Not everyone is that creative, nor do they wish to be. :P
I see it more as a self esteem thing than creativity...
And then people would complain about it being half-baked. At this point people would be willing to go for a T5 Exeter, Vesper, Excalibur, or somesuch ship. They are new ships that merely resemble the Constitution, the 100+ year old design argument is invalid there.
Give me one good reason those ships do not deserve a T5 variant? (Assume that the TOS Connie and the Refit will never reach T5)
Because end runs around the question are pretty transparent.
But I can't see myself buying a T-5 fleet version if I have to pay Zen per-character for it.
My views may not represent those of Cryptic Studios or Perfect World Entertainment. You can file a "forums and website" support ticket here Link: How to PM - Twitter @STOMod_Bluegeek
I'm just trying to figure out why players would want such an ugly ship at the high levels.
Oh sure, I fully understand the legacy behind it. It's THE original starship that has become synonymous with Star Trek, and that was just fine back when it was the only design, but that doesn't make it good looking.
I'm leveling up an engineer right now, checking out the cruisers. I was hoping there would be some other choice for ships at level ten, like the Excelsior or something. I was so glad that I was able to customize it's appearance to make it look more modern. The only Constitution piece I ended up using was the neck.
I'm not looking forward to level 30 when I get stuck with the awful Galaxy class. IMO, starships didn't become interesting and aesthetically pleasing until DS9 and Voyager.
Well first off not everyone will have the same opinion on how each ship looks, I personally like the look of it and the galaxy class.
I beleive there shouldn't be two of the same ship in game there's already a captain defiant and admiral vessel , same with intrepid . Rather than releasing a second ship , why can't we just up grade what we have. For instance if at lt comander I choose constitution class then I'd like to upgrade her to survive when I get to commander rank if I don't want to pick any of the ships.
I love the design of the Consitution-class, both TOS and TMP. However, I understand the logic behind saying that such a ship would be radically obsolete by the 25th century and canon dictates that such a ship shouldn't be flown. Okay, fine.
HOWEVER, Starfleet in it's infinite wisdom built the Excalibur, Vesper and Exeter-classes (25th century versions of a Connie cruiser) which also happen to fit in with the Constitution's body profile.
I'm not a fan of the Vesper, as it looks like a poor man's Excelsior. The Excalibur...meh, it's okay. But, I really like the design of the Exeter-class. It and the Excalibur-class really do look like modernized versions of the Constitution-class.
Why do I want to fly one? Because I like the design. It has nothing to do with a lack of creativity, on my part. I just want a cruiser as opposed to something HUGE like an Odessey or Galaxy.
For anyone to argue about canon at this point makes no sense. If we take the Vesper, Excalibur and Exeter skins and apply them to a T5 varient and omit the Constitution-skin, that would solve my troubles. (Though I understand some folks are diehard attached to their favorite ships).
I can see one or two Starfleet captains flying Cardassian Galors. The Cardassians are still rebuilding and military assets always get sold off to pay for infrastructure, so it stands to reason that the Feds and the Klingons may have gotten their hands a few ships. Ferengi Marauders? Well, if you've got a Fed or Klingon player that's a Ferengi...I suppose it would make sense.
But there is NO logic in telling me that Starfleet just abandoned Connie styled cruisers all together (because it doesn't fit in with canon), while captains fly Tholian ships. This effectively shatters suspension of disbelief.
Tom_Riker01/Captain Hayden
Foundry missions: "Salvaged" and "Preemption (Federation)" brought to you by the former "Tom_Riker01".
"An artist's growth depends upon accurate feedback." ~Data
I love the design of the Consitution-class, both TOS and TMP. However, I understand the logic behind saying that such a ship would be radically obsolete by the 25th century and canon dictates that such a ship shouldn't be flown. Okay, fine.
HOWEVER, Starfleet in it's infinite wisdom built the Excalibur, Vesper and Exeter-classes (25th century versions of a Connie cruiser) which also happen to fit in with the Constitution's body profile.
I'm not a fan of the Vesper, as it looks like a poor man's Excelsior. The Excalibur...meh, it's okay. But, I really like the design of the Exeter-class. It and the Excalibur-class really do look like modernized versions of the Constitution-class.
