The Return of MSPaint...

[Kaiser]

I absolutely LOVE what you planned in for the saucer warp field grids.

And the idea of the MAIN bridge staying with the BATTLE section makes perfect sense IMO. Sending the families and whatnot away wouldn't need the main command center to oversee.

You've put a lot of thinking into this.

I agree and I think you should submit this to that Enterprise F design contest from ST-online

 

[Belisarius]

I absolutely LOVE what you planned in for the saucer warp field grids.

And the idea of the MAIN bridge staying with the BATTLE section makes perfect sense IMO. Sending the families and whatnot away wouldn't need the main command center to oversee.

You've put a lot of thinking into this.

Thanks, Tom. That was an aspect of the design pretty early on...going way back to a conversation I had in Trek Tech with Rick Sternbach, years ago. Turns out they had contemplated a warp engine for the saucer section of the Galaxy-class, but discarded it for some reason or another, and it was a longitudinally mounted warp core.

The way I see it, the more thought you put into something like this, the more fun the whole process becomes. My goal from the beginning was to create a "functional" starship design, not just an artistic set piece. I hope I've succeeded at both. Thanks for the comments.

Those protruding ridges that sit on the underside of the saucer are the one bit of this design I have never liked. I would have ended them a lot sooner, not going much past the level of the bridge. Theyre too thin and oddly shaped to add strength or justify windows and rooms. They look even more extraneous with the saucer removed, leaving them out on their own.

To be honest, I agree with you. As I was putting together the separated view the other night it really stood out to me how slender the "prong" hull sections really are. I'll put together a variant with shortened versions as you suggest, though I'm not willing to lose them altogether.

I think the standalone engineering section actually looks somewhat, hmm, "cooler" than the complete ship

It certainly has the benefit of being different. I included that hidden "neck" hull section as a sort of homage to more traditional "tall ship" designs (mainly, the Galaxy and Excelsior-classes).

...I think you should submit this to that Enterprise F design contest from ST-online

I just might.


~Belisarius
---------------------------
"All life is struggle, from first breath to last."
- Anonymous

 

[Belisarius]

Here's an update just for you, Axeman. Shorter "prongs," as requested.

(Note: click on the image to view the full-res version.)





~Belisarius
---------------------------
"All life is struggle, from first breath to last."
- Anonymous

 

[largo]

hmmm... on seeing the two, i think the longer prongs look better.
maybe its a cylon thing.

 

[Belisarius]

I agree...when the ship is unified. The shorter "prongs" definitely make the design look more balanced when separated, though. The compromise would be to have the prongs, themselves, separate at an aesthetically pleasing point. The forward portions of the hull segments would simply form "ridges" on the ventral surface of the saucer hull, while the engineering section's halves would feature geometry suitable to their size and location. Best of both worlds (no pun intended). I get the graceful long ventral lines of the original version, and the more balanced separated look of the variant.

Also, two new Type XII phaser arrays have been added. One to the forward (vertical) edge of the separated engineering section's "neck" hull structure. I realized pretty early on that the ship would have no phaser coverage forward when separated. Can't have that. Also added a short array to ventral surface of the neck structure. Obviously, both of these arrays would be totally concealed by the saucer and powered down until separation. Luckily, the nacelle pylon arrays give me dorsal, ventral, and aft coverage...so I won't have to make any changes there.


~J. D.

 

[Kaiser]

Here's an update just for you, Axeman. Shorter "prongs," as requested.

(Note: click on the image to view the full-res version.)





~Belisarius
---------------------------
"All life is struggle, from first breath to last."
- Anonymous

This version also looks nice

 

[Belisarius]

This version also looks nice

Thanks, Kaiser. I'm still working on a hybrid of the original and 2A. That may be the best combination of aesthetics and practicality.

Probably going to submit this to the STO contest.


~Belisarius
---------------------------
"All life is struggle, from first breath to last."
- Anonymous

 

[KNH]

...the short prongs now give me the idea of a weapon in the vein of 8472's bioships with beams meeting in the center for a big kablooie. I for one would approve of this.

 

[Kaiser]

This version also looks nice

Thanks, Kaiser. I'm still working on a hybrid of the original and 2A. That may be the best combination of aesthetics and practicality.

Probably going to submit this to the STO contest.


~Belisarius
---------------------------
"All life is struggle, from first breath to last."
- Anonymous

Your Welcome and Good Luck

 

[Belisarius]

Alrighty. Here's a WIP update of the hybrid separated configuration. Saucer keeps part of the engineering hull prongs, saving the separated view of the engineering hull from that overly-delicate look. Obviously, I haven't finished detailing the ventral surfaces of the saucer yet, so bear with me. Click on the image for full-res.




~Belisarius
---------------------------
"All life is struggle, from first breath to last."
- Anonymous

 

[Kaiser]

still looks good possible USS ENTERPRISE NCC OR NX- 1701-F to me

 

[publiusr]

One of the best Sovie make-overs out there.

Here is something you might want to try. Have the saucer atop that Enginnering section that is exposed, using it as an Excelsior styled layered neck.

Then the raised nacelle treatment with some of Atolms stepped nacelles from the other thread. I think that would look nice.

