(Curiously enough, the MSD seen in the episode places the shuttlebay behind this middle hatch, but there are other errors in the MSD as well, like the placement of the forward torpedo tubes. The MSD is probably best forgotten.)

The eleven phaser strips need not all be of the same type - perhaps the long primary stripes are of a higher type than the short ones? The only ship for which we "know" the phaser strip classification is the Galaxy class, with all of her strips of type 10, and even that is not strictly canonical.

I suggest type 8 phasers for the Nova, possibly with the shorter strips being type 7. That sounds "weak" enough in comparison to the Galaxies, and "strong" enough in comparison with shuttles which can carry type 4 or 5. Type 8 might also be what is used onboard the Voyager, for that matter.

Timo Saloniemi
 

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And Harry's Nova Class in Endgame is from 20 some years in the future. So perhaps by that time, Nova's have been refitted to perform more militant roles as well. The Rhode ISland obviously had some oompf to take on the Klingons.
 

If you want age, then that's where Mk. #s come into play.
 

Type-X is the most powerful shipboard type, there isn't a more powerful phaser onboard starships [yet...]. This excludes the Sovereign from having Type-12, besides I remember someone [Rick Sternbach?] saying it had Type-X. Type-11 is the most powerful there is so far anyway... only found on planetary defense platforms and stations.
 

"Type eight" is mentioned in TNG "Preemptive Strike" as being aboard the Maquis ships, and apparently considered excessively heavy for them. Also, the graphics on the E-B bridge include a diagram of the ship where the phasers are labeled as "type 8". Other diagrams of that type (that is, TOS movie era where labels are often present, not the TNG ones where labels are normally not used) may have other references.

"Type four" is mentioned in TNG "The Outcast" as being installable on "Class six shuttlecraft", or what is known as Type 6 Light Shuttle in the TNG Tech Manual.

"Type three" may or may not have been mentioned in some episode dealing with phaser rifles ("Mind's Eye"?), but type three disruptors were mentioned as handheld weapons in "Generations".

"Type two" and "type one" date back to TOS "Devil in the Dark", where they describe the pistol phaser and the palm-fitting phaser, respectively. They have been reused in TNG, DS9 and VOY dialogue with the same meaning.

Timo Saloniemi
 

I'd think there'd be plenty of room for variation among the same "type" over time - a movie era Excelsior may have had the same type as a refitted TNG era one - but with the latter having increased range, reduced waste heat, and better targeting (for example). So higher type = better phaser might not be true, even if higher type = more power output. Different types have probably been developed to serve distinct roles (shuttle guns, light ship guns, heavy ship guns, station guns, planet arrays etc.) so I wouldn't think the number for the best type would continue to climb, at least not quickly.

In particular it seems that the capability to use random frequencies like they do vs. the Borg is a major improvement that would apply to all types.
 

At best, I'd say an Intrepid is a heavy scout or a destroyer.

Akira sized vessels would be cruisers. Excelsior, Nebula, and other larger vessels would be explorers. At least, in my opinion.

[ August 31, 2001: Message edited by: Ace ]

A Type-X phaser would be first introduced on the Galaxy class, because it's the first starship large enough to handle them.

If you want to talk about a newer version of the same phaser, that's where you use Mark. Just for conjecture, a Type III phaser from TOS may be Mark V, and a Type III phaser from TNG might be Mark XII. The ones from Voyager are Mark XIII, and the ones from DS9/FC are Mark XIV. Every new "generation" of phaser rifle gets a higher Mark numbers, while the Type number remains the same.
 

Furthermore, designations often vary within the ship's class at the same time - the Lantree, Br!ttain and Saratoga, for one, are transport, science vessel and probably medium cruiser or light explorer respectively, to say nothing of all the apparently combat-equipped Mirandas in DS9. Oberths see the same variety of uses in the TNG era.

So for Voyager, Explorer is hardly out of the realm of possibility for me, given all the stuff it seemed to have for that purpose. Also, the only other example of the Intrepid class we've seen is the USS Bellerophon, which was possibly serving as a diplomatic courier and while she was probably not built for that purpose (just being used as such), I'd imagine that an Intrepid being customized and used exclusively for diplomatic missions would not be impossible.

