Torpedo:

[In_Correct]

The original Enterprise design has almost invisible torpedo bays in the star drive section (above the navigational deflector, or meteorite beam, whatever they call it at that time ... basically an exposed "satellite dish")

but it also has almost invisible torpedo bays in the saucer section?!

In the TOS Films they have completely visible torpedo bays just above the blue navigational deflector or meteorite beam but they do not fire any torpedos from the saucer section. Actually I am not sure if any other ship has Saucer Torpedos. The Miranda Class appears to have a small star drive section (with obvious torpedo bays) above the saucer section, but I do not think this is supposed to be a part of the saucer section. I am not sure where the Constellation Class torpedo bays are located,

but the Galaxy Class and Intrepid Class do not appear to have ever launched torpedoes from the saucer section.

Can somebody help me with this?

 

[F. King Daniel]

We only ever saw the TOS Enterprise fire torpedoes from just above the lower dome on the saucer. Never anywhere else, although dialogue in episodes indicated at least 4 torpedo tubes.
The photon torpedo FX were originally the first phaser FX, and seen first in "Balance of Terror". Later phasers were made into beam weapons and the detonation ability passed on to photons.

Enterprise NX-01 had at least four visible forward torpedo tubes in it's lower saucer.

 

[scotpens]

The original Enterprise design has almost invisible torpedo bays in the star drive section (above the navigational deflector, or meteorite beam, whatever they call it at that time ... basically an exposed "satellite dish")

Based on what? The TOS Enterprise was a "smooth" design. It had no obvious torpedo launchers or phaser emitters. And no visible airlock hatches or docking ports either.

 

[In_Correct]

Based on for some reason I remember torpedoes being launched from there.

 

[Spot261]

Balance of Terror has them seemingly coming from the sensor dome on the bottom of the saucer section, albeit it is somewhat vague due to the SFX and could be the upper portion of the neck, not got the remastered version to hand.

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[Sgt_G]

It's really hard to tell, but to me it looks like they all come out from the blue dome on the bottom of the saucer. The first one comes from the front, the second from the starboard side, and the last from the rear. I guess if there was a fourth torp, it would have come out on the left side of the dome.

 

[publiusr]

Growing up, I always assumed that lower dome was a huge crystal emitter.

 

[Albertese]

... although dialogue in episodes indicated at least 4 torpedo tubes.
....

Dialogue suggest at least six torpedo launchers.

From "Journey to Babel":

CHEKOV: Fire control locked into the computers, Captain.
KIRK: On my order, fire photon torpedoes two, four and six. Widest possible scatter.
CHEKOV: Aye, sir.
KIRK: Fire.
CHEKOV: Full spread missed, sir. They're moving too fast for us.

--Alex

 

[F. King Daniel]

I stand corrected. Was probably thinking of the "torpedo bay 4" plaque in Wrath of Khan.

 

[Timo]

There remains some ambiguity as to whether "torpedo 6" refers to tube 6 or projectile 6; we could still be talking about a single-barrel weapon here.

Yet taking "Journey to Babel" in connection with "The Changeling", another episode featuring a numbered torpedo, we can probably dismiss the "projectile" option: Kirk orders "torpedo 2" without giving Sulu any lead time to shuffle his projectiles, which Sulu has already loaded and armed as ordered.

Giving Kirk's ship six or more tubes sounds a logical upgunning vis-á-vis Archer's four forward and two aft tubes; "In a Mirror, Darkly" indirectly suggests Kirk might have at least a couple of aft tubes, too. And ENT makes a good job of establishing guns hidden by gunports; the hiding might become more refined in the intervening century, for whatever reason (today, we get smoother aircraft skins for stealth, while yesterday we got those for aerodynamics).

Clustering the weapons around the domes might be Starfleet's preference if the domes remain sensors as traditionally thought but specifically work as fire control sensors. A weapons cluster is associated with the saucer bottom dome and (in "In a Mirror, Darkly") with the shuttlebay top dome; a further cluster might exist near the top dome, even if the only beam emerging from anywhere near is from TAS "One of Our Planets".

Timo Saloniemi

 

[BJ Wagner]

This is definitely one of the things I wish the remastered episodes would have cleared up, despite the uproar it probably would have caused. It would have been nice to see proper torpedo tudes added just above the lower dome.

I remember seeing a nice CG model of the Enterprise someone did for New Voyages or Continues a couple years ago that had new tubes added, but I haven't been able to find the images.

 

[uniderth]

This is definitely one of the things I wish the remastered episodes would have cleared up, despite the uproar it probably would have caused. It would have been nice to see proper torpedo tudes added just above the lower dome.

I remember seeing a nice CG model of the Enterprise someone did for New Voyages or Continues a couple years ago that had new tubes added, but I haven't been able to find the images.

No. I would have preferred a proper remastering rather than a retconning to put our fan theories to rest. I like that we don't have all the answers spoon fed to us and get to use our imaginations for a change.

 

[Tenacity]

the hiding might become more refined in the intervening century, for whatever reason

Hard for a new enemy to target your weapons if they can't figure out where they are.