Deck Plans VI: The Undiscovered Bowling Alley
- Thread starter Captain Robert April
- Start date
Between this and the pic of the underside of the model that was posted over in the Trek Tech forum, I should be able to get started on this one. Thanks.
Per the discussion over in the Trek Tech forum, I'm rethinking the engine arrangement.
At this point, I'm thinking of just moving the antimatter injector assembly up one level, slightly enlarging the other components. That way, I can still keep the big yellow hatch as an ejection port, while still allowing it to serve as a hatch where those ultraviolet satellites can be dropped from.
At this point, I'm thinking of just moving the antimatter injector assembly up one level, slightly enlarging the other components. That way, I can still keep the big yellow hatch as an ejection port, while still allowing it to serve as a hatch where those ultraviolet satellites can be dropped from.
Okay, here's where things stand at the moment with the engine arrangement...
I suppose I could put a level deck under the antimatter pod compartment, and going straight forward, that would bring up the antimatter injector assembly up quite a ways, allowing for some room under that hatch.
I suppose I could put a level deck under the antimatter pod compartment, and going straight forward, that would bring up the antimatter injector assembly up quite a ways, allowing for some room under that hatch.
A question about your engine room setup...Okay, here's where things stand at the moment with the engine arrangement...
I suppose I could put a level deck under the antimatter pod compartment, and going straight forward, that would bring up the antimatter injector assembly up quite a ways, allowing for some room under that hatch.
In TOS, we can often see down the "row of tubes" (what I refer to as the "main energizer" but whose only "real" name is "Ma Bairns"). There is a very visible, impossible to ignore "rear wall" to that "row of tubes" chamber.
Your approach seems to put both on-screen versions of the engine room on either end of this "row of tubes." Am I mistaken?
If that's the case, how do you explain the visible "rear wall?" A "one way mirror" on either end of the row of tubes? I'm not trying to be flippant, I'm serious, by the way. I'm just trying to reconcile, in my mind's eye, what you've done here with what's been seen on-screen.
During the first season, the forward room was the main engine room; the aft compartment wasn't there. Instead of the doohickey in the middle of the engine room containing the dilithium crystals, we had that room from "The Alternative Factor". And, yes, we had that very visible wall at the back of the tube assembly.
In between the first and second seasons, we had a refit, which included a major reworking of the engineering facilities. A major part of this was the introduction of the new engine room we saw from the second season onward. Now the dilithium crystals were much more accessible, along with having much greater control over the various power systems. And that very visible wall at the back of the tube assembly was moved to the forward end. The forward room was then relegated to backup status, with its new emphasis now on monitoring and control over the primary fusion reactors (I think I have six of them directly below on the next deck down).
The rationale with having the two separate rooms in the first place, admittedly started off as a bit of a joke, but the fact is that the contours of the two versions of Engineering are so different, there's no way for it to be the same room. Factor in that the positioning of the dilithium crystal housing in the middle of the room, and how the energy has to pass through the crystals before being channeled to the warp engines, and a picture starts to form regarding the location and positioning of the engine room.
Y'know, now that I think about it, the one-way mirror on either end does have a certain appeal. You don't necessarily want the only containment on that thing (whatever it is) to be a glorified chain link fence.
In between the first and second seasons, we had a refit, which included a major reworking of the engineering facilities. A major part of this was the introduction of the new engine room we saw from the second season onward. Now the dilithium crystals were much more accessible, along with having much greater control over the various power systems. And that very visible wall at the back of the tube assembly was moved to the forward end. The forward room was then relegated to backup status, with its new emphasis now on monitoring and control over the primary fusion reactors (I think I have six of them directly below on the next deck down).
The rationale with having the two separate rooms in the first place, admittedly started off as a bit of a joke, but the fact is that the contours of the two versions of Engineering are so different, there's no way for it to be the same room. Factor in that the positioning of the dilithium crystal housing in the middle of the room, and how the energy has to pass through the crystals before being channeled to the warp engines, and a picture starts to form regarding the location and positioning of the engine room.
