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So I got the itch again to do some line drawings/blueprint work. The Akira class is something I wanted to do for well over 20 years.

Specifically a TNG ized Akira.

Every since First Contact came out, the Akira class stood out from the other ships introduced. It looked more conventional than the others. Sure it still had that design lineage. Like the shield grid is not like a logical spider web or grid but random shapes. Integrated secondary hull as opposed to being seperate.

In my head cannon, I had this idea that the Akira class was part of the Galaxy Program. The program that ultimately ended up with the Galaxy class. In my view, classes like the Cheyenne and New Orleans with their registry predate both the Nebula and Galaxy class. They are a bridge between the Ambassador and Galaxy class.

Nebula class was a large scale prototype program for what would be the Galaxy class. Multiple prototypes including a smaller version based off of the New Orleans sized saucer and engineering hull.

The Akira though was a troubleshooter type that came out in the 2350's. The way I looked at it, the Akira class was more conventional looking. Overall shape was still there, but it had the TNG style of nacelles, the spiderweb and grid type of shields as before. The pod was a sensor pod for patrol duty stuff, the class had hardly any of the 15 torpedo tubes.

Then the Borg happened. So they tested and built new classes like the Sabre and Defiant, the Norway and Steamrunner in my look different enough to be designed and built by non human engineers. Look at how they are colored.

Akira class was brought in as the first class to be refitted to be a anti Borg ship. I like this idea that, they brought in at least one of the four First Contact classes to be an existing class as opposed to a new class from the threat of the Borg.

I think the original design of the Akira does fit as a troubleshooter. A fast medium sized ship with a larger than normal hanger. Able to evacuate colonies if needed. Able to get to areas of the space in a quick enough time and if need be, has the firepower to defend itself.

What do you think?

It always seemed very heavily weighted towards torpedo tubes to me. Only three phaser arrays but 15 tubes. Makes you wonder what type of threat that would pointed towards?

I can see the shuttle capability or evacuation operations but I can also see it loaded down with fighters and performing a sort of "aircraft carrier" role.

IanKennedy wrote: ↑Tue Nov 16, 2021 4:28 pm It always seemed very heavily weighted towards torpedo tubes to me. Only three phaser arrays but 15 tubes. Makes you wonder what type of threat that would pointed towards?

I can see the shuttle capability or evacuation operations but I can also see it loaded down with fighters and performing a sort of "aircraft carrier" role.

We know that Borg shields are not invulnerable. They can be overpowered by sheer power, and I can see this ship if it was designed for the Borg to be basically a torpedo cruiser. It's actually an idea that Navies 100 years ago thought up too. Barely any guns but a lot of torpedo tubes and armored too.

It's possible that the class is just a type developed for fleet actions.

Though we don't really see this in action with the ship firing torpedoes all over the place.

I always had a problem with the Dough Drexler style of designing ships. He goes for the cool look without much consideration about the reasoning in universe to have it. Norway and Steamrunner classes are a good examples of this. Sabre class at seems to have been given some attention.

I always wondered, in that DS9 episode, "A Time to Stand," what if Sisko's Jem'Hadar warship had encountered, not a Centaur but, instead an Akira Class vessel? Probably wouldn't have lasted as long as they did, but if they did, would an Akira have fled after the arrival of the other Jem'Hadar? In the Voyager episode, "Message in a Bottle," when the Federations arrives to fight the Romulans, two Defiants leave to chase after the Prometheus, while one Akira takes on 3 Romulan Warbirds.

Nutso wrote: ↑Wed Nov 17, 2021 5:36 am I always wondered, in that DS9 episode, "A Time to Stand," what if Sisko's Jem'Hadar warship had encountered, not a Centaur but, instead an Akira Class vessel? Probably wouldn't have lasted as long as they did, but if they did, would an Akira have fled after the arrival of the other Jem'Hadar? In the Voyager episode, "Message in a Bottle," when the Federations arrives to fight the Romulans, two Defiants leave to chase after the Prometheus, while one Akira takes on 3 Romulan Warbirds.

Yeah that episode made the Akira look pretty badass especially when you think about how the E-D struggled against just one of those warbirds.

I have to pay attention more to the Dominion War fleet battles, I wonder how they did. I know we saw one doing a cartwheel after being severely damaged in the Battle of Chintoka.

McAvoy wrote: ↑Wed Nov 17, 2021 5:00 am We know that Borg shields are not invulnerable. They can be overpowered by sheer power, and I can see this ship if it was designed for the Borg to be basically a torpedo cruiser. It's actually an idea that Navies 100 years ago thought up too. Barely any guns but a lot of torpedo tubes and armored too.

It's possible that the class is just a type developed for fleet actions.

Though we don't really see this in action with the ship firing torpedoes all over the place.

One idea might be that it can volley off 15 torps at once, but reloading takes a while. Against a Borg Cube this is not an issue since the Cube is not that maneuverable, so the the Akira will volley torps then pull back to reload. In the Dominion War the Akira would have trouble as Dominion and Cardassian ships would chase it. So on the attack it would be good as it could unload a volley of torps into a single target and likely destroy it, but without the ability to reload quickly it is soon down to its phasers and (hopefully) sturdy shields. But if it can sneak away for a minute or two . . .

Coalition wrote: ↑Fri Nov 19, 2021 9:38 am

McAvoy wrote: ↑Wed Nov 17, 2021 5:00 am We know that Borg shields are not invulnerable. They can be overpowered by sheer power, and I can see this ship if it was designed for the Borg to be basically a torpedo cruiser. It's actually an idea that Navies 100 years ago thought up too. Barely any guns but a lot of torpedo tubes and armored too.

It's possible that the class is just a type developed for fleet actions.

Though we don't really see this in action with the ship firing torpedoes all over the place.

One idea might be that it can volley off 15 torps at once, but reloading takes a while. Against a Borg Cube this is not an issue since the Cube is not that maneuverable, so the the Akira will volley torps then pull back to reload. In the Dominion War the Akira would have trouble as Dominion and Cardassian ships would chase it. So on the attack it would be good as it could unload a volley of torps into a single target and likely destroy it, but without the ability to reload quickly it is soon down to its phasers and (hopefully) sturdy shields. But if it can sneak away for a minute or two . . .

The torpedo tubes point all over the place. Granted we have seen torpedoes being able to maneuver but I suspect they are actually limited in that regard.

I really can't think of a torpedo making 90 degree trajectory banks or even close to it. Only thing that comes to mind is in Undiscovered Country where the one modified torpedo McCoy and Spock modified did a back and forth motion because it was looking for the 'tailpipe emissions'.

I think if the purpose of the 15 torpedo tube configuration is for thd ship to maneuver. Fire forward, bank port, fire starboard torpedoes, bank port and then aft torpedoes and then finish the circle with firing the port tubes.

I think if this meant to fire a ton of torpedoes into one spot, one direction, you would have majority of the tubes pointing one direction.

Hell, create a gatling gun torpedo launcher. That would be something.