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USS Newcastle, NCC-1903, Southampton-Class (A TOS-era fan design study, feedback most welcome!)

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  • ryan218ryan218 Member Posts: 36,106 Arc User
    How many dates are there for the eugenics wars?

    Still working on a few details, mainly working out plot points so I have a basic plan. In so doing, I came upon a need for a late C22 plasma pistol, and it occurred to me: with the exception of the TOS and ENT rifles, not a single Starfleet phaser rifle has been a 'bullpup' style. That seems odd, given it's a far more compact layout and the main drawback (the more complex firing mechanism) doesn't exist with an energy weapon. Also, you'd think a more compact assault weapon would be popular on a starship, where space is at a premium (looks awkwardly at Galaxy-Class).

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  • smokebaileysmokebailey Member Posts: 4,659 Arc User
    Coolies. :)
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  • ryan218ryan218 Member Posts: 36,106 Arc User
    Decided to have a play about in GIMP again. The nature of the story will involve Newcastle's shuttles getting into combat situations a few times, and I really couldn't see any justification for sticking an unarmed personnel shuttle like the Type-F on a patrol cruiser which is supposed to get in a scrap. (It also doesn't make sense given the Type-C and the NX Shuttlepod were armed.)

    pPyNbgo.png

    Presenting the Type-G. I started with the stated length of 24ft for the Type-F and worked out the size of each compartment (a cockpit, vestibule, and cabin), then built the outline around that. I started the outline as close to the Type-F as I could while sticking to my determined internal arrangement, then altered it a little to accommodate certain design references:
    1. It's intended to not get completely annihilated in combat, so it has winglets to improve manoeuvrability in-atmosphere (inspired by John Eaves' McCall-Class and the Academy Flight Trainer). This also offers better protection for the warp nacelles.
    2. For speed of boarding/loading on evacuation duties, it is fitted with an aft hatch like the DSC type-C shuttle as well as the side hatch. This means the impulse engines are pushed to the sides of the spaceframe.
    3. I added a side window. Again, atmospheric flight considerations. VFR is a lot easier if you have the 'V' part.

    As much as it does end up looking a lot like the DSC and Kelvin shuttles, I was more going for the idea that this sort of fits between the Type-C and the Galileo-Type seen in ST:V. As far as warp capability...the idea that the Type-C can reach Warp 7 (according to MA - I don't know where they get that figure) when TOS was very dubious about whether the Type-F even had warp drive, and long-range travel was a big point in the whole idea of the Runabout in the TNG-era, is just nonsensical. So is it having three totally functional transporters, when the Type-15 shuttlepod only had two escape transporters and the Type-F had none, and a probe bay! I guess along with seat belts and the Spore Drive, Dimensional Transcendentalism is another lost Trek technology :p . The Type-F has to have warp drive to be able to keep up with the Enterprise in 'The Menagerie', though I don't recall any specific speed being given, so Warp 1 seems reasonable. Warp 1 with 14 days of supplies on board would allow the craft to cross Sol's heliosphere.

    Because I personally don't like how DSC only seemed to number its shuttles and not name them (with the exception of 'Funny Face' in 'Calypso'), all of Newcastle's shuttlecraft are named after Wards of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. I've also prepared a version with the 3-letter acronym and shuttle number in place of the NCC number ala Discovery for comparison purposes.

    UHaueoG.png

    Personally, I prefer the TOS-style, but there is something aesthetically pleasing about the DSC style, even if it doesn't make that much sense IMO.
  • phoenixc#0738 phoenixc Member Posts: 5,459 Arc User
    edited January 2021
    ryan218 wrote: »
    Decided to have a play about in GIMP again. The nature of the story will involve Newcastle's shuttles getting into combat situations a few times, and I really couldn't see any justification for sticking an unarmed personnel shuttle like the Type-F on a patrol cruiser which is supposed to get in a scrap. (It also doesn't make sense given the Type-C and the NX Shuttlepod were armed.)

    pPyNbgo.png

    Presenting the Type-G. I started with the stated length of 24ft for the Type-F and worked out the size of each compartment (a cockpit, vestibule, and cabin), then built the outline around that. I started the outline as close to the Type-F as I could while sticking to my determined internal arrangement, then altered it a little to accommodate certain design references:
    1. It's intended to not get completely annihilated in combat, so it has winglets to improve manoeuvrability in-atmosphere (inspired by John Eaves' McCall-Class and the Academy Flight Trainer). This also offers better protection for the warp nacelles.
    2. For speed of boarding/loading on evacuation duties, it is fitted with an aft hatch like the DSC type-C shuttle as well as the side hatch. This means the impulse engines are pushed to the sides of the spaceframe.
    3. I added a side window. Again, atmospheric flight considerations. VFR is a lot easier if you have the 'V' part.