Why do I want to fly one? Because I like the design. It has nothing to do with a lack of creativity, on my part. I just want a cruiser as opposed to something HUGE like an Odessey or Galaxy.
For anyone to argue about canon at this point makes no sense. If we take the Vesper, Excalibur and Exeter skins and apply them to a T5 varient and omit the Constitution-skin, that would solve my troubles. (Though I understand some folks are diehard attached to their favorite ships).
I can see one or two Starfleet captains flying Cardassian Galors. The Cardassians are still rebuilding and military assets always get sold off to pay for infrastructure, so it stands to reason that the Feds and the Klingons may have gotten their hands a few ships. Ferengi Marauders? Well, if you've got a Fed or Klingon player that's a Ferengi...I suppose it would make sense.
But there is NO logic in telling me that Starfleet just abandoned Connie styled cruisers all together (because it doesn't fit in with canon), while captains fly Tholian ships. This effectively shatters suspension of disbelief.
Tom_Riker01/Captain Hayden
QFT.
Canon isn't really an excuse, It never has been. STO is, and will forever be, a vessel for fan fiction. It's neither a good or bad thing, it is what it is. You just either have fun with it, or have fun somewhere else.
Peersonally, I'll never understand those folks who want/love the Galaxy class 1701-D as IMO - I thought it was one of the ugliest Star Trek ships on screen in 1987 - and still feel that way about that bloated spatula today.
The 1701 VConstitution is teh Enterprise for me. I get you think it's ugly, but IMO, it was the first (and IMO still the best on screen Enterprise.) <-- That's why I'd love a T5 bversion of it in game, even though I know full well CBS has said no, so it'll never happen - but if it was made, I'd pick one up in a heartbeat.
I agree... to me the Galaxy class has always looked like something that was pulled out of the oven before it finished baking... like a cake that fell. The bridge always made me think of a bank lobby. All that was missing were potted plants and little pens on chains. :P
The original Connie, of all the ships in Trek, LOOKS like it was designed by engineers... not "Artiste's". I don't wanna fly "art"... I want to fly a Starship! The old Connie LOOKS the part, IMO. Some later models do, too, to an extent... the Constitution refit, the Excel... the new Avenger looks good... some others. But none look as "engineered" as the original. It's bridge also LOOKED like the sort of place where a ships crew worked daily. A working ship's bridge.
*STO*Its mission: To destroy strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations... and then kill them, to boldly annihilate what no one has annihilated before!
...and if the game didn't specify a particular period of time in the Star Trek universe, it would be perfectly acceptable. Unfortunately, the game clearly states that it takes place in 2409 in a number of places, both prominent and obscure, so it's an IMMERSION BREAKER to those same roleplayers to see something that doesn't belong. The Constitution class ship doesn't belong in this time period.
The connies are immersion breaking? Are you serious?
A T5 Constitution belongs in this game far more than these:
Playable non-Federation / Klingon lockbox ships where they don't belong, i.e. Dominion Warships, Cardassian Galors, etc.
Ancient Andorian Escorts (and the threads for more ENT era ships).
Winged TRIBBLE shaped Romulan "Warbirds"
Space Dinosaurs with LAZERZ
The inclusion of the Andorian Escorts for one is baffling, since they are actually pretty effective for Endgame, even if they are based on ships before the formation of the Federation. Yet the sister-class of the Constitution-class, the Miranda-class, had seen very heavy usage during the epic Dominion War. So the Connies aren't too far fetched to still be serving, even though the class was officially retired and replaced. It's far more believable for Connies to be dug out of mothballs and refitted, since the Mirandas are still serving.
And for those believing the Constitution class is ugly, I beg to differ, because the internet says otherwise. No other Star Trek ship in the history of the IP:
Is not built up with models, artwork, videos more than the Constitution-class. No other Star Trek ship has received the kind of "aftermarket" upgrade / detailing kits for existing Star Trek model kits than the Constitution-class. No other Star Trek ships have gotten attention like this (or this large, scratchbuilt one), as many times as the Constitution-class.
You will find alot of love for the Galaxy, Sovereign-classes, but you will not find them in the same numbers as the Constitution-class has received.
Edit to add: No other ship in the history of Star Trek has been the "face of the franchise" for as long and as much as the Constitution-class. NONE.
50+ year old nostalgic men unwilling to think they're becoming old?
