Oberth class
- Thread starter Kaziarl
- Start date
The short answer is that they never really established how it's done. The long answer, well, there'll be a massive debate along shortly, I'm going to go hide in a closet.
There's a dimensional rift in the back of his throat, it's also how he can eat so much and not get fat like garfield.It's one of the mysteries of the Trek universe.Kind of like how in Garfield, it's not clear where Odie's tongue goes when he closes his mouth.
lol, if it gets bad i might consider that as well.
IMHO: The secondary hull is nothing but a giant sensor pod, not unlike a TARPS recon pod hung under an F-14. There are no people in it under normal operational circumstances. Maintenance during a mission can be carried out via beaming or Jefferies tube, but should normally be put off until they can get to a shipyard or starbase.
Yeah, I know we may have seen occupied decks down there on the show, but it makes no sense to me. Those pylons are too thin and awkward for any kind of turbolift access. And being a science ship with (apparently) interchangeable pods, it makes perfect sense to me that they're just big fully-automatic unmanned sensor pods.
Yeah, I know we may have seen occupied decks down there on the show, but it makes no sense to me. Those pylons are too thin and awkward for any kind of turbolift access. And being a science ship with (apparently) interchangeable pods, it makes perfect sense to me that they're just big fully-automatic unmanned sensor pods.
Probably either a Jeffries tube or a turbolift. We really don't know how thick those pylons are.
There are no verified, canonized, established dimensions for the Oberth-class space vessel's overall size and components. So we don't know what the thickness of the pylons actually would be. Everything about it is so vague.
Think about it: what class of space vessel was the Grissom? In TMP3, nobody ever says. We just get the vague impression she is a "science vessel", whatever that is. So anything that's established about her is to be taken with a grain of salt.
I prefer to think that if you can selectively ignore aspects of this class of ship that were established during TNG, then why not imagine that the pylons are shaped/arranged slightly differently than what we saw, sufficiently to make operating room for tubolifts? If that revisionism seems unacceptable, then so should repudiating the TNG-era schematics. So it's a no-win situation.
Think about it: what class of space vessel was the Grissom? In TMP3, nobody ever says. We just get the vague impression she is a "science vessel", whatever that is. So anything that's established about her is to be taken with a grain of salt.
I prefer to think that if you can selectively ignore aspects of this class of ship that were established during TNG, then why not imagine that the pylons are shaped/arranged slightly differently than what we saw, sufficiently to make operating room for tubolifts? If that revisionism seems unacceptable, then so should repudiating the TNG-era schematics. So it's a no-win situation.
Or how Betty Boop can speak and eat without a chin.It's one of the mysteries of the Trek universe.
A person to travel to the pod is placed in a tranporter buffer capsule, wihch travels through a narrow tube to the transporter room of the pod, and vice versa, the next best thing to going through a meat grinder and being put back together. 
Of course the thing has at least one pylon passageaway, if not turbolift, with artifical gravity directed accordingly. And there might well be equipment and supplies in the pylons. If they really were all that narrow, they could use the type of manlift that is basically a moving ladder and capable of carrying people through pylons only a meter wide. Ones in use today could do that.
Of course the thing has at least one pylon passageaway, if not turbolift, with artifical gravity directed accordingly. And there might well be equipment and supplies in the pylons. If they really were all that narrow, they could use the type of manlift that is basically a moving ladder and capable of carrying people through pylons only a meter wide. Ones in use today could do that.
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Well, I haven't seen this question before, so I apologize for the inconvenience it's apparently caused you. I'm not in Trek Tech very often, so I'm not well versed in which topics are considered 'annoying.'
As for the others, thank you for the answers. I am thinking of using this class as a "Guest ship" in one of my stories.
Wingsley, I've always stuck with the Science vessel idea as it was stated for the USS Grissom. Although I'm sure it could be loaded with a different set of equipment, perhaps making it able to serve as a scout or border cutter. This is more plausible if we consider that one of the 'hulls' is an interchangeable pod like many believe the pod on the Nebula class is. So, then, which one would be the Hull, and which would be the Pod.
