Inspired by the U.S.S. Curry from DS9 Season 6 premier "A Time to Stand":
U.S.S. Velázquez
I'm calling this variant the Velázquez, and it's what I imagined a fully-restored Curry (with era-appropriate nacelles) to look like after first seeing it on screen. I'm not as big a fan of the original.
Another fan's version. And another.
Ideally, I'd play with the pylons a bit and angle them a little further down and back, and may post an updated version later. What really stands out to me here is how perfect the under area is for a giant attachment that could transport a few thousand troops/colonists/refugees. We never saw troop transports in the Dominion War (ahem, Sydney Class, ahem), but if you're going to take a planet/system/sector, even with future tech, I think you're going to need maybe millions.
I started this cut-&-paste kitbash with the original proportions:
But felt the saucer was too close to the stardrive (really, the bottom of the saucer wouldn't look the same as the planetary sensor and other tech wouldn't make sense, blocked by the stardrive). For esthetic purposes at least, I raised the saucer higher to soar up above and jut out, almost like an interesting rock formation:
Still I felt the saucer and stardrive were too cramped. Why not get rid of the neck and merge them à la Voyager if they’re going to be so close? So, I separated them further and like the long elegance of it — reminiscent of TOS and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
* * *
I've never really liked the connection point of the linebacker-thick Excelsior neck with the blade-thin Excelsior stardrive, and the thought came to me to flip it, if only to play with and explore different configurations. I found I liked the hornet-like shape of the saucer, neck, and front stardrive. And the overall shape made me think of an Olympian on the rings.
Still, I needed a reason for the configuration, as the Excelsior shuttlebay by itself didn't seem to make much sense now at the front of the ship — too rinky-dinky and pointless and somewhat phallic. The idea of an AWAC-like attachment came to mind like the one on the U.S.S. Phoenix and fan designs like the U.S.S. Alacrity (though I also kinda like the idea of a warp-field destabilizing interdictor unit, if less so a battering ram):
U.S.S. Tiburon
There is an aft shuttlebay where the deflector typically is and a deflector where whatever this is is. This ship is primarily a subspace research and communications analysis vessel, and, by virtue of its Excelsior parts, a highly defendable one at that.
Like the Phoenix's, this AWAC is wider than it is long and (from the front) gives a slight hammerhead vibe. I'm not really happy with the AWAC's design atm, but I'm working with an unsophisticated program and need to let it go for the time being. I may shorten the front blade to keep the ship's overall left/right cantilever balance a thing.
But I like the AWAC being far ahead of the rest of the ship to suggest its importance and/or danger....either the whole area needs to be clear of living matter, or the crew there needs to wear Excelsior Era engineering suits for their safety. I'm wondering if I need to show that visually in some way — maybe color the AWAC and the front half of the blade with a hint of antler yellow, so that it reinforces the lifelessness. Conversely, I may light the AWAC/interdictor up, like the spaceship from Close Encounters...
U.S.S. Velázquez
I'm calling this variant the Velázquez, and it's what I imagined a fully-restored Curry (with era-appropriate nacelles) to look like after first seeing it on screen. I'm not as big a fan of the original.
Another fan's version. And another.
Ideally, I'd play with the pylons a bit and angle them a little further down and back, and may post an updated version later. What really stands out to me here is how perfect the under area is for a giant attachment that could transport a few thousand troops/colonists/refugees. We never saw troop transports in the Dominion War (ahem, Sydney Class, ahem), but if you're going to take a planet/system/sector, even with future tech, I think you're going to need maybe millions.
I started this cut-&-paste kitbash with the original proportions:
But felt the saucer was too close to the stardrive (really, the bottom of the saucer wouldn't look the same as the planetary sensor and other tech wouldn't make sense, blocked by the stardrive). For esthetic purposes at least, I raised the saucer higher to soar up above and jut out, almost like an interesting rock formation:
Still I felt the saucer and stardrive were too cramped. Why not get rid of the neck and merge them à la Voyager if they’re going to be so close? So, I separated them further and like the long elegance of it — reminiscent of TOS and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
* * *
I've never really liked the connection point of the linebacker-thick Excelsior neck with the blade-thin Excelsior stardrive, and the thought came to me to flip it, if only to play with and explore different configurations. I found I liked the hornet-like shape of the saucer, neck, and front stardrive. And the overall shape made me think of an Olympian on the rings.
Still, I needed a reason for the configuration, as the Excelsior shuttlebay by itself didn't seem to make much sense now at the front of the ship — too rinky-dinky and pointless and somewhat phallic. The idea of an AWAC-like attachment came to mind like the one on the U.S.S. Phoenix and fan designs like the U.S.S. Alacrity (though I also kinda like the idea of a warp-field destabilizing interdictor unit, if less so a battering ram):
U.S.S. Tiburon
There is an aft shuttlebay where the deflector typically is and a deflector where whatever this is is. This ship is primarily a subspace research and communications analysis vessel, and, by virtue of its Excelsior parts, a highly defendable one at that.
Like the Phoenix's, this AWAC is wider than it is long and (from the front) gives a slight hammerhead vibe. I'm not really happy with the AWAC's design atm, but I'm working with an unsophisticated program and need to let it go for the time being. I may shorten the front blade to keep the ship's overall left/right cantilever balance a thing.
But I like the AWAC being far ahead of the rest of the ship to suggest its importance and/or danger....either the whole area needs to be clear of living matter, or the crew there needs to wear Excelsior Era engineering suits for their safety. I'm wondering if I need to show that visually in some way — maybe color the AWAC and the front half of the blade with a hint of antler yellow, so that it reinforces the lifelessness. Conversely, I may light the AWAC/interdictor up, like the spaceship from Close Encounters...
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