Spoilers I really would like to read a novel set during the PIC Season 3 finale

[Christopher]

Starfleet Academy would want recruits to be familiar with a variety of (types of) ships/tech, regardless of whether they'll ever use one after they graduate. So maybe they get to use the inventory.

Why assume the museum is only for Starfleet? Presumably the vast majority of its visitors are civilians. Academy cadets would train using actual Academy resources.

What a museum means by the late 24th/early 25th century doesn't have to be a static collection of non-functioning exhibits and realistic/tactically useless simulators.

I don't care what century it is, a museum wouldn't have active weapons systems in its exhibits.

Besides, the 24th/25th century has holodecks which can create perfectly lifelike simulations of the experience of using the ships, which means they'd have far less reason, not more, to risk damage and degradation to historically important exhibits by letting the public take them out for a spin. The purpose of a museum is to preserve important artifacts, and that means hands bloody well off.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I imagine most of the ships are cheesy museum displays now. Podiums everywhere with buttons that trigger iffy holo reenactments of Archer or Kirk saying dramatic things, or Uhura opening hailing frequencies.

Kids run around and leave gum on the warp core, crush spilled chips into the carpets. You'd all be devastated if you saw it

 

[Christopher]

Kids run around and leave gum on the warp core, crush spilled chips into the carpets. You'd all be devastated if you saw it

I assume (and have stated in my depictions of museum ships in one or two Trek novels) that it's like the exhibits at the National Air and Space Museum -- the consoles and such are behind clear partitions, so people can look but not touch. Again, the job of a museum is to preserve these things.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I assume (and have stated in my depictions of museum ships in one or two Trek novels) that it's like the exhibits at the National Air and Space Museum -- the consoles and such are behind clear partitions, so people can look but not touch. Again, the job of a museum is to preserve these things.

Exactly. It's a museum, not a fleet in mothballs. There is a difference.

Starfleet should have someplace they mothball old ships that can be pressed back into service in short order, though the size of the mothballed fleet was probably depleted during the Dominion War or destroyed during the attack on Utopia Planitia.

There are a number of US Navy museum ships around the country. In the event of an attack on the United States, none of them will be pressed into service.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_museum_ships_of_the_United_States_military

Starfleet is not going to be different.

 

[Tuskin38]

I would like a story about Laris waiting for Jean-Luc to come home and tell her about his adventures.

FOR A YEAR.

Nothing says he didn’t visit during that time skip.

I wouldn't read too much into that since the Titan was originally going to be renamed USS Picard and the decision to make the Enterprise G was last minute.

But he also said the story was always going to lead to introducing a new enterprise.

https://www.reddit.com/r/television...rry_matalas_showrunner_and_executive/jh644ye/

I don’t think the decision was last minute. At least not during filming.

 

[The Wormhole]

Starfleet Academy would want recruits to be familiar with a variety of (types of) ships/tech, regardless of whether they'll ever use one after they graduate. So maybe they get to use the inventory.

Even in the event that Starfleet Academy did feel it necessary to familiarize cadets with the workings of ships and technology from prior eras, I would think it would be far more practical for them to use holodeck recreations of those ships rather than the actual ships themselves.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

The purpose of a museum is to preserve important artifacts, and that means hands bloody well off.

Actually, many museums are hands-on, by design. The California Science Center, in Los Angeles, has plenty. Ditto for MOXI, in Santa Barbara, and MOSAC, in Sacramento, among many others. The Exploratorium in San Francisco, and the Chicago MSI are loaded with them.

As some on this List probably already know, I spend my Saturdays docenting at the International Printing Museum, in Carson, CA. We were established by the legacy of graphic arts equipment collector Ernie Lindner, with the stipulation that we are to be a working museum, keeping as much of the equipment as possible in working order, and using it for teaching and demonstrations. Now, of course, we don't turn visitors loose on anything as delicate as a Linotype (unless they are themselves retired Linotype operators), and indeed, we don't turn green docents loose on a Lino (or a Heidelberg Windmill) until they've already mastered other, less complicated equipment. But visitors are generally entitled to a free souvenir Linotype slug, cast-to-order, while-you-watch, included in admission, and at special events (and in classes), we do permit visitors to use a few presses that are older than any living human being.

 

[Christopher]

As some on this List probably already know, I spend my Saturdays docenting at the International Printing Museum, in Carson, CA. We were established by the legacy of graphic arts equipment collector Ernie Lindner, with the stipulation that we are to be a working museum, keeping as much of the equipment as possible in working order, and using it for teaching and demonstrations. Now, of course, we don't turn visitors loose on anything as delicate as a Linotype (unless they are themselves retired Linotype operators), and indeed, we don't turn green docents loose on a Lino (or a Heidelberg Windmill) until they've already mastered other, less complicated equipment. But visitors are generally entitled to a free souvenir Linotype slug, cast-to-order, while-you-watch, included in admission, and at special events (and in classes), we do permit visitors to use a few presses that are older than any living human being.

I doubt there's any museum that keeps a battleship in full working order with active weapon systems that it allows visitors to fire off.

 

[Avro Arrow]

I doubt there's any museum that keeps a battleship in full working order with active weapon systems

Well that doesn't sound right. How exactly then are we expected to fend off the next alien invasion that comes our way!?

