FAO: Rick Sternbach Prometheus Class question

Discussion in 'Trek Tech' started by N1N, Aug 16, 2009.

  1. N1N

    N1N Lieutenant Junior Grade Red Shirt

    Joined:
    May 22, 2009
    Does anyone know the location of the torpedo launchers on the Prometheus Class and how many there are?
    I also read the "DESIGNING THE PROMETHEUS-CLASS" article from the march issue (no. 45) of the star trek magazine and it stated that there were "new pop-up torpedo launchers" on the Prometheus, does anyone know if this is true? And if so where they are?
     
  2. Rick Sternbach

    Rick Sternbach Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Feb 11, 2002
    There are two pop-up launchers on the dorsal spine; the exits are hexagonal in shape. I'll have to go back into the stacks to see how many regular launchers are there, but I suspect I put at least one normal tube on each of the three separable parts.

    Rick
    www.spacemodelsystems.com
     
  3. N1N

    N1N Lieutenant Junior Grade Red Shirt

    Joined:
    May 22, 2009
    Wow thats really cool, kinda like a nuclear sub style torpedo launch system. What made you decided to put those in?
    Also what are those two rectangles just behind the front ventral phaser arrays?
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2009
  4. Saquist

    Saquist Commodore

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2009
    Location:
    Starbase Houston
    Prometheus had 18 phaser arrays
    -40 identifiable docking latches

    The Saucer Section:
    -6 phaser arrays
    -2 Forward firing torpedo launchers
    -6 Long/Short Range Lateral Sensor Pallettes
    -12 Short Range Printed sensor arrays.
    -14 Lifeboats
    -92 view ports
    -4 RCS thruster clusters
    2 Impulse engines
    2 Warp engines

    Problems

    The Ventral Star Drive:

    -8 phaser arrays
    -1 forward torpedo tube
    -Primary Deflector
    -10 Transporter emitters
    -8 Lifeboats
    -74 view ports
    2 RCS thruster clusters
    2 Impulse Engines
    2 Warp Nacelles

    Problems
    The Dorsal Star Drive:
    -1 nose Deflector
    -4 phaser arrays
    -2 dorsal torpedo launchers (according to Rick Sternbach
    -2 Short Range Sensor arrays Dorsal/Ventral Printed Arrays
    -2 forward torpedo launchers
    -30 Docking receptors
    -1 shuttle bay
    -32 view ports
    2 RCS thrusters
    2 impulse engines
    2 Warp nacelles

    Problems
    SaQ Summary:

    Prometheus has more weapons than any Federation starship EVER. Problematicly, for a full Starship it lacks alot of aft weaponry and thrusters clusters.

    Model Technicalities:
    The Model is highly molded, a simple mesh, with little surface features. It could have used additional sensor pallettes, transporter emiters on the dorsal side and perhaps some further umbilicals. Lifeboats are also in short supply.

    One should keep in mind that Propetheus' lack of surface detail may have more to do with the ablative armor it was supposedly equiped with. However armor is always best applied to hull with as few through holes as possible (Defiant). Prometheus still has a quite a few ports and hard points spread pretty evenly over the surface.

    It's not as well designed as the Galaxy or the Intrepid. It is better designed than the Sovereign (amazing considering the short amount of time a series would dedicate to this task as opposed a movie) The model doesn't have many of the finishing errors the Sovereign had it merely has lackings. Originally I thought this was merely a badly designed ship but the truth is in the details. It's clear the Prometheus was designed to work as a whole. The independent sections weren't designed to opperate continuously seperated. Together they have what is required.
     
    Last edited: Aug 21, 2009
  5. Rick Sternbach

    Rick Sternbach Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Feb 11, 2002
    I was inspired by the cruise missile and standard SM-3 launchers on ships like the Aegis cruisers. If you're talking about the little bitty rectangles on the underside, I have no idea. Miscellaneous details we didn't have time to, er, detail. :)

    Rick
    www.spacemodelsystems.com
     
  6. N1N

    N1N Lieutenant Junior Grade Red Shirt

    Joined:
    May 22, 2009
    Sorry i mean the ones on the dorsal side, i couldnt edit my message to change what i put. :lol:
    Did you find out how many launchers were on the the ship?
    Also how close is what you drew to the final cgi production?
     
  7. Rick Sternbach

    Rick Sternbach Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Feb 11, 2002
    If you mean the big shapes with the 5-6 ribs, those are SIF reinforcement emitters. Still no idea on total launchers, sorry; busy with Real Life. The CGI version is very close. Usually, the CG modelers put in 99.9% of the details I provided in sketches and blueprints. The final detail shapes weren't always dimensionally exact with the blueprints, but if they looked essentially correct to the eye, that was all we needed. Remember, we were on an episodic TV schedule, which was crazy-making. Stuff that was meant to be CAD-perfect to .001" tolerance had to wait until, say, the plastic model companies got involved.