What is the Captain's Yacht used for other than as a shuttle craft?
Captain's yacht
- Thread starter Josh_Lyman
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The captain's personal chariot, or for any dignitaries that may come along.
It is just an extra-large shuttle, kinda like a runabout.
The inclusion of such a craft never made sense, when the space it takes up could've been devoted to more hangar space for standardized craft... like runabouts...
It is just an extra-large shuttle, kinda like a runabout.
The inclusion of such a craft never made sense, when the space it takes up could've been devoted to more hangar space for standardized craft... like runabouts...
Of course the Captain's yacht was never seen onscreen, but as far as I know the Captain's yacht was a personal shuttle for the Captain (and probably dignitaries and the like). I would assume it would have more luxurious accomodations than the typical shuttlecraft. As for armament and speed, I'm not sure which would be superior, the typical shuttle or the yacht.
Space isn't exactly a premium aboard these starships. The Ent-D already had 3 shuttlebays, one of them friggin MASSIVE so I doubt the space the yacht took up really, well, took up that much space.
The yacht on the Enterprise-D is never seen, and indeed we can't be sure it ever existed. Perhaps it was left ashore, and a different piece of technology installed in its stead aboard that starship?
However, the way the E-D yacht is described would make it rather unsuitable for shuttle work. It's not equipped with powerful drive systems for spanning spatial distances, for example - rather, it's optimized for atmospheric maneuvering. What it most looks like is a deployable Federation embassy: a luxurious installation the starship can deploy on a planet to act as an office of diplomatic representation. A plausible and unique mission as such.
The E-E yacht, in sharp contrast, is apparently equipped with a very powerful drive system (including apparent warp engines) and large utilitarian holds capable of carrying significant freight. Not that the holds we saw would fill all the interior volume, of course, but there's still less room left for luxurious offices and the like.
FWIW, Andrew Probert's painting from last year shows the E-D yacht in close detail, including what looks like recessed warp drive units. Perhaps the inability to travel meaningful interplanetary let alone interstellar distances is mere disinformation in the TNG Tech Manual?
Timo Saloniemi
However, the way the E-D yacht is described would make it rather unsuitable for shuttle work. It's not equipped with powerful drive systems for spanning spatial distances, for example - rather, it's optimized for atmospheric maneuvering. What it most looks like is a deployable Federation embassy: a luxurious installation the starship can deploy on a planet to act as an office of diplomatic representation. A plausible and unique mission as such.
The E-E yacht, in sharp contrast, is apparently equipped with a very powerful drive system (including apparent warp engines) and large utilitarian holds capable of carrying significant freight. Not that the holds we saw would fill all the interior volume, of course, but there's still less room left for luxurious offices and the like.
FWIW, Andrew Probert's painting from last year shows the E-D yacht in close detail, including what looks like recessed warp drive units. Perhaps the inability to travel meaningful interplanetary let alone interstellar distances is mere disinformation in the TNG Tech Manual?
Timo Saloniemi
The Calypso (name of Picard's Captain's Yacht) is a private shuttle for the ship's Commanding Officer.
Just as American Naval officers of 21st century Earth had their own Captain's Gig or Admiral's Barge, Naval tradition dictates that Picard would have his own Captain's Yacht. It is a sub-warp ship that can carry up to 10 people comfortably (or 30 standing), with a crew of three plus two armed security personnel (or Marines). It has port & starboard phaser banks (normally retracted) and is capable of planet-fall. The docked Yacht is accessed via turbolift which remains on the ship, once all are aboard. The Yacht has two small staterooms, a common head, and a two-place transporter. The center-forward is the flight deck and in front of that is a small windowed crew lounge. Behind the flight deck is the guest lounge with seating, entertainments, and refreshments. On the port side there is the 'lift' platform (to access a planetary surface), centered within a decontaminating pressure field.
This ship is indeed necessary, as a luxurious means of transporting Dignitaries, Ambassadors, and Planetary Delegates who prefer not to be beamed to & from their destinations. It also provides a prestigious vehicle with which the Captain of a Starship may present himself and accompanying staff, when arriving at official events or visiting other cultures.
And, as for taking up too much space,... it's plugged into the absolute bottom center of the main hull, for Heaven's sake,... taking up a lot less room than the crews' bowling alley.
Check it out for yourself: http://www.probertdesigns.com/Folder_STORE/Folder_PRINTS/CaptainArriving.html
Andrew-
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With respect, we see it every time we look at the underside of the saucer of the Enterprise, as that is where it is located.
And thank you for the interior details, Mr. Probert.
It's comforting to know that years ago when I had designed a Captain's Yacht for the Norway Class and written out its description, that I was essentially writing what you've written here - as far as why such things exist.
It's not just an extra shuttle. It has a job of its own.
Thanks Mr Probert.
P.S. You've described the interior, but are there any actual sketches or anything of Calypso's interior?
Somewhere I have a couple of scribbles... literally scribbles, thinking sketches to give myself a rough idea of how all the elements should be arranged, but I don't have any kind of scaled layout. If you look closely at the back windows (in my SOTL calendar painting) you can almost see two people in the lower area of the (split-level) guest lounge.
If I ever offer it as a 'Concept Kit' model, I'll provide a removable top and all will be answered... or more questions will be raised.
Andrew-
hellsgate
Commodore
Dear Mr. Andrew Probert,
You don't know me. I'm Jason Kim Scott Hauck of Surrey B.C. Canada. I run a Trek fanon site ("Star Trek: Hell's-Gate") & I'm wondering if you have interior "scribbles" as you put them of the Intrepid-Class aerowing's docking bay or the interiors of the Aerowing itself, since we're discussing Captain's Yachts of Starfleet/The Federation.
Sorry, Jason, I was not involved in developing the Aerowing.
And about the Tech Manual cutaway, MarianLH, that was Rick Sternbach's post production hypothesis.
Andrew-
The Captain's yacht is a Torpedo lancher! 
im sure its more then capable of defending its self lol.
im sure its more then capable of defending its self lol.
You need to put out a call to Rick Sternbach, who designed Voyager.
The Captain's Gig of the old used to be one of the smallest boats aboard the ship, so that it would be easy and swift to operate. In practice, this wasn't necessarily so because a ship would typically carry three boats stowed upside down and nested inside each other, so that the largest one (for operating the anchor - often called Longboat) was on top, and you had to lift it and the medium one (for general errands - often called Launch) to get to the Skiff or Gig.
In that sense, the Star Trek craft is not a Gig, as it is significantly larger than the other utility craft aboard. A VIP-configured light or medium shuttle would be the Captain's Gig (as seen in "Samaritan Snare", for example), while the large special craft at the bottom of the saucer would probably indeed be a Yacht or perhaps a Barge.
Timo Saloniemi
In that sense, the Star Trek craft is not a Gig, as it is significantly larger than the other utility craft aboard. A VIP-configured light or medium shuttle would be the Captain's Gig (as seen in "Samaritan Snare", for example), while the large special craft at the bottom of the saucer would probably indeed be a Yacht or perhaps a Barge.
Timo Saloniemi
Well 'properly' is somewhat relative, here
My thought, at the time, was if Producer Justman could name the Captain's Office a "Readyroom" (traditionally an area where pilots are briefed for their missions), I could call my Gig/Barge a Yacht. And, being more than just a small transport for the Captain and maybe 4 or 5 others (I was part of a Captain's Gig crew in the Navy, so I know how small they were), I felt the name elevated it beyond 'today's' convention.
BTW, nice Naval History moment there, Timo.
Andrew-
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