Design Prometheus with the original five subships

Discussion in 'Trek Tech' started by sciquest2525, Jan 11, 2013.

  1. sciquest2525

    sciquest2525 Lieutenant Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2009
    Location:
    Huntingdon, PA
    When the scripts were being developed for the Voyager episode containing the Prometheus, the MVAM was to comprise five sub ships rather then the three shown on screen do to script alterations.
    What might have Prometheus looked like with those five modules and would you have had them crewed or relied solely on remote control of the modules from the Bridge w/ computer support or have crews operate each sub ship?
     
  2. The Librarian

    The Librarian Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2002
    I would have made the core ship bigger, and then had four additional drone 'fighters' (although big, larger-than-runabout sized ones) that broke off for it. Sort of like the rider ships from CJ Cherryh's books.
     
  3. B.J.

    B.J. Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2004
    Location:
    Huntsville, AL
    On this page, if you click on the third pic down (not all of the pic is shown in the thumbnail), you'll see a rough concept of how it would have looked with five sub ships.
     
  4. Mark_Nguyen

    Mark_Nguyen Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2006
    Location:
    Calgary, Alberta
    Actually, this was done some time ago. Here:

    [​IMG]

    Mark
     
  5. Timo

    Timo Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2003
    The thing I like about the three-ship version is that the "drones" are the ones with the big engines, while the "carrier" is just a big load the "drones" haul along on combined flight mode. Makes sense: the drones need big engines to be credible combatants, while the carrier doesn't actually need to maneuver, or carry anything, but just stands back and lets the four people aboard guide the otherwise uncrewed fight.

    For a five-component ship, then, I'd keep the four-nacelle layout, but have each engine attached to a single drone... When preparing for a fight, the thing splits in the middle like an arrow that has somehow wronged Robin Hood, and the control section emerges from the middle of the bow bulge, pops out those teeny weeny nacelles of its own, and watches the four identical "arrow splinters" engage the enemy.

    Timo Saloniemi
     
  6. Dukhat

    Dukhat Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 26, 2007
    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    I'm glad they went with the three-part design, because two of those five parts are completely unnecessary.
     
  7. Timo

    Timo Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2003
    Swarming an opponent in three dimensions would call for four ships at a minimum, so a five-component system would seem prudent if the command unit does not take part in the fight...

    Timo Saloniemi
     
  8. kv1at3485

    kv1at3485 Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2003
    Hello again, westwords2020. :borg:
     
  9. sciquest2525

    sciquest2525 Lieutenant Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2009
    Location:
    Huntingdon, PA
    Yes, I used to be westwords2020 and hope I that as Sciquest2525 I have matured in five years and not become a fanboy again! I forgot the thread from five years ago and was just curious. Maybeye the outriders with a seperating warp saucer and engineering section with external mounted outriders, ala C.J. Cheryth would be better.
     
  10. Albertese

    Albertese Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    May 3, 2003
    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Dude, sciquest2525, did you make your location, your actual address?

    brassy.

    --Alex
     
  11. FalTorPan

    FalTorPan Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2000
    Location:
    Out there... thataway.
    This web site needs a Like button. :)
     
  12. sciquest2525

    sciquest2525 Lieutenant Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2009
    Location:
    Huntingdon, PA
    Yes, my actual address is as above. So I'll get swamped with mail! Hah! In my dreams
     
  13. bryce

    bryce Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    If I was going to re-design the Prometheus, I would makes sure that, if one (or more in the case of the 5-ship version) parts were destroyed, the remaining parts could still recombine. With the version used in the show, the top "command" module looks like it can only combine with the top "drone", and not the bottom "drone"...and if the top component was destroyed in battle (which could very well happen in a fight) the two remaining components couldn't re-combine.

    And in my version I'd make each of the 3, 4, or 5 (or whatever) components were the same as the others, and each capable of operating independently...because if you have a "command" module and some slaved "drones", and the command module was destroyed...that would suck. The only complication with that design is, as pointed out with the linked-to article, is that each component would have to have it's own copy of everything...warp core, sickbay, cargo and engines and fuel storage and transporters.

    Or you could just have a large Galactica or Andromeda type carrier and multiple smaller drones. Maybe even a medium-sized carrier with 5 or more smaller attacher "rider" type drones, so that if any and even all were lost...the mothership could continue on. (And if the drones were truley un-manned, it wouldn't matter if the mothership carrier was lost, no one would be stranded. Or the drones could be piloted be on-board strong AI's with small warp-cores so that they could return to a base if the mother carrier was lost.
     
  14. Saul

    Saul Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2002
    Location:
    東京
    Haha, don't worry about that. Just worry about the nut job who knocks on your door at 4am in the morning.
     
  15. Timo

    Timo Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2003
    But having a command module does away with the M-5 problem: you have a local man in the loop, even though you don't risk any lives.

    The Prometheus is fun especially for its ditching of the carrier concept and giving the job of "carrying" to the drones - rather sensibly so, as big engines have their rightful place on the drones themselves. A carrier-plus-drones deal would be fun in its own terms, but probably not the same thing as the Prometheus.

    Timo Saloniemi
     
  16. Tim Walker

    Tim Walker Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2014
     
  17. sojourner

    sojourner Admiral In Memoriam

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2008
    Location:
    Just around the bend.
    Boy, you do like dredging up old, dead threads.
     
  18. YJAGG

    YJAGG Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2013
    Location:
    Baltimore, MD
    You could jam the drones, and after M5 I would not trust total; computer control