Y'know, now that I think about it, the one-way mirror on either end does have a certain appeal. You don't necessarily want the only containment on that thing (whatever it is) to be a glorified chain link fence.
Last edited:
Thanks for the elaboration CRB, I had similar questions in mind to CLB but had just ascribed it to the "one way mirror" effect or something, perhaps caused by the tremendous energies emitted from the pipes. I also ascribed this "pipe effect" (analogous to the way heat waves bend light that passes through them) to explaining the visual anomalies caused by the forced perspective set; sometimes it appears to be a 60’ long row of pipes which are all the same length – sometimes it looks like a much shorter row of pipes which gradually decrease in length.
I notice that in your cutaway you’ve gone for the shorter row option, but kept the pipes the same length. Using the “pipe effect” this tallies up fine with what we see in the show and all the variable forced perspective problems. Bit of a stretch possibly, but it works I think!
However, that’s just my theory – had you tackled this at all yourself?
Well, the "length" issue is sort of addressed by the "one way mirror" thing. The idea, as I'd see it, would be that the "row of tubes" is something you're seeing from front and back. If we see six tube sets, that's really three tube sets, then the reflection of those same three from the opposite "mirror" wall. So the numbers we see printed on the aft wall are actually on the same "window" you're looking through.Thanks for the elaboration CRB, I had similar questions in mind to CLB but had just ascribed it to the "one way mirror" effect or something, perhaps caused by the tremendous energies emitted from the pipes. I also ascribed this "pipe effect" (analogous to the way heat waves bend light that passes through them) to explaining the visual anomalies caused by the forced perspective set; sometimes it appears to be a 60’ long row of pipes which are all the same length – sometimes it looks like a much shorter row of pipes which gradually decrease in length.
I notice that in your cutaway you’ve gone for the shorter row option, but kept the pipes the same length. Using the “pipe effect” this tallies up fine with what we see in the show and all the variable forced perspective problems. Bit of a stretch possibly, but it works I think!
However, that’s just my theory – had you tackled this at all yourself?
It seems a bit over-complicated, sure, but it lets CRA's concept work without the "row of tubes" being too short compared to what was seen on-screen.
Why have it that way at all? Well, I imagine that the actual light levels inside that "row of tubes" chamber is going to be BRILLIANTLY INTENSE. Blindingly so. The wall between the engineering bay and the "row of tubes" (in my version, that assembly is the "energizer," not the reactor, but the same concept works either way) is sort of like a welder's faceplate eyeshield. We can only see a tiny bit of the actual light within that chamber.
For me, the "mesh screen" is really more like the mesh that is present in your microwave oven's door. It provide some structural reinforcement, but the principal reason for its existence is to block electromagnetic emissions. That's why the mesh in is your microwave oven door, after all.
And while what was created on-set was clearly just industrial open mesh, the "real" Enterprise has a glass (or "glass-ish") screen with an embedded metallic anti-E/M mesh.
There are numbers on the aft wall? I've never seen them myself, but then again I'm working from standard resolution DVDs:
The mesh has always been a safety concern for me, but this idea makes a good amount of sense, thanks!
My own thinking had placed the "mirror" on the other side of each mesh wall - perhaps a side effect of the EM shielding you mentioned? The problem with placing it in the middle of the pipes is that it doesn't really tie in with the explosions seen in "The Paradise Syndrome", which are clearly coming from the far end of the 5th pipe row:
It's also another example of the forced persepctive effect being ignored, what was the director thinking!?
For the record, in my setup, those tubes are part of the power distribution manifold, which feeds power from the main matter/antimatter reaction chamber, as well as the primary fusion reactors, to the rest of the ship. The M/ARC and the fusion reactors are directly below, on the next level.