Mark

[ August 31, 2001: Message edited by: Mark Nguyen ]

"The Galaxy Class was the first ship capable of supporting the power generation [and other subsystems] necessary to power Type-X phasers, as well as all other systems which must be maintained at the same time."

Whew, that's a mouthful.
 

I don't actually mean that size alone dictates the type of vessel a starship is, but it is a good marker. Remember also that the TNG manual says "while most starships may be adapted for a variety of mission types, the vessel type designations describe their primary purpose."

For a more detailed list of types and how I view them:

• Explorer- This type of starship is able to perform a wide range of duties unlike the other specialized types. Saying a Galaxy-Class is an explorer and is also a multiple purpose vessel would be redundant. By its very nature, explorers are multiple purpose vessels. Many classes can fit the explorer role if outfitted accordingly, but specific classes have been designed as explorers such as the Galaxy-Class.
• Cruiser- Unlike explorers, cruisers are generally smaller and have a shorter range. While their armament may be equal to ships of the line in the fleet, they lack the space for storage of additional crew, equipment, and power systems. Cruisers often form the backbone of the fleet. The Miranda-Class, in her prime, was a cruiser.
  

There are some more types such as scout and escort, but I think you get the picture. Also, remember than the TNG manual specifically says "the USS Enterprise is classified as an Explorer, the largest starship..."

Some things to think about.

Personally, from what we've seen of Voyager's performance, I would still say she is, at most, a cruiser, unless you can show me how she accomplised a duty only an explorer could do.

Last thing...short-term explorer? Why can't we just call the thing a cruiser?! Why would it be bad? Just because it's not as versatile as the E-D? I thought that was the whole point of using a smaller ship in VOY (to show how they had limitations unlike the E-D). I smell designer ego...

[ August 31, 2001: Message edited by: Ace ]

If you're lucky enough to check out the October issue of ST: The Magazine, it has an article about the E-E and how it is equipped with Type XII phaser arrays.

And that Type-XII news sucks ass.
 

*puts on fire-retarded jelly*
 

I always thought The Magazine was about as canon as the Fact Files. Or was this article written by Sternbach or someone?
 

However, there is a nice interview with Sternbach about his work over the years on Star Trek, and it includes some drawings he made of things he designed such as the Negh'Var and Galor.

One last interesting thing to note about the E-E tactical article is that it shows a picture of the supposed layout of the shields. They extend in a straight line from nacelle to nacelle at the stern instead of curving back in...also, if you look closely at the actual photos of the E-E Main Engineering, notice the diagram of the ship on the "pool table" master systems display console. It's from the original design of the E-E, not the final one (note the Bussard collectors).

[ September 04, 2001: Message edited by: Ace ]

(If no-one gets that reference, can I get an award?)
 

I'd have to see the ST: Magazine myself to believe that Type-12... and if ST: Magazine did have that I would have to ask where they got it from. If it is from that worthless poster then I'm trashing my stack of ST: Magazine.
 

"Oh my god, this magazine accidently spelt Riker's middle name without a "H"! I must destroy all my copies, and mail bomb the producion company, to protect innocent children from being corrupted by evil."
 

Does anybody know how to get something back out of a mailbox?

Hey what's Starfleet going to do with all that future sh*t the silly b*tch brought back with her? Voyager still had Batmobile shields when it got back. Maybe they'll hide them to avoid breaking the temporal Prime D. Or maybe they'll just use them.

They should reclassify Voyager as a Bat-Cruiser or a Bat-Explorer.

Actually i read that Voyager was a Light Cruiser, but that was before the show ever premiered. Explanation given (or inferred by me). The old Constitutions were heavy cruisers, but since Starfleet ships are bigger in general now, they would actually be considered Medium Cruisers, or more simply Cruisers in the face of the Heavy Cruiser quality Excelsiors, which are likewise not big enough to be Explorers by current standards. So Voyager would be smaller crew than a Constitution, so therefore a Light Cruiser. Logical? Well throw logic out the window if it isnt canon.

Hey how come the future Nova didnt need its extra deflector dish?! Maybe Harry doesnt like unnecessary redundancy. Or he's just wistful for the days when ships hid their saucer deflectors like a dirty little secret. (Remember ol' 1701 with the three circles right on the front, or the Galaxy's four window sized deflectors?)