    As much as it does end up looking a lot like the DSC and Kelvin shuttles, I was more going for the idea that this sort of fits between the Type-C and the Galileo-Type seen in ST:V. As far as warp capability...the idea that the Type-C can reach Warp 7 (according to MA - I don't know where they get that figure) when TOS was very dubious about whether the Type-F even had warp drive, and long-range travel was a big point in the whole idea of the Runabout in the TNG-era, is just nonsensical. So is it having three totally functional transporters, when the Type-15 shuttlepod only had two escape transporters and the Type-F had none, and a probe bay! I guess along with seat belts and the Spore Drive, Dimensional Transcendentalism is another lost Trek technology :p . The Type-F has to have warp drive to be able to keep up with the Enterprise in 'The Menagerie', though I don't recall any specific speed being given, so Warp 1 seems reasonable. Warp 1 with 14 days of supplies on board would allow the craft to cross Sol's heliosphere.

    Because I personally don't like how DSC only seemed to number its shuttles and not name them (with the exception of 'Funny Face' in 'Calypso'), all of Newcastle's shuttlecraft are named after Wards of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. I've also prepared a version with the 3-letter acronym and shuttle number in place of the NCC number ala Discovery for comparison purposes.

    UHaueoG.png

    Personally, I prefer the TOS-style, but there is something aesthetically pleasing about the DSC style, even if it doesn't make that much sense IMO.

    The class-F shuttles did not have warp drive at all, but supposedly they did have "fast impulse" which was actually capable of cheating Einstein and going slightly faster than light (probably in the low warp factor 1.x range) since most of the missions they had one on in TOS would be impossible at sublight. Personally I imagine it as something vaguely similar to Mass Effect's onboard drives, or a weak version of a YPS fusion pulse warp effect, but the theories and behind the scenes stuff does not nail it down at all.

    The shuttle in The Menagerie actually was not keeping up with Enterprise, the ship was moving at about warp two and leaving it behind but the shuttle was visible on sensors and when it passed the no-return point at emergency speed they went back for it since its communication range was cut short without its engines online and the starbase probably didn't know it was in trouble with toasted engines and failing life support so they should send someone right away. Kirk was forcing Spock's hand that way rather than trying to actually catch the ship in a shuttle.

    That episode also showed why the shuttle designers did not bother with side windows, the craft is flown using swingarm mounted holoscreens for the pilot and copilot that are supposed to give a much clearer view of the surroundings than any windows would.

    They were also unarmed because Roddenberry pointed out that there was no possible way for a shuttle to generate enough energy to even scratch the shields or armor of a full sized ship. He was adamant that no shuttles were to be depicted with anything except anti-shuttle or ground support weapons, period.

    The Paramount movie division was pushing very hard for Star Wars style space combat but for some reason waited until Roddenberry was gone to introduce fighters beyond the speedboat ground attack/anti-shuttle fighter shuttles. STO and DSC go directly against Roddenberry's rules in that respect, though in STO's case the carriers serve the traditional "wrangler" game role so can be excused as an accommodation to gaming.

    While they did show a "Federation fighter" that was shuttle sized and had a single-seat starfighter-like canopy in one brief shot, which may have been another ground assault shuttle like the type 9, the "Federation fighters" they show at the battle to retake DS9 were not shuttles at all, they were small gunships about the size of the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars (about 35 to 45 meters in length) according to measurements taken by people with video analysis tools, a good grasp of geometry, and too much time on their hands (which is supported by behind the camera information as well). The STO equivalent would be the frigates that a few carriers have.
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