What would Voyager's folding Warp Nacelles...

[Captain Holland 0]

Well we should all know that Voyager has folding Warp Nacelles for a purpose, and that purpose is to not pollute space. Now, I have no clue as to what folding nacelles would do to a starship besides make it look cool. Could anyone give me some insight as to how they affect polution of space?

[TheDoctor 0]

I'm as stumped as you.

[Captain Jean-Luc Picard 1]

I don't believe it was explained on the show. Basically, they wanted Voyager to have moving parts, and it was very difficult to find a reasonable way to pull it off. Finally, I guess they decided that they needed to modify the warp drive system, so came up with the "folding nacelles" as the modification and moving part.

 

The big question is, ships like the Enterprise-E accomplish this without folding naccelles. Does this mean that all future constructed Intrepid-class ships will have fixed nacelles, or that the class would be unique in the folding nacelles, or what?

[Sam The Smuggler 1]

Here's Something From Another Board

 

 

HRH The King Of The Internet

It increases the efficiency of the warp field.

 

It's officially known as 'Variable Geometry Warp Field' In theory, although this was never explored on the show, the pylons could be moved to allow the nacelles to sit at diffferent positions relative to the ship. This would allow the nacelles to be moved DURING warp flight (never seen on the show) as the computer would automatically correct or adjust the angle of the pylons to adjust the warp field for different regions of space, which may be filled with varying anomalies and conditions which could interfere with the Warp Field.

 

When the Intrepid class starship dropped out of warp, the pylons would return to their horizontal position as the impulse engines could then be used as normal (The Intrepid Class Starship has three Impulse engines). It's a more efficient design of warp drive as it allows the ship to adjust to varying missions which is what the Intrepid's were designed to do. be a flexible multi-purpose vessel.

 

The simple answer is that designer, Rick Sternbach thought that it would look pretty cool if a part of the ship moved before going into warp.

 

Hope that helps.

[Captain Jean-Luc Picard 1]

Sounds pretty good, but were's the third impulse engine?

[Sam The Smuggler 1]

Hmmm...On The Back Of The "Spoon" Section Perhaps...Maybe?

[Captain Jean-Luc Picard 1]

Hmmm...On The Back Of The "Spoon" Section Perhaps...Maybe?

Spoon?

[Sam The Smuggler 1]

Well..Looks More Like A Spoon Than A Saucer.

 

 

Hey!! What Happened To My Avatar??? I Changed It..Now It's Back To The One I Was Using Before!!!

[Captain Jean-Luc Picard 1]

The back of the saucer has a dual photon torpedoe launcher and an airlock. No impulse engine.

[Sam The Smuggler 1]

I Know All That's There. Maybe There's An In-Active Impulse Engine Too...Or Maybe....Maybe It's Hidden In A Compartment..Knowing Voyager, I Wouldn't Doubt It.

[A l t e r E g o 9]

Could anyone give me some insight as to how they affect polution of space?

 

I have an analogy that might help, take apiece of paper to simulate space and rip it into two pieces. See the Rough edges? Imagine that Roughness is the damage the old engines did to some areas of space. Now take a pair of scissors, see my point?

 

The big question is, ships like the Enterprise-E accomplish this without folding nacelles. Does this mean that all future constructed Intrepid-class ships will have fixed nacelles, or that the class would be unique in the folding nacelles, or what?

 

I believe starting with ENT E and after ships began to have the ability to adjust the warp field internally in order to create the same no damaging effect as tilting the entire engine did before.

[Captain Jean-Luc Picard 1]

The big question is, ships like the Enterprise-E accomplish this without folding nacelles. Does this mean that all future constructed Intrepid-class ships will have fixed nacelles, or that the class would be unique in the folding nacelles, or what?

 

I believe starting with ENT E and after ships began to have the ability to adjust the warp field internally in order to create the same no damaging effect as tilting the entire engine did before.

Yes, but would future Intrepid-class ships have the folding nacelles since they figured out how to work it internally?

[A l t e r E g o 9]

I'm not up on all Ship Engines speak so please forgive me if I sound novice about this, I am. I'd guess no they would not. I think the internal workings are probably based on a Program so couldn't it be installed into all future ships and retrofitted onto old?

Edited January 5, 2004 by Alterego

[ensign_beedrill 0]

Well..Looks More Like A Spoon Than A Saucer.

I've always thought that Voyager looks like a spoon, too!

 

Does this mean that all future constructed Intrepid-class ships will have fixed nacelles, or that the class would be unique in the folding nacelles, or what?

Well, I don't know about that. But this might help... I was always under the impression that the Voyager and the Intrepid-class starships in general were sort of "experimental" in the sense that the ship designers (in the Star Trek world) were trying out new things: bio-neural gel packs, folding nacelles, and such. Perhaps they stopped creating this "experimental" class once they found more efficient ways to accomplish the same tasks.

[Captain Holland 0]

Thank's everyone. You've all been a great help.

[Tench745 0]

I think I can help on that. Based on the history of the Intrepid class ships, no, not all of them were experimental. Only about the first three, Voyager Included, were experimental. If anything the Defiant class was more experimental. There are supposedly 67 Intrepid class ships in service, and only 39 Defiant class ships in service. The Intrepid class ships aren't likely to have fixed warp pylons anytime. These movable warp pylons were supposed to move to vary the warp field, reducing energy usage, and thus pollution.

[Sam The Smuggler 1]

Sounds pretty good, but were's the third impulse engine?

I Asked On The Other Board.

 

 

HRH The King Of The Internet

Actually, I was wrong. It only has two.

 

Sorry.

 

But the original design of the Intrepid class ship was to actually have three. But the third engine, which was located along the ship's spine, was replaced by two torpedo launchers.

 

It was actually a cool ship, pity about the show.

[Captain Jean-Luc Picard 1]

I know what he's talking about, but I liked the final version of the ship better.