Question- Who invented the Surya-class Frigate?

Discussion in 'Trek Tech' started by Stibbons, Jul 4, 2019.

  1. Stibbons

    Stibbons Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2019
    Location:
    London
    I've seen people say it first appeared in "Ships of the Star Fleet 2290-91" by Todd Gunether and Aridas Sofia, 1987. But I've just realised that it actually appears as an Illustration in the "Avenger-class Frigate Blueprints" by David Nielsen, dated 1983. I gather that Michael Morrissette and Todd Guenther were also involved in the latter, so is it Todd's design?
     
  2. danellis

    danellis Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2010
    Location:
    UK
  3. trynda1701

    trynda1701 Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Mar 21, 2012
    Location:
    Somewhere in the darkest reaches of the Universe!
  4. Stibbons

    Stibbons Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2019
    Location:
    London
    Correct, the Surya doesn't appear in the FJ Technical Manual, neither does it appear in Aridas Sofia's "Federation Reference Series" of 1985, the Technical Manual's "spiritual successor" as it were. Volume 1 has all the FJ ships plus the Movie Era Avenger (later Miranda) Heavy Frigate. If the Surya was Todds design, Aridas doesn't seem to have picked up on it yet.

    As to whether the Ptolemy was the actual inspiration for the Reliant, well given that the design was originally meant to be with the nacelles on the top and only got built the way it was because someone had the artist's sketch upside down, I'd say no.
     
  5. Forbin

    Forbin Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    Location:
    I said out, dammit!
    I believe Aridas Sofia came up with the design.
    It's featured in Ships of the Star Fleet Volume One published by Mastercom Data Center in 1988 and 1991.
     
  6. Forbin

    Forbin Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    Location:
    I said out, dammit!
  7. Stibbons

    Stibbons Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2019
    Location:
    London
    137th Gebirg and StarCruiser like this.
  8. Shaw

    Shaw Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2007
    Location:
    Twin Cities
    I think we should have an all out fight between Aridas Sofia and David Nielsen (sorta like the junkyard fight from Superman III) to see who is the real designer. What a battle that would be!

    But yeah, it is Aridas' work and 1983 is the first time I recall seeing it (and again in 1987 in the silhouette chart).
     
  9. aridas sofia

    aridas sofia Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    May 3, 2002
    aridas sofia and David Nielsen are engaged in a lifelong battle between a guy who thinks Star Trek was a childish waste of his time and a guy who would live on the Enterprise if he could. They tore at each other until David designed Surya to appease aridas, who would never be appeased and insisted on more and more and more. Like, 500 more and counting. :P

    I designed it for the first Avenger plans back in 1982 (published in 83) to show where the Reliant design originated - as a refit to a Surya-class frigate. It did indeed appear in a slightly altered form in the first SotSF volume.

    Very amazed and pleased to see it still so well regarded some 37 years later.
     
  10. Stibbons

    Stibbons Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2019
    Location:
    London
    Thanks for the clarification. Turns out there was already a thread here that addressed the question, should have done a better search.

    https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/on-our-way-–-u-s-s-surya.287738/

    But the Surya-class is definitely my favourite non-canonical TOS era ship design (with the FJ ships of course). If I might ask, why ddn't you put it in the Federation Reference Series?

    (Also, has anyone got a spare FRS No.4? Only one I'm missing, can swap you a FRS No.1 or a couple of Size Comparison Chart duplicates I have).
     
  11. aridas sofia

    aridas sofia Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    May 3, 2002
    Another six volumes of the FRS were planned and partially written/laid out. Surya would have been in volume seven iirc. On the FRS website several years ago I did a series of FJ TM pages covering ships Enterprise might have seen on her 5YM, and several Surya variants were covered there, as well - at SB 4 during “Court Martial”, in the task force sent to confront the Klingon fleet at Organia, etc.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2019
  12. Forbin

    Forbin Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    Location:
    I said out, dammit!
    As is ALL your work, sir.
     
  13. 137th Gebirg

    137th Gebirg Admiral Premium Member

    Joined:
    Aug 31, 2000
    Location:
    Go Lick The World!
    Indeed. It’s provided years of inspiration for many of us.
     
    aridas sofia likes this.
  14. Stibbons

    Stibbons Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2019
    Location:
    London
    Indeed. If you were ever to consider actually producing those other six FRS volumes, well, I'd want them.

    (Reprints of the originals wouldn't come amiss either- a compendium perhaps?)
     
    aridas sofia likes this.
  15. publiusr

    publiusr Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2010
    Location:
    publiusr
    I just love Starship Design
     
    Irishman and StarCruiser like this.