Galaxy Class, Separated Mode

[Duskofdead]

I wrote a suggestion to Graham that since the Prometheus has ship stats for both docked and separated mode, he should consider doing the same for the Galaxy-class. Since we have also seen that class in battle situations in separated mode, so the stats would seem to be relevant.

But while on that topic, I thought it would be interesting to see how you guys would divvy up stats for the separated mode for the Galaxy class. Which section would have stronger shields? Exactly how much phaser output would each section have while separated?

Of course this is all purely guesswork... but anyone who feels creative or imaginative, post your proposed stats for the saucer and stardrive in separated mode.

[Lazar]

One distinctive thing about the Prommie is that each of the three sections has a warp core and nacelles. In the case of the GCS, I don't think the saucer section was intended for combat at all - my impression is that is was designed to be dropped off at a safe place, in order to protect the civilians and reduce the ship's bulk, and then the stardrive section would take care of combat. Wouldn't the saucer section be underpowered with nothing but impulse reactors? I imagine that would reduce its shield and phaser capacity.

[Duskofdead]

One distinctive thing about the Prommie is that each of the three sections has a warp core and nacelles. In the case of the GCS, I don't think the saucer section was intended for combat at all - my impression is that is was designed to be dropped off at a safe place, in order to protect the civilians and reduce the ship's bulk, and then the stardrive section would take care of combat. Wouldn't the saucer section be underpowered with nothing but impulse reactors? I imagine that would reduce its shield and phaser capacity.

That's true, I believe there was a canon comment somewhere in an episode about how in separated mode the saucer would have diminished phaser power without access to the warp core. I seem to recall a comment in that general vein, anyhow.

It works both ways though. Remember Riker at first dismissed the idea of using separated mode because they might need the power from the saucer's impulse engines.

[Tsukiyumi]

...since the Prometheus has ship stats for both docked and separated mode, he should consider doing the same for the Galaxy-class...

People keep saying this, but I can only find the docked stats. Am I missing something?

As to the Galaxy, I imagine the stats would go something like this:

Galaxy saucer (seperated)

Beam firepower: 500
Torpedo firepower: 0
Range/accuracy: 1000
Shield strength: 250
Hull/Armor: 500
Speed: 0.033
Combat Maneuverability: 200

Overall: 330

Galaxy stardrive (seperated)

Beam firepower: 400
Torpedo firepower: 1000
Range/accuracy: 1000
Shield strength: 500
Hull/Armor: 500
Speed: 1000
Combat Maneuverability: 1100

Overall: 700

[Captain Picard's Hair]

It works both ways though. Remember Riker at first dismissed the idea of using separated mode because they might need the power from the saucer's impulse engines.

I can see this as a backup but little more; the M/ARA is meant to be far more powerful than the impulse engines - and the engineering hull has impulse engines itself as well. If the warp core can shoulder the load of going to warp 9 point whatever, it shouldn't need help from the impulse reactors, and when you reach the limit of what the power transfer conduits and the phaser/shield systems themselves can handle before blowing up (probably a lot less than warp 9 power), it doesn't make sense to wonder how to get more power to something that's maxed out already.

Personally I can only attribute this to the writers not thinking about the technical stuff; in this instance the IU is so silly you just have to accept the OOU facts.

[Lazar]

Torpedo firepower: 0

To be fair, though, didn't the saucer have an auxiliary torpedo tube that was exposed when the ship separated?

[Duskofdead]

It works both ways though. Remember Riker at first dismissed the idea of using separated mode because they might need the power from the saucer's impulse engines.

I can see this as a backup but little more; the M/ARA is meant to be far more powerful than the impulse engines - and the engineering hull has impulse engines itself as well. If the warp core can shoulder the load of going to warp 9 point whatever, it shouldn't need help from the impulse reactors, and when you reach the limit of what the power transfer conduits and the phaser/shield systems themselves can handle before blowing up (probably a lot less than warp 9 power), it doesn't make sense to wonder how to get more power to something that's maxed out already.

Personally I can only attribute this to the writers not thinking about the technical stuff; in this instance the IU is so silly you just have to accept the OOU facts.

What you say does make sense but yeah, it doesn't appear to conform to the writing of the show. Because we don't frequently see ships "run out of power" from travelling at warp (unless they are exceeding limits), but we do see them sucking up power and using it all up in extended combat. Even ships purported to be major powerhouses like the Sovereign class.

I think it makes sense to assume that whatever power the warp drive can generate without directing it towards creating a warp field, is roughly the bullseye of what Starfleet designers aim for in terms of power demands of the combat related systems. If we assume phasers and shields require "far less" power than travelling at warp, it really makes little sense for fights to be over in minutes. They should last for hours... or even until the m/am reactants are exhausted.

[Tsukiyumi]

Torpedo firepower: 0

To be fair, though, didn't the saucer have an auxiliary torpedo tube that was exposed when the ship separated?

If there was, I never saw it.

Dusk - maybe that's what "auxiliary power to weapons/shields/coffeemaker" means: they have an optimal limit to power usage for systems, but they're designed to handle more than that ideal limit. Sometimes, they push them to tolerances, and burn way more power that is normally intended?

I'm stretching to rationalize that one, I know.

[Captain Picard's Hair]

Yeah, I hadn't thought about how silly "auxiliary power to.." sounds in light of this. If the warp core were damaged, they couldn't get to warp and the next two months they'd spend at starbase, but if the phaser, shield, etc systems themselves were damaged, what good would extra power do?

[Tsukiyumi]

...if the phaser, shield, etc systems themselves were damaged, what good would extra power do?

How else would they get the consoles to overload and kill everyone?

[Captain Picard's Hair]

[Lazar]

How else would they get the consoles to overload and kill everyone?

Wait, what are you-- PGGGHHHEEEAAW! *flies backwards over captain's chair amid a shower of sparks*

[Duskofdead]

Torpedo firepower: 0

To be fair, though, didn't the saucer have an auxiliary torpedo tube that was exposed when the ship separated?

If there was, I never saw it.

Dusk - maybe that's what "auxiliary power to weapons/shields/coffeemaker" means: they have an optimal limit to power usage for systems, but they're designed to handle more than that ideal limit. Sometimes, they push them to tolerances, and burn way more power that is normally intended?

I'm stretching to rationalize that one, I know.

It's completely open to interpretation since we have no idea where auxiliary power comes from, but the way I had always rationalized it was that auxiliary power is actually an emergency reserve maintained in advance, and it is used when power consumption of both generated and stored power (in capacitors, phaser banks, shield generator power supplies, etc.) have already exceeded what is being replaced through power generation. That's just how I "understood" it watching the show, since they never seem to "take damage" by using auxiliary power. (It doesn't seem to overheat the warp core or blow out the shield emitters or anything like that.)

They do, on the other hand, occasionally intentionally produce an overload (DS9 doing it with its phaser emitters in season 1, doing it on purpose to shove a torpedo out when weapons were down in Voyager: Future's End? The Ed Begley Jr. episode, whatever.) I think that seems to come closer to the idea of "shoving power into a system beyond what it can handle."

Based on watching combat in the show I get the impression what is being concurrently generated by the warpcore is insufficient to actually carry a ship through an entire combat at "full performance", it's probably providing some percentage of power usage with the rest coming from batteries, capacitors, and then later from power reserves/auxiliaries. Which eventually run out.

[Lazar]

If there was, I never saw it.

Well they mention it in the TM and they show it in the blueprints, and I imagine that it would be visible if we could get a good look at the separated saucer section model.

[Sionnach Glic]

The saucer section should be quite a bit weaker in all respects, due to the lack of a warp core.