My vote would go to the lower section being the hull, as it is the one with the deflector. That seems, to me, to be a key piece of equipment that you wouldn't necessarily want to be switched out. Or course, thats just my opinion, what do others think?
LCARS 24, I concede to your expertise since you have done quite a few schematics. Wonderful work, btw. But how thick would the Pylons be? They have always 'seemed' small, especially compared to the rest of the ship, but what would the reality be? Considering the kind of power that has to move around the ship, especially to the nacelles, the power conduits themselves suggest to me that they need room. This would require a thicker pylon interior then a meter, would it not? Then of course you have how thick the hull itself is, but really its the interior that we're interested in. Or am I wrong in that assumption?
That's how I imagined it was for an Oberth-class. I figured that any maintenace or repairs would require an EVA anyway if it was crammed full of only sensors and perhaps the navigational deflector. Maybe even a number of Oberth-class ships had different modules/pods for specific missions like the Nebula-class does.
This figure puts basic pylon thickness center to center of hull plating at 2.96 meters if the Oberth has overall length of 160 m. At 150, the difference is small. So there's well over 2 meters of interior width, almost enough to travel on horseback.
Kaziarl, are you familiar with Jackill's books and plans? He postulates several alternate versions of the Oberth, substituting different lower pods for different missions - a torpedo pod, a hospital pod, a cargo pod, etc. To your question, it's pretty clear to me that the upper section is the "ship," while the lower would be the interchangeable part. The deflector could be included in each new pod. But we've also seen plenty of Trek ships with no obvious deflector.
Here's a model I built of the torpedo-pod version as put out by Starcrafts:
http://www.inpayne.com/models/starcrafts_asmodeus.html
Here's a model I built of the torpedo-pod version as put out by Starcrafts:
http://www.inpayne.com/models/starcrafts_asmodeus.html
Easy a turbolift
In a previous discussion of this issue, the general consensus of those who believed the pod should be manned and accessible was (1) either dedicated transporters connected via "land line" through the pylons from the primary hull to the pod, or (2) turbolifts in the pylons that rotated 90 degrees and rolled on their sides down the pylon to the pod.
Regarding the pod being manned, I'm sure someone will put up screenshots of that particular TNG episode where an Oberth was found in a nebula with the fronts of the primary hull and pod having been ripped off in some violent incident, and showing the decks. IIRC, there were four or five decks in the pod, with one or two of them being half again as tall as normal decks, suggesting cargo bays or labs or other specialized areas.
And I think there was also some interesting discussion of the finalized size of the Oberth-class, based on that deck count of the p-hull. Someone much more computer-savvy than I can probably find it.
Regarding the pod being manned, I'm sure someone will put up screenshots of that particular TNG episode where an Oberth was found in a nebula with the fronts of the primary hull and pod having been ripped off in some violent incident, and showing the decks. IIRC, there were four or five decks in the pod, with one or two of them being half again as tall as normal decks, suggesting cargo bays or labs or other specialized areas.
And I think there was also some interesting discussion of the finalized size of the Oberth-class, based on that deck count of the p-hull. Someone much more computer-savvy than I can probably find it.
Okay so if the lower hull/pod IS accessible, why would the access be limited to some two-meter (?) thick pylons?
If the ship was designed to be crew-accessible down there, why would it be designed with only thin pylon tube access?
I mean, there would have to be some design reason for NOT installing convention "interconnecting dorsal" or "neck" or similar Constitution-type structure.
Why would it be designed with severely limited physical access, if people were required to move between hulls?
If the ship was designed to be crew-accessible down there, why would it be designed with only thin pylon tube access?
I mean, there would have to be some design reason for NOT installing convention "interconnecting dorsal" or "neck" or similar Constitution-type structure.
Why would it be designed with severely limited physical access, if people were required to move between hulls?
Ex Astris has a good article on the subject:
http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/articles/oberth-size.htm
http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/articles/oberth-size.htm
