SS Beagle

[Wingsley]

TOS ep "Bread and Circuses" mentioned a non-Starfleet ship named the SS Beagle:

http://www.memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/SS_Beagle

This ship, never seen during the show, seems unusual to me. Space vessels in TREK always seemed to be larger or smaller, never quite this size. It is called a "star drive" vessel, which strongly implies it is a starship, but Capt. Merrik seems to distinguish between his ship and Kirk's Enterprise, "he commands not just a spaceship... but a starship... a very special vessel and crew."

Kirk says that Merrik "went into the merchant service", which suggests the Beagle is not part of any space navy such as Earth Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet. So, what is it? Kirk also implies that Merrik betrayed his "oath". Oath to what? Is the Prime Directive applicable to the "merchant service"? Or was Kirk speaking to Merrik's duty to protect his crew?

I would envision a small vessel, smaller than the NX-01 Enterprise. The ship obviously had to have warp drive and transporters, as well as accomodations for a crew of 47. We can assume it was a easonably modern vessel, not something left over from the 22nd century. She obviously wasn't well defended, though, to be disabled by "meteor damage."

 

[Timo]

1) I don't know if the size would be unusual; many a freighter has been quoted with a crew in the couple of dozen range.

2) The ship is specifically called a "Class 4 stardrive vessel". Perhaps the stardrive is "Class 4", which may mean something other than standard warp drive, or then a fourth-rate warp drive versus the first-rate one of the Enterprise. OTOH, the expression could simply mean that the ship is fourth rate, as opposed to the Enterprise which is a Class 1 stardrive vessel.

In early TNG, we hear similar terminology. In "Symbiosis" and "Outrageous Okona", spacecraft are identified as "Class 7" or "Class 9"; in "Unnatural Selection", we hear the Lantree is a "Class 6 supply vessel" (script says "Class R") with "Class 3 defensive systems".

3) The "SS" designation suggests Merrick indeed commands a civilian vessel. Spock calls her a "survey vessel", but no doubt civilians are also interested in the survey/prospecting business.

In "Angel One", it is stated outright that the crew of the freighter Odin is not bound by the Prime Directive. But things could have been different back in the 23rd century, there having been a general oath for all shipmasters that Merrick betrayed. Or the organization employing Merrick might have had a special oath of its own.

4) No particular need to make the Beagle modern, IMHO. Elderly Oberths are seen in civilian survey duty in TNG, after all. Perhaps the Beagle could even be ex-Starfleet?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Wingsley]

Timo,

When I spoke of the size being unusual, I was referring to the crew just as you did. It seems t me, just looking at TOS by itself, that ships were either crewed 20 or less on the one hand, or 80 or more like the Antares. I do not recall ever hearing of a ship with a compliment in the 40-50 range. That struck me as unusal.

 

[Vance]

SS Beagle was probably a lot like the SS Antares, in retrospect. It's older, about the same amount of crew, is obviously 'Federation' but not 'front line starfleet'.

The Antares type likely has a pretty wide margin for crew, even to the point of being automated lated (TAS types). The Beagle may not have had the extra 30 crew required for prospecting or something. It's hard to say...

Clearly, though, Merrik was a git.

 

[Wingsley]

Vance,

That's one very good possibility.

Another would be if the Beagle were of an entirely different starship class.

Have you ever drawn a large, exploratory scout class of vessel? Something non-Starfleet that's smaller than an NX class but bigger than the Space Cruiser Aurora...

 

[Vance]

Oh yeah, lots of them, actually. The problem is that most of the 'official' and 'fanon' designs out there are really solidly based on the Enterprise. I've made a few 'Antares' variants, but mostly for cargo.

 

[Wingsley]

I think the most recent idea I've seen of this kind of thing on the TrekBBS "Trek Art" forum was SCaRa's "Tiny Explorer" thread:

http://www.trekbbs.com/threads/showflat.php?Number=8199174#Post8199174

That would fit perfectly as the SS Beagle, don't you think?

 

[Praetor]

Why not?

 

[Wingsley]

What kind of capabilities should this "tiny explorer" have?

Should it be unarmed? Without shields? (That would explain "meteor damage", I guess... )

She obviously has transporters.

What about her warp drive? Should a "class four stardrive vessel" be capable of the kind of performance we saw in Archer's NX-01 Enterprise, or perhaps less so?

Comments?

 

[Praetor]

Unarmed sounds fine, but I think she should still have shields (even the Grissom had shields) and even if she didn't the main deflector could possibly have taken care of meteor damage. However, it can be accounted for by an incompetent captain.

And it should definitely be a class-four stardrive vessel akin to the NX's abilities. I imagine the stardrive rating system to be a rating of (1) performance/max speed, (2) range, and (3) durability. Size could be a factor, but I imagine older, larger ships (such as the NX) could also be class-four stardrive ships. So perhaps she is indeed limited to speeds lower than warp five?

