Universe : | Prime Timeline |
Affiliation : | Humans |
Class Name : | The Phoenix |
Type : | Experimental warp ship1 |
Unit Run : |
Phoenix - Destroyed1 1 have been retired from service. |
Commissioned : | April 5th1 |
Dimensions : | Length : 27.5 m2 Beam : 16 m3 Height : 3.4 m3 Decks : 11 |
Mass : | 80 metric tons |
Crew : | 31 |
Armament : | No beam weapons |
Defence Systems : | Light Monotanium Single hull. Low level Structural Integrity Field |
Warp Speeds (TOS scale) : |
Just capable of breaking Warp 1 barrier.1 |
Strength Indices : (Galaxy class = 1,000) |
Beam Firepower : - Torpedo Firepower : - Weapon Range and Accuracy : - Shield Strength : - Hull Armour : 0.31 Speed : - Combat Manoeuvrability : 10 |
Overall Strength Index : | 2 |
Diplomatic Capability : | None |
Expected Hull Life : | Single Mission |
Although it is not possible to be certain of the accuracy of historical records regarding Doctor Cochrane himself, it seems that his flight had a profound psychological impact on him. The man who returned to Earth certainly remained something of a hell raiser, but even ignoring the historical hype his subsequent actions do appear to reveal a person who had realized just what kind of a future Humanity could create for itself. Certainly he never amassed any fortune from his fame, although he certainly had the opportunity to do so. Instead he poured all the profits from his invention back into the Earth itself, rebuilding infrastructure destroyed by the war and promoting peaceful coexistence among all Humanity.
The Phoenix herself was, ironically, launched on the nose of a nuclear missile. The crew for her first flight consisted of Doctor Cochrane, Commander William Riker and Lieutenant Geordi LaForge - although only now can the true identity of the two Starfleet crew members be revealed!1 The ship used a fusion power plant to power a pair of single coil warp nacelles which could push it to slightly above the speed of light. Her historic mission comprised two warp flights, each of some thirty seconds duration, taking the ship out into (relatively) deep space and back. She returned to a landing near the original launch site later in the day; the Phoenix never flew again, and is now one of the most popular exhibits in the Smithsonian Institute.
Several of Doctor Cochrane's subsequent test ships had a very high component commonality with the Phoenix, but the rapid development of warp technology rendered her obsolete within weeks of the flight. Nevertheless, her place in history is secure alongside the likes of the Wright Flyer and the Saturn V.1
Canon source | Backstage source | Novel source | DITL speculation |
# | Series | Season | Source | Comment |
1 | Star Trek : First Contact | |||
2 | Star Trek Encyclopedia | Based on the scale diagram. | ||
3 | Star Trek Encyclopedia |
Film: | Star Trek : First Contact |
Book : | Star Trek Encyclopedia |
Comment : | Based on the scale diagram. |
Book : | Star Trek Encyclopedia |
The idea of the Phoenix only making one flight is based on the fact that the missile which launched her didn't seem to be re-useable. I suppose there's no real reason why the Phoenix couldn't have made several flights - or even hundreds - but record breakers like this tend to be one-off deals so I went with that.
The description of Cochrane's apparent transformation is based on his in screen reaction to the warp flight, along with the fact that many real-life astronauts seem to be profoundly affected by their own experiences. And given Trek's fundamental philosophy, I'm sure it all worked out for him in the end.
© Graham & Ian Kennedy | Page views : 40,248 | Last updated : 31 Jul 2004 |