Where exactly are the NX class's escape pods located? Memory alpha says E-Deck, which makes sense (and is I believe canon), and so does this fan deck plan diagram, which I believe uses canon sources to find out where everything goes.
However, the one time we get to see Enterprise launch escape pods, in "In a Mirror Darkly", they appear to get launched from D-deck. How can this be remedied? The ship does not need more than about 25 lifepods, and at least 2/3 of that amount can be seen launching from D-deck in IaMD. This would be problematic, because there would be almost no space for the windows ( which I think there are some) in the walls of D-deck.
there appears to be a nice little cut-out on the bottom of the ship, on deck E( it runs through the hyphen on NX-01 on the bottom panels) where life pods could launch from, that would corespond with the fan diagram, and the canon sources that say that say that the pods are on E deck.
So, how can this problem be remedied?
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
I find it a bit wasteful that you can only support four people in something that size...
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Maybe. But if the crew were forced to evacuate, in case of a disaster or an attack, thereis a greater chance that more of the crew would survive if the pods were disabled or damaged. YOu'd only lose 4 per pod instead of 10 people. ANd if there are enough pods to go around, why not let the escapies escape in comfort. Or maybe the pod could only efficiently carry 4 people with out having to upgrade it's power capacity etc.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
I'm pretty sure I've seen canon diagrams of this somewhere...
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
There must be some out there, lost to time....
Posted by shikaru808 (Member # 2080) on :
And what happens if they lose life support on E-Deck? The whole damn ship is skrewed haha.
Oh and by the way hi, nice to be here. If you haven't noticed, I'm new. So please make it gentle.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
To the spanking room with you!
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
I don't think it's ever said that they even had escape pods outside of IaMD, but I could be mistaken. Either way, the guy that made the diagram you linked to specifically said he didn't like where they put the escape pods in IaMD (mostly because of the window problem), and just put them where he thought they would fit better. His reasoning was that the mirror NX-01 isn't necessarily *exactly* the same as the original. (The engine radiation issue in the mirror universe seems to support that.)
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
Can escape pods dock together? Because it might make sense if they did. If the ship's exploding around your ears, you'd wanna jump into the nearest one even if it was maybe getting a little overcrowded, and worry about life support limitations later. Or perhaps Starfleet just assumes that any latecomers to a pod would selflessly let it go without them, to avoid endangering those the pod CAN guarantee safety to. As if there'd be no chance that even one person would decide "Run another 50 metres through a burgeoning maelstrom to the next possibly-empty pod when we're 30 seconds from a core breach? Bugger that!"
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
Well, TNG-era ones can supposedly dock together, but I don't seen how these ENT ones cane...or the ones from FC, for that matter.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Ah, a newbie. I was one of them not long ago, and am still going through the hazing period. Guys, are we going to give this one a nick name too? Where's Ritten... (who the hell posts at 3 20 in the am?) Hmmm... Maybe the Nocturnal Trekker?...
B.J.- They did mention having life pods in "SHuttle Pod 1" I think. Reed says something to the effect of " They can't just be gone, they'd have launched the life boats." I could be mistaken though...
[ March 03, 2008, 01:09 PM: Message edited by: Sean ]
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
I post at all hours of the day and night, for I am He Who Hasn't Had a Rational Sleep Schedule Since the Age of 16 Or So! *gonnnnnnng*
Reed did indeed say something like that in Shuttlepod One (or maybe your spelling is right - I dunno).
If I designed these things to dock together, I'd give them more than one docking collar myself - then you could form structures like the Suliban cell ships can, to help ensure survival.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
NO, you're spelling is correct, and I too havn't had a contentable sleep schedule on week nights for the last 6 months. I fall asleep at midnight+ 10 or 15, and wake up at 6. Weekends, I usually sleep 8 to 10 hours. Weird. I have decided that I will politely call shikaru808 "The Nocturnal Trekker". Like the sidekick of a sidekick... Posted by shikaru808 (Member # 2080) on :
I'm touched.
I actually live in Hawaii, so it's that damn time-zone deal that prevents me from posting on your schedules
Getting back on subject, I suppose it would make more sense to have the pods actually connect to another, share resources and the like.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Maybe they hadn't thought of that as of the 22nd century. Perhaps they were just concerned about getting a irreplacable crew off of the ship as fast and safely as possible. WHo knows, maybe the pods have a little grappler installed, to link to eachother, forming a web of pods.
And on a side note, I think you can adjust your time lapse to any time zone you want from your profile. I had to. I 'm running EST, and i think this server is on PST.
Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
I'd think placing all the pods in a single ring as was done on that fan site would make it easy to pack the folks in there in an orderly and efficient manner, no post-ejection transfers necessary. And I really like the layout that guy came up with.
OTOH, I'd think the lifepods of that era wouldn't be able to keep the occupants alive for more than a few weeks or so, no better than the guys stranded in Shuttlepod 1. No replicators, for one thing. A gaggle mode thus might not be in the specs because the designers would expect the pods to be collected immediately by a fellow starship, or then land on a hospitable planet within a week. If neither of those happened, the occupants would be dead, gaggle mode or not.
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by Treknophile (Member # 1869) on :
Me, I personally would at leats tentatively accept the 'Mirror' configuration as canon, and then try to see how I could make it work.
Offhand, the easiest way to do it would be to make a ring corridor right against the outer hull on that deck, and the ports allow personnel in the corridor to see the stars.
And yes, 'gaggle mode' is not always the best way to go. small yield thrusters would suffice to keep them in a cloud formation. After that, their drifting wouldn't amount to anything significant in the limited survival time they have.
BTW - strictly non-canon - the oversize and limited duration problems could be solved in one swell foop if we assume 3-4 stasis units (cryo-hibernation) in each.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
"BTW - strictly non-canon - the oversize and limited duration problems could be solved in one swell foop if we assume 3-4 stasis units (cryo-hibernation) in each."
Which would probably take up most of the room and power supply, and decisively limit the pod's limit to 4.
And I like the single ring idea too. Since all that is on the outter edge of E-deck is crew quarters and the mess hall, and other personell areas, it wouldn't take an extreme amount of space from other areas where machinery would be used and stored ( like near enginering). E-deck is the largest, area wise anyways. The drop down system is kind of unique, and also fits in with the shuttle bay configuration. I also read that the bridge has it's own life boat, which would make sense, and could be stored under a blow away panel on B-deck and accessed through a dedicated jefferies tube somewhere in the corner of the bridge. It would also make sense to have one of two additional lifeboats near the engine room, or other strategic areas, for fast evac from those areas, while the majority of the pods were on E deck where most of the crew could get to to them.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Treknophile - I wasn't thinking gaggle mode in order to stay near each other, but rather to allow crew to walk from pod to pod, to stretch their legs, visit other crewmen (and apply first aid or provide medical care if the doctor survived), etc.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
"Walk?" How big do you think those hatches are?
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
But that sounds a bit too complex for a device that is most likely made to be as simple as possible, and still be able to do it's job well. Not untill the TNG era did we see things with needless bells and whistles added. Nice theory though. DId it say in the TNG tech manual ( or wherever your info comes from) that the Galaxy class was the first to have this "gaggle" mode?
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
"Treknophile - I wasn't thinking gaggle mode in order to stay near each other, but rather to allow crew to walk from pod to pod, to stretch their legs, visit other crewmen (and apply first aid or provide medical care if the doctor survived), etc."
WARNING...THE FOLLOWING IDEA IS NON CANON, AND SLIGHTLY FAN BOYISH ____________________________
Maybe a small docking ring to allow a few pods to connect could be launched along with the pods, or be attached to one of the pods, to allow docking later when it is safe ( when the ship has gone boom).
Or, to get even more non canon, maybe that ring could be a little command center where the pod's of senior officers can meet up, discuss the situation, give commands (not that you can give any other the " Move slowly in X direction")
THIS HAS BEEN A TEST OF THE NON-CANON WARNING SYSTEM _________________________________________ Back to canon... I assume, in the event of an emergency that can't be avoided, but is not immediately deadly, like a warp core breach in 20 minutes, or something, the shuttle pods could be launched too. THey would provide some protection, as they have weapons, abeilt light weapons, and could serve as the captain's command center. It also has long range communication abilities. Two to four of these shuttle pods would be a great help to a bunch of vaunerable life rafts, and could provide an evac capacity of 5-10 extra people.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
I don't imagine there'd be a need for a command center; the captain can give orders just as effectively from any random escape pod. I just thought it might be nice if the doctor could get to injured people and treat them, and, given Starfleet's obvious penchant for maximum possible crew comfort (both physical and psychological), they might want to allow friends to be able to visit each other and play cards or something while they wait to get to a habitable planet/get picked up/die of asphyxia.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
That is why it is within the non canon warning system brackets.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
I should pattent that "Non-Canon Warning System"...
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