 

[Patrickivan]

I don't agree about it being unarmed. It's been established that even shuttle craft have phasers (and silly enough, torpedoes on the little shuttle craft in Enterprise).

I would think that it would be standard to have some form of defensive capabilities, no matter how limited. We've seen phasers used for non-combat related purposes too.

So Starfleet or civilian, I would think it is an accesible and established technology that would be standard in some form or another on most space craft.

My main reasoning is just based on, if it's on little shuttle craft, then why not larger ships?

 

[Wingsley]

Ah, but this is a civilian craft, perhaps civilian starships and shuttles alike have little or no defensive capabilities compared to Starfleet vessels.

 

[Patrickivan]

Wingsley said:
Ah, but this is a civilian craft, perhaps civilian starships and shuttles alike have little or no defensive capabilities compared to Starfleet vessels.

I would like to think that the Federation has rules about Space faring vessels being able to defend themselves to some point. Civilian scientific and exploration ships will not always have someone close by to defend themselves. Or, like I said, to have phasers as a tool might be acceptable to the Federation. People exploring our Arctic will take guns. Why not allow the same idea when out in the cold dangers of space?

Though in a way I agree that it may not really be that needed. I think that all the dangers and adventures that we see on Star Trek are the exception to the rule. For the most part, I always thought that people did their things out in space without being disturbed by people trying to kill them, or pirate them, or whatever. So in a way, I would like to think that arms are superfluous- but needed in even a limited degree- just in case.

 

[Wingsley]

Given how effectively the U.S.S. Grissom defended herself, and how easily the SS Beagle was disabled, I would say that it is quite possible that many civvie spacecraft have little or no defensive capabilities.

 

[Vance]

Well, the Grissom was hit by a sneak attack. There's no real evidence that she was unarmed.. 'oh, klingon, evasi - BOOM'. Besides, a 'scout' may have a phaser bank or two, but she's not DESIGNED FOR WARFARE like a destroyer is.

 

[Patrickivan]

It would be easy to guess that a military ship will certainly be better equiped to take out a civilian or Federation science vessel.

Perhaps we should write up the the UFP's equivalent of the UN's law of the seas and other International sea treaties and laws. Such as how the member planets can use and explore space- territorial boundries and claims- exploring beyond UFP territory- interaction with new races- where they can and can't go- shipping lanes- defensive and offensive limits (obviously civies can't be stronger then military)- colonization- import/ export restrictions. Of course some member planets may have greater restrictions based on their personal needs.

Civilian vessels may not be governed by the same rules as Starfleet, but they must have a collosal amount of rules, abided by most people, broken by a few bad apples.

I am not trying to change the topic here. I'm just making a suggestion that would contribute to giving an answer to the question.

 

[Timo]

Whatever the letter of such laws, apparently they'd not much limit the carrying of weapons in the TOS or TNG spaceframe. Yet in ENT, the ECS transports explicitly were supposed to be unarmed.

I'd agree that just about any vessel within the UFP sphere of influence would carry some sort of weaponry and shielding, even if for peaceful applications only. But there would still be massive differences between a "shielded and armed ship" and a "shielded and armed ship": the Grissom might well carry gear that is only 1% as effective as that of the Reliant.

The ENT shuttlepods carried torpedoes? Where? They were said to have plasma cannon, but could apparently also be fitted with corresponding phase cannon as in "Detained". Not really objectionable IMHO.

Or did you mean the shuttles of the E-E? I don't think those fired actual torpedoes, either: the one flown by Picard and Worf fired those magic shield-draining pulses only, while Data's somewhat larger scoutship was the one explicitly capable of torpedo firing.

I'd thus think the Beagle would be big enough to carry torpedo armament if necessary, but OTOH I don't think we have ever seen a torpedo-firing Oberth or anything. Some novels do give at least some Oberths this ability, and I think that's perfectly all right as well.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Patrickivan]

Hey again Timo,

I was certain that there was an episode of Enterprise where a shuttle fired a couple of torpedoes or missiles (or whatever the hell they called them on that show)... They looked and sounded like torpedo shots- but if they were indeed phase canon bursts, then I will stand corrected. But I swear that they looked and sounded like torpedoes- and my reaction was, "where the f-ck did they find the room on the shuttle for torpedoes?!"

I couldn't give you any specifc details for the episode- very little of Enterprise actually stood out as memorable for me...

 

[Timo]

The shuttlepod is seen firing at least in the aforementioned "Detained" (reddish phase beams against surface targets), "Shadows of P'Jem" (plasma weapons, as specified in dialogue here and in the following episode "Shuttlepod One"), and "Awakening" (plasma cannon, again as per dialogue, but this time they are yellow beams rather than bright bolts).

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Patrickivan]

Thanks- are one of these episodes the one where Archer is in the Shuttle with T'pol and shoots out some torpedo looking and sounding deally, which reveals some picturesque space thingy? That's the one I recall.