Crew Complement of Starships in Discovery

[Shamrock Holmes]

In Choose Your Pain (DSC), Saru mentions the crew complement of NCC-1031, I believe it is similar to the 130-145 that was rumored beforehand? Do we have any similar indications as to the crew complement of the Shenzhou?

If the above is correct, what does that suggest about the size and role of NCC-1031?

IMO, it supports the idea that it's not larger than NCC-1701, even if it is longer (including the nacelles), and would probably be a medium range, "short tour" vessel under normal circumstances (possibly similar jobs to the patrol run from The Cage) rather than the long range, "long tour" five-year missions that the v2 Connies like the Enterprise during TOS? (Maybe more of a frigate or destroyer rather than an "aviation cruiser" ala the Connies).

 

[uniderth]

I don't think we need to worry about comparing these ships to the Constitution class, since this is clearly a reimagining. So it doesn't really leave room for comparison. Apples and oranges, you know.

 

[USS Triumphant]

Is it bigger or smaller than the Orville? That's what matters.

 

[Noname Given]

Starship of that time had less crew. Captain Pike of that era specifically stated the crew compliment of the 1701 (a Starship/Constitution Class cruiser) was 203.

By Kirk's time (10 years or so later) that number rose to 430.

 

[Beamer]

I believe Dax

Starship of that time had less crew. Captain Pike of that era specifically stated the crew compliment of the 1701 (a Starship/Constitution Class cruiser) was 203.

By Kirk's time (10 years or so later) that number rose to 430.

I believe that Dax even mentions that they "really packed them in on these old ships".

 

[Burning Hearts of Qo'nos]

Well, by the 24th century, the Lantree in Unnatural Selection only had a complement of 25 or some small number. That seems like a pretty big saucer to just have 26 people wandering the halls.

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

Well, by the 24th century, the Lantree in Unnatural Selection only had a complement of 25 or some small number. That seems like a pretty big saucer to just have 26 people wandering the halls.

I've always assumed that the Lantree and similarly ultra-low crew complements for the "big ships" was as a result of their current assisgnment rather than designed complement. For instance, the Lantree was acting as a "supply ship" meaning that it probably just had the flight crew, a couple of engineers, a quartermaster and a handful of general duties crewmen.

 

[Timo]

Is the Discovery thinly crewed for similar reasons?

Crew is useful in combat - even if you lose some, there's still some left to repair damaged machinery or to fill in for lost automation. In noncombat circumstances, this need goes away. And the Discovery supposedly was a "science vessel", if not by original design, then at least by original assignment, perhaps not warranting a combat crew. Heck, this would also explain why the Chief of Security was firing the big guns, something that never happened on Kirk's ship.

Lorca's crew lives in luxury. Kirk's crew, including top officers, got kicked around when Kirk had to accommodate guests. Perhaps Pike filled the ship to capacity, and Kirk was told to overfill for his frontier exploration mission and then grin and bear it?

We got no idea of Shenzhou crew size, but one day we might get a reference to the number of dead at the Binaries at the very least. Georgiou seemed to have the usual number and balance of officer ranks on her bridge, suggesting neither a "thin" or a "thick" crew.

We heard Tyler estimate 30-40 crew for a Klingon battle cruiser, which sounds impossibly thin - eight were already sent to chase Lorca in those raiders, after half a dozen had been lost to his guns or muscular arms. Then again, Tyler apparently mistook the vessel for a dedicated prison ship.

ENT gives us some dubious precedent, too. Archer sails out with a crew of 80 for a ship the size of Kirk's, but he does depart on what's supposed to be a milk run, ahead of schedule. And the next time he sails out with 80 again, but now for a very special mission where he'd be advised to leave scientists and the like ashore. But Shran also has a crew of that size aboard his big warship - is this an Andorian thing, or something dictated by the extreme deep space mission of his?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[F. King Daniel]

Also, a Discoverse D-7 Battlecruiser has a crew of 40-50.

 

[Noname Given]

I
We heard Tyler estimate 30-40 crew for a Klingon battle cruiser, which sounds impossibly thin - eight were already sent to chase Lorca in those raiders, after half a dozen had been lost to his guns or muscular arms. Then again, Tyler apparently mistook the vessel for a dedicated prison ship.

Timo Saloniemi

Spoiler

If it turns out the Tyler is a klingon (Voq) in Human form (Spy) - I would trust the crew numbers he gave as he would be telling Lorca something low to make Lorca think escape is not only possible/but plausible.

 

[Timo]

In that case, though, there'd be a discrepancy between the given numbers and Lorca's justifiable expectations, which wouldn't serve the suggested purpose very well.

