U.S.S. TITAN -- THE WINNER!

[Skywalker]

You know, when I first saw it I didn't really like it all that much. It seemed too much like an Akira derivative, and I'm not a very big fan of the Akira's design. But after looking at the full-size images (why are the images on the page so freaking compressed? It makes it difficult to see the details!), and examining it a bit closer, I've come to like it.

It's nothing like what I was picturing when I read Taking Wing, but that's probably a good thing. It definitely looks like a Starfleet ship, similar to a lot of their other designs but different enough to stand on its own. Good job and congratulations, Sean.

So would it be safe to say that the Luna is to the Sovereign as the Nebula is to the Galaxy? Because that's the kind of vibe I'm getting when I look at this thing.

Posted by Aaron McGuire:
I want one. Put me down for the Ganymede.

Aaron McGuire

Dibs on the Oberon!

 

[Captain Daniel]

yeah, but iirc, it was mentioned as being a side-on collision...

Ok, I don't have my copy with me to refresh my memory about what happened and that had slipped my mind, but yeah, it would be a little hard for a ship to hit the secondary hull side on

 

[Julio Angel Ortiz]

Posted by captcalhoun:
okay plot hole/design problem...

someone wanna explain how that reman ship could collide with the titan's secondary hull in taking wing when those huge nacelles are in the way?

IIRC, the Titan was struck in mid-turn, so I read it as from the side, but remember, the shields were up. I believe the shields held, but the ship was rocked pretty hard, and Vale even comments later on to Ra-Havreii (sic?) something to the effect that he should be proud of that fact.

 

[Christopher]

Okay... on p. 304, the ship is said to be closing on Titan's port bow (which means from ahead and left, between ten and eleven o'clock), but then pulls away. It explodes, Titan changes course to evade the debris, but a chunk of it collides with the ship. We aren't told which direction the ship turns in or which direction the impact comes from. But on p. 306, Jaza reports that there's a minor hull breach on deck 5, which would have to be either the saucer or the upper portion of the rear hull. Nowhere near the nacelles. So there's no contradiction here.

 

[JD]

Posted by Marco Palmieri:
^I'll let you after we've figured that out.

Let me know??

 

[Bobatiel]

Very fine design and congratulations on winning the contest!

A definate Starfleet look and consistent with other ships which is a good thing.

I can't wait to see it in various 3D paerspectives!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Posted by Captain X:
Then why not put the bridge at the center of the saucer and totally protect it as is best possible?

That's what shields are for.

 

[captcalhoun]

right, okay, thank you. it's been a while since i read it and i forgot exactly what happened and hadn't actually looked in detail at the events.

 

[Praetor]

I think you're missing the point of CaptainX's observation about how Trek tech/combat must work. With Trek tech, there must be no point in putting the bridge in the center of the ship, otherwise it would have been done as far back as Enterprise. Apparently hull plating/shields offer the only real protection for a starship, and once it's gone they're doomed. I would assumed sinking the bridge down a bit (a la Defiant) or putting catamarans on either side in this case would only serve to block fire from certain directions or reduce the profile, but assumedly the technological rules are still there, as bridges are still being put on top of starships. It's basically a rule derived in the Trek world to account for real-world reasoning (people need to see the bridge to scale the ship).

 

[Emissary of the Prophets]

Posted by Edward Jellico:
Since Sean is the Designer of the Luna Class Starship, maybe he can have a namecheck in a future novel as a Luna Class Captain, maybe the Luna itself?

i was just thinking a similar sort of thing myself. I f not as a Luna Class captain, how about a Titan crewmember.

 

[Doctor Phlox]

Posted by Trent_Roman:

Posted by Doctor Phlox:
I think it's ugly. I guess I was expecting something a bit more classic. Oh, well.

Such as? If you're going to be that dismissive, at least detail what you would have prefered.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

Alright then. I always pictured the ship as more streamlined, an extension of the Intrepid and Sovereign designs. I also expected the design to begin to foreshadow the Enterprise-J. I also don't care for the low naccelles. It's just ugly.