This is to accommodate the onscreen references that alternately seem to imply that those tubes have something to do with either the warp drive or the impulse engines. This way, they have something to do with both.
This is to accommodate the onscreen references that alternately seem to imply that those tubes have something to do with either the warp drive or the impulse engines. This way, they have something to do with both.
Here's the revised version, to allow for the orbital insertion of those ultraviolet satellites in "Operation: Annihilate!"...
I think this setup has a touch of Pato Guzman's approach to it, like that briefing room and captain's cabin in the pilots. It also establishes a stronger continuity with the hatch up on the B/C superstructure, by making it more of a hatch instead of strictly an ejection port.
I think this setup has a touch of Pato Guzman's approach to it, like that briefing room and captain's cabin in the pilots. It also establishes a stronger continuity with the hatch up on the B/C superstructure, by making it more of a hatch instead of strictly an ejection port.
So, does this work for everyone?
I see what you mean about the Pato Guzman thing - love them struts!
Anyway, as I see your diagram: The hatch (for probes and pods) is now directly under the antimatter collumn, is that right? Excellent use of space! It does put a limit on the size of the probes though. Is there an automatic method of launching them or is more of a "open the door and kick'em out approach?"
Anyway, as I see your diagram: The hatch (for probes and pods) is now directly under the antimatter collumn, is that right? Excellent use of space! It does put a limit on the size of the probes though. Is there an automatic method of launching them or is more of a "open the door and kick'em out approach?"
There may be some mechanical something at work, but yeah, it's pretty much open the hatch and boot 'em out the hole.
I'm starting to rethink the nacelle design, to better match up with the Cochrane's Phoenix and the Galileo, which we are reasonably sure did not have Bussard collectors, yet had those domes on the front of their nacelles (to be fair, the ones on the shuttlecraft didn't light up, although I'll have to take another look at the remastered version of "The Galileo Seven" to be sure on that).
Interestingly, I've been rethinking these as well.
I still really like the idea that the domes are central to the collection of matter, but I'm less convinced that they're actually the "scoops" themselves.
If you take a look in my thread, you'll notice where and how I've placed my hydrogen tanks. What I've started to believe is that the "black ring" around the outside is, in fact, the "hydrogen scoop."
So, then, what's the dome? Well... it's the "space/time sink." (Yes, borrowing a bit from FJ there.)
But it has the interesting property of "sucking" space gas towards it... looking like a gravity source, but projecting that in a conical region ahead of the nacelle.
When the gas streams into the dome, most of it "sloughs off" but the hydrogen is permitted to filter in immediately adjacent to (but not INSIDE) the dome... it then continues to "slough over" the front of the nacelle, where it is captured by the "black ring" and directed into the storage tanks.
This works on a lot of levels. It makes the TMP nacelle fronts "make sense" (even without the "space/time sink," per-se, the nacelle still looks like a gravity well and the captured matter is collected by the black grill, just like in TOS). It fits with the idea that the TOS domes don't really look like "swirling superheated gas" but still have an "aspect of superheated gas."
I'm still playing with my idea... not sure what the details of the mechanism will be... but I think I've become convinced that the domes aren't actually primarily a matter-collection device. They just serve double-duty, as the "attractor" for the matter collected by another device, as well as being central to the TOS-era warp drive design.
Thoughts?
Actually, this has more or less been my interpretation of things since I was little boy plying with my very first AMT 18" Enterprise. The ribbed black ring seems to be a natural intake. As does the TMP grills, just like you say. As indeed do the yellow/orange grills on the E-D. I forget what the tech manual says about how that all ties together on the Galaxy-class, but it works for me.
--Alex
How about this one - gasses bounce across the surface of the dome into a conical pattern (think wind tunnel smoke here) which then get sucked in at the black ring. The swirling effect and fanblades in the dome are some kind of reaction processing that filters hydrogen from the gasses into the tanks and somehow dissipates or disposes of the rest.
This could be tricky...
