The Enterprise getting home...

[shatastrophic]

Without warp drive at the end of INS, and also at the end of NEM because it was taken out in the battle, how long did it take to get back to earth? Or in INS's case maybe a starbase? We hear how it always takes forever to go a distance without warp. With warp you can go some where in a few days or hours, without warp it takes months, years or even decades to reach the same destination. TNG showed us in "Final Mission" that they couldn't get to warp towing that particular barge. We see in TNG and in DS9 other cases where a tractor is used at warp. I was just curious as to how they got home after each movie took place.

 

[cardinal biggles]

There's a line cut from Insurrection (because it leads into the infamous Quark cameo) where Worf tells Picard that the USS Ticonderoga has arrived to tow them.

Presumably one of the ships from the group Starfleet sent to fight Shinzon towed the Enterprise after the battle.

 

[SmoothieX]

Yes, I would imagine they were either towed, or fit with a temporary drive capable of getting them back to dock for an overhaul.

 

[greenmystik]

Here's a question. Since the big E-E was missing the front saucer section in NEM how in the hell would it be able to handle the stress of being towed all the way back Earth???

I know they have the emergency force fields but I can't see them handling all that stress over a prolonged period of time at warp, and there was heavy damage so it the power and energy would be spread over all that damage.

So how did that work???

 

[USS KG5]

greenmystik said:
Here's a question. Since the big E-E was missing the front saucer section in NEM how in the hell would it be able to handle the stress of being towed all the way back Earth???

I know they have the emergency force fields but I can't see them handling all that stress over a prolonged period of time at warp, and there was heavy damage so it the power and energy would be spread over all that damage.

So how did that work???

Presumably the fleet assisted in providing enough repairs so she could be towed back to Earth - a few extra structural integrity generators and a power transfer from the towing ship maybe?

 

[Peach Wookiee]

^That's a good theory...

 

[Nebusj]

SmoothieX said:
Yes, I would imagine they were either towed, or fit with a temporary drive capable of getting them back to dock for an overhaul.

Kirk's able to tow the Botany Bay at warp in ``Space Seed'', so, warp towing is practicable. In ``Night Terrors'' Picard means to tow the Brattain back to starbase; and in ``Samaritan Snare'' Riker attempts to tow the idiot plot to a starbase as well. From context those have to be done at warp, as teh ship isn't going t spend years around the Pakleds.

Frankly, Riker's need to guide the garbage barge in ``Final Mission'' is really hard to reconcile with actual orbital mechanics, but admittedly Trek has always taken a slightly original view of these things.

 

[Timo]

A treatise could be written on "Final Mission", either to point out the multiple flaws or to explain them away with standard treknobabble...

Instead, I'll nod towards "Phantasms", where Starfleet threatens to send a dedicated tugship when Picard's ship loses the ability to move at warp (but not at impulse). The intention of the towing maneuver, at least jokingly, is to keep Picard from missing an appointment. So, objects as large as Galaxy class starships can apparently be towed at practical warp speeds - at least when dedicated towing hardware is used, rather than yer usual multipurpose starship jury-rigged as a tow truck.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[votd]

I always though that the navigational deflector was an extremely weak version of the deflector shields projected at a distance in front of the ship; if the ship went to warp with full shields up it should have no problems.

 

[Timo]

...Then again, the E-E didn't have shields, either.

But I'd assume that any ship that was capable of towing the E-E would also be capable of protecting her from space debris and the like, probably even without any extra effort of "extending shields" or anything like that. Just sweeping the path of the towing vessel in the standard manner would also protect the vessel under tow.

We know from "Tomorrow is Yesterday" that tractor beams aren't very gentle on things that have weak structures or have suffered damage. So yes, I'd say the E-E had to be secured for tow with some in situ repairs. They probably towed her ass first, too, since that would be the more secure place for the tractor beam to grab...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Peach Wookiee]

Perhaps the technology has changed by the 24th century...

 

[Ezri]

Think they got home in a space ship called Enterprise

 

[EEE]

greenmystik said:
Here's a question. Since the big E-E was missing the front saucer section in NEM how in the hell would it be able to handle the stress of being towed all the way back Earth???

I know they have the emergency force fields but I can't see them handling all that stress over a prolonged period of time at warp, and there was heavy damage so it the power and energy would be spread over all that damage.

So how did that work???

Manual saucer separation (two tows).

 

[Peach Wookiee]

Also a good theory...

 

[CoveTom]

Timo said:
We know from "Tomorrow is Yesterday" that tractor beams aren't very gentle on things that have weak structures or have suffered damage.

Keep in mind, though, that in that episode you're talking about a mid-20th century aircraft. Presumably, even when damaged the materials used in building a starship would be infinitely stronger than those used in building air force planes of the 60's.

 

[Timo]

Right... But a damaged structure often is infinitely weaker than an intact one, too.

Generally, I have some difficulty understanding how the tractor beam would stress the target so much. Is it not pulling on every atom of the target, in a highly controlled manner that keeps the target steady regardless of whether it is trying to move away or towards the beam emitter?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[arch101]

Perhaps the Fed has a "floating drydock" that they put the E in to get it back to Earth. (similar to the heavy lift ship that brought the USS Cole home after the attack in Yemen) Of course, it would have made a hell of a lot more sense to take her to the nearest Starbase with a shipyard to do such extensive work, but, they obviously wanted the closing shot to be over Earth for dramatic reasons.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

Good point...

 

[Plecostomus]

Try this on for size. Damage control and reactor operation are two of my favorite subjects.

First and foremost there would be an effort to stabilize the ship as much as possible and evacuate all but essential crew, like a reactor watch crew and some security. Damage control would be cutting away loose pieces of the hull and welding in temporary patches so they don't have to rely on force-fields. The temp-patches would also include shunts for the SIF system as well as diverters for the deflector shields.

Once these jury-rigs are in place they'd tow her ass-backwards to a secure location and bring in a huge-ass heavy-lift ship or mobile-drydock and move her back to a proper shipyard.

From there the ship would spend time being rebuilt and upgraded for it's next misadventure, including a special helm console with DNA sensors that shuts down and locks out if Troi gets within a meter of the control surface.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

^That was so not Troi's fault... They just put her at the helm when they're screwed.