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Off-Topic Discussion => Arts & Talents => Topic started by: Desert Tyrant on May 26, 2007, 05:02:11 pm

Title: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Desert Tyrant on May 26, 2007, 05:02:11 pm
Say, tomarrow, you become the CinC for the entire united Federation of planets.  If you were to militarize, what could/would you do?
P.S, this IS for actual discussion, using common sense.
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Shade on May 26, 2007, 05:26:58 pm
Let's see.

The first order of business would definitely be to tell the ship designers to stop fussing about with putting all kinds of fancy stuff on the ships. If the goal is military might, all the ships need are engines, weapons, armour, shields, sensors, and adequate life support and facilities to keep the crew happy. No laboratories, no panoramic-view-of-the-galaxy bars, no schools, minimal cargo bays, and definitely no nurseries. Warships should be warships.

How much more powerful a warship would a Galaxy class be if you stripped all the fluff and replaced it with extra reactors, shield generators, phaser banks and torpedo launchers?
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Desert Tyrant on May 26, 2007, 05:34:50 pm
From what I gathered from DS9, quite a bit stronger
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Mefustae on May 26, 2007, 07:11:43 pm
The first order of business would definitely be to tell the ship designers to stop fussing about with putting all kinds of fancy stuff on the ships. If the goal is military might, all the ships need are engines, weapons, armour, shields, sensors, and adequate life support and facilities to keep the crew happy. No laboratories, no panoramic-view-of-the-galaxy bars, no schools, minimal cargo bays, and definitely no nurseries. Warships should be warships.
They already built that: It's called the Defiant. Then you've got the Akira and Sovereign, which are likely built along the same lines. Starfleet is way ahead of you.

How much more powerful a warship would a Galaxy class be if you stripped all the fluff and replaced it with extra reactors, shield generators, phaser banks and torpedo launchers?
The Galaxy wasn't built as a warship, though. It was built for exploration and diplomacy, with just enough grunt to keep her in one piece when the situation called for it. Keep in mind she was designed during peace-time, so it's a moot point to bemoan the Galaxy as a crappy warship.
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Nuke on May 26, 2007, 07:54:07 pm
id make them evil. MUHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Maxwell on May 26, 2007, 07:55:31 pm
Quote
How would you improve Starfleet?

...Seatbelts.

Quote
It was built for exploration and diplomacy

I've always thought that was kind of silly how they try to make one ship do EVERYTHING.

In reality You would build a science ship to conduct science and use a warship for your gunboat diplomacy.
Of course that makes for horrible TV, because your cast of heroes will be running for safe harbor the moment any situation turns south.
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Shade on May 26, 2007, 08:41:33 pm
I wasn't so much bemoaning the Galaxy as a crappy warship, as I was pointing out that it wasn't a true warship, but could be if you ripped out all the unimportant crap ;) Which is important, as there aren't that many of the newer classes like the Defiant and Akira yet (as far as I know, at any rate). The Sovereign, I think, is still a victim of form over function, but I'll concede that it's much better than the Galaxy.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. Another thing they should do is dig out that cloaking tech they've got in a closet somewhere, dust it off and start integrating it into their ships. We know they have it, it's been used on screen a few times, they're just keeping it locked up to please the Romulans. But if they're going to go militaristic and piss them off anyway, they might as well go for the gold and get an advantage while at it.

Developing a few specialized classes of warships would also be a good thing. Practically everything they have now is general purpose - A few standoff ships loaded up with quantum torpedoes without having to worry about close combat weapons or heavy armour could add significantly to the strength of a battle group for comparatively little cost, for example. Nothing says "Don't mess with me" quite so well as 250 quantum torpedoes all impacting within a space of 30 seconds.

Finally, they need to start putting light phasers tasked to shoot down incoming ordnance on their ships. We have fairly effective CIWS systems right now, so why not in the future?
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Mefustae on May 26, 2007, 08:49:56 pm
I wasn't so much bemoaning the Galaxy as a crappy warship, as I was pointing out that it wasn't a true warship, but could be if you ripped out all the unimportant crap ;) Which is important, as there aren't that many of the newer classes like the Defiant and Akira yet (as far as I know, at any rate).
I guess you're right. A modernization of the Galaxy, ripping out all the creature comforts for a couple dozen more weapons, would be pretty awesome. Not to mention the fact that it'd be a mite irresponsible to have families and children aboard a ship routinely going up against the freaking Borg!

