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I would love to see the strength index of the stardrive section only. Particularly beam firepower and combat manuverability.

Well if shield strength and mobility stats stay the same overall strength would be 977.237. I assume mobility and maybe shield strength would increase. However because of Riker's comment about needing additional power from the saucer's engines suggests that only mobility and no energy based stats will increase.

The stardrive also lacks the main phaser arrays, which may make a difference. The TM suggests that phaser firepower is proportional to the length of the array and if that's correct stardrive phaser power will be substantially less than the combined ship.

But they're all rated as type 10 so they must still be formidable. In any case the stardrive section is less combat capable then a full Galaxy-class. Clearly saucer seperation is a quick and dirty way to get rid of civilians, and non-essential crew, when there isn't time to drop them off at a starbase. Or for rare occasions when certain strategies are needed, like in the Best of Both Worlds, or that one episode in season one when they were getting attacked by a cloaked enemy. The Encounter at Far Point is an example of the getting rid of civies the quick and dirty way.

It's dependant on whether the TM info (which is non-canon) is correct. I generally take it as reasonably so, since it gives an accurate impression of what the writers were think at the time it was written. In this case, it would be useful to think of "Type X" as being equivalent to the weapon's muzzle calibre, with the array length being equivalent to barrel length. This would make a long array more powerful than a shorter one, despite them both being of the same design.

I would still think that the combat manuverability would be a big +, if nothing else. That huge sauser sure makes an easy target, too.

I would depend how many of the impulse engines/thrusters are on the Stardrive and how many are on the Saucer Section.

If the ships designed to separate before combat, it would make more sense for the majority to the engines to be on the Stardrive - the Saucer section wouldn't need that much maneuverability. Not sure how that would effect the ships handling then connected though.

According to the tech manual, if I remember correctly, said the Stardrive has two impulse drives that are side by side, and the saucer has the two well known and definitely canon impulse drives.

I've only seen the one impulse drive on the Stardive hull. Its on the rear of the neck and is I think under shuttle bays 2 and 3.

They are side by side and share the same engine housing. It would be difficult to tell where the port engine ends and the starboard begines.

Even assuming the stardrive had only half of the impulse power, you've got to figure it probably has only a quarter of the mass.

johnsmith wrote:Even assuming the stardrive had only half of the impulse power, you've got to figure it probably has only a quarter of the mass.

On the contrary - it's substantially more massive, sincethat the warp coils are exceptionally dense. Look at the Intrepid class for example - it wouldn't be able to stand on its legs if it's centre of mass weren't a good deal further aft than a uniform-density object of the same shape.

Regarding GCS impulse engines there are three equally-sized exhausts, as depicted in this image from EAS.

Try your link Seafort, I dont think you can link directly to pictures on Ex Astris.

Bugger. Ah well, try this:



The port saucer engine is in shadow, but it shows the locations and sizes well enough.

I've always assumed that the Stardrive section had more firepower than the saucer section...after all, it's got both of the torpedo launchers in addition to the phaser strips.

Speaking of which, does anyone know if the saucer section has it's own torpedo launcher? Certainly we've never seen it in action...