Starship Design Submission Request: The USS Lakota - Lakota Class Starship

marino1980

Hi there,

I've not done this since my submission for the 'Design the next Enterprise' competition all those years ago but I would like to submit a design to the Arc Designers for their consideration for inclusion into Star Trek Online. This is a design that I have called the 'Lakota Class' and here is a bit of background info on her:

Length = 500m,
Width = 178.78m,
Height = 55.05m

Commissioned in 2412, the Lakota class starship was designed to act as a heavy destroyer. Smaller than the Sovereign class, but able to pack just as big a punch, the Lakota is cheaper to produce in large numbers and comes equipped with Type XIV phasers, regenerative shielding, ablative armor (over key areas) and quantum torpedoes . After it's testing phase with the Aventine class, the Quantum Slipstream Drive has now been perfected and is installed on the Lakota as standard. This multi-role ship can also act as a long range explorer and is equipped with a modular sensor package (4 of each are located on the lateral edge of the saucer section) that can easily be pulled out and swapped over for specific missions, or simply to receive further upgrades with ease. There are plans to be able to insert, not only sensor packages but also portable weapons platforms into these modules. Two current variants of these platforms would be retractable micro torpedo launchers and rotational pulse phaser cannons, both of which are still in the testing phase. The first ship-of-the-class is named after the U.S.S. Lakota, which gained notoriety after being one of the few Federation ships ever to fire upon another. *That ship later went on to survive the Dominion War and was later destroyed after serving with distinction during the Iconian War. Whilst the Lakota's design still holds true to Starfleet's aim of peaceful exploration, it reflects the more contemporary attitude that deep space exploration vehicles need to be better able to defend themselves against ever more advanced and aggressive species.

*Not strictly canon information, but made up to suit the background info for the design.

daveyny

So it's a modified Sovereign class?
Why does part of the secondary hull block the Deflector Dish?

marino1980

It doesn't block it. The dish is moulded around it. Other STO designs like the Manticore Heavy Destoyer have done something similar.

theraven2378

marino1980 wrote: »

It doesn't block it. The dish is moulded around it. Other STO designs like the Manticore Heavy Destoyer have done something similar.

The Pathfinder as well

marino1980

There you go. I've tried to take the modifications that Eaves made to the E-B and apply these to a Sovereignesque shape.

daveyny

marino1980 wrote: »

It doesn't block it. The dish is moulded around it. Other STO designs like the Manticore Heavy Destoyer have done something similar.

Ok, well it looks strange, like the bottom of the secondary hull is squashed up into itself.
It doesn't have a natural flow to it, it seems like it has been tagged on as an afterthought.
Maybe if you took off the "wings" it would flow together better.

It's an interesting design overall though.
Is the entire nacelle wing structure one deck thick or two?
And what is the purpose of it being so wide?

Also, your different renderings show the pylons joining to the underside of the nacelles at assorted angles.
Some show the connection at about 90 degrees while others show it at about 45 degrees.

marino1980

Of course you're entitled to your opinion, and I thank you for it. As I said, I wanted to develop the look of the E-B into a more modern ship class. I'm sure that I could make those changes that you suggested, but then I feel that it would just be another Sovie lookalike.

daveyny

marino1980 wrote: »

Of course you're entitled to your opinion, and I thank you for it. As I said, I wanted to develop the look of the E-B into a more modern ship class. I'm sure that I could make those changes that you suggested, but then I feel that it would just be another Sovie lookalike.

I guess what I'm asking is what are the practical reasons for the assorted design combinations.
If it's just aesthetic, then that seems redundant. We already have ships that look similar.
Slapping assorted parts and pieces together just because you like the way they look, isn't a great way to impress folks into supporting your ideas.

marino1980

Well I don't think that there's justification for the design I could make that would change your opinion on it. You're obviously not keen on it so it is what it is. Thanks for your imput though.

adamkafei

It's very pretty, but it feels a bit squashed, like someone pressed the clay demonstration model from front to back accidentally. Maybe if you extended the secondary hull a little 25-50% and reduced the width by about 25%, should look better but it's still horribly out of proportion with the saucer. But then it would have the same issue in game that the Sovi variants do and it show more it's obvious Sovi roots.

Personally though when someone says "Lakota" to me, I think Excelsior, not Sovi and reading your backstory on the ship I thought you might have done something more along the lines of this which with a slightly modernised saucer would fit the background better and would better fit people's expectations for the name. Futhermore, you could (if you got the rights from the owner) reason this design either as a stepping stone from the Excel to Sovi (like the Ambi was a stepping stone from the Excel to the Galaxy) or learning lessons from the Sovi and the still active Excel design to make something cheaper and possibly more effective.

marino1980

Cool, well thanks for your input too. I'm kinda wondering if anyone here is actually going to say something positive about it, but hey, that's the nature of putting your art out there for everyone to critique. It's kind of a shame really that the feedback here has been so negative. I've posted it elsewhere and loads of people were really supportive and said how much they'd like to see it in the game. So I posted it here hoping that it might be considered if enough people liked it. I guess that's not very likely now, but that's life, I guess...

jodarkrider

I can't give you crititique which'd actually help you, as starship design is not right up in my alley, not knowledgeable enough, but, for what it's worth - my hat off to you. I could only dream of creating something like this.

