Spacedock Idea

[Mikey]

Not sure if it is considered canon but in the animates series they had just a skin hugging "life support" field as spacesuit. Apart from that I always had the impression that they don't use space suits but work bees for construction/repairs. I don't think a human in a spacesuit is really first choice for shuffling around a few tons of plating or heavy wielding duties etc.

I seem to strongly recall a few instances of people working on repairs/maintenance during EVA. While a suited human may not be first choice for heavy welding or moving tons of material, it would be a better choice for working on circuitry, fine joining, or anything requiring any manual dexterity.

[stitch626]

Considering the Enterprise in TMP was launched from a Drydock facility yet the Excelsior was launched from Spacedock shortly after, it would be reasonable to conclude that Spacedock was completed sometime between TMP and TSFS.

[Tyyr]

Except that the Ent-D was docked at a similar facility. Nothing suggests that Spacedock was the ONLY place handling ships in Earth orbit.

[stitch626]

Except that the Ent-D was docked at a similar facility. Nothing suggests that Spacedock was the ONLY place handling ships in Earth orbit.

Was the E-D in Eath's orbit... I can't remember the episode?

[Captain Seafort]

We also don't know the circumstances of the Excelsior's presence in Spacedock - it could have been launched from a similar dock to that seen in TMP (as the E-B was in Generations), and then moved to Spacedock.

[stitch626]

Fair point. Perhaps they were using Spacedock to put in the new "transwarp drive".

[Captain Seafort]

Fair point. Perhaps they were using Spacedock to put in the new "transwarp drive".

I'd expect something like that to be part of the construction phase - you don't build a supercarrier on a slipway or in a drydock and then tie it up alongside a pier while you install the reactors.

[stitch626]

Ture.

[Reliant121]

I would imagine that the Exceslsior put in to spacedock to transfer crew over quickly. They seemed pretty darn confident in the Transwarp drives ability.