Is it cheating?

[Gary Phaserman 0]

The reason I put this here is because it relates not only to Star Trek RPGS, but also Fan Fic, so I figured Ten Forward was a good place for this.

 

IS IT CHEATING TO DESIGN A STARSHIP BASED ON AN EXISTING DESIGN, CANON OR OTHERWISE?

 

No. the practice of taking one design and using it as the base for a new class of ship is a practice that extends back at least as far as World War II. Several classes of Light Cruisers used by the US Navy were built from the same basic hull. The Navy did it again in the 1980's. Most people who are in the Navy or have spent time around the Navy know that there is a definate family resemblance between the Spruance class Destroyer and the Ticonderoga class Cruiser. The hull (The part that sits in the water) is the same. The Navy is doing it now, with the Surface Combattant 21 program, which includes DDX, the Advanced Destroyer, CGX, Advanced Cruiser, and LCS, Littoral Combat Ship (Which will be the first of the three to see service, with LCS-1, USS Freedom, scheduled to be in the water by December.) All three have the same basic design, just scaled differently for the three classes.

 

The idea is not new in Star Trek, either. The Constitution class spawned, at least as far as basic idea goes, 2 other canon designs, Miranda and Constellation. Both feature the Constitution's nacelles, and a modified Constitution class suacer section. Non-canonly speaking, Several warships have been spawned by the Constitution class, the most easily identifyable being the Federation class Dreadnaught, which features a third nacelle extending from the aft saucer. The Miranda class herself spawned the Soyuz class (USS Bozeman).

 

The Galaxy class and the Nebula class share many common components. Saucer, Engineering hull, and Warp nacelles. The Excelsior class spawned the Centaur-type and the Shelley or Curry class, depending on who's designation you consider accurate.

 

In the sim I am in, we have no less than three classes based on the Soveriegn class: Shiloh, Bunker Hill, and Georgia. All three use the same basic hull design, the main differences being size and warp nacelle possition. Shiloh's are swept down and forward, Bunker Hill's are swept up and back still, but mounted outboard of a hull blister containing torpedo tubes. Georgia's have zero sweep, and zero elevation from the pylon roots. they come straight out, like outriggers.

 

Starship designs can be played with virutally endlessly, and if anyone tells you you are cheating or being lazy because your design shares commonalities with a canon class, tell them to be quiet, they don't know what they are talking about. It's a time honored practice in shipbuilding, going back to the days of seagoing ships.

[A l t e r E g o 9]

I don't sim but I wanted to share this pic from the 2006 Ship of the Line calender, it's so cool:

 

NCC1000

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"Meni" is the credited artist & the title is Starfleet Proving Grounds.