Tractor beams

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Nickswitz
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Re: Tractor beams

Post by Nickswitz »

Ok, so it's cannon, I'm good with it then, thanks GK.
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Re: Tractor beams

Post by Bryan Moore »

GrahamKennedy wrote:We've seen tractors used at warp in DS9.
I believe you, but when? Way of the Warrior?
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Re: Tractor beams

Post by Sionnach Glic »

Even if we didn't see it, it makes perfect sense. How else do space stations get to remote locations? How else do you retrieve crippled ships from the battlefield?
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Re: Tractor beams

Post by Graham Kennedy »

Paradise. Alixus sets a Runabout off into deep space. Kira and Dax capture it by dragging it out of warp with a tractor beam.

The Ship. The Defiant yanks a Dominion bug off the surface of a planet with a tractor beam (and how bloody impressive is THAT?) Although I don't recall if they depict it, they would pretty much have to tractor it home at warp.
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Re: Tractor beams

Post by Captain Seafort »

There's also the example of the Borg tractoring Voyager at warp in Scorpion, although that only demonstrated that it wasn't physically impossible, rather than that Fed ships could do so.
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Re: Tractor beams

Post by Mikey »

Bryan Moore wrote:
Nickswitz wrote:Well, based on the fact that it is never directly refuted in canon, I see no issue using it.
I tend to agree, more for the principle of the argument "just because it's not mentioned in canon doesn't mean it doesn't exist." There are reasons for and against it, but logic would suggest there has to be some way to tow with a tractor beam in subspace. The most logical explanation would be for the towing ship to extend its warp bubble around the ship being towed, creating a warp field around both ships, allowing the tractor to exist within that bubble. Speculation, but I don't think it's any more crazy than some of the "quantum" we get in canon.
That would make sense, as we've seen Fed ships extend their warp fields around other objects to create various effects. I guess I was trying to apply some actual physics. :doh:
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Re: Tractor beams

Post by SomosFuga »

GrahamKennedy wrote:We've seen tractors used at warp in DS9.
although not canon, in the TAS too, and in ST:Armada
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Re: Tractor beams

Post by SomosFuga »

Rochey wrote:Even if we didn't see it, it makes perfect sense. How else do space stations get to remote locations?
Can´t you built or assemble those in site, on the assigned place? I find difficult to imagine SB 74 being towed, that could be a good program for Mega Movers.
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Re: Tractor beams

Post by Lighthawk »

SomosFuga wrote:
Rochey wrote:Even if we didn't see it, it makes perfect sense. How else do space stations get to remote locations?
Can´t you built or assemble those in site, on the assigned place? I find difficult to imagine SB 74 being towed, that could be a good program for Mega Movers.
I have to agree with this, it would take a hell of a lot of ships to tow something like SB 74, and it would be needless. Replicator tech makes it easy to fabricate what you need, where you need it.
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Re: Tractor beams

Post by Bryan Moore »

Lighthawk wrote:
SomosFuga wrote:
Rochey wrote:Even if we didn't see it, it makes perfect sense. How else do space stations get to remote locations?
Can´t you built or assemble those in site, on the assigned place? I find difficult to imagine SB 74 being towed, that could be a good program for Mega Movers.
I have to agree with this, it would take a hell of a lot of ships to tow something like SB 74, and it would be needless. Replicator tech makes it easy to fabricate what you need, where you need it.
I'm sure the minds on this board could think of some need to tow something that big, though =)
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Re: Tractor beams

Post by SomosFuga »

Just to be clear, i´m not saying that it´s impossible, starfleet engineers most likely could develop a way to do it but they probably would decide that it is not practical and instead they would prefer to build/assemble in site.
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Re: Tractor beams

Post by Sionnach Glic »

Lighthawk wrote: I have to agree with this, it would take a hell of a lot of ships to tow something like SB 74, and it would be needless. Replicator tech makes it easy to fabricate what you need, where you need it.
It takes several years to build a GCS over the capital of the UFP. Just how long do you think it'd take to build something a few kilometres long in the ass-end of the UFP. There's also the fact that replicators canonicaly cannot make a simple dense metal hatch. Thus that casts serious doubts on their abilities to be used in the creation of starships, let alone stations.
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Re: Tractor beams

Post by Lighthawk »

Rochey wrote:
Lighthawk wrote: I have to agree with this, it would take a hell of a lot of ships to tow something like SB 74, and it would be needless. Replicator tech makes it easy to fabricate what you need, where you need it.
It takes several years to build a GCS over the capital of the UFP. Just how long do you think it'd take to build something a few kilometres long in the ass-end of the UFP. There's also the fact that replicators canonicaly cannot make a simple dense metal hatch. Thus that casts serious doubts on their abilities to be used in the creation of starships, let alone stations.
Several years for a ship? Do you have a source on that, cause that seems a bit extreme. Also, on the hatch, where did you get that? Just curious.
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Re: Tractor beams

Post by Mikey »

Ity was in a TNG ep, IIRC. They weren't able to replicate a hatch cover.
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Re: Tractor beams

Post by Lighthawk »

Ah, so plot was the problem, of course. Well, might it be possible that they couldn't make a hatch cover with the replicators on the ship, but it would be possible with some heavy industrial replicators?
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