I'm not (quite) 50 (I do remember TOS before it was in reruns; I'm sure you can do the math and get some idea of my age, although I may deny being any older than "30+"), and I'm not a man, but I would like a T5 Connie, a T5 D7 (for Romulans, the Klingons already have one), and a T5 T'Liss.
i would like to see a t5 reboot Connie(the one from the jj abrams movies)
Things you need to know;
#1. If a thread is more than 30 days old, site rules say it's not to be added to.
#2. Cryptic does not have the rights to items from the JJ-verse, they can only use the "Prime" timeline.
#3. CBS, as IP owner, has veto rights for everything Cryptic puts into the game.
Everywhere I look, people are screaming about how bad Cryptic is.
What's my position?
That people should know what they're screaming about!
(paraphrased from "The Newsroom)
To say the truth I don't care
If we had t5 Connie, I wouldn't get it, but if people want to fly a 150 year old ship let them
Hell I want a T5 NX class that's even older then Connie
Every player should be able to fly the ship they want to fly as long as it has existed in the Star Trek universe at whatever level they want. Yes, even if that's a ship that I don't like (which goes for all of the JJ stuff). I am all for a TOS T5 Connie.
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Looking for a new fleet? Drop by the in-game chat channel, "tenforwardforum", and say hi to the members of A Fleet Called Ten Forward (Fed) and The Orion Pirates (KDF). If you already have a fleet you are happy with, please feel free to drop by our chat channel if you are looking for a friendly bunch of helpful people to socialize with.
i dont want a T5 connie but i am confused as to why the Excalibur Exeter and Vesper all of which are 25th century ships dont have a T5 version minus the connie look.
"It appears we have lost our sex appeal, captain."- Tuvok
I'm just trying to figure out why players would want such an ugly ship at the high levels.
If you personally think it is ugly, that's about you and your aesthetic tastes... others would disagree wholeheartedly. So really there isn't anything to figure out, it's a simple as that.
I personally love the TOS Connie and if one was ever available at T5 I'd get it in a heartbeat and it would be the only ship I'd fly "just because".
The connies are immersion breaking? Are you serious?
A T5 Constitution belongs in this game far more than these:
Playable non-Federation / Klingon lockbox ships where they don't belong, i.e. Dominion Warships, Cardassian Galors, etc.
Ancient Andorian Escorts (and the threads for more ENT era ships).
Winged TRIBBLE shaped Romulan "Warbirds"
Space Dinosaurs with LAZERZ
The inclusion of the Andorian Escorts for one is baffling, since they are actually pretty effective for Endgame, even if they are based on ships before the formation of the Federation. Yet the sister-class of the Constitution-class, the Miranda-class, had seen very heavy usage during the epic Dominion War. So the Connies aren't too far fetched to still be serving, even though the class was officially retired and replaced. It's far more believable for Connies to be dug out of mothballs and refitted, since the Mirandas are still serving.
And for those believing the Constitution class is ugly, I beg to differ, because the internet says otherwise. No other Star Trek ship in the history of the IP:
Is not built up with models, artwork, videos more than the Constitution-class. No other Star Trek ship has received the kind of "aftermarket" upgrade / detailing kits for existing Star Trek model kits than the Constitution-class. No other Star Trek ships have gotten attention like this (or this large, scratchbuilt one), as many times as the Constitution-class.
You will find alot of love for the Galaxy, Sovereign-classes, but you will not find them in the same numbers as the Constitution-class has received.
Edit to add: No other ship in the history of Star Trek has been the "face of the franchise" for as long and as much as the Constitution-class. NONE.
Playable enemy ships: I think it's believeable that they were captured and put into service for Starfleet/the KDF, however they are EXTREMELY overpopulated if they're supposed to be enemy craft.
Andorian Escorts: I think of them as the Exeters of the Andorian Imperial Fleet. Reusing (modified) old design configurations the Andorians were quite proud of on new, up-to-date vessels.
The Romulan Warbird aesthetics are (more or less) based off of the only resources they were given, though I have to admit that the way many Cryptic Romulan ships turned out is... less than flattering.
Space Dinosaurs with Freaking Lasers on their Heads actually are starting to not annoy me as much anymore, though they are kind of stupid. (However, note that "kind of stupid" =/= "not Trek - I'm not going to get into that argument.)
