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I'd like to see more 'lost era' models
mattingly1
Member Posts: 206 Arc User
I've given up at this point on Cryptic inventing new starships - particularly Fed - for the transitional period that has been dubbed by some as the 'lost era.' The lost era is, in of itself, a bit of an anomaly - some people choose to have it span the years from 2293 (Kirk's disappearance into the Nexus) to 2364 (Encounter at Farpoint). However, a strong case could be made that the lost era actually goes back further - potentially to the launching of the U.S.S. Excelsior in 2284 (or 2285 - it's actually a bit ambiguous). The reasoning for this is twofold: 1) the Excelsior and Oberth marked a clear design break with previous known vessels that can be generally referred to as 'Constitution derivatives,' and 2) we actually don't know a heck of a lot about the events of the galaxy during the period of Star Trek I-VI - with the exception of The Undiscovered Country, the majority of the films are extremely focused on events directly (and exclusively) impacting the NCC-1701/A and her crew.
Regrettably, when it comes to canon, the lost era can pretty much be boiled down to five* ship classes for the Federation: the Miranda, Constellation, the Excelsior, the Oberth, and the Ambassador types (and the Ambassadors came in late, while the Mirandas may have been developed during the TOS era). It seems reasonable to assume that this wasn't the entirety of Starfleet's compliment of vessels, but this is part of what makes the lost era... lost - there's a big gap there with very little official to fill it. This is unfortunate because the ships we do have as a reference are pretty cool - the Excelsior (despite having some surprisingly vocal detractors on this forum) is generally very well-received, Constellations are weird, but rendered iconic simply because of the Stargazer, the Miranda is a classic, the Ambassador seems almost universally-beloved, and the Oberth... well, *I* like the Oberth a lot, though some people despise it (it does, however, undeniably look like it belongs to the aesthetic of the period).
While I don't expect Cryptic to start pumping out stand-alone ships for this time period, it would be nice to see additional efforts made to offer skins for existing designs to allow them to blend in. I personally cannot stand the Discovery boats - they're too big, their nacelles are bland and boxy, the hulls are too angular, with mostly over-small deflector dishes - but there are a load of candidates there that could have a lost era model added (I appreciate the Georgiou-class added as an option for the Walker, but considering that this ship is a) locked behind a 12,000 zen pack, and then b) restricted to a lockbox or legendary ship [yay, an additional $120!], it's little wonder you never see them).
Obviously, none of this is a priority... but considering how committed STO has been to releasing models of the 'present' era (terrifyingly orange bussard collectors and weird nacelle shapes abound) and Disco era, perhaps it's time to fill in the gaps?
*Yes, I know there are bunch of Miranda cognates like the Soyuz-class, or altered versions like the USS Lantree. But, as far as STO is concerned, these are all 'Mirandas.'
Regrettably, when it comes to canon, the lost era can pretty much be boiled down to five* ship classes for the Federation: the Miranda, Constellation, the Excelsior, the Oberth, and the Ambassador types (and the Ambassadors came in late, while the Mirandas may have been developed during the TOS era). It seems reasonable to assume that this wasn't the entirety of Starfleet's compliment of vessels, but this is part of what makes the lost era... lost - there's a big gap there with very little official to fill it. This is unfortunate because the ships we do have as a reference are pretty cool - the Excelsior (despite having some surprisingly vocal detractors on this forum) is generally very well-received, Constellations are weird, but rendered iconic simply because of the Stargazer, the Miranda is a classic, the Ambassador seems almost universally-beloved, and the Oberth... well, *I* like the Oberth a lot, though some people despise it (it does, however, undeniably look like it belongs to the aesthetic of the period).
While I don't expect Cryptic to start pumping out stand-alone ships for this time period, it would be nice to see additional efforts made to offer skins for existing designs to allow them to blend in. I personally cannot stand the Discovery boats - they're too big, their nacelles are bland and boxy, the hulls are too angular, with mostly over-small deflector dishes - but there are a load of candidates there that could have a lost era model added (I appreciate the Georgiou-class added as an option for the Walker, but considering that this ship is a) locked behind a 12,000 zen pack, and then b) restricted to a lockbox or legendary ship [yay, an additional $120!], it's little wonder you never see them).
Obviously, none of this is a priority... but considering how committed STO has been to releasing models of the 'present' era (terrifyingly orange bussard collectors and weird nacelle shapes abound) and Disco era, perhaps it's time to fill in the gaps?
*Yes, I know there are bunch of Miranda cognates like the Soyuz-class, or altered versions like the USS Lantree. But, as far as STO is concerned, these are all 'Mirandas.'
Post edited by baddmoonrizin on
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Comments
Isn't the Columbia from Archer's time? I'd think it predates the lost era.
There's a model version of it that's clearly intended to be Excelsior-esque. However, I'm not an enormous fan - the impulse engines remain blue, and the nacelles don't glow at all.
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Sydney_class
- Miranda Class and Subclasses
- Constitution Class Refit
- Centaur Class
- Excelsior Class and Refit
- Constellation Class
- Nebula Class
- Ambassador Class
- Cheyenne Class
- Oberth Class
- Daedalus Class
- Olympic Class
- New Orleans Class
All these class are featured in the Lost Era ( only exception the Nebula which may be from those times alongside New Orleans )
Only other classes in early TNG/Lost era are mostly kitbashes and i'm sure they'll be featured down the line.