Dax: yes, that's what it looks like at the moment. BTW, I thought there was only one tractor emitter on the MSD - at the aft. The show indicates an aft, bridge, and shuttlebay emitter, I believe.

Boris

------------------
"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

You're right about the tractors that we've seen in the show. Unfortunately, the bridge tractor comes from the same thing that's the phaser emitter (we see the tractor used in "WotW" on the Vor'cha). How can that thing be both a tractor and phaser emitter?

side note- on p128 of the DS9TM it has a supposed "bridge engineering status display" that shows a registry of NX-74204

Boris

------------------
"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

It shows two things that exist on the bottom dome, on the bridge. One is a tractor emitter, and the other is a standard phaser strip! But I've never seen these things on the bridge in the show - not even in First Contact. Yet, the show has depicted the appropriate FX coming from the bridge. Quite the paradox.

In regard to the damaged Defiant model, what is missing from the area is this little lego-piece:

It rather looks like somebody accidentaly chipped it off the model to reveal what you called the tractor emmitter and the phaser array beneath (or was it a part of the FC damage?) As such, they would normally have as much significance as a loose wire or connecting part. Still, one could wildly speculate that Tony Meininger originally built the structures corresponding to the VFX, and that they were later covered up by the usual dome. Gary Hutzel, who helped out with the model would have remembered where the systems were placed when doing the effects.

As far as the Valiant model is concerned, there is a clear difference, and it lies in the fact that the lego piece contains a bigger, pointier teardrop, and that the light-blue rectangular background is now a structure, rather than something which looks painted-on. This is the only other variation that I could observe - everything else, from model photos to schematics (except the FF/AMT ones), to CGI images clearly reproduce the common Defiant bridge structure.

The AMT/FF schems are pretty true to the rest, with the exception of the teardrop which looks a bit swollen to the port and the starboard.

Boris

------------------
"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

[This message has been edited by Boris (edited November 08, 1999).]

[This message has been edited by Boris (edited November 08, 1999).]

The question remains why they would intentionally modify the ship, only to change it back again. My answer- cost. They probably thought it was a good idea until they relised the stock footage would be useless. I don't know, that FC pic just trips me out.

Boris

------------------
"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