Connies ARE still serving. They just can't quite keep up with more modern frames, it seems, and have fallen out of favor for most modern applications. As the original poster stated, I understand that the Constitution-Class Starship is the one iconic ship that basically symbolizes Star Trek, but canon is canon, and an old ship is... well, an old ship, and you can only refit it so much without changing visual aspects of the design (? la Exeter or Connie Refit - but even they are weak. You get the point.).
If there ever is a Tier 5 Constitution, then people shouldn't expect it to have similar stats to the Sovereign. So instead of having 39k hull, it should have less than 30k hull. Personally, I think it should have similar stats to the Exploration Cruiser except 4,000 less hull so 28,500 hull, 4 front weapons, and 3 aft weapons. So Tier 5 Escorts would have more hull than it.
For the record. I love the connie. I could understand if people wanted to fly one. However i understand it's place in Trek.
Starfleet is known to be coming up with new ships designs all the time to do it. Connie had i believe 50 year service, note kirk was not the first captain of the Enterprise nor is the Enterprise the first connie. When Excel was designed she was ment to do everything the Connie does but with transwarp. when the transwarp failed she still could do everything the connie did but better. thus my the end of the 23rd century all connies decomissoned. By TNG they were a mothball reserve fleet. As such the federation has to be in DIRE need of ships to bring them back out.
as to why miranda, oberth, excel, brel, and ktinga are still around it goes to two simple facts.
One for Miranda, Excel and oberth. the made a TRIBBLE ton of them. by TNG era i bet 60% of the fleet was one of these 3 ships. Also note oberth was being phased out in favor of Nova class. Mirnada's did get a serve blow in DW but maybe their modualr design help keep them around. but probably near the end of service life in STO era. Excel. highly refitable and note with Lakota Refit on par with Defiant class so they still have a role as a workhorse but again nearly the end of service life.
For Br'el and Ktinga. It's simple the Klingons only design new ships when the have to. For br'el made serval subtypes to keep up and considering the nature of how the empire is run they are useful. the smallest house can have a fleet of B'Rels. ktinga well ktinga is only slightly weaker than Excel but the difference is small enough that they didn't need a new ship. But when Ambassador came around the KTinga couldn't compete so the Vorcha was born and redesign to compete with nebula. as such the Vorcha is slightly weaker than galaxy relying on numbers to win. With the neghvar she is a warships and ground support ship with the giant disruptor's and on par with Sovereign.
in the end Starfleet's motto is mainly let's try this with ship design while the KDF is if it ain't broke don't fix it.
Connie should not be T5. if the made a TMP era server. NO PROBLEMS WITH a T5 Connie there.
PS the third nacelle connie is a Federation/Star league class.
Everyone has their favorite ship. Like the Ambassador is rank high on my list along with the Connie. So everyone has their taste in ships. To me the ship is just Epic in looks. Even years later still watching those shows it still makes a statement on looks.
Other, the ship class is of legendary status due to TOS and the TOS movies.
USS Casinghead NCC 92047 launched 2350
Fleet Admiral Stowe - Dominion War Vet.
"If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross; but it's not for the timid." -- Q, TNG: "Q-Who?"
^Words that every player should keep in mind, especially whenever there's a problem with the game...
Everyone has their favorite ship. Like the Ambassador is rank high on my list along with the Connie. So everyone has their taste in ships. To me the ship is just Epic in looks. Even years later still watching those shows it still makes a statement on looks.
Other, the ship class is of legendary status due to TOS and the TOS movies.
QFT
It's not hard to understand - a game developer/publisher pays to use a high profile IP licence (Star Trek), people that are drawn to the licence expect/desire what they associate most with the licence.
I don't know why people still trot out the old and discredited claim that an "old" ship couldn't keep up with newer ships (numerous threads have produced posts showing this claim to be bogus on several levels). Even if that were the case, however, my own argument involving photonic technology ought to be sufficient to silence the complaints against having an up-to-date, T5 vessel which looks like a Connie/D7/T'Liss (whatever it might actually be under the "disguise").
I do sort of like mirrorshatner's suggestion (but are there not already enough dilithium sinks in the game?), but I don't see why ships have to be classed according to tier in the first place. After all, games do exist in which equipment levels up with the player's character ...
