So, how does Starfleet build its starships?

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LaughingCheese
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Re: So, how does Starfleet build its starships?

Post by LaughingCheese »

Deepcrush wrote:I'd prefer the idea of building on the surface. Easier to move the supplies and provide labor. Easier to defend from nature or attack.
Mostly agree, but how would be easier to defend against nature on the ground?

I guess space weather is far more harsh, I'm just thinking the "hangar" you would have to enclose the Galaxy class in would be simply awesome in scale.


And you'd need TWO hangars, as I doubt building one ginormous hangar for the whole thing wouldn't be practical.

Perhaps even four; one for the saucer module, another for the star drive, and two more for the nacelles; actually the nacelles could probably be housed in one hangar.
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Re: So, how does Starfleet build its starships?

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A, we know that the UFP employs weather control systems.
B, we know they have shields. Stick a shield emitter on top of a crane and you're good to go.
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Re: So, how does Starfleet build its starships?

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Deepcrush wrote:A, we know that the UFP employs weather control systems.
B, we know they have shields. Stick a shield emitter on top of a crane and you're good to go.
OH right, guess I haven't watched Trek in a while. :bangwall:

Also, I'm thinking how would this realistically be done?

There's two trains of thoughts going on in my head about this thread; how the UFP does, and how would it be done?


Sorry I didn't communicate that better. :?
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Re: So, how does Starfleet build its starships?

Post by Lt. Staplic »

mine was supposed to be reality:
Lt. Staplic wrote:In reality, I think our spaceships will be built on earth for a long time, there's just too much that could go wrong building in space. Eventually if we get to be really active with space exploration, I could see a large facility being built that is kind of like a shuttle bay in Trek, inside it's normal 'earth like' for the construction of the ship away from the harsh vacuum and radiation, then when it's finished opening it up and allowing the ship to exit into space. This way you don't have to use a bunch of fuel to escape the Earth's gravity.
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Re: So, how does Starfleet build its starships?

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Lt. Staplic wrote:mine was supposed to be reality:
Lt. Staplic wrote:In reality, I think our spaceships will be built on earth for a long time, there's just too much that could go wrong building in space. Eventually if we get to be really active with space exploration, I could see a large facility being built that is kind of like a shuttle bay in Trek, inside it's normal 'earth like' for the construction of the ship away from the harsh vacuum and radiation, then when it's finished opening it up and allowing the ship to exit into space. This way you don't have to use a bunch of fuel to escape the Earth's gravity.
Are you saying it would be built in space?

If the interior were to be earth-like it would need artificial gravity, and I don't see that happening ANY time soon. XD
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Re: So, how does Starfleet build its starships?

Post by Sonic Glitch »

In reply to the title: "Very carefully"
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Re: So, how does Starfleet build its starships?

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Sonic Glitch wrote:In reply to the title: "Very carefully"

That's always a good answer! BRILLIANT! :lol:


Actually though, if Starfleet WERE very careful about how they build their ships they wouldn't blow up every time someone looked at a warp core. :lol:
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Re: So, how does Starfleet build its starships?

Post by Lt. Staplic »

LaughingCheese wrote:
Lt. Staplic wrote:mine was supposed to be reality:
Lt. Staplic wrote:In reality, I think our spaceships will be built on earth for a long time, there's just too much that could go wrong building in space. Eventually if we get to be really active with space exploration, I could see a large facility being built that is kind of like a shuttle bay in Trek, inside it's normal 'earth like' for the construction of the ship away from the harsh vacuum and radiation, then when it's finished opening it up and allowing the ship to exit into space. This way you don't have to use a bunch of fuel to escape the Earth's gravity.
Are you saying it would be built in space?

If the interior were to be earth-like it would need artificial gravity, and I don't see that happening ANY time soon. XD
Not for a long long time. For the forseeable future they'll be built on earth. After we get to the point where we could construct something like that then i see us moving production into space
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Re: So, how does Starfleet build its starships?

Post by Sonic Glitch »

Lt. Staplic wrote:
Lt. Staplic wrote:In reality, I think our spaceships will be built on earth for a long time, there's just too much that could go wrong building in space. Eventually if we get to be really active with space exploration, I could see a large facility being built that is kind of like a shuttle bay in Trek, inside it's normal 'earth like' for the construction of the ship away from the harsh vacuum and radiation, then when it's finished opening it up and allowing the ship to exit into space. This way you don't have to use a bunch of fuel to escape the Earth's gravity.
Not for a long long time. For the forseeable future they'll be built on earth. After we get to the point where we could construct something like that then i see us moving production into space
It seems, just pieced together based on what we've seen through TNG and the Abramsverse that, maybe starfleet builds its ships planetside but once they're launched: outfitting, maintenance, death etc. is done in space. Their starships, born on Earth but live and die in space. Could it be possible that in the 3 years we don't see of the nEnterprise it was completed externally and launched into space for interior fitting and shakedown (much the way a modern cruise ships hull is completed and then it's slid down the slipway to be outfitted and tested).?
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Re: So, how does Starfleet build its starships?

Post by Graham Kennedy »

I'd say that whilst you can build pretty much anything on the ground, they don't seem to be able to land ships of above a certain size - or rather, they don't design them to be able to land. So once in space, any further work in the way of refits and repairs has to be done there.

It would make sense for at least some of the systems to be installed in space, I guess. Once the hull is airtight and gravity and power is working, say.
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Re: So, how does Starfleet build its starships?

Post by RK_Striker_JK_5 »

LaughingCheese wrote:
Sonic Glitch wrote:In reply to the title: "Very carefully"

That's always a good answer! BRILLIANT! :lol:


Actually though, if Starfleet WERE very careful about how they build their ships they wouldn't blow up every time someone looked at a warp core. :lol:
The Galaxy-class, maybe... ;)
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Re: So, how does Starfleet build its starships?

Post by Tsukiyumi »

Like I said, the Defiant never seemed to really have that problem...
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Re: So, how does Starfleet build its starships?

Post by Reliant121 »

You're quite right. It's interesting, because (and I can't recall where) it seemed to suggest that the warp core, power systems, and even the hull of the Defiant sorta worked on a permanent "Overclock" mode. If so, How the hell did the compact core of the Defiant not explode when it worked under more pressure?!
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Re: So, how does Starfleet build its starships?

Post by Sionnach Glic »

It seems to me that it was only ever the GCS's warp core that suffered frequent problems. In TOS, DS9, VOY and ENT, they never suffered the same problems as in TNG. And given the beatings that the War GCSes took without going up like fireworks, I'd imagine that the problem may have been limited to the early run of the GCS.
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Re: So, how does Starfleet build its starships?

Post by Deepcrush »

Early design flaws worked out over time...
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