Whatever happened to the shuttlepods in TNG?

[Mark_Nguyen]

As an in-universe explanation, that is.

In TNG, the Enterprise started off with the curvaceous Type-7 shuttle. It existed both as an interior set and exterior set piece, but the latter was difficult to make look right and they eventually ended up having an awkward looking wall piece that they only ever shot from one side. To compensate, in the second season they came up with the Type-15 shuttlepod, which was smaller and angular, making it easy to shoot in and around both in the shuttlebay and whenever they needed it on a planet. This became the "stock" shuttle set they used whenever they needed to see it from the inside and outside.

In the fifth season of TNG, they introduced the Type-6 shuttle, which was slightly less angular AND slightly curvaceous, and could be moved around to shoot in various sets. A new shuttle interior was also created, which was slightly larger than that of the set piece, though the latter had enough detail to be used AS the shuttle for whenever they needed to shoot people entering and exiting the aft door. The interior set also ended up replacing the interior of the Type-7 shuttle, which was still seen occasionally via stock footage. The shuttlepod stuck around though, being used sporadically and sometimes paradoxically when a larger shuttle would've made more sense ("Power Play", having been retrofitted to include a third seat).

By the seventh season though, the 'pod had largely disappeared. After "Descent", it was featured that year in a DS9 episode ("Second Sight") and the interior set would eventually be donated to DS9 to show up as the Maquis fighter cockpit and then the interior of the Defiant's shuttlepod for the third season, after which it too disappeared... Thus ending the saga of the little two-person shuttle that could.

But what of any in-universe explanation? There seems to have been a very narrow window that Starfleet thought a mini shuttle would make sense. Both before TNG and after, everyone seems to prefer using "full size" shuttles, to the point that shuttles got big enough to basically be runabout-sized starships. Even the NX-01's shuttlePODs were capable of seating three with room for more crammed in the back. In the original Voyager writer's tech manual, Rick Sternbach thought to include four shuttlepods as part of the complement in addition to two standard shuttles and the fabled Aerowing, but this was never visualized. Nowhere but in this small period of time does Starfleet really think that a small auxilliary craft with room for 2-3 people and not much else would be a good idea.

Are we looking at an experiment gone wrong? Somewhere in the early 2360s, an engineer said it'd be great to have an auxiliary craft for just a couple people who needed to get only themselves around at STL speeds and figured to equip the fleet with a bunch of them? Only to realize by 2370 that anyone would rather use a larger shuttle of the Types 6-11 even if it's just one person aboard? Would the economics of construction of the full size shuttles mean that Voayger would pull out of drydock with four Type 9s instead of four shuttlepods (and no Aerowing)? Or did it simply make more sense for the resources of shuttlepods be continued to be dumped into the ubiquitous workbee program?

Mark

 

[valkyrie013]

In universe?
Probably still exist but it is a unique vehicle only has a limited number of uses it has no warp drive so it's limited to in system and its carrying capacity is going to do to usually 2.
Not much cargo capacity, though shown to have a hatchback.
In voyager it's probably to dangerous to use a non warp non armed pod. Easily defeated or left behind. Though in that episode where Janeway and chakotey were left behind, could have left a shuttle pod for them to use.

So in universe.. Still exist and is used. Back of the house, it just became easier to use the type 6 and writers wernt limited to 2 passengers.

 

[Timo]

I'd say the capable Flagship of the Federation would be in an exceptional position to perform missions with less than capable shuttlepods.

There would be at least three categories of relevance there.

1) A lesser ship might need to deploy a bigger shuttle "just in case", because inferior mothership sensors have left reasonable doubt of local dangers such as bad weather moving towards the landing site or an excess of dragons within potential intercept distance.

2) An inferior mothership also might be unable to drop off a shuttlepod as close to the target as the E-D is able to do, in situations of hurry.

3) Picard would operate within safe space more than other skippers, thus being able to e.g. send his Chief Engineer to an, ahem, "seminar" in Risa in a pod rather than a proper liaison craft.

Picard would thus be able to capitalize on the one likely forte of the tiny pod, a minimum of hassle in deploying one. Launching a Type 15 could be 50% faster than launching a Type 6 and 75% faster than launching a Type 7, say.

In-universe, the failure to see the pod more towards the end of TNG would then be an artifact of there being fewer interesting adventures involving "supposedly safe" pod deployments, utterly at random. Unsatisfactory, perhaps, but we only need to worry about a couple of seasons there.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Boris Skrbic]

Simple.

The Type-15 shuttlepod was the beginning of the Self-Sufficient Starship Shuttlecraft Development Program, which would culminate in starships like Voyager being able to make as many of their own shuttlecraft as they needed from as far away as the Delta Quadrant. But the initiative needed to start somewhere, hence the chunky, limited shuttlepod on the Enterprise, to be followed by one which was more Defiant-like on the Defiant (probably with support from DS9), and then we had the Chaffee, and the Enterprise-E had its own lookalike shuttles.

