Prometheus

[McAvoy]

Last week I was look for a schematic or a line drawing of the Prometheus on the internet. Found a few pretty crapastic ones, but none even remotely close. So I decided to do my own. I looked up all the episodes where she was in and took a ton of screen captures. This is pain in the butt.

During this, I noticed something. The Prometheus chnaged alot before her destruction. Specifically, she is different for the season 9 episode Ethon. The front of her pods have changed walls are thinner than before. The platform surrounding the bridge has extra crap on it. She has four antennae on the bridge platform. The 'bow nose' has more crap on it and some removed. The CGI model is more detailed and abit less crude.

Obvious IU answer is that Prometheus was always a testbed of technology so she was constantly changing. No big deal. Real life answer is sketchy. My big question is did they make a new CGI model for that episode? Or did they just redo the exisiting one?

[GrahamKennedy]

Last week I was look for a schematic or a line drawing of the Prometheus on the internet. Found a few pretty crapastic ones, but none even remotely close. So I decided to do my own. I looked up all the episodes where she was in and took a ton of screen captures. This is pain in the butt.

Welcome to MY world.

[McAvoy]

Yeah and the screen captures are not that great either. I tried as much as possible to make sure they are not blurry but I think it may have something to do with the ship itself not being that clear. I have been able to get the overall shape with some of it still out of proportion, but I fix what I spot.

[GrahamKennedy]

In the history of DITLwe went through capturing via a graphics card connected to VHS, then off DVD, then off a DVD built into the computer, then off Blu Rays, all for thousands upon thousands of images - something like seven thousand in all not counting the graphics we made ourselves for menus and titles. Screen captures often turn out to be remarkably fuzzy compared to how you think they look on the TV screen, especially when you factor in that the ship often takes up a relatively small part of the screen in the first place, often in poor lighting.

Nowdays with everything being CGI you sometimes get nice big renders from backstage sources, which is nice.

[Tyyr]

Yeah, I've been looking for a good schematic of the Normandy SR-1 from Mass Effect and the SR-2 from Mass Effect 2. For those game's stature I've been unable to find a single diagram of either.

[McAvoy]

Well I have looked around to see if anyone has done a diagram of the Prometheus. No one has, just crude Paint drawings that are very inaccurate.

Also the Prometheus CGI model changed quite abit as well and none of the CGI artists have posted a ortho on the Prometheus like Star Trek has. Top that off, she never had the exposure that the 304s had. Detailed models for close ups etc.

For alot of it I had to guess like the bottom of the ship and certain areas around the bridge arm thingy. But I have mostly completed the side view and working up to doing either the top or front view depending on how I feel.

Interestingly enough, during my research I came across evidence online and my own personal work that common figure of 195 meters for the length of the Prometheus is inaccurate. This based on the fact that the 302s exiting the hanger bay pods would give her length of about between 300 to 350 meters in length. The Daedalus is even larger to about 650 meters which has been supported by visual evidence.

The 300+ meter length of the Prometheus also makes more sense based on the rough 10 meter length of the 302, where you can accomodate four 302s in each hanger pod.

Though you do have to wonder how such a large ship needs only 115+ crew to run it. My guess is alot of automation and large areas are taken up by machinery. That we know that life support has a limit on the Daedalus.

[Mark]

I'm sure they made an effort to keep the crew as small as possible to minimize the consuption of consumables.

[McAvoy]

Perhaps.

At 300+ meters which is the low estimate makes the ship as large as a Nimitz class carrier. While the corridors and rooms are on average larger than a Nimitz class carrier, the Nimitz has a large hanger.

Which means for a USN carrier, it has enough room for food, supplies, fuel and bunk space for 5,000 to 6,000 personnel.

The Prometheus has 115 people on board. Which leads me to believe despite the size of the ship it has a very small useable amount of space.

For the time being, I am working on the line drawing and later do a more detailed analysis on the Prometheus. But I may have underestimated the size of Prometheus. In Season 9 Ethon, the episode where the Prometheus was destroyed, multiple 302s flew out of the hanger pods. Eyeballing the opening of the hanger, it appears to be about twice the width of the 302 plus maybe a fee meters or so on each side. The width from what I found out is 20 meters. So we are looking at a possible 46 to 50 meter wide hanger pod.

It is also possible that the SGC totally replaced those pods because it appears much wider than before and previously the walls were much thicker making the opening much narrower. Originally from what I understand, those pods were never meant to be hanger pods but engines. SFX guys screwed up I guess.

This is probably related the issue with the crew size, but those hanger pods should be able to hold more than four 302s each even if we go for smaller number simply by having the 302s have folding wings. Perhaps the Iar Force should take lessons from the Navy in this respect. Folding wings and better hanger deck plane arrangement would at least accommodate double the 302s in each pod. It could be also related the production rate of the 302s. But you would think that as the Prometheus for years was Earth's only frontline ship it should have priority in 302s.

I may later on get a better idea on the size by looking at the windows on the Prometheus. But as we all know windows on a ship isn't that accurate.

On a side note, if I am remotely accurate all these issues also apply to the Daedalus class which is a much larger ship. Some estimates place the ship at 600 meters. At 600 meters and costing only 7 billion dollars, the USAF is getting a bargain, considering at a USN carrier costs between 5 to 6 billion now and they're smaller than a 304.

[McAvoy]

Here is WIP of the Prometheus I have so far. The side view is about 95% complete and the front view is about 60 to 70% complete. The top view maybe 25%. Problem is have to tweak all three if i find out my proportions are off. I only did all three at the same time to get some prespective.

There are certain things I have to change such as the X-303 which should be BC-303 or F-303 which is actually on the CGI model in the series. I am also drawing the ship as she was seen in Ethon, the episode where she was destroyed. Reason why is because she is more detailed, but I am using the older CGI model as a reference to fill in details I can't get off the episode.




I need better text.

BTW, going by the decks, the ships is around 450 to 470 meters.

[Captain Seafort]

*whistles softly* You're producing your own three-view of the Prommie? That is absolutely magnificent work.

If you want this split off into its own A&D thread, just ask.

[McAvoy]

*whistles softly* You're producing your own three-view of the Prommie? That is absolutely magnificent work.

Well believe or not that was my original intention. I couldn't find a good on the Internet so I decided to make my own. You should see the original pic I used as a reference.

The additional info I got is from research while doing the side view and later front and top view.

Later I will do the Daedalus class, and the Hatak class

[Captain Seafort]

Cool. I very much look forward to seeing the finished article for the Prommie, and the result of your efforts on the others.

[McAvoy]

Thanks. I suspect it will be easier with the Daedalus class because of more screen time.

Hatak will harder because of the various CGI models are different.

[Mark]

Me too. When your done, would you be willing to consider rendering for us our Paladin class starship?

[McAvoy]

We'll see when I am done.