posted
I dunno, but it seems like every other ship in the encyclopedia says it was a "reuse of the Merchantman model from ST3". Probably only second to the Battris/Antares.
------------------ Col. Maybourne: "Teal'c... It's good to see you well." Teal'c: "In my culture, I would be well within my rights to dismember you." -Stargate SG-1: "Touchstone"
posted
The fourth use of the Merchantman would be as the mystery fighter in "The Host"...
I think that despite all that model recycling, there has been some sort of continuity in who gets to fly which ships. The various triangular shapes are used almost exclusively by Bajor. Those modified from the Batris seem to be everywhere, but at least they all are supposed to be freighters. There's a family of werge-hulled ships from the two Talarian ships of "Suddenly Human" onwards that seem to be used by primitive races only (perhaps the Talarians have a lucrative warship racket going?).
Of course, early Voyager screws all this up by reusing Alpha designs in Delta quadrant. Hooray for Foundation and the truly personalized, all-new ships of later episodes!
posted
I have been trying to categorize the wedge shaped ships for some time. Recently, I have the impression that there are two basically different ships:
posted
I agree that at least the Pakled ship, the Bajoran transport from "Ensign Ro", the Kostolain ship from "Cost of Living", the Trill transport from "The Host" and a Bajoran scout from "Past Prologue" are all of the same ship class - they use the same model, only painted differently, and could all be "outdated impulse transports" as the requirement for most goes. Perhaps this type of ship is available in interstellar markets at a low price?
I'm still not quite sure if the Pakled hull is being used for the Bajoran nacelle-equipped transport - the Fact Files pictures aren't identical, and screencaps are IMHO inconclusive. Certainly it would make sense for the two types to come from the same manufacturer - perhaps the Bajorans have been selling impulse ships to all the primitive races in the vicinity? Regardless of whether the same model parts are being used, the nacelle-equipped ship seems a lot bigger and more capable (warp-capable at least!).
The narrower type clearly is a modification of Kivas Fajo's original Zibalian ship, and again it would make sense for the design to have spread from Bajor to neighboring systems like the Kressari one. Of course, the Numiri connection makes no sense, unless the Caretaker captured these vessels in the past and some fell into Numiri hands... The type must be warp-capable despite lacking nacelles. Fajo's ship went to warp 3 IIRC.
There is, however, a fourth wedgelike type in the Bajoran arsenal, apparently a refined CGI version of the nacelled ship. I guess you have seen pictures of the blockade fleet of "Shadows and Symbols"? It features one or two of these ships. In addition to color differences, they look higher and smoother than the original nacelled type.
Of course, Bajorans also use other ship types in that fleet and elsewhere, like a (modified) Karemman freighter and the cute Wadi ship which appears in Bajoran hands in "Crossfire" and "Indiscretion". Again, the proliferation of these designs in the vicinity of Bajor only makes sense.
posted
I forgot the Satarran ship from "Conundrum" - another Pakled modification. (1st type)
I have the impression that there is another ship of the second type I missed, but I can't recall it right now.
I can't recall the ship from "Past Prologue". Image? The "Bajoran Transport 1" is obviously the ship in the DS9 opening credits, and I guess the two types are different, despite the similar shape.
It depicts the forth ship you're probably referring to, the fat one in the middle. The front looks exactly like the "transport 1", however, the ship is much thicker. I don't have a clue.
posted
I found the "Past Prologue" picture at http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/6630/ktrekship1.html - a tiny pic of the basic Pakled configuration in beige or grey colors. I'm not sure if it comes from the episode itself, though. Note the "salvage ship" and "freighter" next to it (the Wadi ship in Bajoran use) and the other close-up "impulse ship" from "Shadows and Symbols", clearly the bow of the narrower, nacelle-less ship seen from below.
However, from the "Ensign Ro" picture on that page, doesn't it look as if the Antares class ship actually has the flat nose of the narrower ship, and not the dustbuster nose of the Pakled ship? While I'm not sure of the authenticity of the scout from "Past Prologue", I think the "Ensign Ro" picture is correctly labeled. So the "Ensign Ro" ship would actually represent our first glimpse to the modification of Kivas Fajo's ship.
And what happened to the Karemman ship? Its nacelles seem remounted, and there is a weird bulge under the bow.
posted
Seems likely. And to expand the list of Pakled ship appearances, the Gatherers of Acamar (now what the heck was that episode called?)also had one.
And the Straleb security ship didn't go unused after all - it appears to have been recycled as the Corvallen "Antares class transport" (yet another one!) for "Face of the Enemy".
posted
Hmh? I thought this was a customized ship, not used in any earlier episode but OTOH reused in Voyager "Warlord" as the Ilari spaceship. Or at least this is what the collection of pics at this site (Ilari alphabetically under alien ships, "Unification" under misc.I as "smuggler") or the Fact Files would suggest. It would be strange for the Jovis to be refitted into the Unification ship, then to the DS9 transport, and then BACK to the Unification ship.
Timo Saloniemi
[This message has been edited by Timo (edited January 28, 2000).]
posted
Which was the pic of the Jovis? The ship with the boxed underbelly from the Bajoran blockade - definately looks similar to the Husnok ship...
Question - how could they turn that ship into CGI but not the Ambassador class?
Andrew
------------------ "...it might be easier to study ancient societies from distant orbit than it might be to sit next to the Guardian of Forever with a tricorder." - Baloo, January 2000
posted
A good question - at times, they cannot afford to do new footage on the Defiant, the "hero ship"; and at times, they create a fleet of (as such very, very nice) Bajoran impulse ships of which some are CGI renderings of existing models, and some are even customized CGI designs!
Possibly nobody in the department was interested in doing the Ambassador just for background filler, but when they were specifically ordered to create Bajoran transport ships, they poured in everything they could find, and then some more. Now if there only had been a story requirement for an Ambassador...
posted
I personally couldn't care less about seeing another Ambassador. I like to think that they've all been destroyed or decommissioned. After all, who needs Ambassador when you've got Galaxy?
------------------ "Forgive me if I don't share your euphoria!" (Weyoun to Dukat, Tears of the Prophets) Dax's Ships of STAR TREK
posted
The members of the Ambassador Class fan club - not that there is one - but there should be
Ambassadors Anonymous heh heh
Andrew.
------------------ "...it might be easier to study ancient societies from distant orbit than it might be to sit next to the Guardian of Forever with a tricorder." - Baloo, January 2000
The type must be warp-capable despite lacking nacelles. Fajo's ship went to warp 3 IIRC.
- not that there is one - but there should be 
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