What is up with those railings on the Stargazer? Jurati struggled badly to get across the bridge, they seem designed soley to cause trouble
Spoilers Starship Design in Star Trek: Picard
- Thread starter pst
- Start date
She was still drunk.
Why?
The oldest flying B-52 bombers are over 60 years old, and some of the fleet is expected to see 100 years of service given that that they are expected to fly 2050+. The new Ford class of aircraft carrier is expected to serve into the 2100s. So why is it inconceivable that future tech can last a century plus, especially something like a ship which is essentially a hull that can be filled with new tech?
These are not real world ships. The Enterprise was old at 40 years. So she was retired. Star Trek is not governed by real world rules and the Excelsior (and Miranda and Oberth) showing up in TNG 80+ years later makes no sense to me.
There is no onscreen statement around service time. So, it doesn't work to me, real world or not.
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Starfleet retired the NX-01 when she was only ten years old. Of course that had to happen since in-universe there wasn't a Federation starship named Enterprise until 2245 and April's/Pike's/Kirk's was launched and the producers had to preserve established continuity. But in the real world it's hard to imagine the most state-of-the-art Navy warship being decommissioned after only 10 years in service short of a disaster, heavy damage from conflict or some other tumultuous event.
The real world is better than Star Trek in some ways.
But, since this is Star Trek we are talking about seeing a ship past 40 makes no sense.
Toyota makes a new car variant every year. The original Lada is still in production. It all depends on mission profile.
The original Excelsior was obviously meant as a supremacy flagship. 100 years later, it might still be a functional work horse for day-to-day missions.
My personal pet theory:
The Excelsiour Transwarp-drive actually worked out the way it was intended. And that became the new "regular" warp drive. All ships built with that new drive (Excelsiours, retro-fitted Mirandas) kept in service. Other "supremacy" ships (like the Enterprise) suddenly became obsolete over night, because their speed couldn't match up, and they couldn't easily be upgraded.
The original Excelsior was obviously meant as a supremacy flagship. 100 years later, it might still be a functional work horse for day-to-day missions.
My personal pet theory:
The Excelsiour Transwarp-drive actually worked out the way it was intended. And that became the new "regular" warp drive. All ships built with that new drive (Excelsiours, retro-fitted Mirandas) kept in service. Other "supremacy" ships (like the Enterprise) suddenly became obsolete over night, because their speed couldn't match up, and they couldn't easily be upgraded.
That makes no sense. Why is the Enterprise type not easily upgraded by the Mirandas are? And why were there no breakthrough tech between the Excelsior and the TNG era that wouldnt' warrant replacing?
I can justify it all day long but as it stands, in episodes, it stands out like sore thumb.
The Enterprise being retired at 40 (actually closer to 50) is a single data point. She also had the shit kicked out of her right beforehand -- holes straight through the primary hull -- and the whole Constitution line was slated to be replaced with the Excelsior class. And anyway, they might have developed better retrofitting techniques after that point.
The NX-01 lasted ten years. The NCC-1701 forty. The A seven unless we accept she was a pre-existing Constitution-class starship simply renamed "Enterprise." The B in non-canon sources but approved by Paramount lasts 36 years before being lost in the line of duty. The C is destroyed after twelve. The D is less than eight full years old when she's blown up and crashes her saucer on Veridian III.
The E and, of course, those after her up to the J are the only real mysteries as of right now.
The E and, of course, those after her up to the J are the only real mysteries as of right now.
Because those TNG era Mirandas are later built models? After the Excelsiour experiment?
Makes more sense to change an existing design & built it with a new enigne, than to swap out the engine on an existing ship sometimes. At least if it's a completely new typoe of technology.
Might? Or they might have decided Excelsior looks prettier.
Either one is possible. Neither is believable in context to me when I watch the show. It would be like Captain America flying a Mustang against Thanos and winning.
What is up with those railings on the Stargazer? Jurati struggled badly to get across the bridge, they seem designed soley to cause trouble
It was that very stage in SF design history that led to the personal transporter.
What is up with those railings on the Stargazer? Jurati struggled badly to get across the bridge, they seem designed soley to cause trouble
It's so they can have dramatic battle scenes where an exploding console sends the operator over the railing, naturally.
V
Vale
Guest
So... realism is unrealistic?
There absolutely is an onscreen statement around service time, which is that we still see Miranda-, Oberth-, and Excelsior-class ships in service into the 2370s. What better statement as to their service life do you need!?
V
Vale
Guest
2245 to 2285 is definitely 40 years. And two thirds through that lifetime the Enterprise had the mother of all refits, so it's not like it was still using 40-year-old technology.
There was very little damage to the primary hull in Star Trek II or Star Trek III (right up until the self destruct, anyway) – most of it was confined to the port side of the secondary hull. Are you conflating it with the Enterprise-A in Star Trek VI, where at least one hole does get blown clear through the saucer?
Yes, massive brain fart on my part. The revived thought of a nuclear holocaust -- something I put behind me 33 years ago -- is sufficiently distracting.
But no justification. And contradictory evidence regarding the Enterprise's service life. So, I am afraid I need in universe justification, not real world assumption.
As I said, part of it is seeing an Excelsior or Miranda next to the Galaxy class is really jarring.
In the face of conflicting evidence, yes.So... realism is unrealistic?
Oh god yes. The nucleus of a senior staff are already there
Until it happens in Discovery and then it will be the best idea ever
