I could understand an order to raise the main defense shields; it would make sense for there to be backup shielding somewhere aboard ship. But, backup phasers?
Any ideas?
Robert
------------------
Everything in life I ever needed to know I learned from The Simpsons.
Mark
------------------
"Why build one, when you can have two at twice the price?"
- Carl Sagan, "Contact"
--Jonah
------------------
"It's obvious I'm dealing with a moron..."
--Col. Edwards, ROBOTECH
------------------
takeoffs are optional; landings are mandatory
--Jonah
------------------
"It's obvious I'm dealing with a moron..."
--Col. Edwards, ROBOTECH
One wonders if the armament of the Enterprise was organized so that a great many "phaser generators" would all fire though a single common emitter. If that emitter was steerable enough (and the ventral saucer spot did offer rather good coverage, assuming a corresponding weapon was placed on the aft dorsal surface of the saucer), and building of emitters was expensive yet building of generators was cheap, then this sort of weaponry would make sense.
Personally, I'm all for "creatively interpreting" the visuals and saying that the ship had a more varied armament roughly on the lines of the usual fanfic view: emitters around the top and bottom vertices of the saucer, and possibly some more at the bottom of the secondary hull or atop the shuttlebay as in the refitted ship. We just happened to blink when those weapons fired. Or Kirk ordered starboard phasers to fire, and they did - and the camera was late in catching this, so by the time we got exterior view, Kirk had already ordered "cease fire on starboard banks, switch to forward banks". Which we never heard since we were already out of the ship.
Timo Saloniemi
------------------
"I rather strongly disagree, even if I share the love of Dick. Speaking of which, that would be the most embarrasing .sig quote ever, so never use it."
- Simon Sizer, 23/01/2001
------------------
When you're in the Sol system, come visit the Starfleet Museum
The "point man" would coordinate with a phaser crew dedicated to constant repairs and pampering of the weapon, and would decide when and whether to execute the firing orders, based on how his phaser crew was currently managing with the finicky thing.
Timo Saloniemi
Since the Enterprise-refit had twin and single emitters, too, and only used the twin ones in the movies, one might say the single ones were secondary. Extending this to the TOS ship and her invisible phaser emitters, it would mean that the saucer phasers were the main ones and the putative ones on the secondary hull perhaps "auxiliary phasers".
Timo Saloniemi
(Yeah, I know the shots didn't look exactly like Photon Torps, but they shore has hell didn't look like either of the two regular phaser shots, one of which had been seen before this episode.)
------------------
"And Mojo was hurt and I would have kissed his little boo boo but then I realized he was a BAD monkey so I KICKED HIM IN HIS FACE!"
-Bubbles
We have seen the short phaser strips of TNG-era ships fire about just as often as the long ones, and there hasn't been any mention of them being "secondary" weapons. They fire when the target is at an angle optimal for their use (a situation we mostly see in Voyager, since TNG did not have quite as violently maneuvering opponents and DS9 did not feature strip-phaser ships in a central role).
In contrast, single-ball turrets almost never fire. The only time these "secondary" weapons have been seen firing IIRC was DS9 "Paradise Lost" where the modified-Excelsior USS Lakota used her ventral phasers (which consist of four single turrets). Then again, the Lakota also fired phaser beams from at least three locations that did not have phaser emitters of any sort!
Timo Saloniemi
Remember the TNG episode (don't recall the name) where the Ent-D was firing phaser pulses out of the forward torpedo tube!!?
------------------
RIMMER [as Ace]: "Stoke me a clipper, I'll be back for Christmas."
TO be fair, the Lakota was suppossed to have been heavily upgraded. They could have added new phaser emitters.
------------------
"And Mojo was hurt and I would have kissed his little boo boo but then I realized he was a BAD monkey so I KICKED HIM IN HIS FACE!"