The Type-6 shuttle was a step along the way towards that ultimate goal, as was the Generations shuttle. We don’t know what the end result would’ve looked like, but we can certainly imagine what someone with today’s resources would create for the Galaxy class: a shuttle that looks like it belongs to the parent ship.

 

[Deks]

It stands to reason that Starfleet has both Warp capable and sub-light only shuttles since the 23rd century (although as evidenced in Discovery, they DO have Warp capable shuttles - but they seem to only have Warp 1, or could sustain Warp 2 possibly).
Why would Starfleet still have sub-light only shuttles in the 24th century though is a mystery since installing Warp drives probably wouldn't be that much of a problem for them given replicator technology and seemingly no issues with energy (at least for shipyards which are in systems that likely have an abundance of energy).

Sub-light shuttles would be used in system only and on missions where Warp drive is not needed for an away team (and where transporters are not an option).
However, I would imagine that in TNG, the Enterprise -D had both types of shuttles because it was so large, so it could easily accommodate both types of shuttles... whereas generally speaking, most ships in the fleet would get fewer Warp capable shuttles that also have tactical capabilities.
The D probably had both as it was more general in design and could have different mission profiles (at least in the early seasons - and as the years progressed, Starfleet may have opted to use Warp capable shuttles only and discontinue the use of sub-light ones entirely - or they would refit the sub-light ones with Warp capability and increased storage).

Voyager had Class 4 shuttles which were capable of Warp 4. The Delta Flyer was apparently capable of Warp 6 (this is not canon information though, but its also possible that its accurate given how advanced the design was).

The shuttles didn't leave much room for cargo... but I'd imagine that in that time frame, most of the cargo would be stored in the transporter buffer - and some in the actual shuttle in the aft section until it got back to the ship.

 

[Boris Skrbic]

We know that behind the scenes, the shuttlepod and the Type 6 arose from the need to economize rather than invest in the specified curvy shapes for either the Type 7 or the Sphinx workpod. How do we translate that into the world of industrial replicators? Starfleet must have had some kind of self-sufficiency program going, where Geordi said, “Look, we don’t need to restrict our shuttle operations due to fears of damage to our Type-7 shuttles. We can make shuttles on our own, and here are the types we have in mind, one of which is a shortened version of an Enterprise shuttle from eighty years ago! They don’t look like they go with this ship, but the job gets done when the transporter is not an option. Shuttlebay One will become our main production facility, so we’ll run regular operations out of Two and Three.”

 

[publiusr]

I just see Jay and Silent Bob in the El Baz for comic relief--meeting Bill & Ted.

 

[Redshirt214]

For what it's worth, I personally believe that the Shuttlepod was a initiative to design a new small craft for lesser and older ships in the fleet, that perhaps caught on as a more space efficient shuttle on other ships after it's introduction.

Older ships like the Oberth, Miranda, Constellation, and even the Excelsior would benefit from having more shuttles aboard, potentially, for missions that might require them like planetary surveys. Being able to embark more Type 15 might be a marked improvement in shuttle capacity and capability for an older ship with a smaller cargo bay. It's an space efficient standard auxiliary craft, too, so it would naturally see use on the flagship. I like the idea of it being easily replicated as well, possibly the Type 7 losses early in the 1701-D's voyages led to them simply being replaced by self-replicated Type 15 shuttlepods, avoiding the need to be constantly picking up new shuttlecraft when you loose one (which is pretty every time you see them used!).

In my book, the Type 6 is simply one in the long line of Starfleet Standard Shuttlecraft designs starting with the Gallieo 5, then the Type-4 or 5 seen in Generations, then the Type 6 of TNG, it's later Type 6-A variant from Lower Decks, and culminating in the Type 8.

Where the Type 7 fits, I'm not quite sure. It seems to be a one off, super sleek design that didn't see much use in Universe. It was definitely used by newer ships though, and wasn't full replaced until around Season 4 as there was a shuttle damaged for Best of Both Worlds.

Voyagers' shuttle compliment seems to have grown over the years, but it seems like that had at least one new Type 8 (lost pretty quickly) and then a Type 6 they used for while. I'm not sure if the Type 9/17 speedboat in cannon was meant to be a derivative of Paris' Warp 10 death trap, cooled down to a sane speed, but those and the Delta Flyer seem to have replaced the standard shuttles later on, so presumably they decided that having fewer very high performance shuttles was the way to go in the Delta Quadrant. It's funny, I always thought the speedboat was more shuttlepod sized, but it's actually more the size of a standard shuttle.