I don't know why people still trot out the old and discredited claim that an "old" ship couldn't keep up with newer ships (numerous threads have produced posts showing this claim to be bogus on several levels). Even if that were the case, however, my own argument involving photonic technology ought to be sufficient to silence the complaints against having an up-to-date, T5 vessel which looks like a Connie/D7/T'Liss (whatever it might actually be under the "disguise").
I do sort of like mirrorshatner's suggestion (but are there not already enough dilithium sinks in the game?), but I don't see why ships have to be classed according to tier in the first place. After all, games do exist in which equipment levels up with the player's character ...
Well, if we look at other Fan Demand Ships of the Week, the Vesta and the Ambassador, they are not the most used ship in STO and so in my opinion, everyone who can get a T5 Connie, will, but they will become garage fillers sitting next to my Ambassador, T5 Defiant, Risan corvette, Odyssey, and so on.
Star Trek will hit 50 yrs old in the 2014 or 2015. Depending when you look at the filming dates of "The Cage". Being of 1964 or 1965. Unless you going by the air date of "Where no man has gone before". Of 1966. So those dates will be great to resurrect the Connie at T5. As a sweet Bday event.
USS Casinghead NCC 92047 launched 2350
Fleet Admiral Stowe - Dominion War Vet.
I don't know why people still trot out the old and discredited claim that an "old" ship couldn't keep up with newer ships (numerous threads have produced posts showing this claim to be bogus on several levels). Even if that were the case, however, my own argument involving photonic technology ought to be sufficient to silence the complaints against having an up-to-date, T5 vessel which looks like a Connie/D7/T'Liss (whatever it might actually be under the "disguise").
This matches my idea for purchasing permanent hologram costumes from the GPL store. Advocates of the Tier 5 Connie get a Tier 5 ship that looks like a Constitution while opponents of it don't have to worry about a modified Constitution can be as good as modern versions.
Except then we get people whining about how it's not fair that they thought they were PvP'ing against a Connie and it turns out to be a Fleet HEC or an Avenger...
"If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross; but it's not for the timid." -- Q, TNG: "Q-Who?"
^Words that every player should keep in mind, especially whenever there's a problem with the game...
Except then we get people whining about how it's not fair that they thought they were PvP'ing against a Connie and it turns out to be a Fleet HEC or an Avenger...
That's a fact of life, people whine when they get free stuff. Especially on these forums.
Comments
I see it more as a self esteem thing than creativity...
Because end runs around the question are pretty transparent.
Not everyone want to do their own thing. Besides, what one does on one alt is completely different than what one does with the rest of their alts, no?
Not really. Besides, that's not enough of a reason to dis-allow the Exeter and it's buddies T5 variants.
I can't help myself. I just do.
But I can't see myself buying a T-5 fleet version if I have to pay Zen per-character for it.
Link: How to PM - Twitter @STOMod_Bluegeek
Well first off not everyone will have the same opinion on how each ship looks, I personally like the look of it and the galaxy class.
I beleive there shouldn't be two of the same ship in game there's already a captain defiant and admiral vessel , same with intrepid . Rather than releasing a second ship , why can't we just up grade what we have. For instance if at lt comander I choose constitution class then I'd like to upgrade her to survive when I get to commander rank if I don't want to pick any of the ships.
Have a C-Store one. 1800 Zen. Done.
That's how I would want it anyway.
HOWEVER, Starfleet in it's infinite wisdom built the Excalibur, Vesper and Exeter-classes (25th century versions of a Connie cruiser) which also happen to fit in with the Constitution's body profile.
I'm not a fan of the Vesper, as it looks like a poor man's Excelsior. The Excalibur...meh, it's okay. But, I really like the design of the Exeter-class. It and the Excalibur-class really do look like modernized versions of the Constitution-class.
Why do I want to fly one? Because I like the design. It has nothing to do with a lack of creativity, on my part. I just want a cruiser as opposed to something HUGE like an Odessey or Galaxy.
For anyone to argue about canon at this point makes no sense. If we take the Vesper, Excalibur and Exeter skins and apply them to a T5 varient and omit the Constitution-skin, that would solve my troubles. (Though I understand some folks are diehard attached to their favorite ships).
