint. :-P
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
I just assume that hull composition/presence of abladive armor/or paint jobs just differed between two ships - and that they are parts of different ships...
I think the Battle section should have been seen more in the fight scenes - after all its easier to rebuild a battle section instead of a battle section AND a saucer section.
Andrew
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Posted by Nemesis (Member # 255) on :
LOL, might explain it! Maybe that's why the Ent-A was decommissioned in ST6.
Ensign: Uh, Admiral....sir we're running out of white paint! Admiral: What? At least the war with the Klingons is over. Otherwise we had to surrender because we can't paint our ships anymore... and you do know how they're holding together, don't you? Ensign: Structural integrity fields? Admiral: ...Guess again...
No, seriously, i think that dark-paint-version could be some kind of reinforced neck, because that's one of the most vulnerable parts of the galaxy-class.
------------------ This is how i prefer the borg... in pieces!!! -- Janeway in Dark Frontier
I'd say it's ablative armor. According to the TNG:TM, Galaxies have no ablative armor. The dark-necked Galaxies might have received it for the war. But I also like the idea of a structural reinforcement.
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ALPHA CENTAURI
Human Class - Starfleet registry NCC-75715 Launched stardate 8311.23 - Parental Biology Yards United Federation of Planets
"A dedication motto? What about it?" - Alpha Centauri
Posted by Constellation of One (Member # 332) on :
On reflection, I like the ablative armor idea too, except for one thing: why is it only on the neck? Yes, the neck is a thin, vulnerable area, but aren't the nacelle pylons, too? If I was a Star Fleet engineer tasked with strengthening the Galaxy class, I would have reinforced the entire nacelle/pylon assembly as well as the neck. The pylons are so thin yet so important to a starship's survival that if I was an attacker going after a Galaxy with weakening shields, that would be a logical place to attack. Take out the pylon and the ship is denied a warp escape, not to mention screwing up all of the power transfer conduits, etc.
Of course, it could be that the angle we're viewing the black necked Galaxies precludes us from seeing such measures, if they were installed.
------------------ Everything in life I ever needed to know I learned from The Simpsons.
Posted by Alpha Centauri (Member # 338) on :
Answering your first question, Constellation: my guess is that ablative armor is difficult to produce (or some other reason justifiying the scarse use of it). The Galaxy class is a big ship, with a big surface, so that only the most vulnerable parts are equipped ablative armor. Granted, then it wouldn't be such an effort to also add it to the nacelles+pylons.
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ALPHA CENTAURI
Human Class - Starfleet registry NCC-75715 Launched stardate 8311.23 - Parental Biology Yards United Federation of Planets
"A dedication motto? What about it?" - Alpha Centauri