The Sovereign, I think, is still a victim of form over function, but I'll concede that it's much better than the Galaxy.
Who cares? That thing is sexy!

Finally, they need to start putting light phasers tasked to shoot down incoming ordnance on their ships. We have fairly effective CIWS systems right now, so why not in the future?
Perhaps because most other races use strictly energy weapons, which can only really be countered with an energy/deflector shield. Although it would be interesting to see if a CIWS phaser system or whatever could put a dent in an incoming torpedo, or whether the glowiness for some reason precludes that option...
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Shade on May 26, 2007, 09:20:26 pm
Quote
Who cares? That thing is sexy!
On this, I do agree :)
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: StarSlayer on May 26, 2007, 09:53:43 pm
Everybody grows a beard

EDIT>>In the interest of adding something useful as indicated by the next post

1) Proper starfighters and bombers with dedicated carriers

2) Refit some of the TNG era ships with Defiant or Special Voyager style armor, don't go crazy just add it over critical areas sorta like a tank with applique armor

3) Don't build your ships with long necks and warp engines on thin pylons

4) Add cloaks, might ruffle some treaty stipulations but hey, for war not for peace

5) Always have your ships operate in BattleGroups of some kind, no farting around space by your lonesome

6) Add dedicated ships for escorting your heavies, torpedo frigates, phaser cruisers ect. granted they might die quicker but they add more distractions

7) Ditch pretty windows, add more armor plate to new ships

8) Don't leave the bridge in a exposed position were anybody can shoot at it

9) Improve your ECM capabilities, jamming coms, sensors ect

10) Clone Kirk

2nd EDIT>>  I have been informed by more knowledgeable parties that they should in fact grow goatees:

(http://www.shipbrook.com/karen/blog/images/spock.jpg)
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Desert Tyrant on May 26, 2007, 10:24:09 pm
Everybody grows a beard
Dont troll in this topic.
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: WMCoolmon on May 26, 2007, 10:57:00 pm
Come now. If they got rid of all that 'unnecessary' crap, what would they do when they needed to scan for a repeating neutrino pattern to detect a ship, based on a spur-of-the-moment suggestion from a teenager, to rescue the ship's second-in-command? :p

And how many interesting adventures would they miss out on if the holodeck did have adequate safeguards and couldn't take control of the ship, or could be disconnected from the ship's power grid on a moment's notice?
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Mefustae on May 27, 2007, 02:55:17 am
And how many interesting adventures would they miss out on if the holodeck did have adequate safeguards and couldn't take control of the ship, or could be disconnected from the ship's power grid on a moment's notice?
"Sir, the Holoshed is on the fritz again."
"Damn. Last time that happened, I got hit with three paternity suits!"
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: TrashMan on May 27, 2007, 03:45:04 am
Say, tomarrow, you become the CinC for the entire united Federation of planets.  If you were to militarize, what could/would you do?
P.S, this IS for actual discussion, using common sense.

I'd mass produce Galaxy-X class warships...

That ships truly shows just how powerfull a militarized Galaxy class can be :D

"RUN KLINGONS, RUN!! MWHAHAHAHA"
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: NGTM-1R on May 27, 2007, 06:55:36 am
Specialization.

