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

Christopher said:
I know it's pretty much unprecedented in Trek, but just once I'd like to see a shuttlecraft with the following:

1) Seat harnesses. The things crash every other week, so you'd think they'd have some kind of passenger restraint system.
[...]
3) A bathroom. On all these long-range shuttle missions I have to wonder how the heck they're dealing with that.
The thing is, when you see yourself hurtling at warp speed into a planet, the need for a bathroom passes pretty much before you can get the harness loose...
 
Christopher said:
I know it's pretty much unprecedented in Trek, but just once I'd like to see a shuttlecraft with the following:

1) Seat harnesses. The things crash every other week, so you'd think they'd have some kind of passenger restraint system.
2) An airlock. What the heck kind of spaceship doesn't have an airlock? (Although ENT shuttlepods did have them.)
3) A bathroom. On all these long-range shuttle missions I have to wonder how the heck they're dealing with that.

Maybe shuttles have a equivalent of those slide out toilets like the 1701-A in STV, or perhaps there is a fold down unit behind a bulkhead panel? With transporter tech, there is no need for a bulky plumbing system.
 
SeerSGB said:
Maybe shuttles have a equivalent of those slide out toilets like the 1701-A in STV, or perhaps there is a fold down unit behind a bulkhead panel? With transporter tech, there is no need for a bulky plumbing system.

What about privacy? I mean, honestly, given that shuttlecraft are not that different in size from a motor home or RV, why couldn't the designers have equipped them with similar interior features?

Frankly, ST shuttles are just about the worst-designed spacecraft ever, their designs based more on the convenience and economy of filmmakers than on any kind of practical aerodynamics or spaceflight logistics. There's just no sane reason to build a spacecraft without an airlock on every single hatch. Sure, you've got forcefields in the Trekverse, but every sensible design includes backups in case of power failure.

And what was the deal with those slowly descending ramps on the backs of late-TNG and VGR shuttles? That's hardly practical. I think they only designed them that way so that they could roll a camera inside a shuttlecraft mockup when necessary.
 
Re: Bathrooms

I have a theory that, with SF crews eating mostly replicated stuff, and our medical knowledge of the time, theoretically, it would be possible that through chemicals/nutrients on the molecular level in all replicated food matter, that there is like .01% that the body converts to waste - IE the food is more efficient - and thus, the need for such facilities is less frequent - maybe a once every few days or a week thing.

*shrug*
 
^^It just can't work that way. The body needs bulk food and roughage to pass through its digestive system as a means of removing chemical wastes and toxins, and it would take extensive genetic engineering to give a human being a digestive system that could function in any way other than the one it's evolved for.

Besides, replicated food still has just as much bulk as other food, so if the same amount is going in and far less is going out, then everyone would keep getting fatter and fatter.
 
Christopher said:
^^It just can't work that way. The body needs bulk food and roughage to pass through its digestive system as a means of removing chemical wastes and toxins, and it would take extensive genetic engineering to give a human being a digestive system that could function in any way other than the one it's evolved for.

Besides, replicated food still has just as much bulk as other food, so if the same amount is going in and far less is going out, then everyone would keep getting fatter and fatter.
There are heads on shuttles, we just don't see them. The Delta Flyer had one between the fore and aft compartments, and the runabouts have one by the side hatch, IIRC. The smaller shuttles probably have one in the aft compartment but if they don't it shouldn't be a problem since the smaller ones are designed as short range supplementary craft.
 
^^In theory, yes, but we've seen numerous episodes (especially in VGR and ENT) where people took small shuttles on missions that lasted for days -- shuttles that obviously didn't have any kind of aft compartment or hidden sections. That's what got me wondering about this.
 
^^In theory, yes, but we've seen numerous episodes (especially in VGR and ENT) where people took small shuttles on missions that lasted for days -- shuttles that obviously didn't have any kind of aft compartment or hidden sections. That's what got me wondering about this.
Judicious use of precision transporters....
 
Here are a set of quick sketches of shuttle ideas. I will be sketching
up new designs based off of these.

Shuttles2.jpg
 
I like the upper-left, upper-right and bottom-center ones the most. I personally don't like the "hooked nose" design very much, but that's just me. They seem like they wouldn't land very well and are wasting cargo space.

That being said, I think that the new shuttlecraft should have an updated look to them, a combination of old and new. You're doing a great job with that. Keep up the good work!
 
Top-right and bottom-left, IMO.

Sean, as you get further along in your shuttle design, would you mind if I posted them in my Titan guide?
 
Go for it, but remember they aren't official, unless
Marco or the Powers that be want to make them official.


I am still planning on fleshing out the Captain's Skiff.

That will be official since we already see her shape on
the bottom of the saucer.
 
There is a significant problem with designing new shuttlecraft for the Titan unless the crew build one themselves.

In the rules for the competition, it was stated that Titan had eight shuttles of various sizes, which was nice and vague. However, IIRC, in The Red KIng the shuttles (with the exception of the captain's yacht) were all type-11 shuttles.

By all means, correct me if I'm wrong, but that would put the crimps in new designs without a big retcon.
 
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