Starfleet Command - User contributions [en]

User talk:Timo

2008-03-14T11:59:30Z

Timo: /* "Missing" Narrative */

==First Discussion==
Hey, Timo: welcome to your very own Talk page. I really don't know how much wiki-experience you have, but from what I've seen, I'm assuming you're a quick learner. I'm going to talk to you as if you're a novice to wikis and not just to this one, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

These conversations are going to be divided between attempts to help you with your goals in wiki-editing and strategy for the '''Guide''' wiki (I'm going to try and bold any references to the wiki itself, to differentiate from the project you've created or actual text from the project). Please respond to anything you'd prefer here or start your own thread.

===Editting: User & Talk pages===
Each registered User automatically has two 'properties' in any wiki (they can build more later, if the wiki management allows it). The first is the User Page, which is owned by them. It can be used as a portal and introduction to other Users or as a reference for the User himself (direct links to others of concern, help pages, references and/or resources). On the two other wikis I'm on (Wikipedia and a Battletech one), I tend to go with the reference use.

Talk pages are the personal forums of Users. Users generally conduct discussions in two manners: the first starts off with the outsider contacting the User here and the User responding underneath. Just as in some older-school bulletin boards, the conversation would tree:

Ex:
First Post
:First response
::First branch response
:::First branch response
::::First branch response
:Second response
::Second branch response
:Third response

These are done by adding colons infront of the indented sections, using multiple colons for multiple indentions.

(I've gone back and made this change to the [[Help:Scratchpad/Questions for Timo|Questions for Timo]] discussion, as an example).

The second method usually has the User responding on the outsider's talk page. I find these conversations disjointed and usually don't pursue this.

Most posts start with first to last (top to bottom), but I've seen some Users go the opposite direction. Often, Users will archive old posts, to keep their Talk pages clean. If you're ever interested in that, let me know. Its rather simple.

One thing I've seen you've already discovered is the use of the ''signature with timestamp'' button. Those are welcomed in discussions, to indicate where one poster stops and another starts.--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Editting: Cheat Sheet and other beginners' resources===
Here's a list of resources I've lifted from Wikipedia and MediaWiki, the software behind Wikipedia and this site. The first one, the Reference Card, was critical to my initial understanding, but I really don't use it any longer. I hope they help.

*[http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:MediaWikiRefCard.pdf Reference Card] I've found it helpful to print this out
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Cheatsheet Cheatsheet]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Magic_words Magic Words]
--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Editting: History===
A great resource to learning how to do something is the ''History'' tab. Judging from the edits you have made, I'd say you already know this. However, assuming you might not know this little trick, here it is. On the history tab, you'll see the most recent edits for that article. By clicking two radio buttons (the before and after), and then clicking the ''Compare selected versions'' button, you'll get a side-by-side comparison of what was changed, with the changes marked in red. If text on the left side is red, it was either deleted or moved. I will be using this extensively to analyze the changes you made to the [[DY series (Guide)]]. Of course, I'm using it to recognize what changed in my understanding of the DY series, but its very useful from learning how others "do it". There are other methods that work equally well, but this is a good starting point. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Editting: Suggestion for formatting===
In the ''[[A Word Or Two From The Author (Guide)|A Word Or Two From The Author]]'' article, might I suggest using a colon (:) added in right before your responses? That would cause your statement to be indented, breaking it out from the questions.--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Strategy/Editting: Additional change needed===
(Note: In reality, on more established/populated wikis, comments about certain articles are made on the articles' talk pages -called ''Discussion''- but I think they could be missed here, if we both didn't monitor the Recent Changes religiously.)
You changed the displayed title for the DY series article on the [[Timo's Guide to Starfleet]] index page. For versatility's sake, I added brief index pages to the chapters' introductions (in this case, [[Before 2063 - The Playground (Guide)]]). So, the change you made didn't follow. Since this is a one-man wiki, its easy for me to remember to make both changes (and I've done so on the chapter intro to match the one you made).