It would have been amusing to see Shuttlepods in Voyager, getting hot rodded by Paris. The TNG writers guide for season three says they can be used in the EV role as an "inspection car", so it would have been interesting to see more workaday, modular variants on TNG as well. Perhaps the Type-15s we see are the ones with the "engine pack", and others have various kinds of tool or cargo pods that can be attacked where the nacelles would be for other tasks. On the other hand, in cannon, the Worker Bee was used by the 1701-D, so having the Shuttlepod do that kind of work is maybe not the best choice.

 

[Timo]

FWIW, while we never hear the speedboat called anything but "Class Two" (which may cover several Types), Sternbach's "design intent" for it was Type 12. What to make of all these numbers?

- They clearly don't denote size, as Type 7 outbulks Type 12 and Type 8 by quite a margin, yet Type 6 is smaller than Type 7, not larger.

- They might denote age, insofar as noncanon sources give higher numbers to the newer shuttles of the TNG movies (Type 11 for INS and Type 17 for NEM); DS9 gives a higher number to its shuttlepod than TNG did (Type 18 vs Type 15, again not really on screen); and the VOY Type 8 appears later than its clumsier Type 6 counterpart. But should we then believe the TNG pod was designed later than the INS shuttle?

- In any case, only 17 distinct types of shuttle before NEM? The prequels with their range of designs certainly put the lie to the idea that Type 1 would have been fielded when Starfleet got founded in 2161! So we'd have to come up with an arbitrary starting date for the Type numbering scheme. Just before the first season of TNG?

In contrast, there's fairly little to contradict the assumption that the competing Class system of identification would be a monotonically logical one: Class A is a big beast with its own transporters (at least in a parallel timeline), Class C zips a dozen folks effortlessly between stars, and Class F is a midget with seating for half a dozen. But that doesn't touch much upon the shuttlepod issue where we never had either "Class Y" or "Class B" applied to support or contradict the simplest assumption.

In the end, all of the above is noncanon: we really can't do a canon analysis when no Type number is ever spoken on screen and perhaps two or three are ever glimpsed in Okudagrams...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Mike McDevitt]

What if Geordi La Forge designed the Type 15?

Granted, saying this is part of the “tiny universe is so tiny” quality that I don’t usually prefer. It IS very likely that our hypothetical 24th Century version of designer Gregory Jein is somebody else. But, to my case: the Type 15 was manufactured in the Rigel system, where the All Good Things version of Geordi retired. Expanded universe Geordi designed the Jellyfish and directed construction on the Wallenberg. The Type 15 is Geordi’s go-to ride in “the ‘60s” more often than (in-universe available since at least 2364) a Type 6, say. He takes a Type 15 on VACATION even though it wastes hours and hours of travel. Even though he knows how easily they explode. Why? He likes them. They’re fun, and in-atmosphere fast, like the (probably very dangerous) Grenthemen water hopper. They’re quiet. More energy efficient, easier to find a parking space.

He likely tinkers with them- accounting for new bench, new carpeted walls, new livery, two seat, one seat, weird self-adjusting “foot”, the little subspace router popping up on the roof sometimes. Maybe he used a workbee at the Academy, and thought- this could be more comfortable, couple of phasers, blander paint, and built the first Type 15! The main shuttlebay is probably where he makes/mods them, and maybe he championed them until the Romulans easily captured him in one, or the Ux-Mal crash, the D crash, and and... finally set the project aside to work on something with spinning fins.

Voyager’s chief engineer (Honigsberg) didn’t prefer them, so he put in an extra Type 9.

 

[Redshirt214]

Doesn't the Class Two\"speedboat" shuttle only appear once Voyager is already in the Delta Quadrant though? And after the mess that is Threshold? I tend to think that it, like the Delta Flyer, might be an Voyager only thing, developed by Tom Paris as a Warp 10 testbed and downrated to make a standard shuttle (though why a shuttle with less space for people that takes up the same space as a Type 6 would be the new standard is beyond me, but then again Paris was dating the Chief Engineer...).

I think perhaps Voyager sailed with only the Type 6 and Type 8s, as she was in a hurry. Like the writer guide said, she was meant to carry Shuttlepods and a Aeroshuttle, but those just weren't readily at hand at the time, or possibly a compliment of Type 8s and Type 6s were preferred by her crew.

I don't think that the shuttle classification system stayed the same between the TOS era and the TNG era, a lot seems to have been changed since the TOS (warp scale for one) so I don't see why the old "Class X" system would remain and not have been supplanted by the "Type #" system sometime in the early 24th century. So at some point the Galileo 5 type goes from being a, say, "Class H" to a "Type 4". The "Class 2" of Voyager might mean something else. It's definitely a bit of a conundrum. The Type numbering may reflect when the designs for shuttles began, too, not necessarily when they entered service. I imagine the hot new Type 7 warp shuttle would have taken more time to design and build than the Type 15 shuttlepod, which is a cockpit with impulse engines!