I can see one or two Starfleet captains flying Cardassian Galors. The Cardassians are still rebuilding and military assets always get sold off to pay for infrastructure, so it stands to reason that the Feds and the Klingons may have gotten their hands a few ships. Ferengi Marauders? Well, if you've got a Fed or Klingon player that's a Ferengi...I suppose it would make sense.
But there is NO logic in telling me that Starfleet just abandoned Connie styled cruisers all together (because it doesn't fit in with canon), while captains fly Tholian ships. This effectively shatters suspension of disbelief.
Tom_Riker01/Captain Hayden
"An artist's growth depends upon accurate feedback." ~Data
QFT.
Canon isn't really an excuse, It never has been. STO is, and will forever be, a vessel for fan fiction. It's neither a good or bad thing, it is what it is. You just either have fun with it, or have fun somewhere else.
system Lord Baal is dead
I agree... to me the Galaxy class has always looked like something that was pulled out of the oven before it finished baking... like a cake that fell. The bridge always made me think of a bank lobby. All that was missing were potted plants and little pens on chains. :P
The original Connie, of all the ships in Trek, LOOKS like it was designed by engineers... not "Artiste's". I don't wanna fly "art"... I want to fly a Starship! The old Connie LOOKS the part, IMO. Some later models do, too, to an extent... the Constitution refit, the Excel... the new Avenger looks good... some others. But none look as "engineered" as the original. It's bridge also LOOKED like the sort of place where a ships crew worked daily. A working ship's bridge.
The connies are immersion breaking? Are you serious?
A T5 Constitution belongs in this game far more than these:
Playable non-Federation / Klingon lockbox ships where they don't belong, i.e. Dominion Warships, Cardassian Galors, etc.
Ancient Andorian Escorts (and the threads for more ENT era ships).
Winged TRIBBLE shaped Romulan "Warbirds"
Space Dinosaurs with LAZERZ
The inclusion of the Andorian Escorts for one is baffling, since they are actually pretty effective for Endgame, even if they are based on ships before the formation of the Federation. Yet the sister-class of the Constitution-class, the Miranda-class, had seen very heavy usage during the epic Dominion War. So the Connies aren't too far fetched to still be serving, even though the class was officially retired and replaced. It's far more believable for Connies to be dug out of mothballs and refitted, since the Mirandas are still serving.
And for those believing the Constitution class is ugly, I beg to differ, because the internet says otherwise. No other Star Trek ship in the history of the IP:
Is not built up with models, artwork, videos more than the Constitution-class. No other Star Trek ship has received the kind of "aftermarket" upgrade / detailing kits for existing Star Trek model kits than the Constitution-class. No other Star Trek ships have gotten attention like this (or this large, scratchbuilt one), as many times as the Constitution-class.
You will find alot of love for the Galaxy, Sovereign-classes, but you will not find them in the same numbers as the Constitution-class has received.
Edit to add: No other ship in the history of Star Trek has been the "face of the franchise" for as long and as much as the Constitution-class. NONE.
I'm not (quite) 50 (I do remember TOS before it was in reruns; I'm sure you can do the math and get some idea of my age, although I may deny being any older than "30+"), and I'm not a man, but I would like a T5 Connie, a T5 D7 (for Romulans, the Klingons already have one), and a T5 T'Liss.
Things you need to know;
#1. If a thread is more than 30 days old, site rules say it's not to be added to.
#2. Cryptic does not have the rights to items from the JJ-verse, they can only use the "Prime" timeline.
#3. CBS, as IP owner, has veto rights for everything Cryptic puts into the game.
What's my position?
That people should know what they're screaming about!
(paraphrased from "The Newsroom)
If we had t5 Connie, I wouldn't get it, but if people want to fly a 150 year old ship let them
Hell I want a T5 NX class that's even older then Connie
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"It appears we have lost our sex appeal, captain."- Tuvok
If you personally think it is ugly, that's about you and your aesthetic tastes... others would disagree wholeheartedly. So really there isn't anything to figure out, it's a simple as that.
I personally love the TOS Connie and if one was ever available at T5 I'd get it in a heartbeat and it would be the only ship I'd fly "just because".
Playable enemy ships: I think it's believeable that they were captured and put into service for Starfleet/the KDF, however they are EXTREMELY overpopulated if they're supposed to be enemy craft.