However, for your '''Guide''' wiki. I don't know if you'll want that same feature (small index on the chapter intro). In very largely populated wikis, like Wikipedia, minor inconsistencies will probably be quickly discovered. On your wiki, once its up and running with its own life, neither you nor I will be following every small change others make, so some small detail like that could be missed. Its probably not important, but I thought I'd point out a pitfall of my design as I saw it. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Strategy: Your Current Material===
I can see, based on the [[DY series (Guide)|DY]] series article, you have indeed made quite a few changes to what I've already posted. (In my mind, you have the seventh printing or version, while I'm working off the sixth.) For your '''Guide''', it might be easier to post the v.7 material directly, than boosting the wiki code from here at '''SFC'''. The reason I say this is because you won't have to get into the nitty-gritty of the differences between mine and your's -just cut and paste it- and won't have to deal with all the dead wikilinks (''also'' wlinks) that will be built into my code. (We'll have templates tailor-built for '''Guide''' in which to post the data and text into.) Not really a concern until we have '''Guide''' actually up and running, but wanted you to consider that before you (mis-)realized the scope of the project, in regards to differences. When we get to that point, you can provide me with your latest version and we'll tackle it together.--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Editting: Manual of Style===
Take a look in the left side bar for the [[Help:Contents|Manual of Style]]. Its a Help Contents section that I didn't feel was appropriately named for a one-person wiki. In it, I have data-blank templates for Guide articles, as well as code ready for copying (as well as instructions, to help remind me how and why I did things). Take a look and see what resources you can make use of. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Editting: Daedalus ===
Maybe I shouldn't have, but I did a little formatting on the [[Daedalus (Guide)|Daedalus]] article. (You may have just been experiementing with starting an article, but maybe also practicing making it your own style for '''Guide.''') I assume you don't necessarily want a ''horizontal line'' (provided in the edit buttons or made with for hyphens [<nowiki>----</nowiki>]), but would like to stick with an asterisk-like break. I've included both ideas, for your consideration. Take a look (including at the code) and let me know if this is what you were intending.

Why did you put so many spaces before the images? Maybe I can help you. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

==From Flare PMs==
To keep from having our conversations going thru three or more mediums, I'm bringing points of
discussions from Flare over here:

===The ''Guide'' (Now with Images!)===
"I would love to share this stuff with you, perhaps updating the wiki entries to whatever
latest specs I've come up with. In practice, FlareUpLoad no longer is a practical tool for
sharing the files, not with the images in there. A site-type approach would really be in
order now..."--Timo, 05 March 2008
:Re-reading this, if I understand you correctly, you actually have some of your own images
embedded within the ''Guide''. Is that a correct assumption? That's awesome, if so. Are
these images begged, borrowed and stolen like here on '''SFC''' or from another source?
:I happened to find an archive of fandom imagery the other week, which led me to the work
done by 'Vance' on TrekBBS. Since you're a frequent poster there, and once we've gotten
'''Guide''' up to an acceptable level, do you feel you'll be able to enlist his help? --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 14:10, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Your schedule this week===
"Basically, I'll get on full swing only later this week, after an exam on Thursday and lots
of Easter-related stuff with the choir. I hope to get all the entries inserted and/or redone
in the next few weeks; so far, I've only done a "practice edit" on the "word from author"
bit to see how it's done, and I've had no problems yet. Let's see if I can figure out how to
properly edit class data..."--Timo, 11 March 2008
:Now that I've gotten your desired web page name, I can proceed with installation, so don't
feel like a deadline is over your head. In fact, you're now waiting on me, as the
installation has to be done at home, when I have the block of time to devote to it. I have a
lot of stuff to do before I deploy later this spring, both personally and professionally.
For the '''Guide''', I want everything that has to be done thru the server completed,
because I won't be able to access it from at sea. Hopefully, I'll be able to attempt the
initial installation this weekend, and then the supporting code for various useful features
(like citing references) can follow along later. To be honest, the site may be functional
but very ugly thru June, due to my schedule. But, as long as its functional and we're not
trying to go public, it should be just fine for our needs during that period of time. (And
then we can carry on these conversations over there.)--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 14:10, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Editing and Review Capacity===
"I'm really looking forward to having actual work done on this. And I think I'm a feedback
whore, too - but perhaps the wiki should at first be review only, later possibly to be
opened for general editing."--Timo, 11 March 2008
:If you'd like to allow public editting, I'd like to suggest forcing editors to register
(vice allowing anonymous edits). That's one step to prevent spambots from changing, deleting
and adding pages for their own aims. It also helps ensure a level of trust that someone has
the material's 'health' in mind, if they make an edit. In that regards, I'm going to leave
it open to registered editing, when I install. We won't advertise the site's existance,
except to a limited number of people who we trust to improve the site before its 'grand'
opening.--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 14:10, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Uploading Pictures===
"The major thing I have to learn yet is where to cache the pictures, and in what format..."--Timo, 11 March 2008
:Incredibly easy. I've allowed most picture types to be included in the database (as well as a few other mediums, so that I could transfer things between work and home without having to worry about e-mail buffers), so I imagine anything you have, we can display. (Note to self: copy relevant imagery code from this wiki to the '''Guide''' wiki, post-install.)
#Sidebar-->Toolbar-->Upload file
#Use the ''Browse'' button to select the image.
#Give it a fitting name for the site (not really necessary, but provides some consistency) in the ''Destination filename:'' field. (''Summary'' not really necessary, either.)
#''Upload file''
#You'll see a page similar to [[:Image:Intl Space Agency c2018-2104.gif| this one]]. The term ''Image:'' will preceed the chosen file name, with the file type following. The whole line (ex: Image:Intl Space Agency c2018-2104.gif) is the equivalent to a regular article's title. Paste this into the code, for most places.
#If you have a better image to replace the original (and wish to replace all uses of the original), instead of uploading a new file with a new name, overwrite the old one by clicking on the ''Upload a new version of this file'' link on that image page.
Hope this helps! --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 14:10, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Site Name===
"No problem with shortening the name of the site; I'd just like to have a title page eventually, with the full title."--Timo, 11 March 2008
:Roger that. I'll give the full title a go first and then short it to "Hobbyist's Guide" if necessary. The full title can definitely fit on the Main page. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 14:10, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

