About that episode with the Klingon D-7 attacking Voyager...

[Vito Corleone]

There's something that always bothered me about this episode...

How could a 23rd Century Klingon ship that hasn't seen the Alpha Quadrant for generations possibly recognize a 24th century Federation ship? Voyager doesn't look anything like any of Starfleet's 23rd century vessels...

http://youtu.be/kmnoN6lCtwg

I'm sure there was an explanation in the episode's dialogue but, I don't remember now...

[teacake]

Presumably the scanned Voyager and there was a recognizable Federation signature.

OR perhaps they could read.

[Guy Gardener]

Being Klingons it's not a certainty that they can read.

[teacake]

They would have some translation device on their ship that they would run it through. Plus it's not like the Federation decided to start calling their ships the FFF whatever in place of USS so I think it would be clear when they first saw the hull that it could be a Federation vessel. After that they would be interpreting whatever their scanners told them.

The real question here is why is Vito Corleone the color of blood.

[King Daniel]

Vito Corleone wrote:

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How could a 23rd Century Klingon ship that hasn't seen the Alpha Quadrant for generations possibly recognize a 24th century Federation ship? Voyager doesn't look anything like any of Starfleet's 23rd century vessels...

Saucer, lower hull, nacelles sticking out... looks similar enough to me! There are also energy signatures and stuff like that. Not to mention the name and Starfleet logo painted on it.

[Guy Gardener]

And the friendly automated subspace Transpoder/handshake signal on a loop...

"We're from the Federation, and we want to be your friend!"

And you wondered why the kazon opened fire almost immediately?

[Dick_Valentine]

Vito Corleone wrote:

---

There's something that always bothered me about this episode...

How could a 23rd Century Klingon ship that hasn't seen the Alpha Quadrant for generations possibly recognize a 24th century Federation ship? Voyager doesn't look anything like any of Starfleet's 23rd century vessels...

http://youtu.be/kmnoN6lCtwg

I'm sure there was an explanation in the episode's dialogue but, I don't remember now...

Looks a lot like Voyager fires its phaser shot from the rear torpedo launcher there.
Oh well, I'll just assume it's a nod to Darmok and get on with my life

Still, props to the very first scene though. It opens up and you're thinking "Oh well, standard establishing stock shot, how boring" then BAM, something exciting happens.

Way to throw us off there

[teacake]

I like the idea of Klingon cultists. I'm thinking there are probably tons of splinter schism cultic Klingon groups. They are passionate and while traditional they are given to splitting off from those the disagree with.

Too bad this was the most dreary and eye rolling theme ever in the books.

[King Daniel]

teacake wrote:

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Too bad this was the most dreary and eye rolling theme ever in the books.

It'a okay, they can't bore us anymore. The Borg got them all!

[DS9forever]

I've always wondered why the Klingon ship is referred to as a D7 even though they used the DS9 K't'inga-class CGI model to represent it. Weren't there meetings between the writers and the SFX artists?

[exodus]

Vito Corleone wrote:

---

There's something that always bothered me about this episode...

How could a 23rd Century Klingon ship that hasn't seen the Alpha Quadrant for generations possibly recognize a 24th century Federation ship? Voyager doesn't look anything like any of Starfleet's 23rd century vessels...

http://youtu.be/kmnoN6lCtwg

I'm sure there was an explanation in the episode's dialogue but, I don't remember now...

Because it was just a really, really bad episode.

We're supposed to believe Klingons are going to recognize a Federation ship a century more advanced and brand new hull design but crew of the Enterprise-C couldn't recognize the Enterprise-D at all until told.

DS9forever wrote:

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I've always wondered why the Klingon ship is referred to as a D7 even though they used the DS9 K't'inga-class CGI model to represent it. Weren't there meetings between the writers and the SFX artists?

No, writers and FX artists don't usually interact.
The writers are most likely writing scripts at home while the special effects are done in a completely different studio most times not even on the Paramount lot. I believe George Lucas' company ILM was the EFX studio at one point. ILM is in a different county in Cali., than Paramount.
The writers don't describe and aren't involved with what the ship will look like or what stock footage in used in FX scenes. A whole 'nother dept. handles all of that.

[Tiberius]

exodus wrote:

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We're supposed to believe Klingons are going to recognize a Federation ship a century more advanced and brand new hull design but crew of the Enterprise-C couldn't recognize the Enterprise-D at all until told.

Let's not forget that these Klingons are fully aware of how much time has passed. Captain Garret was not. And she didn't really get a good look at the ship from the outside until AFTER she knew anyway...

[King Daniel]

DS9forever wrote:

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I've always wondered why the Klingon ship is referred to as a D7 even though they used the DS9 K't'inga-class CGI model to represent it. Weren't there meetings between the writers and the SFX artists?

Although various technical books have drawn a distinction between the Klingon battle cruiser as it appeared in The Original Series (D7) and The Motion Picture and beyond (K't'inga), I've always thought they were the meant to be the same. After all, the only difference is the added detail that wasn't possible on TOS' budget in the 1960's - and much of that detail (hull plating, glowing engines and torpedo tube etc) was added in the "Trials and Tribble-ations" flashbacks and in TOS-R.

That same K't'inga CG model would again represent a D7 in the Enterprise episode "Unexpected"

[R. Star]

The whole concept of Klingon cultists doesn't bother me. The concept of them running into space doesn't bother me. Really the odds that they just happen to run into Voyager does. That does stretch credibility to say the least.

[exodus]

Tiberius wrote:

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Let's not forget that these Klingons are fully aware of how much time has passed. Captain Garret was not. And she didn't really get a good look at the ship from the outside until AFTER she knew anyway...

Yeah, but the Federation layout designs and color schemes inside hasn't differed that drastically all those years.