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"I consider the foundation of the Constitution as laid on this ground: That "all powers not delegated to the United States, by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States or to the people . . ." To take a single step beyond the boundaries thus specially drawn around the powers of Congress is to take possession of a boundless field of power, no longer susceptible of any definition."
- Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 1791

It is also possible to determine the exact scale of the escape pods (compared to the entire vessel) during the explosion scene. If we determine their size using the human figures in the Drexler cutaway, multiply the number by the factor obtained from the onscreen measurements, we might be able to get an overall length.

Boris

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"Wrong again. Although we want to be scientifically accurate, we've found that selection of [Photon Energy Plasma Scientifically Inaccurate as a major Star Trek format error] usually indicates a preoccupation with science and gadgetry over people and story."

---a Writers' Test from the Original Series Writer's Guide

Boris: I'll go and analyze those explosions...

Nimrod: Yep, even with the inconsistencies, I still love Trek (especially DS9).

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Boris: Unfortunately, I didn't get anything deck-wise from the Valiant death scene. It nicely shows where the pods come from, though. Do you think the Defiant pods at 2.3m width would be big enough? If so, we're in luck.

That being the case, I suspect that the pods were never intended to hold 6-8 people. Defiant's standard complement of 47-50 would allow for 26 two-person pods, but we should probably increase this number a bit, say to four or five to allow for unusual staffings.

Boris

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"Wrong again. Although we want to be scientifically accurate, we've found that selection of [Photon Energy Plasma Scientifically Inaccurate as a major Star Trek format error] usually indicates a preoccupation with science and gadgetry over people and story."

---a Writers' Test from the Original Series Writer's Guide

According to the plans there are 3 pods lauched from each of what we've always considered the impulse engines (those red circles). There's other inconsistencies, of course.

Anyway, there seems to only be 12 or maybe 14 pods in reality. Each one is probably meant to carry up to 6 crew, given the hexagonal shape (and ship crew complement).

We should also take into account that the shuttles could be used for abandoning ship.

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

Boris

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"Wrong again. Although we want to be scientifically accurate, we've found that selection of [Photon Energy Plasma Scientifically Inaccurate as a major Star Trek format error] usually indicates a preoccupation with science and gadgetry over people and story."

---a Writers' Test from the Original Series Writer's Guide

If we assume that those red dots are really impulse engines we automatically lose 6 pods (leaving 20 in total).

Now, as far as I can tell, the Deck 3 shuttlebay area only has 4 pods in "TCFoE", not 6 (leaving 18 in total).

Those hatches aft of the bridge only have 4 pods in total, not 8. Both "Valiant" and "TCFoE" reveal that. Now we have 14 pods in total.

Whether or not those pods fore of the bridge exist or not is debatable. There is no hatch(es) for them. Minus them we have 12 pods in total - what we see in "TCFoE".

I don't have a problem with the Defiant having 12 6 crew pods at 2.3m each. It'd be crampy but most of the Defiant design is anyway.

For example, the shuttlebay pods during the Defiant explosion are closer to the opening than they are in the blueprints, while the two pairs of pods flanking the deflector nose are a bit further forward on the Valiant then they are on the Defiant (or was it the other way around?). We could easily take the six pods from the impulse engines, and put four of them in the shuttlebay area at their onscreen locations. The other two might go to the front to say, the front port side, and serve to explain the inconsistency in positioning of the front pods between the Valiant and the Defiant (i.e. there are actually two sets of -four- front pods each). The front starboard side might then be covered by two pods from the now-crowded shuttlebay area.

The pods in the blueprints that were not seen onscreen, and that do not compromise vital systems such as the impulse engines, could be left alone as merely unused during evacuation.

Boris

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"Wrong again. Although we want to be scientifically accurate, we've found that selection of [Photon Energy Plasma Scientifically Inaccurate as a major Star Trek format error] usually indicates a preoccupation with science and gadgetry over people and story."

---a Writers' Test from the Original Series Writer's Guide

The above was pure speculation, but it makes sense, as long as there is room for more pods than have been seen onscreen. Besides, a small ship like that, being of unconventional (and still somewhat experimental) design, might not be quite as standardized from one build to the next, and Starfleet might vary the design slightly from one ship to the next, trying to determine the optimum mix of equipment.

--Baloo

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If you speak and no-one listens, it still counts as long as [i]YOU[/] have learned something.
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"*running onto the bridge, panting* This ship is too big! If I walked, the movie would be over!" -President Scroob, Spaceballs