If Geordi had designed the shuttlepod, I'd expect it to be an Enterprise-D only design, but I seem to remember that it appeared to be used by other ships too. I think someone from another ship stole one, at one point? Ironically, I think that was a Geordi episode!

 

[DEWLine]

I'd expect the shuttlepods to be all over Starfleet ships, bases and outposts.

And Rigel shouldn't be the only source for them. Rigel is SO far from the rest of the core systems of the Federation, after all.

 

[Mike McDevitt]

Good points!

"Threshold"' mentions making a new engine and reinforcing the Cochrane's existing nacelles to handle it, not building an entirely new shuttle. Dialog from Torres in "Drone" and Paris in "Extreme Risk" make the "speedboat" out to be something they had ever since they got to the Delta Quadrant and now wanted to replace with a more robust and toyetic Delta Flyer. Type 9 is even in a couple of Dominion War novels, indicating it was invented before Voyager got lost.

Yes, the starships Aries and Prometheus are seen to use Type 15s, and they're undoubtedly in various comics and novels. They certainly aren't only available on the Enterprise-D, or only built on Rigel VI (I’m guessing the Star Trek Rigel system in the heart of the Federation less than 90 ly from Earth, not the distant Rigel of our so-called “reality”).

My supposition, (and I didn't specify, so thank you for mentioning this!) is that Cadet or Ensign La Forge may have designed the Type 15 (also known as the Freshman 15) as early as his Academy term in 2353-2357, allowing the whole fleet to have access to the plans by the time we see one of the faddish dang ol' pencil boxes in 2365. It's the travel pod equivalent of a fidget spinner!

 

[Timo]

The Speedboat isn't exclusive to the respective hero ship in explicit onscreen terms, either: we see a Type 12 at Jupiter Station in "Life Line".

(I say Type 12, as in Sternbach's original drawings, because Type 9, of equally noncanon exact identity, is the cargo shuttle from the TNG Tech Manual. Plus a good candidate for a craft the heroes would leave as backup for Janeway and Chakotay in "Resolutions" for the elbow room, but one that would see little use in the Delta Quadrant otherwise.)

Likewise, the TOS type doesn't appear limited to ships of general TOS Constitution shape, nor does Type 7 shy away from appearing on all sorts of outpost and station matte paintings despite being shaped in the spirit of Galaxy.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Redshirt214]

Timo, good point, I had completely forgotten about the shuttle showing up at the Jupiter station! It's been a long time since I've watched that episode, and likewise I've seen Threshold maybe once (but does anyone ever see it more than once?). Perhaps the dialogue about the Shuttlepod being built on Rigel is indicative of multiple manufacturers of shuttles, each with their own unique designs, that are being supplied to the fleet? In that case, a Type-6 and a Type-7 shuttle are the equivalent of the difference between a Corsair and a Hellcat, they do the same thing operationally but they are different machines from different factories. I do like that the producers tried to make the shuttlecraft fairly standard, I think the widespread use really added to the overall look of Starfleet as a unified fleet.

Do we think that Shuttlepods ought to be most common on smaller ships? Would they have been developed for that purpose first and then caught on for larger ships? Or is what shuttles you carry solely a mission specific thing? Having them more aboard smaller ships would seem to make sense to me, Defiant for example had shuttlepods (given, mainly because shuttle ops in cannon and irl were not a priority when designing her) and I'd imagine they'd see use aboard smaller ships like the Oberth and Nova classes as well. In such cases I'd imagine them being the primary or even sole shuttles available.

However, since they are clearly a standard type they pop up just about everywhere, and being so space efficient they'd actually be great for older large ships with smaller shuttle bays to carry more modern shuttles (see Rekkert's great work on the Excelsior shuttle bay for what I mean, clearly having shuttle pods greatly increases her shuttle compliment). And we do see them primarily aboard large ships in cannon.

 

[Timo]

FWIW, Kirk's TOS ship probably had what amounted to the Type 15 of its day: his Class F craft are real midgets compared to Class C used aboard the bigger-bay Discovery (or to some of the stuff seen operating in support of his own ship in TAS), and might be of correspondingly low performance. It's just that mediocre performance can be packaged even more compactly in the 24th century...

Then again, a smaller ship might benefit from having just one big and capable shuttle instead of three middling ones or five low-performing mini-pods. Three shuttles would need all sorts of support in triplicate, and a compact bay with a compact door would only ever allow one of them to be operated at a time anyway... Big-bay starships such as Galaxy or Steamrunner or Crossfield might better afford the carrying of small, quantity-compensating-for-lack-of-quality craft.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[F. King Daniel]

Not enough knee or elbow room, and after years of complaing to Picard he got them some better ones.