The freighter design I love most is the tramp introduced for TNG "Heart of Glory" and subsequently modified a lot. It's listed in five variants under "Antares, freighter" under "Federation official designs", best reached at
http://www.shipschematics.net/startrek/chronology.html

which is the page with the newest entries (and the locations of all the pics I'm talking about unless otherwise specified). Are these variants accurate?

Then there is the Straleb patrol ship, seemingly unrelated to any earlier or later model. Is this true? Why were the components wasted on a one-off appearance?
See "Straleb, security vessel" at the top chart of the page. Is the picture anywhere near accurate?

Then there are the three triangular ships: the one that appeared in the DS9 opening credits on the docking ring (listed under "Bajoran Militia" as "transport, variant 1"), the one seen in an upper pylon in many episodes ("transport, variant 2"), and finally the old Pakled ship ("Pakled, freighter, Mondor" in the list of newest entries). It would seem that the "variant 2" at least is inaccurate - much too wide when seen from above (a better pic from a VOY redress is listed as "Numiri, patrol ship" at the topmost list). But can it be verified that these three are really three distinct designs and not modifications of each other? The triangular hulls do seem distinct in the pictures.

Finally, it seems that Neelix got his ship from Alpha quadrant after all - in "Babel" we see the vessel with an added tail fin, as listed unded "unknown, freighter, Jaheel"! Funny the complex and appealing design never reappeared in DS9...

Timo Saloniemi

------------------

[This message has been edited by Timo (edited January 20, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Timo (edited January 20, 2000).]

[ fixed link the rest of the way ]

[This message has been edited by TSN (edited January 21, 2000).]
 

------------------
So small,
so innocent,
so young,
so delicately done,
grown up in your poison.

"Little Baby Swastikkka"
-Skunk Anansie

 

And if anyone thinks that some of these ships look odd wait and see the FASA civilian freighters that I've just scanned and sent to Jim.

------------------
-->Identity Crisis<--

I'm mostly worried about the accuracy of the Bajoran ships - there seems to be "artistic licence" in some of the hull details, so I'm not sure if I can trust the general hull shapes, either. I still don't know if the Pakled hull is being used for one or both of the bigger Bajoran freighter designs. Fact Files can be a bit careless with details, like in their Sydney class pictures...

Timo Saloniemi

 

------------------
Dream on...in the end...dreams are everything...

 

------------------
"If you attempt to return the device to the store, and you are missing one single peanut, the store personnel will laugh in the chilling manner exhibited by Joseph Stalin just after he enslaved Eastern Europe."
 

------------------
Dream on...in the end...dreams are everything...

 

Timo: Welcome in the wonderful world of model recycling!

------------------
"Reality is a condition that occurs because of a lack of alcohol."
- Albert Einstein

(-=\V/=-)

[This message has been edited by Altair (edited January 21, 2000).]
 

Don't worry, you've only got 190 to go... ;-)

------------------
"Voyager is not true. If it were true, the ship would not look spick-and-span every week, after all these battles it goes through. How many times has the bridge been destroyed? How many shuttlecrafts have vanished, and another one just comes out of the oven? That kind of bullshitting the audience I think takes its toll."
-Ronald D. Moore
 

------------------
Gene: "I AM Star Trek"
Yvonne: "You can't sum yourself up in so small a package."
Gene: "SMALL?!!"

- Gene Roddenberry: The Last Conversation

The littel shuttle/ship in spacedock in 11001001
The escape ship in "Starship Mine"
The Mars defence perimiter pods from BOBW Part II.

I remember that in "Phage" The Vidiian ship was a redress of the Tallarian refugee ship from "Haven" and it has been something else too... I remember some now - the Hunter of Tosk ship and The ship from "Transfigurations"

------------------
"...it might be easier to study
ancient societies from distant orbit than it might be to sit next to the
Guardian of Forever with a tricorder." - Baloo, January 2000

[This message has been edited by AndrewR (edited January 22, 2000).]
 

------------------
"...it might be easier to study
ancient societies from distant orbit than it might be to sit next to the
Guardian of Forever with a tricorder." - Baloo, January 2000
 

------------------
"Reality is a condition that occurs because of a lack of alcohol."
- Albert Einstein

(-=\V/=-)
 

------------------
Col. Maybourne: "Teal'c... It's good to see you well."
Teal'c: "In my culture, I would be well within my rights to dismember you."
-Stargate SG-1: "Touchstone"
 

------------------
"...it might be easier to study
ancient societies from distant orbit than it might be to sit next to the
Guardian of Forever with a tricorder." - Baloo, January 2000
 

------------------
Col. Maybourne: "Teal'c... It's good to see you well."
Teal'c: "In my culture, I would be well within my rights to dismember you."
-Stargate SG-1: "Touchstone"
 

------------------
"Reality is a condition that occurs because of a lack of alcohol."
- Albert Einstein

(-=\V/=-)
 

I think that despite all that model recycling, there has been some sort of continuity in who gets to fly which ships. The various triangular shapes are used almost exclusively by Bajor. Those modified from the Batris seem to be everywhere, but at least they all are supposed to be freighters. There's a family of werge-hulled ships from the two Talarian ships of "Suddenly Human" onwards that seem to be used by primitive races only (perhaps the Talarians have a lucrative warship racket going?).