-Bubbles
Alas, we did see the topside of the ship's aft hull clearly enough to observe that when the Defiant flies between the nacelles, a beam fires from the big hump at the pylon stems, and then ceases firing, revealing a smooth surface devoid of emitters... Hmm. Perhaps the clever TOS rapidly-extendable-and-retractable-emitter (or cloaked-emitter?) technology hasn't been entirely forgotten.
Timo Saloniemi
Probably the lack of visible weapons on the TOS ship would best be explained by saying that the emitters were covered by hatches or "gunports". These ports would be an anachronism from the time when shields were primitive and starship hulls were coated with physical armor (a possible Romulan war era practice - remember the physical-armor "shields" of the Neutral Zone outpost in "Balance of Terror"?). For any ship built after the 2240s, these gunports would be omitted since they would no longer serve any practical purpose.
Then we could have the TOS ship, *and* the myriads of TOS-era fanfic designs with FJ-style visible, paired emitters. Those fanfic ships (at least the versions seen, if not their original pre-TOS prototypes) would simply date from after the 2240s. Or whatever date one chooses for the abandoning of gunports. Big and fancy ships like Constitutions might retain this feature longer than others, for decorative purposes.
Timo Saloniemi
Something rarely mentioned-or considered-is that the phaser banks actually were coupled. Via the lit up dome on the bottom of the saucer. In theory, the dome phaser's might function as a predecessor to the phaser array strips of TNG.
Of course a lit dome is also atop the bridge, which would give a clear, aft firing arc. I know, I know. The bridge is there... Who knows how the actually emitter's are fed power? Otherwise, I see nothing wrong with the concept. At least where the bridge is concerned, we don't need a Phaser Control Room.
Beyond "what we see" in TOS, nothing really substantiates or eliminates this possibility. The technology is so vaguely defined for TOS anyway.
More modern, TOS movie starships clearly redefine the approach to weapon arrangement. Not to mention the domes having been redefined as part of the Navigational Sensor System. For the sake of discussion, it is possible that the leaps in technology could be that dfferent by TMP.
[This message has been edited by Psi'a Meese (edited February 14, 2001).]
Also, where is it stated that the dome in the TMP ship was a navigational sensor array specifically? Granted, this makes sense, but the thing could also be a planetary survey sensor array (since it doesn't enjoy a very good view forward) or even an auxiliary nav deflector system (or a primary one for those ships that lack the big blue dishes, like Miranda or Constellation).
Timo Saloniemi
Again, where is it documented that the main phaser arrays on the bottom of the saucer are coupled through the lower dome? It's an interesting idea, yes, but I would like to know your source.
The majority of noncanon sources list the domes on the priamry hull of the TMP Enterprise as the "upper and lower navigational domes/sensor arrays." I have a feeling they are NOT deflectors. How would they operate? Timo, you yourself say they do not have a very good view forward, so if they aren't good as sensor arrays, they'll be less effective as deflectors.
And those lighted things the domes sit on on the TMP ship are just that, lights. Not anything else. In case people didn't know.
I'm sorry if this is a bit critical or ranting.
------------------
When you're in the Sol system, come visit the Starfleet Museum
In conclusion, there is NO WINDOW on the bridge module of the original E. And as I said before, there isn't enough room under the dome for it to be a completely transparent walled second deck. That doesn't even make any sense.
And for those of you who are really nitpicky and want to go on about that bright white square on the bridge module of the very original model, that CAN'T be a window as the actual inner wall of the bridge is about 5 to 10 feet in from the exterior wall.
------------------
"One's ethics are determined by what we do when no one is looking" Nugget
Star Trek: Gamma Quadrant
Star Trek: Legacy
Read them, rate them, got money, film them
"...and I remain on the far side of crazy, I remain the mortal enemy of man, no hundred dollar cure will save me..." WoV
Timo/Daniel:
Thank you for your comments.
According to the TMP blueprint's, designed by Andrew Probert, the dome's both below and atop the bridge, function as a 'navigational dome'. I assume they are components of the Warp Celestial Guidance system also referred to in the same blueprints.