 

[David cgc]

They're not exactly museums (and not exactly not), but several historical sailing ships have working cannons for demonstrations and mock battles with other ships. Guests love 'em. And they aren't just noisemakers in painted plywood casings to look good, they are historically accurate weapons, fired with real gunpowder (though not with real shot, the Coast Guard is very uptight about ships having cannons, powder, and ammunition, so you have to pick two).

Granted, even if you get a projectile onboard, no one is leveling a city with a pair of three-hundred-year-old three-pound cannons, but I would expect the museum starships would normally have their... I don't know, nadion generators or collimating crystals or something pulled from the phaser banks so they could just spit out pretty lights that don't actually do anything. Likewise, a photon torpedo launcher is just a hole with a track leading to it, the torpedos themselves may have come from anywhere (likely Spacedock itself, which is probably the linchpin in the Athen Prime defense grid).

The cloaking device would be functionally obsolete, they had at least two of the top engineers of their generation doing it up to stand up to scrutiny (and, even then, it was never used to conceal a full-sized starship for more than a few seconds at a time).

In any case, the idea that the ships would also be used for "adventure cruises" in addition to "dockside tours" would go a long way towards explaining why the -D was restored so completely; it actually is expected to fly, if only around the station doing some showy turns and rolls, and maybe the occasional traveling exhibition to another system.

 

[James Swallow]

What a museum means by the late 24th/early 25th century doesn't have to be a static collection of non-functioning exhibits and realistic/tactically useless simulators.
Certain items may be tour fodder, while others are training equipment, restoration projects, defensive backups, etc.

Agreed! When I saw those starships in the museum, my first thought was of something less like a collection of static "dead ship" exhibits stuck behind glass and more like the restored, flying warbirds that appear at airshows.

Here in the UK we have the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, a collection of WWII fighters and bombers restored and maintained by the Royal Air Force, and crewed by serving RAF officers, which fly at state events, shows, anniversaries and the like. They're amazing to see in real life.

I could believe Starfleet would have something similar to preserve the heritage of older 'hero' ships - like, say, having the NX-01 do a flypast over Earth on the anniversary of the founding of the UFP, or a Galaxy-class flyby at a Wolf 359 veteran's day ceremony...

 

[The Wormhole]

having the NX-01 do a flypast over Earth on the anniversary of the founding of the UFP,

Although that raises the question, Frontier Day is supposed to be the anniversary of the NX-01's launch, why was it just languishing at the museum instead of playing a role in the celebrations at Earth?

 

[Christopher]

Although that raises the question, Frontier Day is supposed to be the anniversary of the NX-01's launch, why was it just languishing at the museum instead of playing a role in the celebrations at Earth?

Maybe the fleet assembly at Earth was for active ships, and there was a simultaneous event scheduled at the museum for the vintage ships, but it got put on hold by the catastrophe.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

They're not exactly museums (and not exactly not), but several historical sailing ships have working cannons for demonstrations and mock battles with other ships.

That reminds me of Sutter's Fort SHP, in Sacramento. They do cannon demonstrations. The California State Park Rangers do cannon demonstrations. Firing a cannonball made of plastic foam, as I recall. Which mostly vaporizes without actually hitting anybody or anything.

 

[TheAlmanac]

There are a number of US Navy museum ships around the country. In the event of an attack on the United States, none of them will be pressed into service.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_museum_ships_of_the_United_States_military

Starfleet is not going to be different.

Given the topic being discussed, I thought I would look at some of the specific ships on that page which are namesakes for Starfleet ships.

The first entry I clicked on was the USS Constellation, which turns out to have been...recommissioned during World War II, after it was already in the process of becoming a museum ship.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

The USS Constitution (the one tied up in Boston Harbor) is still under commission, even though it is a museum ship. All docents are active-duty Navy. Of course, it's highly questionable whether a volley of broadside cannon fire is actually going to accomplish anything in the event of an attack . . . .

Nonetheless, when I have visited, when reaching the end of the brow, I have always addressed the deck officer, and formally requested "Permission to step aboard." Then again, I also do that with any other naval museum ship, if there's actually somebody on board to whom I can address that request: the USS Hornet, at the old Alameda Point Naval Base, the USS Iowa, in San Pedro, CA, or the USS Missouri, at Pearl Harbor.

 

[Christopher]

The first entry I clicked on was the USS Constellation, which turns out to have been...recommissioned during World War II, after it was already in the process of becoming a museum ship.

Well, before the US entry into WWII, presumably as a precaution. Recommissioned in August 1940 but not assigned a hull number until January 1941, so presumably it took those five months to change it back from a museum ship into an active vessel. It's not like they could just start it up and go into battle in a matter of hours. For that matter, it was only used as an admiral's reserve flagship.

 

[shapeshifter]

Novels/comic/fanfics will likely be written within that year-long time jump in the finale.

 

[Reanok]

Yes there will certainly be new Picard fan fiction stories. I still hope we'll get a Picard novel that takes place during season 3 and hope to we get to see some of the characters in the books again.

 

[The Wormhole]

I still hope we'll get a Picard novel that takes place during season 3

Given how heavily serialized the season was, a novel set during would be rather tricky. What I could see happening is a prequel novel set aboard the Titan A set some point prior to the season.