Of course, early Voyager screws all this up by reusing Alpha designs in Delta quadrant. Hooray for Foundation and the truly personalized, all-new ships of later episodes!

Timo Saloniemi
 

1st type: wider, with an early version of the Defiant "vacuum cleaner" deflector http://www.shipschematics.net/startrek/images/others/pakled_freighter.jpg http://www.shipschematics.net/startrek/images/bajoran/bajoran_transport1.jpg http://neutralzone.future.easyspace.com/AlienFleet/KostolainDiplomaticShip.jpg http://neutralzone.future.easyspace.com/AlienFleet/TrillTransport.jpg

2nd type: narrower, with a "hammerhead" http://www.shipschematics.net/startrek/images/bajoran/bajoran_transport2.jpg http://www.shipschematics.net/startrek/images/others/numiri_patrolship.jpg http://neutralzone.future.easyspace.com/AlienFleet/KressariShip.jpg http://neutralzone.future.easyspace.com/AlienFleet/ZibalianTradeVessel01.htm

------------------
"A few more calculations"

 

I'm still not quite sure if the Pakled hull is being used for the Bajoran nacelle-equipped transport - the Fact Files pictures aren't identical, and screencaps are IMHO inconclusive. Certainly it would make sense for the two types to come from the same manufacturer - perhaps the Bajorans have been selling impulse ships to all the primitive races in the vicinity? Regardless of whether the same model parts are being used, the nacelle-equipped ship seems a lot bigger and more capable (warp-capable at least!).

The narrower type clearly is a modification of Kivas Fajo's original Zibalian ship, and again it would make sense for the design to have spread from Bajor to neighboring systems like the Kressari one. Of course, the Numiri connection makes no sense, unless the Caretaker captured these vessels in the past and some fell into Numiri hands... The type must be warp-capable despite lacking nacelles. Fajo's ship went to warp 3 IIRC.

There is, however, a fourth wedgelike type in the Bajoran arsenal, apparently a refined CGI version of the nacelled ship. I guess you have seen pictures of the blockade fleet of "Shadows and Symbols"? It features one or two of these ships. In addition to color differences, they look higher and smoother than the original nacelled type.

Of course, Bajorans also use other ship types in that fleet and elsewhere, like a (modified) Karemman freighter and the cute Wadi ship which appears in Bajoran hands in "Crossfire" and "Indiscretion". Again, the proliferation of these designs in the vicinity of Bajor only makes sense.

Timo Saloniemi
 

I have the impression that there is another ship of the second type I missed, but I can't recall it right now.

I can't recall the ship from "Past Prologue". Image? The "Bajoran Transport 1" is obviously the ship in the DS9 opening credits, and I guess the two types are different, despite the similar shape.

Here is an image from "Shadows and Symbols" (thanks to Alidar Jarok): http://kcohn.simplenet.com/alidarjarok/deepspace9/shadowsandsymbols/Symb25a.jpg

It depicts the forth ship you're probably referring to, the fat one in the middle. The front looks exactly like the "transport 1", however, the ship is much thicker. I don't have a clue.

------------------
"A few more calculations"

 

However, from the "Ensign Ro" picture on that page, doesn't it look as if the Antares class ship actually has the flat nose of the narrower ship, and not the dustbuster nose of the Pakled ship? While I'm not sure of the authenticity of the scout from "Past Prologue", I think the "Ensign Ro" picture is correctly labeled. So the "Ensign Ro" ship would actually represent our first glimpse to the modification of Kivas Fajo's ship.

And what happened to the Karemman ship? Its nacelles seem remounted, and there is a weird bulge under the bow.

Timo Saloniemi

 

------------------
A still tongue makes a happy life

 

And the Straleb security ship didn't go unused after all - it appears to have been recycled as the Corvallen "Antares class transport" (yet another one!) for "Face of the Enemy".

Timo Saloniemi
 

------------------
A still tongue makes a happy life

 

Timo Saloniemi

[This message has been edited by Timo (edited January 28, 2000).]
 

Question - how could they turn that ship into CGI but not the Ambassador class?

Andrew

------------------
"...it might be easier to study
ancient societies from distant orbit than it might be to sit next to the
Guardian of Forever with a tricorder." - Baloo, January 2000
 

Possibly nobody in the department was interested in doing the Ambassador just for background filler, but when they were specifically ordered to create Bajoran transport ships, they poured in everything they could find, and then some more. Now if there only had been a story requirement for an Ambassador...

Timo Saloniemi
 

------------------
"Forgive me if I don't share your euphoria!" (Weyoun to Dukat, Tears of the Prophets)
Dax's Ships of STAR TREK

 

Ambassadors Anonymous heh heh

Andrew.

------------------
"...it might be easier to study
ancient societies from distant orbit than it might be to sit next to the
Guardian of Forever with a tricorder." - Baloo, January 2000