Docking Ports on Voyager

Lord Poe · Post by **Lord Poe** » 2003-04-10 12:49am

Anyone know where another ship would dock with Voyager?

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-04-10 01:24am

There are docking ports on the front and furthest side edges of the saucer.

http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/scans ... yager1.jpg

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2003-04-10 01:43am

Bloody stupid places to put the docking ports, if I may say so.

Then again, Voyager's design is bloody stupid...

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-04-10 01:46am

It's dumb to put them on the furthest edges of the ship?

Whatever...

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2003-04-10 01:50am

I guess I'm looking at it this way: if the ports are ever used when the ship's moving, it puts a lot of mechanical stresses on the area around the docking port. They're probably fine in drydock, but *only* in drydock.

Well, we never *did* see them used in the series... did we?

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-04-10 01:52am

The one on the front appears to be like the ones shown in the movies that move crew on board in dry dock.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-04-10 01:59am

Actually, all three are the same.

Here's another pic of the ones on the side:
http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/scans ... yager5.jpg
It's the very last image on the bottom right.

Setesh · Post by **Setesh** » 2003-04-10 02:46am

They have one underneath somewhere, the Time accelerated planet guys docked there IIRC

Luke Starkiller · Post by **Luke Starkiller** » 2003-04-10 01:10pm

They docked with the 'Generation Ship' too, the one where Harry does an alien chick and starts glowing.

Lord Poe · Post by **Lord Poe** » 2003-04-10 08:32pm

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:There are docking ports on the front and furthest side edges of the saucer.

http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/scans ... yager1.jpg

Thanks, Spanky!

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2003-04-10 10:17pm

Crayz9000 wrote:I guess I'm looking at it this way: if the ports are ever used when the ship's moving, it puts a lot of mechanical stresses on the area around the docking port. They're probably fine in drydock, but *only* in drydock.

Well, we never *did* see them used in the series... did we?

Correction: they put stresses on the area around the docking port when the ships in question are accelerating.

I don't think Federation starships directly dock with other starships very often at all. Look at the docking port locations for the Galaxy class; they're at the neck, where just about no starship could ever hope to nuzzle a docking port against.

I think Federation dockports are designed mainly for use with shuttles and at starbases and drydocks; they're probably accustomed to simply using their transporters.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-04-11 12:17am

Crayz9000 wrote:I guess I'm looking at it this way: if the ports are ever used when the ship's moving, it puts a lot of mechanical stresses on the area around the docking port. They're probably fine in drydock, but *only* in drydock.

Sure, they're not the best place for structural stresses. But in all fairness to SF designers, where else would you put them? It would be pretty foolish to put them somewhere inaccessable but reinforced, as you couldn't use the docking port anyway. The only time it would be a problem is if you were towing a ship with the docking port, and thats what the tractor beam is for.

HappyTarget · Post by **HappyTarget** » 2003-04-13 01:37am

IMHO they are only a bad idea structurally if you ignore tractor beams and transporters. IIRC they have never once been underway when the docking ports are in use. Like it's been said earler, if they want to tow something, they use tractorbeams, if they want to transfer personnelle, they use transporters. Safer that way, you can get rid of weapons and known diseases from alien boarders.

Lord Pounder · Post by **Lord Pounder** » 2003-04-13 10:31am

What scale model where those shots taken from? I collect Star Ship Models and that Voyager would look good between my E-E and Defiant.