posted
Okay, I was watching The maquis pt. 2 today and Dukat, Sisko and the gang stop a freighter (the race's name I cant recall) that is smuggling Cardassian weapons to the DMZ.
The freighter is capable of an astounding warp 9.5!(making it faster than the Defiant! Now that's good smuggling!)
It's an odd design that is used again later (Kira's smuggler friend that locates Zial's ship is n the same design). The ship has a circular glowy engine piece at the rear (in the Maquis episode) that is the ship's defiant-esque bridge in other appearances.
Anyone got a schematic of this ship? I looked over at EAS in vain....mabye if I knew the race's name....
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
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The Xepolite ship (DS9: "The Maquis") is a re-use of the Wadi ship originally built for DS9: "Move Along Home" which also showed up as a Bajoran vessel in "In the Hands of the Prophets", "Indiscretion" and "Crossfire". The film was flipped over, perhaps to give the Xepolite version a distinct appearance. It doesn't seem possible that the Xepolites are using the same design as the just discovered Wadi, and it would also be hard to reconcile with the obviously inferior Bajoran design. Maybe we are really dealing with three distinct ship types.
Unfortunately, the side-view does not do it justice: the grey areas are actually black on the sip and the rear engine parts looked larger in the episode. Also of note, part of the center/forward upper hull is kinda hollow (it overhangs a bunch of greebles and doo-dahs on the model).
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
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posted
The Defiant was not supposed to be particularly speedy, though when it came down to it the ship traveled exactly as fast as it needed to. But, I mean, that wasn't one of the bragging points when the ship was introduced.
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posted
Yeah, I guess you're right, but the thought of weapons smugglers getting away from the Defiant because they're just way faster is...impressive.
Though the ship must not be too tough- Dukat was talking about knocking out their shields and destroying their bridge.
In a Runabout.
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Amasov Prime
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posted
If it can go 9.5, it could be a courier. Maybe the whole aft section is one big engine.
And the Defiant can handle 9.982.
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posted
Since when? In The Sound of Her Voice the Defiant tops out at under 9 (I think anyway!)- with taking the phasers offline to boost the SIF.
I tend to agree with the "Courier" notion- or (probably) a light, fast freighter.
Sure faster than the Xosha.
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Amasov Prime
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quote:Originally posted by Jason Abbadon: Since when? In The Sound of Her Voice the Defiant tops out at under 9 (I think anyway!)- with taking the phasers offline to boost the SIF.
Since the DS9TM, and I think that information is backed up by an early Defiant episode, probably "The Search". I've seen that information elsewhere, too, and I'm quite sure it was mentioned on the show.
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posted
Throughout DS9, the writers were very careful NOT to establish the speed of the Defiant. It's always "maximum warp" rather than a specific warp factor - except in "The Sound of Her Voice", where warp 9.5 is the absolute max after some desperate-sounding modifications.
The reference to warp 9.98something in DS9 Tech Manual
1) is implausible in comparison with other known starship top speeds, 2) refers to the abandoned initial version anyway, 3) and if I read the grammar correctly, actually refers to the speed of the torpedoes of that never-built vessel rather than the vessel herself.
The DS9 TM does not give any top speed figure for the eventual Defiant in the body of the text. There are some fairly silly numbers in the appendiced shiplist, but they are probably there only to confuse possible Dominion spies.
That Wadi/Xepolite/Trill/Bajoran ship is described in a comparative article by Bernd and J�rg. A fun detail is that the two "nacelles" on that ship seem to be a repetition of the single one on that "hammerhead" Bajoran ship seen earlier in TNG and DS9. A dedicated higher-speed modification?
The Xepolite ship looks much more detailed to my modeler's eye than the Wadi and it's been painted in a nice tiger stripe pattern as well.
I think the Bajoran smuggler version is just altered stock footage of the Wadi version (in that nebula haze).
As to the Defiant, very good points, Timo. I dont think we can really use anything in the text of the DS9TM as evidence of anything- it's been real shakey in too many other places to be considered reliable (to me).
THe Xepolite ship is darn impressive design to me but the overall shape (particularly the two vertical fins) reminds me of a B5 ship. I dont know the race's name, but the ship is green and brown....I'll look it up.
Mabye I'll make a nice Xepolite ship from the B5 micromnachine (BWHAHAHAHA!!!)...
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
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posted
We think the Xepolite ship is the very same model as the Wadi, although there may be some refinements for the Xepolite version. It would have been a waste not to show a more detailed version of the Wadi vessel up close.
posted
Near as I can tell after watching both episodes again, the Xepolite version's engines (particularly the square panel over them) have more detailing and they seem more pronounced (though that might just be the orientation of the ship, I suppose).
The tiger stripes look really washed-out on the Wadi ship but so vivid on the Xepolite version that they really do look like seperate designs. ...and the Xepolite ship's engine glow is red, of course- not as common color for Trek ship's engines. I thik the Xepolite ship might have too many decks for a ship it's scale (compared against the Runabout that of course)....or the Xepolites are just shorter than standarard bipeds (what a concept! Aliens that are not human sized!).
As to the Bajoran version of the ship, does it fly in the same orienation as the Xepolite ship? Odd that (for Trek) the Runabout would randevous with the other ship's aft.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
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quote: As to the Bajoran version of the ship, does it fly in the same orienation as the Xepolite ship?
Well, in all the appearances of the model, the broad end features glowing bits that look like impulse engines, while the narrow end does not.
So it seems highly likely that the Wadi ship, the Bajoran transport and the Trill transport all approach the station stern first, and supposedly normally move through space pointy end first, just like the Xepolite ship.
I'd like to market the theory (now where's the tin-hatted graemlin?) that all these ships are actually of Cardassian origin; Bajor acquired one or more thanks to the hasty Cardassian withdrawal, and uses her/them for ferrying honored guests like the Wadi or the Trill science team. The Xepolites, being another (former?) Cardassian ally, would naturally also get their share.
Definite Cardassian/Bajoran design features include the circle atop the hull (familiar from Hideki, and from the Defiant, which as we know began as a Bajoran fighter for "The Siege"), the angular protruding bow (also present in the two triangular transports), and the "nacelle" slabs (also present in one of the triangular transports)...
quote:and from the Defiant, which as we know began as a Bajoran fighter for "The Siege"
Whatyoo talkin 'bout, Timo?
I think it's as plausable that the Xepolites are ship merchants and that the Bajorans and Cardassians use their technology instead. This would explain the glowy red features on the Bajoran ships (and it's unlikely they'd want to use cardie ships).
The circular area on the Xepolite ship is the engines block, so I discount any Hediki/ defiant comparisons with that feature.
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