And Maxwell's right. Seatbelts would help a lot.
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Mars on May 27, 2007, 09:34:56 am
It drove me insane how in Next Gen EVERY show bar a few involved the Enterprise getting into some type of shoot-out... and starfleet continuing to fill the ship up with civvis.
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: TrashMan on May 27, 2007, 10:34:39 am
Canonicly, the Galaxy class is the most succesfull of all Federation designs....
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Unknown Target on May 27, 2007, 01:48:08 pm
Stop bringing freaking kids on warships. It's stupid.
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Desert Tyrant on May 27, 2007, 02:40:19 pm
Stop bringing freaking kids on warships. It's stupid.
Change number three on my list.  First two involve retraing and reqrganising the fleet.
Canonicly, the Galaxy class is the most succesfull of all Federation designs....
More like the Miranda and the Excelsior, mainly because of age.  Granted, in this new and improved starfleet, they should be on the way out, in favor of Intrepid class light crusiers, and Akiras.
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Pyro MX on June 07, 2007, 09:10:31 pm
Starfleet already has specialised warships - as mentioned before, the Defiant, but not mentioned up here unless I missed it, the Prometheus-class (http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Prometheus_class) warship. If Starfleet wants to have better firepower, they must get that ship into mass production. I think it's powerful enough.

Also, Starfleet (more a small division of it) owns timeships, which let them do pretty nuch anything they want.

Get ablative armor plating on all ships. Also all warships should have a battle bridge (or alternate bridge) if the first one gets destroyed.

Make the warp drive ejectable, which is already done by some ship classes.

As for cloaking devices, make some kind of scanning device that is able to detect cloaked starships.

VoilĂ . And I'm not a fan of Star-Trek. :nervous:
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Flipside on June 07, 2007, 10:33:09 pm
Subcutaneous communication devices, why do they have nano-technology and yet insist on using a communication device that is larger than some mobile phones that can be easily unpinned and confiscated?

Holo-emitters on every single deck, with no safeties, let's see aliens invade the Enterprise when they are being fought by a limitless army of Holographic Gorn ;)

More use of technologies, it always surprises me how much new technology and knowledge they gain which only seems to get used in the episode it was discovered in.
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Wobble73 on June 08, 2007, 05:16:47 am
External holo-emitters. Voila, you are now facing three, four, five Enterprises, which do you fire at??
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: bizzybody on June 12, 2007, 02:00:57 am
New standing order. Ship captains are no longer allowed to decide that some new alien technology they've just discovered is "too dangerous" and blow it up. (How many times was that done in all the ST series?)

From now on, they will either retrieve it and bring it to an isolated study zone or will travel to the nearest starbase at maximum warp and report its location so that a well equipped research and recovery team can be sent out.

Starfleet will use the cloaking device! Being able to defend oneself (or country, planet, solar system, Federation) better DOES NOT entice/incite others to attack. It makes them LESS LIKELY to want to attack if they're more likely to fail in the attack.

Romulan Leader: "Those rotten Federation people! They're using the cloaking device! ATTACK!"
Romulan Military Advisor: "Uh, sir. Attack what? We can't see them."
RL: "Oh. Right. Shall we have lunch, then? Can we pop off a photon torpedo or two?"
RMA: "That wouldn't be wise, Sir. Remember what Kirk did to the Duras sisters?"
RL: "Oh snap! Yeah, that could get ugly."

The joystick shall be removed from the bridges of all Galaxy Class starships. These are ships the size of aircraft carriers, not F-16C Fighting Falcons. While we're at it, just chuck the saucer section completely and replace it with a more compact super weaponry pod. The Galaxy looks much more menacing without the saucer. :)
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Mefustae on June 12, 2007, 02:23:40 am
There are so many things wrong with that post, a small part of me just died. Thankfully it was a really geeky part so you did me a favour, but still...
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: TrashMan on June 12, 2007, 05:02:21 am
Kick the women and chldern out. Install as many weapons and additional generators/shield emmiters/power moduls as you can possibly fit.

Conquer the galaxy.
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: jr2 on June 12, 2007, 12:49:19 pm
Sounds a little like Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning or something like that.

(http://www.vuze.com/magnet/E4YLRS5XPWZCCBE6FBPD72WCWYAVI43Z.jpg) (http://www.vuze.com/details/E4YLRS5XPWZCCBE6FBPD72WCWYAVI43Z.html)
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: NGTM-1R on June 13, 2007, 07:52:08 pm
Seatbelts, dammit.