The bottom of the saucer might be able to have concentic elliptical circles, with the lower part of the saucer itslft as a massive planet scanning sensor below...

I love that engineering hull. You spent as much time on that than a lot of folks do on saucers. I like the cowling and detail in the side view just behind the deflectors.

 

[Belisarius]

Thanks for the comments. I'm not sure I'd like the draft of the design if I perched the saucer on the exposed engineering hull "neck"...she'd be really tall. Disproportionate, despite her overall length. As for the nacelles...I love Atolm's work, but I wouldn't borrow them without his permission, and since I'm submitting this to the STO contest, I need to use my own designs anyway. On the other hand, I would love to see this design done on paper by someone of Atolm's skill. I certainly don't have a steady hand for that kind of thing anymore.

The bottom of the saucer is pretty much set. There are multiple recessed sections for viewports, since the saucer's ventral surface is essentially flat (save the engineering hull "prongs"). Changing it that much would essentially change the overall design. That goes beyond variant. At this point, I've still got my hands full getting the Legacy-class fully realized, but I appreciate the suggestion.

The engineering hull is something I doodled in a college notebook years ago. It must've stuck in my head because I implemented it in this design first, then went through all my old notebooks, just getting rid of junk, and found something very similar after the fact. It was an odd feeling...seeing the genesis of the design in a different form I hadn't consciously remembered. The geometry of the hull, most noticeable around the deflector, is really inspired by fighter jet airframe design and engine nozzles. I wanted this ship to have a more techno-organic look than the Sovereign class...and other than the general shape of the saucer (which is more elongated) and the engineering section from the side view, it stands apart. The main shuttlebay is meant to evoke memories of the Constitution-class analog, and the deflector (however much it may look like Sovereign's) pays homage to the refit Connie. Much of the engineering section, and design elements like the edge phaser array (foregoing normal dorsal/ventral array configuration) and rotary torpedo launchers, are my own. I wouldn't call the design a Sovvie make-over, necessarily, though it is influenced by the Sovereign-class, as well as Galaxy, Constitution, Excelsior, Intrepid, and several others.

I'd like to think she stands on her own.


~Belisarius
---------------------------
"All life is struggle, from first breath to last."
- Anonymous

 

[publiusr]

I understand. I was thinking a much wider saucer and longer nacelles.
In the design you have, the nacelles need to be lowered as you have them, in that it keeps the design you have in the contest compact and agressive.

I just thought it would be a nice neck for a larger ship you might do at a later time with higher, longer nacelles and a perception type long, wide saucer.

Often times a saucer has more thought put into it than the secondary hull tacked underneath. For a top mount saucer design, the prongs might form a deflector dish encircling cowl with weapons at the tips...not unlike Ent -B's hull more more extreme.

 

[The Inquisitor]

What a superb design! The ventral escape pods are perfect and the separated hull/saucer sections look fantastic, especially the one with the spindly protrusions at the front. Its a fresh design that keeps true to the known and loved designs of previous vessels.

At the beginning of the thread QSS was discussed but no/thing is mentioned about it on the tech specs. Does it have QSS or did you decide against it. Regardless, good work.

 

[The Axeman]

I still think the short prong version is best!

 

[Belisarius]

At the beginning of the thread QSS was discussed but no/thing is mentioned about it on the tech specs. Does it have QSS or did you decide against it. Regardless, good work.

Thanks for the comments/compliments. Much appreciated. To answer your question, I did decide against Slipstream in the end. It just seemed too over the top. Not saying she couldn't be outfitted with the technology, but I decided to use conventional propulsion for the time being.

I still think the short prong version is best!

You would.


~Belisarius
---------------------------
"All life is struggle, from first breath to last."
- Anonymous

 

[The Inquisitor]

Cheers for getting back to me. Do you have a dedicated website with other designs on? I would be interested in seeing more if your work.

 

[sojourner]

I just saw the "long prong" version and my first thought was "how does the saucer actually come out of there?". You would actually have to make the long prongs hinge or something. So kudos for making the prongs shorter!

 

[Belisarius]

Cheers for getting back to me. Do you have a dedicated website with other designs on? I would be interested in seeing more if your work.

No problem. I try to answer as many questions/comments as possible. Actually, I haven't really done much of this for years. All my old stuff is less than presentable. Perhaps, if I continue in this vein, I'll be able to justify my own site. As of now, I just have doodlings and such that probably shouldn't see the light of day.

I just saw the "long prong" version and my first thought was "how does the saucer actually come out of there?". You would actually have to make the long prongs hinge or something. So kudos for making the prongs shorter!

I'm not a big fan of the short prong version, to be honest. Screws with the lines. My latest idea for solving the separation problem actually involves the prongs themselves separating near the engineering section. Basically, the forward sections of the prongs are part of the saucer hull, and the aft sections are part of the engineering hull. Only way I could keep both aesthetics and structural integrity.

So to have my cake and eat it, too...she has long prongs when the two hull sections are connected, and short engineering prongs when separated.


~Belisarius
---------------------------
"All life is struggle, from first breath to last."
- Anonymous