Raven-type exploration vessel

captainrc1

Any chance we might get a Raven class, like the one seen on the Voyager episode "The Raven"?

rattler2

There's always a chance. The question is when would be a good time? And how?
As it was a bit more of a civilian ship... it would probably make more sense (please don't kill me for this) as an addition to the Infinity Box. Unless they came up with a 25th Century C-Store version somehow, I kinda can't see any other way to release a Raven. Except MAYBE as an event reward.

We did get an Elachi ship that way...

phoenixc

rattler2 wrote: »

There's always a chance. The question is when would be a good time? And how?
As it was a bit more of a civilian ship... it would probably make more sense (please don't kill me for this) as an addition to the Infinity Box. Unless they came up with a 25th Century C-Store version somehow, I kinda can't see any other way to release a Raven. Except MAYBE as an event reward.

We did get an Elachi ship that way...

I don't know if it would be considered "civilian" considering it has a Starfleet name-prefix (USS instead of SS or one of the other civillian ones) and has Intel stealth capabilities enough to shadow Borg cubes as long as it stays out of visual range, and stealthed scanners that even the Borg did not detect. The only reason they noticed the Raven was because the stealth systems went down for 13.2 seconds due to ion storm damage. It is probably designed as a long-deployment deep incursion ship which is highly automated to avoid the size and power overhead of supporting a larger crew which would make it less stealthy on a mission like that.

I don't think it is a lockbox-worthy ship, it is better off as a c-store ship (the Federation doesn't have an Intel Scout there, in fact the only Intel Scout in the entire game so far is the T'Pau, which was an event ship and is effectively impossible to get for those who missed that event (I know it is in the Phoenix store, that is why it is effectively impossible to get rather than totally impossible)) or an event ship, especially for those who missed the T'Pau .

rattler2

phoenixc#0738 wrote: »

I don't know if it would be considered "civilian" considering it has a Starfleet name-prefix (USS instead of SS or one of the other civillian ones) and has Intel stealth capabilities enough to shadow Borg cubes as long as it stays out of visual range, and stealthed scanners that even the Borg did not detect. The only reason they noticed the Raven was because the stealth systems went down for 13.2 seconds due to ion storm damage. It is probably designed as a long-deployment deep incursion ship which is highly automated to avoid the size and power overhead of supporting a larger crew which would make it less stealthy on a mission like that.

I don't think it is a lockbox-worthy ship, it is better off as a c-store ship (the Federation doesn't have an Intel Scout there, in fact the only Intel Scout in the entire game so far is the T'Pau, which was an event ship and is effectively impossible to get for those who missed that event (I know it is in the Phoenix store, that is why it is effectively impossible to get rather than totally impossible)) or an event ship, especially for those who missed the T'Pau .

NAR registry number though as I recall. Not NCC. Far as I know most civilian ships tend to get the NAR registry prefix. Notable examples being the SS Vico, the SS Eleos XII, and SS La Sirena. According to Memory Alpha, it also identifies Federation affiliation, but not Starfleet.

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/NAR

spiritborn

As for the Stealth capabilities IIRC the Raven was quite small and the Borg were not actively looking for it, so it doesn't have be Starfleet after all there might be creatures that can sense standard scans and get spooked by them, so none of this really screams "black ops" ship to me.

phoenixc

Either way, it is functionally an Intel Scout judging by its capabilities, and it is significantly bigger than the T'Pau class (though still somewhat smaller than an escort) which is considered an Intel Scout in STO, so there should not be a problem making the Raven type one. Also, there is no definitive answer as to whether it was a Starfleet ship or not since one prefix (USS) is only used on Starfleet ships and the NAR is usually used on non-Starfleet ships, so which one is the mistake?

Also, while Sternbach said NAR was for "merchant type ships" they also used it for some non-merchant ships in the shows, such as:

• the Oberth class SS Vico (NAR-18834) which was in Starfleet livery and on a Starfleet mission despite the NAR and the SS
  prefixes.
• an SD-103 which is type of large Starfleet shuttlecraft
• the Phoenix class SS Eleos XII (NAR-59019) which was in use as a Fast Medical ship, but according to graphic readouts the
  class was a Starfleet design. Another ship of the same class (though not gutted for extra floorspace for treatment areas and
  bulk medical supplies) was USS Fortuna (NCC-63189), which was well armed with 9 type 9 phasers.
• the designation was even seen on a spacedock.

The La Sirena also had a NAR registry prefix as well as a SS name prefix, and it was definitely capable of combat when it had to.

All in all, there seems to be at least some gray area between Starfleet and armed non-Starfleet Federation ships where some of the specialized ones seem to exist as both or cross over from one to the other.

rattler2

I figure the Eleos and Vico were sold as surplus or retired from active service and handed off to civilian agencies.
With the Vico still having Starfleet markings... I blame the fact they were using physical models and maybe stock footage, which are a bit harder to modify.

In theory NAR could stand for Naval Auxillary Reserve or something, so ships like the Vico and Eleos could be reactivated into Starfleet service, but again for the most part it does appear to be mostly associated with Civilian vessels with a connection to the Federation, but not Starfleet itself.

Now back to the Raven herself... its possible that Voyager discovering her fate, and the fact she was able to shadow a Cube for so long, could inspire Starfleet to design a later variant specifically tailored for recon.