 

[Marco Palmieri]

RatBoy, Thanks for updated plaque! I'll be sure to share it with the judges and the various authors! :thumbsup:

Edward Jellico, Thank you. I know space is three-dimensional, and I know a bridge, logically, ought to be set inside a ship. But the goal here is not to "fix" what's wrong with the ST universe. It is, as I said, about creating something that fits within its established conceits and its stylistic precedents. And going by those conceits and precedents, it seems to me that Sean's adaptations are reasonable and consistent.

foravalon, My hope is for a wiremesh rendering, yes.

Randy1012, I hope to have less compressed image up on the page sometime next week. Sorry about that.

Ens. Brodsky, Oops. Yeah, I meant to write "let you know."

 

[S. Gomez]

I think the ship is very nice. It follows the standard design pattern with Starfleet ships, while keeping it fairly fresh and cool. Good work!

 

[Christopher]

Posted by Doctor Phlox:
Alright then. I always pictured the ship as more streamlined, an extension of the Intrepid and Sovereign designs. I also expected the design to begin to foreshadow the Enterprise-J.

Keep in mind that it was initially developed before the Dominion War and then put on hold. So it makes sense that it would look like something prior or parallel to those designs, rather than a descendant them.

I also don't care for the low naccelles. It's just ugly.

I didn't like the design at first, but it's really grown on me. Give it another chance.

 

[Bobatiel]

Posted by Doctor Phlox:
I also expected the design to begin to foreshadow the Enterprise-J.

Curious as to why you'd make such an assumption.

I also don't care for the low naccelles. It's just ugly.

I prefer the higher nacelles. The low nacelles have always reminded me of Klingon design ever since I first saw the Reliant in TWOK. I'm getting used to them now, but I wouldn't go so far as to call them ugly. In fact, I fell in love with the Nebula class ship as shown at the very end of Generations

 

[Turtletrekker]

Posted by Bobatiel:

Posted by Doctor Phlox:
I also expected the design to begin to foreshadow the Enterprise-J.

Curious as to why you'd make such an assumption.

Me too. Why would a 24th century ship possibly be expected to foreshadow a 26th century ship?

 

[JD]

Posted by Marco Palmieri:
Ens. Brodsky, Oops. Yeah, I meant to write "let you know."

Thats what I figured, but I just wanted to make sure I was understanding you correctly.

 

[Skywalker]

Posted by Marco Palmieri:
Randy1012, I hope to have less compressed image up on the page sometime next week. Sorry about that.

No problemo, Marco. You can see the full-size images by right-clicking on them and going to "View Image" (the ship looks so much better when you can make everything out), it's just not as convenient.

::is anxious to see what the runners-up look like::

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Posted by Q420:

Posted by Bobatiel:

Posted by Doctor Phlox:
I also expected the design to begin to foreshadow the Enterprise-J.

Curious as to why you'd make such an assumption.

Me too. Why would a 24th century ship possibly be expected to foreshadow a 26th century ship?

Besides, the Enterprise-J was from a timeline which will never actually exist (since the Sphere Builders were defeated in "Zero Hour" and the Expanse was destroyed). The 'real' Ent-J may look quite different than the one in "Azati Prime".

 

[S. Gomez]

While we're on the subject (off-topic or not), does anyone else find it kind of funny that there's only 4 ships named Enterprise commissioned between 'modern' Trek and that alternate future? Especially considering the huge influx of ships named Enterprise.

Think about it:
The first starship named Enterprise is the NX-01. As far as we know, the next starship to bear the name is launched about a century later (ie. NCC-1701--that's *one hundred* years). That ship is later destroyed and the Ent-A is commissioned directly after. That one gets decommissioned and then the Ent-B is launched fairly shortly later. Presumably, the same thing happens here, and the Ent-C comes out shortly after the B. Then *they* buy the farm at Narendra III and it's a bit longer than usual (but not too much) between them and the D. D gets the axe, and the E comes in.

Now, consider this: that's SIX ships named Enterprise in the space of about a century (1701 launched in 2245 and the Ent-E launched in 2370-something; can't remember exactly). So why are there only FOUR ships (G, H, I, J) launched in twice the amount of time? Obviously, this is something of a moot point since that timeline never comes about, but it does seem funny. Almost like it was 'fashionable' or 'in' to call a new ship Enterprise.

Just thought it was cool.