Would anyone be interesting in attempting a starship design?
- Thread starter t_smitts
- Start date
Okay, here you go...
The year is 2213...
The U.S.S. Venture NCC-425 is a Mercury-class starship. One of Starfleet's first warp 8 capable starships is the top of the line of her day, far and above the Daedalus-class ships that dominated the fleet in the late 22nd Century, yet destined to be eclipsed by the Constitution-class ships that will become famous in a few decades (though she shares a few elements of both). Like most Starfleet vessels throughout the centuries, she continues the enduring design tradition of a primary hull, engineering hull, and twin nacelles.
Designed in an era of relative peace for the Federation, she's somewhat more lightly armed than future starships will need to be, instead largely dedicated to exploratory and scientific missions. Indeed, she is equipped with 11 different science labs and well over half of her nearly 300 crew members are scientists in various fields. Accustomed to being out of contact with Starfleet for days or even weeks at a time, she is as self-sufficient and well-stocked with amenities as could be expected of any starship of this era.
The Venture is not a new starship, but a proven vessel over a decade old, just beginning her third five-year mission of exploration, one that will earn her a place among Starfleet's most celebrated ships and lead to a number of namesake vessels in later centuries. Her senior staff is a mix of seasoned veterans and enthusiastic newcomers. The latter will soon discover (and former already know) that, even a tranquil period in history, the galaxy is not danger-free, and, as will one day be pointed out to another crew, it's not for the timid.
The nice thing about stuff that isn't canon is that you don't have to worry about contradicting it.
I wasn't worried about you contradicting it. I was suggesting the art might work for your purposes. It's more toward the Connie than the Daedalus, but the saucer is a little more bulbous and the nacelle struts are straighter.
I am currently woking on a couple of designs from that era. I will adapt one and have it ready in a couple of days. 
So, basically something like these?
http://www.starfleet-museum.org/quetzalcoatl.htm
http://www.starfleet-museum.org/moskva.htm