Regarding the domes function as part of the TOS design? Unless my misplaced copy of "The Making of Star Trek" (Roddenberry's writer's guide is part of that book) does say, there is nothing written (i.e. a source) that establishes their function. I merely suggest that since the lower dome is "lit", and we do see the weapons discharge from that area, that there may (or may not) be a connection of some kind. If I am correct, than I further suggest that multiple emitter's (or turrets) are mounted within the dome. It would account for primary and secondary phaser banks that have been mentioned above.
The upper dome is also "lit" and therefore might (or might not) be a component of some kind that is mounted upon the roof of the bridge module.
Unless there is a source that I am unaware of, the 'window' shown in "The Cage" was nothing more than a clever way to show the viewer where the nerve center of Pike's Enterprise is. Since the bridge actually has no windows.
------------------
"...screw logic, let's go for a theory with no evidence!" - Omega.
Irony ensues.
Free Jeff K
[This message has been edited by Psi'a Meese (edited February 15, 2001).]
The world always needs more of those!
------------------
"...screw logic, let's go for a theory with no evidence!" - Omega.
Irony ensues.
Free Jeff K
Of course, both cases can easily be explained away. In "The Cage", the motion-control work did not integrate seamlessly into the shot of the bridge interior, so the "peering through a window" impression was very weak. And in "Requiem", Kirk could simply have been positioning himself so that he'd be the most visible to the top sensors, and the part about him being able to "see" the bridge crew would be a mere psychological effect, with Kirk imagining how the lilliputian crew must look like.
In turn, the lower sensor dome base "lights" being nav deflectors is a theory based on the fact that TNG ships have saucer-mounted auxiliary deflectors that aren't much different from the forward "light" of the Enterprise-refit. Having these specific lights be deflectors would allow one to expand the light/deflector connection further: the Oberths would finally gain deflectors in the form of those three lighted openings on the saucer (too small to be real shuttlebays, and not indicated as bays in the "Hero Worship" MSD), and the TOS ship's three rounded bow lights could then also be deflectors (helping immensely with those fanfic ships that lack the dish antennas but have these three circles).
As for the shape of those light things, I can see a zillion applications to deflectors pointing off the axis of the ship. The usefulness of an aft-pointing deflector is a bit questionable, of course, since it would just hit the neck of the ship.
Timo Saloniemi
Of course, it's still highly debatable what the lower dome itself actually is for. It would seem to be either a sensor, a phaser emitter, or both. Some things worth noting are:
1. We've never seen the original Enterprise fire from the lit (lower part of the) dome.
2. The Saratoga in "Emissary" fired multiple phaser blasts from the lower surface of it's dome.
3. The little dome on top of the Defiant's bridge must be a phaser emitter, as seen in "Paradise Lost" and "Shattered Mirror".
------------------
"Life's too short to be pissed off all the time." (Danny Vinyard, American History X)
Dax's Ships of Star Trek
[This message has been edited by Dax (edited February 16, 2001).]
I understood this view of Kirk to be on the Main Viewer of the bridge... Also, the dome on the bridge is solidly lit from within-exactly as with the lower-dome.
______________________________________________________
1. We've never seen the original Enterprise fire from the lit (lower part of the) dome
______________________________________________________
Okay, at this point I become confused. I have always understood from watching TOS, that the phasers always appeared to come from the the lower dome on the primary hull. This was the only reason for the 'theory' that I have postulated above. I guess it's a matter of personal perspective.
_______________________________________________________
In turn, the lower sensor dome base "lights" being nav deflectors is a theory based on the fact that TNG ships have saucer-mounted auxiliary deflectors that aren't much different from the forward "light" of the Enterprise-refit.
_______________________________________________________
In reference to the refit Enterprise, I had not considered that possibility. It never crossed my mind before about what becomes of that saucer should it separate. Not a bad idea!
------------------
takeoffs are optional; landings are mandatory
------------------
"Life's too short to be pissed off all the time." (Danny Vinyard, American History X)
Dax's Ships of Star Trek