And surge protectors, less of the exploding consoles please.
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Topgun on June 13, 2007, 08:48:12 pm
I whould invent the Pyro GX!!! make a huge fleet of them!!! they have to be the best fighters in any universe. I mean come on! infulltrating a enemy base, then blowing it up from the inside!!!
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Desert Tyrant on June 13, 2007, 09:27:25 pm
I mention the Intrepid class, because, well... you've got a tough-ass ship if it actually survives Captain Janeway :D
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: jr2 on June 14, 2007, 03:43:17 am
I whould invent the Pyro GX!!! make a huge fleet of them!!! they have to be the best fighters in any universe. I mean come on! infulltrating a enemy base, then blowing it up from the inside!!!

Assuming you could invent orbital teleportation insertion like in the real Descent.  :p
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: TrashMan on June 14, 2007, 05:17:44 am
Tactical  Dreadnought Armor for those pesky away missions...
Nothnig sez "We come in peace, but don't you DARE to shoot us" as much as a huge power armor with enough firepower to level a city.

A few inquisitors to "enlighten" the other races into just how much better our ways, our culture and values are than theirs.

A fleet of Galalxy-X warships. You got high-speed, cloack, hevy armor and shielding and more firepower than a klingon task force.
Add a Executor or two for good mesure.

A lot of normal firearms (and cold weapons) With machine guns and swords victory against the Borg is guaranteed!

An AI that can run the ship by itslef (like Data)...since crew men at consoles seem to like the notion of flying whenever something sparkles...
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: IPAndrews on June 14, 2007, 05:22:15 am
The prime directive just takes the fun out of space exploration.
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: TrashMan on June 14, 2007, 01:10:16 pm
"Sir, we discovered a primitive planet! what shal lwe do now?"
"We will follow the prime directive!!...NOT!....Whip up the Soundmeister 3000, I'll be God this time!"
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: jr2 on June 14, 2007, 01:14:14 pm
Ya, hmm, Prime Directive... Don't help anyone that can't help themselves?  :confused:  If you can help someone / something avoid mistakes that you've already made and learned from, and they are willing to listen, then have at it.  If they won't listen, and they are abusing someone else, then give them some of their own medicine.
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: TrashMan on June 15, 2007, 04:19:34 pm
I also reccomed another thing for Starfleet..

SHOOT FIRST, ASK QUESTIONS LATER! The Kirk way   :lol:

And oh...let's not forget the most impotant thing:
Drop Janeway and Sisko out of the airlock....
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: NGTM-1R on June 15, 2007, 07:52:17 pm
If that were just Janeway, I might have agreed.
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Desert Tyrant on June 15, 2007, 11:48:14 pm
Sisko isn't that bad.  Sure, he's my second least favourite Captain of the series, but he's still far and away better than Janeway. 
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: achtung on June 16, 2007, 12:50:38 am
One word, fighters.
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: jr2 on June 16, 2007, 01:20:33 am
Ya... torpedo bombers, do they have them?
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Desert Tyrant on June 16, 2007, 02:36:23 am
Ya... torpedo bombers, do they have them?
If you've played Star Trek: Shattered Universe.
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: jr2 on June 16, 2007, 02:38:08 am
That would give the fighters something to do besides make strafing runs.  ;)
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Harbinger of DOOM on July 12, 2007, 11:16:19 pm
Fighters, Bombers, Multiple Layered Shielding, Multiple Reactors, Multiple Phaser Strips in each direction, GET RID OF ALL THE CUSHY CRAP!!!!!!!!! (except the holodeck, i mean..... that'd just be...... cruel)
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Unknown Target on July 18, 2007, 04:49:09 am
Better target practice training for all Starfleet crewmen. Why is it that they can't hit So'na from ten feet away down a straight corridor with semi-automatic rifles?
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: diceman111 on July 18, 2007, 08:39:03 am
I would put flames on the side of all starships that would make them look cooler and thereby noby would mess with them, also I create lots of Omega particals (or watever they where called) and simply spread them out throuout the romulan star empire that would mean no troubles from them.

Also make clones of Captain Kirk, Janeway, Spock, Picard
Title: Re: How would you improve Starfleet?
Post by: Flipside on July 18, 2007, 02:30:40 pm
Just occured to me, why is this in Art and Fanfic, surely this would be better suited to General Discussion?

If you want, I'll move it.