I mean, seeing that sucker from the outside should set Lorca on the mode of "This is in the same category and size range as one of those ships whose skipper a mere decade into the future will blame Kirk for 400 dead crew". That is, unless this self-proclaimed expert on Klingon warfare has valid reason to think that Klingons in 2256 do have small fighting crews, even when the truth in the 2260s apparently is different.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Gonzo]

Over time crew compliments increased in line with ship sizes, it's probably also to do with advances in technology and it's ability to preserve/store food and water for longer periods.

I will be interested to see just how big the Discovery is and how it compares to the Europa and Enterprise if we see it.

It's to be expected that the Discovery doesn't have such a large crew compliment for its size due to it being a science vessel.

 

[Gonzo]

Also, a Discoverse D-7 Battlecruiser has a crew of 40-50.

Klingons ships have always been run by smaller crews than their Starfleet counterparts.

Perhaps due to technology limitations with food/water storage.

Could also be a side effect of the augment virus as well limiting the number of suitable candidates.

 

[Longinus]

In that case, though, there'd be a discrepancy between the given numbers and Lorca's justifiable expectations, which wouldn't serve the suggested purpose very well.

I mean, seeing that sucker from the outside should set Lorca on the mode of "This is in the same category and size range as one of those ships whose skipper a mere decade into the future will blame Kirk for 400 dead crew". That is, unless this self-proclaimed expert on Klingon warfare has valid reason to think that Klingons in 2256 do have small fighting crews, even when the truth in the 2260s apparently is different.

Timo Saloniemi

TOS info is meaningless, this is a reboot.

 

[Solariabsg25]

Well, by the 24th century, the Lantree in Unnatural Selection only had a complement of 25 or some small number. That seems like a pretty big saucer to just have 26 people wandering the halls.

I've always assumed that the Lantree and similarly ultra-low crew complements for the "big ships" was as a result of their current assisgnment rather than designed complement. For instance, the Lantree was acting as a "supply ship" meaning that it probably just had the flight crew, a couple of engineers, a quartermaster and a handful of general duties crewmen.

With the Lantree's four-digit NCC number, it's likely that the ship is well past her front-line service days. She may well have been permanently assigned as a supply ship, with much of the crew quarters actually converted into holds and cargo bays.

As to the Discovery's crew compliment, much of the saucer-section appears to be committed to the Spore Drive, and I doubt has much there in the way of crew quarters, so the compliment is probably smaller than would be normal for a starship of her size.

 

[Timo]

It's just that we can count more than 134 lit windows on the ship... So while "they have less than normal" may be the way to go, it's still also "they do seem to have space for more".

TOS info is meaningless, this is a reboot.

The entire thread would be completely invalid then, though - the hero ship can't be defined as smaller or larger than Kirk's TOS ship if the TOS ship doesn't exist.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Longinus]

The entire thread would be completely invalid then, though - the hero ship can't be defined as smaller or larger than Kirk's TOS ship if the TOS ship doesn't exist.

Sure. But that's how it apparently is.

 

[Timo]

Hardly; there's a veritable flood of references to the rest of Trek in the show. If it's a reboot, then it's that for a teeny weeny fraction of insignificant detail, rather than a sweeping clear of the sandbox so that the same toys can be used for completely different plays (X now marries Y, A is at war rather than alliance with B, etc.).

It may be different, but so far it hasn't managed to reboot anything at all.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[F. King Daniel]

Hardly; there's a veritable flood of references to the rest of Trek in the show. If it's a reboot, then it's that for a teeny weeny fraction of insignificant detail, rather than a sweeping clear of the sandbox so that the same toys can be used for completely different plays (X now marries Y, A is at war rather than alliance with B, etc.).

It may be different, but so far it hasn't managed to reboot anything at all.

Timo Saloniemi

There are a flood of references to Batman and Superman comic book mythos in the Gotham and Smallville TV series' too. The same people, the same locations and the same big events happen. But they're not the same continuity any more than the TOS and DSC versions of the D7 battlecruiser or Klingons are.

 

[Timo]

So far we have no reason to think anything about DSC would overwrite anything about the preceding Trek. We didn't have such reason with TAS, TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT or the movies other than Abrams ones, with their likewise copious cross-referencing. We don't call those spinoffs reboots, even though all of them redid the "look" side of Trek.

If anything, DSC goes to odd depths to avoid rebooting anything - its choice of era, milieu, heroes and villains plays it safe in this respect. And the argument for rebooting? "They changed the Klingon look"...

Timo Saloniemi