posted
With the lifeboats, you want something that can stay dormant in cold storage for a long time, then be instantly ready for action. My view of warp craft is that they need either constant upkeep if kept in flight standby, or else they'll need a while to get prepped for flight.
posted
We've seen (crashed!) ships lie derilict for years get prepped for flight in no time.
Even the intentinally scrapped Hathaway was made warp capable....
I'm thinking of something that can do warp 2 or three for a few weeks time- just enough to really save somene on a ship that's really exploring. As for "lieing dormant", the GCS has those antimatter reserves in the saucer- the warp-pods could draw their warpcores from those (and lessen any nasty explosion from the abandonded saucer too).
I'd design a warp-sled like attachment that could haul a train of standard lifeboats at warp: like a locomotive does it's cars. Mabye one warp ship for every six standard lifeboats- the lifeboats can join together (as they're modular) to make large escape craft and to pool rescources.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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quote:Even the fighters in DS9 were apparently warp capable. In which case, why do they need a carrier?
Not all warp-capable ships are equal. I'd be surprised if a fighter class could go warp 9.
Fighters could still be useful compared to capital ships, even being limited to slower FTL speeds, so long as they maneuver better at sublight.
-------------------- "This is why you people think I'm so unknowable. You don't listen!" - God, "God, the Devil and Bob"
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posted
I think the Starfleet Fighter is useful mostly for patrols and scaring off the occasional smuggler/pirate types. Trek has shown that most of it's civilian ships are made from wet cardboard and rarely have weapons a real Starship need take note of.
They might also serve as a kind of "roadside assistance" for ships in trouble between systems- if it's really 32 meters long, a Fighter could carry all sorts of emergency supplies- mabye even a stasis/biobed.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
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posted
Well, "slow" is pretty relative: a fighter capable of warp 4 or 5 would be considered extremely capable and fast, if it's area of patrol is only a couple of systems and the space between.
Consider that modern fighter pilots are often crammed into their cockpit for 4-6 hours on adverage and up to 12 hours on extended missions.
A 32 meter long fighter with a bathrooom and replicator would be paradise by comparison.
A week on patrol would be no more difficult than those Runabout jaunts to Earth we saw on DS9.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
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posted
Just thinking about the requirements of having a Defiant Class or a Maquis-raider type ship attached or piggy-backed onto a larger ship.
If a task-force was required in a distant sector rapidly (especially a borg incursion) Piggy back a few 'fighter' ships.
There is no way ships the size of the Defiant etc - a mid ranged ship can reach the speeds of a Galaxy-Class or Prometheus-Class or Sovereign-Class starship.
-------------------- "Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica." - Jim Halpert. (The Office)
posted
I like the idea above of having a warp sled that can be deployed during emergency situations. Deploy one or two warp sleds when the escape pods are ejecting. You all hook up then dock with the warp sled - then at least you have a fighting chance to get to a habitable star system - or the nearest shipping lanes.
-------------------- "Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica." - Jim Halpert. (The Office)
posted
Exactly- that was needed more during the Dominion War than at any other time.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
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"Piggy backing" might be neat to disguise the size of a fleet from long-range sensors, but I dont think the ships would need to be physically docked together to do it- larger warp bubbles and tractor beams should cover it.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
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posted
Ug. I hate that ship- all it needs is an Autobot symbol.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
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posted
LOL it didn't do anything other than dock three parts - I didn't see it transform into anything! Those DS9 kitbashes from A Call To Arms look more Transformerish
-------------------- "Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica." - Jim Halpert. (The Office)
posted
I just cant stand the moving/docking parts aspect of it- millions of tonnes of sarship should not casually re-arrange themselves (shit like the Intrepid and Scimitar included). On TNG, the saucer seperation was a major undertaking..
The whole "multivector assualt mode" (aside from sounding like a video game weapon) is a gimmick that would never work effectivly once the secret was out (and once it became obvious that the top and lower sections cant dock at all without the center section, the center would get destroyed first).
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
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![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Those DS9 kitbashes from A Call To Arms look more Transformerish 
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