A USS Kelvin Complaint Nobody's Made Yet...

[The Wormhole]

Or at least, not that I'm aware of. The ship only has one warp nacelle. This is in blatant defiance of Roddenberry's Rules of Starship Design, which says warp nacelles have to be in even numbers. A rule which has been followed faithfully with the exception of the redesigned Enterprise D in AGT, but that can be written off as an alternate future that never happens. So what gives with the Kelvin and its odd-numbered nacelle?

 

[SalvorHardin]

They Kelvin doesn't need a second nacelle...

That's what the extra Zero in the registry is for.
It's not just paint you know.

 

[themanthebelly]

Yes, I agree. this does actually really anger me. But, hey! I'm a Trekkie! I'll still be there at the premier! You know us Trekkies! Yeah, I'll be there... With a pitchfork and flaming torch ready to burn down the cinema and impale the blasphemers who watch this film with the knowledge that we're watching a Star Trek with a ship in it that has only one engine.

 

[siskokid888]

^^As for canon, the Oberth class ships - the Grissom in TSFS and the Vico in TNG had one nacelle. As for non-canon, the Nelson class scout had one nacelle. The rule was not followed faithfully.

 

[shapeshifter]

Perhaps this film can be written off as an alternate past that never happens.

 

[The Wormhole]

^^As for canon, the Oberth class ships - the Grissom in TSFS and the Vico in TNG had one nacelle. As for non-canon, the Nelson class scout had one nacelle. The rule was not followed faithfully.

Huh? The Oberth class has two nacelles, they're attached to either side of the saucer.

 

[Kelso]

^^As for canon, the Oberth class ships - the Grissom in TSFS and the Vico in TNG had one nacelle. As for non-canon, the Nelson class scout had one nacelle. The rule was not followed faithfully.

The Grissom had two nacelles.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^^As for canon, the Oberth class ships - the Grissom in TSFS and the Vico in TNG had one nacelle.

As did the Freedom class USS Firebrand from BOBW II.

Also, there was at least one class (also from that episode) that had three nacelles.

The Oberth class, however, has two nacelles. That thing slung along the bottom is not a nacelle, it's the secondary hull.

 

[Michael]

^^As for canon, the Oberth class ships - the Grissom in TSFS and the Vico in TNG had one nacelle.

No. The Oberth class has two nacelles.

As for the Kelvin, I couldn't care less if the new design defies Roddenberry's rules. I actually think the Kelvin looks fantastic.

 

[SalvorHardin]

There is this, from TNG and Best of Both Worlds

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Freedom_class

plus we've seen ships operating at reduced warp speeds and one nacelle inoperative because of damage in VOY and ENT

 

[themanthebelly]

Are you sure?

 

[SalvorHardin]

Are you sure?

About what ? Check the link

 

[The Wormhole]

Oh, please don't count the TBOBW kitbashes as legitimate ships. We neevr really got a good look at many of them and only very few of them are even decent designs anyway.

 

[SalvorHardin]

They were designed for the show, they appeared on screen however briefly therefore they are canon.

Might not be convenient for your argument, but what can you do....

 

[BigC]

Perhaps the single warp nacelle on the Kelvin has a double set of warp coils?

 

[siskokid888]

[/quote]No. The Oberth class has two nacelles.[/quote]

Well, you learn something new everyday. I guess I never looked at the ship that closely, and I assumed the structure at the bottom was the nacelle. So I've been making that mistake for about 25 years. I stand humbly corrected.

 

[SalvorHardin]

For more nacelle strangeness, we have the Constellation class with 4

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Constellation_class

the Prometheus with 4

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Prometheus_class

and the refit alternate future Enterprise -D with 3 which had to obey the laws of Trek physics too, so I don't see why we should disregard it.

The point is that Trek has messed with the 2 nacelle design in the past several times.
It doesn't surprise me that they would do it again.

 

[ancient]

BOYCOTT!!

Seriously, the Kelvin looks fantastic. No one really takes the 'even number of nacelles' rule seriously.

 

[trevanian]

Has anybody ever considered the notion that the third nacelle pictured above is just a 'spare' ... y'know, like fancy touring cars having a spare tire mounted on the back?

Or it could be a detachable 'ultimate weapon' where you overload it and sling it at the enemy to leave 'em glowing.

 

[doubleohfive]

My advice would be to wait till the movie comes out, see it, then decide if this is as gross a violation of whatever it is that's so important and says its not possible actually is, instead of freaking out over two photos that have been released and are probably being taken completely out of context.

And also, because nobody has caught this error --- the Oberth-class starships had two nacelles.