Chris

Agreed. Too bad that Enterprise record player was just a mock up, and not the real thing.

So, if you could take any ship out for a quick hop, which would you pick to pilot?

lyb42

How far am I going, under what circumstances, and do I have to pick something from the "official" Trekiverse or can I design my own based loosely on a 1965 Kombi? If you're going to insist on canonical vessels, I'm partial to the Miranda class.

Chris

Kombi - Volkswagon camper bus

or

Combi - aircraft that can be used for passenger or cargo ?

The Reliant was Miranda class, wasn't it? I'm partial to Voyager myself. Seems like a good all purpose ship.

lyb42

Chris

A real sun roof.

crazy_diamond

though the Enterprise-D was the best

lyb42

Just you wait until I finish putting the "E5C4P3" together (or drawing her, at any rate)...

What would the registry be for a slightly post-TNG civilian vessel, anyway?

As you can see, it's a long way off...And I'm probably setting myself up as a nerd among nerds...

Chris

You've certainly put some thought into it. You're quite the sketch artist. Like that you've included a bathroom. Single bunks ... so there's room for a first officer. Does the designation E5C4P3 have any significance?

lyb42

E5C4P3 wouldn't realistically have any significance in the 24th century, but it does in the early 1980s... Go look through your Journey albums I'm thinking a "crew" of four. Maybe room for a hitchhiker. The idea is for a family "road trip" in a Trek setting. The upper deck is essentially an old-school VW camper-bus (plus el baño), while the lower deck handles engineering matters. I'm still trying to think of ways for the propulsion and other engineering to be based on Federation warp-style tech, but be subtly different in fundamental ways. Think of it like a low-budget Delta Flyer, where a ship barely bigger than a shuttle craft is the main vessel, and unconventional means are used to handle matters with well-established solutions because the conventional resources aren't there. I've been using a kombi as a springboard because, for one thing, VW did use unconventional tech in innovative ways (mostly the drive train, but not exclusively). I also confess I'm a Volks-Nut who does actually drive a '65 bus, and I would love to see conversations like:

"Bob, you can't drive this like you do your average starship. You have to ramp up the reaction and then gently engage the nacelles or you'll overload the injectors and have to reinitialize!"
"So...goose the throttle and then ease off the clutch or I'll kill it?"

Star Trek has been about Space Cowboys, Space Philosophers, a Space Soap Opera (DS9, anyone?), Lost in Space, and New Kids on the Block in Space. They've never really explored the Federation itself. Isn't it time for "Griswolds in Space"?

Chris

hmm ... can't remember if I have any Journey.

I don't know, the Delta Flyer wouldn't have been too much bigger, would it? Looks like you've got efficient use of space, maneuverabilty(sp?) and could whip right into the tiniest parking space, or space dock.

lyb42

I was thinking today that, when the nacelles extend, they should flop down to a negative camber like a VW's rear wheels do when it's hoisted up, and maybe raise themselves to a positive camber when in use. Since a ship like this would likely have less-than-beefy inertial dampers, it would necessarily have an extraordinarily slow acceleration capability. Once to speed, however, it would be able to almost keep pace with most of the traffic roaming the cosmos. Anyone have any grand ideas on how to do that without warp, transwarp, or hyperspace? Or maybe just a REALLY pared-down version of warp...?

I was also thinking that the Griswolds probably aren't the best example of a Federation family. Maybe the Huxtables--you know; a smart, professional mom holds the family together; a caring and involved father who knows a thing or two more than his kids (understandably) give him credit for; and kids that don't have to be disrespectful, brainless jackasses in order to get laughs or have realistic problems. On the other hand, it might be fun to have at least one occupant be abnormally tall to accommodate the obligatory "VWs are not roomy" jokes.

Chris

um, you're getting a little too technical for me. But yes, it's nice to have decent acceleration, especially if you're trying to get out of a jam.

Just as today, there will be all kinds of families in space. Having said that, hopefully there's more Huxtable style families than Griswold style families in the future.

crazy_diamond

great sketching there lyb42

lyb42

Thank you, that's kind of you both to say. Entirely too kind, I think, but I'm not about to complain about kindness. I've always been a compulsive doodler, but I used to be a lot better at it. Here's more:

Chris

hehe ... tail lights and licence plates seem odd in space. Guess the tail lights would come in handy while in port. And it's not likely governments will give up the revenue from licencing fees.