Andorian Escorts: I think of them as the Exeters of the Andorian Imperial Fleet. Reusing (modified) old design configurations the Andorians were quite proud of on new, up-to-date vessels.
The Romulan Warbird aesthetics are (more or less) based off of the only resources they were given, though I have to admit that the way many Cryptic Romulan ships turned out is... less than flattering.
Space Dinosaurs with Freaking Lasers on their Heads actually are starting to not annoy me as much anymore, though they are kind of stupid. (However, note that "kind of stupid" =/= "not Trek - I'm not going to get into that argument.)
Connies ARE still serving. They just can't quite keep up with more modern frames, it seems, and have fallen out of favor for most modern applications. As the original poster stated, I understand that the Constitution-Class Starship is the one iconic ship that basically symbolizes Star Trek, but canon is canon, and an old ship is... well, an old ship, and you can only refit it so much without changing visual aspects of the design (? la Exeter or Connie Refit - but even they are weak. You get the point.).
Starfleet is known to be coming up with new ships designs all the time to do it. Connie had i believe 50 year service, note kirk was not the first captain of the Enterprise nor is the Enterprise the first connie. When Excel was designed she was ment to do everything the Connie does but with transwarp. when the transwarp failed she still could do everything the connie did but better. thus my the end of the 23rd century all connies decomissoned. By TNG they were a mothball reserve fleet. As such the federation has to be in DIRE need of ships to bring them back out.
as to why miranda, oberth, excel, brel, and ktinga are still around it goes to two simple facts.
One for Miranda, Excel and oberth. the made a TRIBBLE ton of them. by TNG era i bet 60% of the fleet was one of these 3 ships. Also note oberth was being phased out in favor of Nova class. Mirnada's did get a serve blow in DW but maybe their modualr design help keep them around. but probably near the end of service life in STO era. Excel. highly refitable and note with Lakota Refit on par with Defiant class so they still have a role as a workhorse but again nearly the end of service life.
For Br'el and Ktinga. It's simple the Klingons only design new ships when the have to. For br'el made serval subtypes to keep up and considering the nature of how the empire is run they are useful. the smallest house can have a fleet of B'Rels. ktinga well ktinga is only slightly weaker than Excel but the difference is small enough that they didn't need a new ship. But when Ambassador came around the KTinga couldn't compete so the Vorcha was born and redesign to compete with nebula. as such the Vorcha is slightly weaker than galaxy relying on numbers to win. With the neghvar she is a warships and ground support ship with the giant disruptor's and on par with Sovereign.
in the end Starfleet's motto is mainly let's try this with ship design while the KDF is if it ain't broke don't fix it.
Connie should not be T5. if the made a TMP era server. NO PROBLEMS WITH a T5 Connie there.
PS the third nacelle connie is a Federation/Star league class.
http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=882471&page=3
Which would allow all ships in the game to be upgraded to extend their useful life, as opposed to issuing T5 ships with "old" skins.
Other, the ship class is of legendary status due to TOS and the TOS movies.
USS Casinghead NCC 92047 launched 2350
Fleet Admiral Stowe - Dominion War Vet.
That's the best answer anyone can honestly give.
^Words that every player should keep in mind, especially whenever there's a problem with the game...
QFT
It's not hard to understand - a game developer/publisher pays to use a high profile IP licence (Star Trek), people that are drawn to the licence expect/desire what they associate most with the licence.
I do sort of like mirrorshatner's suggestion (but are there not already enough dilithium sinks in the game?), but I don't see why ships have to be classed according to tier in the first place. After all, games do exist in which equipment levels up with the player's character ...
Well, if we look at other Fan Demand Ships of the Week, the Vesta and the Ambassador, they are not the most used ship in STO and so in my opinion, everyone who can get a T5 Connie, will, but they will become garage fillers sitting next to my Ambassador, T5 Defiant, Risan corvette, Odyssey, and so on.
USS Casinghead NCC 92047 launched 2350
Fleet Admiral Stowe - Dominion War Vet.
This matches my idea for purchasing permanent hologram costumes from the GPL store. Advocates of the Tier 5 Connie get a Tier 5 ship that looks like a Constitution while opponents of it don't have to worry about a modified Constitution can be as good as modern versions.
^Words that every player should keep in mind, especially whenever there's a problem with the game...
That's a fact of life, people whine when they get free stuff. Especially on these forums.