My suggestion is to try & remove the feel of 'negative' from the posters and pick up anything which could help you to improve the ship. Sometimes, it's better to overlook the form people use in their criticizms, to find useful informations. Good luck & I'd say, have fun. Art is about fun & enjoyment, after all. If you enjoy it, you're more likely to produce a fantastic result.

deaftravis05

so, it's a science oriented destroyer?

marino1980

jodarkrider wrote: »

I can't give you crititique which'd actually help you, as starship design is not right up in my alley, not knowledgeable enough, but, for what it's worth - my hat off to you. I could only dream of creating something like this.

My suggestion is to try & remove the feel of 'negative' from the posters and pick up anything which could help you to improve the ship. Sometimes, it's better to overlook the form people use in their criticizms, to find useful informations. Good luck & I'd say, have fun. Art is about fun & enjoyment, after all. If you enjoy it, you're more likely to produce a fantastic result.

Thanks, that's good advice! It's okey, I totally get it. And let's face it, us Trekkies are a pretty varied bunch and trying to please everyone is an exercise in futility (kind of like resistance - lol).

marino1980

deaftravis05 wrote: »

so, it's a science oriented destroyer?

It's a multi role ship. Good at science, but can kick TRIBBLE when it has to. Think of the original Lakota from DS9's Paradise Lost episode. I'm sure that was able to do all the good sciencey stuff like any other Excelsior class ship, but it had a lot of extra punch for a ship of it's class.

deaftravis05

well, we don't have any t6 versions. They're all t5s, so I suppose it's a good idea to upgrade it.

marino1980

Thanks deaftravis05. I think that's the first positive feedback I've seen here.

deaftravis05

I like it. I don't know if Cryptic would go for it, but we do need a replacement for the Vestas that are only t5.

marino1980

I'm really glad you like it. My dream would be to have it included in the game- at any tier!

deaftravis05

It wouldn't be as a destroyer, we already have that, but it would be nice to adopt this visual design as an upgrade to the vesta.

deaftravis05

It wouldn't be as a destroyer, we already have that, but it would be nice to adopt this visual design as an upgrade to the vesta.

marino1980

daveyny wrote: »

So it's a modified Sovereign class?
Why does part of the secondary hull block the Deflector Dish?

Ok, so in trying to take some of the constructive criticism parts out of previous comments, I've done a couple more renders with some home improvements. I've been playing around with the textures a bit, the new skin is more akin to something found on STO... Also I've been working on the deflector dish. It's now slightly recessed with more of a rim around the glowing section. Just wanted to give less of an impression that the secondary hull was blocking the deflector dish, more that the dish was moulded around it. It's a subtle change, but hopefully that can be seen here. Also, rather embarrassingly, the registry had the wrong letter at the end of it. I've corrected it so that it now reads 'A' at the end instead of 'B'.

deaftravis05

looks more moulded now. I like

artan42

I like it a lot.​​

goodscotch

Neat!

marino1980

Thanks guys, thought you might like to see a few more shots of her.

marino1980

I've also made a bridge to go with the ship, based on a sketch made by John Eaves for the Star Trek Renegades fan series. Here's the original sketch:

And here are a few shots of the Lakota's bridge:

deaftravis05

likie

marino1980

deaftravis05 wrote: »

likie

Thanks deaftravis05, appreciate that.

I've been working on a new feature for the ship, in order to give it a bit more of an advantage in combat situations. I liked the concept of the Prometheus' 'Multi-Vector Assault Mode' but I always questioned the validity of how practical it would be. What if one of the sections were destroyed? Especially if the middle part was to be lost, how would the ship re-connect? The idea of attacking one's enemies from multiple angles had me thinking, as did the use of battle drones by the USS Vengeance in Star Trek Into Darkness. Wouldn't it be a much better idea to have automated drones (much like we do today) to defend the ship from attack?

So, taking design cues from some of the retractable weapons pods on Deep Space Nine, I designed these Tactical Defence Drones. Stored in hatches along the saucer edge of the ship, these would adopt strategic positions around the ship and lay down covering fire. If the Lakota has neutralized the attacking threat, these can be quickly called back and tractored back into their storage bays. Should the Lakota have to flee the area, these can self-destruct as soon as the ship has gone to warp. These pods are armed with phasers and micro-torpedoes.

adamkafei

With the three parts of the Prometheus being independently warp capable (as demonstrated in the episode) and fully automated if need be, it's perfectly reasonable to expect the crew (or the ship) to return to the nearest starbase/shipyard and wait for a replacement section to be built.

theillusivenman

Stunning work, OP, I really like the ship.
As for the name, isn't Lakota technicly a more modern variant of the Excelsior already in game? I have nothing against keeping the name, though, but in case you'd want or need to change the name, Iowa class sounds awesome.

Keep up the good work.