The sparks just made it go from shiny to sparkly. kimc, wondering what was REALLY in that afternoon latte...
http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/scans/stmagazine/prometheus-top-side.jpg Prometheus was a small ship, only about 12 decks or so. Given the sheer mechanics involved in the multi-vector assault mode (in terms of the internal structure of the ship), I'd say Voyager was the bigger ship, both in size and crew complement.
I think the poll’s choices are a bit off. If we were to go back to 1994 when Voyager was being created, most of those classes weren’t invented by the writers or effects people yet. Instead, the only Trek ships we had were leftovers from the movies, the Ambassador-class, the Nebula-class, and various ships from the debris fields in “Best of Both Worlds” and “Unification.” I’d go for a class rescued from the debris. Most of the ships were blowtorched kitbashes, but actually one design rescued from the debris made it to the screen—the Nebula, though cleaned up so that it ended up being more than a kitbash. The TNG effects people also considered having the Cheyenne-class appear in TNG (I’ve heard it rumored for a couple of appearances, with the most likely to be true to be in “The Pegasus”.) I think this design would have made for a good Voyager—although it couldn’t land, it still looks fast and Voyager could easily be one of a new batch of ships with improved tech.
I think the poll’s choices are a bit off. If we were to go back to 1994 when Voyager was being created, most of those classes weren’t invented by the writers or effects people yet. Instead, the only Trek ships we had were leftovers from the movies, the Ambassador-class, the Nebula-class, and various ships from the debris fields in “Best of Both Worlds” and “Unification.” I’d go for a class rescued from the debris. Most of the ships were blowtorched kitbashes, but actually one design rescued from the debris made it to the screen—the Nebula, though cleaned up so that it ended up being more than a kitbash. The TNG effects people also considered having the Cheyenne-class appear in TNG (I’ve heard it rumored for a couple of appearances, with the most likely to be true to be in “The Pegasus”.) I think this design would have made for a good Voyager—although it couldn’t land, it still looks fast and Voyager could easily be one of a new batch of ships with improved tech.
I'm a big fan of the Intrepid-class. The movable nacelles are perfectly logical. It would make sense that the best warp geometry for warp 2 is going to be very different from what is optimal at warp 9. There is probably a best geometry for speed and another for fuel-efficiency too. The only problem was they always showed the same position at warp! A large vessel like an Ambassador-class would have made the journey pretty comfortable as that is a vessel specifically designed for long-range, long-duration exploration.
I liked the intrepid class. It has an aquatic look to it that fits well with it flying through space. I do think some other classes could have worked too though. Akira class. Prolly a bit more combat oriented, but I think it would fit better in season 1. From the initial badlands mission (why send a science vessel to a possible battle with maquis?) through the end of season 1 it'd be a nice fit. An older nebula class ship wouldve been cool too. I always liked this design. Perhaps have something happen that heavily modifies the design later on (heavy damage destroyng the "pod", than Paris could design a small runabout type that docks where the pod was, or different nacelles for transwarp testing attempts)
nope, the prometheus is about 25% longer. voy seems to have introduced as many ship designs as the other shows despite being far away from federation space. intrepid, prometheus, akira, nova. the prettiest ships, too.
The official length of an Intrepid-class starship is given as 1130 feet, or 344.424 meters. The official length of a Prometheus-class starship is given as 1360 feet, or 414 meters. So, the Prometheus is, as Kai Winn pointed out, about 25% longer. A Prometheus-class starship, based on the MSD I've seen, has about 15 decks. An Intrepid-class starship has the same amount of decks.
Yes I know that, but It's only a question, that's all. Timeline wise It really doesn't matter because the thread is just a bit of fun. Had the Prometheus class been designed already etc would you have preferred that design.
The Intrepid class is the most efficient design in Starfleet for packing the greatest interior volume in the smallest exterior area. This means a tight shield envelope which explains why the ship could take quite a licking. The Romulan Warbird is the opposite extreme, spreading it's interior volume over a huge area which would logically make for weak shields.
As much as I absolutely adore the Akira class, I couldn't vote for it as I feel it would have taken the series in a less desirable direction. Well... less desirable for me, obviously. The Akira, with its larger crew compliment and more robust combat profile would have made much of the series as it exists a bit of a cake walk. Alternatively, it would have forced the writers/directors to come up with even bigger, badder bogeymen or use the borg more often. (Oh how I dislike the borg.) Also there wouldn't have been the fun "Let's land the ship!" episodes that I'd always wanted to see since TOS. :3 (When I was little I wanted the Enterprise to flip upside-down and land on its nacelles and saucer. xD ) Er... Anyway, I feel that the Intrepid class had just the right balance of traits to make it useful within the series and endearing to the audience.
True. If they had been shown at one position at warp one, and a different position for each warp factor, that'd make sense. Having them at the 45 degree angle for all warp speeds doesn't do anything. Maybe there's an advantage to having them down at impulse. The mass is spread over a wider area, resulting in increased manoeuvrability. Or something.
I like the Intrepid class. It fits with what I think the writers were going for. A new somewhat untested crew, on a new ship that could not possibly have been tested in conditions like they were going to face. The crew had to rely on people they might not get along with, on a ship that they didn't know either.
Part of me wants to say Sovereign, but I always want to say that, since I love the design. I do like the Intrepid, and I think for the type of show Voyager was set to be, it served its purpose very well, and it's aesthetically pleasing to me. I think I like the Steamrunner and know I like the Sovereign more on a visual basis, but I'm pretty happy with what we got ultimately.