Voyager's variable geometry pylon

[JesterFace]

As we know, before going to warp speed Voyager must "raise" it's nacelles.

The thing that got me thinking, why, apart from a "cool" thing before warp, must the nacelles be put into a different position when on impulse? Why not just keep them in one place all the time?

 

[Melakon]

I'm sure there's some technobabbly explanation for it all, perhaps involving inverse radiation fields or some such nonsense.

 

[mos6507]

This was a design (besides trying to look cool) meant to minimize the damage warp-drive makes to sub-space ala the TNG episode "Force of Nature". Over time this episode kind of got ret-conned out of canon so other newer ship designs didn't have the movable nacelles. If you want to keep the episode in canon then the newer ships just found some other way to limit damage, as the warp-5 speed limit is kind of tough to deal with.

 

[SimpleLogic]

I think some where it said that they could be adjusted for better performance as well but the show just made them go up for warp and down for impulse.

 

[Melakon]

Being a fan of 20th century nostalgia, Tom Paris was known to paraphrase Sammy Hagar when he'd say "I can't drive-- war-arp five!"

 

[F. King Daniel]

As we know, before going to warp speed Voyager must "raise" it's nacelles.

The thing that got me thinking, why, apart from a "cool" thing before warp, must the nacelles be put into a different position when on impulse? Why not just keep them in one place all the time?

IIRC from A Vision of the Future, TPTB decreed that moving parts were a must during the design process. I think the intent was to sell toys.

 

[trekshark]

it would have prevented some of the re-use of effects shots but it would have been cool if they moved to different positions depending on warp speed

 

[Captain Kathryn]

I like raised nacelles. Raised nacelles are cool.

Oh wait, wrong show.

Anyway, I am not too good at the technobabbly stuff, but I like the way it looks!

 

[publiusr]

Nacelles should be high and proud...ahem

 

[T'Girl]

As we know, before going to warp speed Voyager must "raise" it's nacelles.

The idea (as mentioned) is to avoid damaging subspace.

However I wonder if Voyager could go to warp with the nacelles in the lower position? If they had to, if the machinery was defective, if they were willing to damage subspace.

Could they?

 

[CorporalCaptain]

This was a design (besides trying to look cool) meant to minimize the damage warp-drive makes to sub-space ala the TNG episode "Force of Nature".

Do you have a source for this?

 

[cardinal biggles]

I always thought Voyager looked better with the nacelles in the flat position rather than the raised position.

 

[T'Girl]

Do you have a source for this?

While not canon, it is mentioned in the Voyager technical manual.

 

[Tosk]

Of course, there's quite a bit of stuff in the tech manuals that is total bull-plop.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Do you have a source for this?

While not canon, it is mentioned in the Voyager technical manual.

Thanks, found it. It's on page 12 of Sternbach and Okuda's unpublished work from 1995.

 

[T'Girl]

... there's quite a bit of stuff in the tech manuals that is total bull-plop.

Couldn't disagree more.

 

[Tosk]

I bet you could.

 

[JJohnson]

... there's quite a bit of stuff in the tech manuals that is total bull-plop.

Couldn't disagree more.

I would go half-and-half on some of the tech manuals. I thoroughly enjoyed the TNG Tech Manual. But apparently, the DS9 Technical Manual has inaccuracies that weren't checked, like the starship sizes and scales, amongst other things. Overall though, I love pouring through background info in tech manuals. It makes the universe feel more real and lived-in.

 

[F. King Daniel]

... there's quite a bit of stuff in the tech manuals that is total bull-plop.

Couldn't disagree more.

I would go half-and-half on some of the tech manuals. I thoroughly enjoyed the TNG Tech Manual. But apparently, the DS9 Technical Manual has inaccuracies that weren't checked, like the starship sizes and scales, amongst other things. Overall though, I love pouring through background info in tech manuals. It makes the universe feel more real and lived-in.

Although I enjoy the tech manuals for fleshing out the Trek universe, much of them are "bull plop" - particularly the TNG manual's insistence that warp speed in TNG is faster than TOS, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, and saying that phasers cannot be fired at warp, again directly and senselessly conflicting with TOS.

I prefer the more "fun" manuals, like Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise and FASA's TNG Officer's Manual to the dry technobabble of the TNG and DS9 technical manuals.

 

[SPCTRE]

IIRC from A Vision of the Future, TPTB decreed that moving parts were a must during the design process. I think the intent was to sell toys.

Voyager wasn't able to change into a truck and/or robot, though. Missed opportunity if you ask me.