==Main Page==
Timo, another thing not at all necessary to have right now, but something to start considering is the [[Main Page]]. Here at '''SFC''', you'll see I have four sections: 2 blocks with two columns in between. Orginally, I envisioned the '''Guide''' having [[Timo's Guide to Starfleet]] as the Main Page, but thought you might want something less book-centric. Really, most any general format could work, with the exception of more than two clumns (I don't know how to do three or more, though with time and effort, might be able to figure it out).
Again, ideas:
*[[Timo's Guide to Starfleet]] as the main page
*Block format similar to this one (with/without columns):
:*Title Block (with quick resources)
:*Additional Blocks, comprising concepts such as eras, classes, major events, etc.
*Alternate ideas
Think about this some. We're not tied down to any one idea from the beginning (like we are for the browser title), and can experiment.

Another issue is the top-left graphic. There is a hole left there, as each site is expected to have an icon of the site. Mine is obviously borrowed/stolen from 'Reverend' from Flare and I'll put a placeholder there during installation. To be honest, getting him to design one for this site would be ''par excellence''. Do you think you could approach him, explain our project here and ask him to design one? The carrot would be to offer him beta entrance to the site...--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 14:10, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

== Hobbyist's Guide to the UFP Starfleet wiki is up ==

Yep, got it installed during evenings and labored on it surreptitiously at work. It is up and it is '''ugly''' (as it has no personality at the moment, but we'll work on that together). I've added several features that I had been looking for for my wiki, including two simple security measures. However, getting it so you can work trouble-free will still require a few more hours of work. I know you're a bit overworked right now, so in that way the timing is good. Feel free to address some of the questions I've put forward above and ask some yourself, if you find you do have the time. I'll introduce your wiki to you this weekend, if not tomorrow.

I have, however, come up with what I ''think'' is a winning front page layout, using multiple blocks. It is, of course, only my suggestion and can (I expect) be easily changed to whatever you might have come up with in the meantime. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 16:27, 13 March 2008 (PDT)

:Thank you very much, Dan!

:I appreciate all the work you have put onto this hobby project where the lion's share of labor should be mine. I hope I can get to full swing in transferring and completing the actual entries in the following weeks. The current template for entries is quite practical, although I have to work on the division of weapons to various types (something I should have done a long time ago anyway), and on the sources&credits listing.

:I have to study the front page layout when I find it... I'm still a bit lost around here, but hopefully learning. --[[Timo|Timo]] 10:56, 14 March 2008 (GMT+3)

== "Missing" Narrative ==

Timo, the [[Starships and Other Large Vessels (Guide)|Part I: Starships and Other Large Vessels]] 'chapter' is the only one of the three to not have anything written for it. With the focus of the ''Guide'' being primarily on starships, it would seem that it was covered by other areas (both senior and subordinate to the chapter entry), but it seems to be a bit (only slightly) odd when met on the '''Guide''' wiki. (I'm saying this with my fan hat on.) --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 16:37, 13 March 2008 (PDT)

:Good point. I think the lead-in to Part III also warrants expansion eventually. The Guide currently is lacking in symmetry in any case, what with only Part I having the Era division. But a lead-in for Part I will be forthcoming eventually. --[[User:Timo|Timo]] 10:59, 14 March 2008 (GMT+3)

User talk:Timo

2008-03-14T11:59:14Z

Timo: /* Hobbyist's Guide to the UFP Starfleet wiki is up */

User talk:Timo

2008-03-14T08:59:46Z

Timo: /* "Missing" Narrative */

==First Discussion==
Hey, Timo: welcome to your very own Talk page. I really don't know how much wiki-experience you have, but from what I've seen, I'm assuming you're a quick learner. I'm going to talk to you as if you're a novice to wikis and not just to this one, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

These conversations are going to be divided between attempts to help you with your goals in wiki-editing and strategy for the '''Guide''' wiki (I'm going to try and bold any references to the wiki itself, to differentiate from the project you've created or actual text from the project). Please respond to anything you'd prefer here or start your own thread.

===Editting: User & Talk pages===
Each registered User automatically has two 'properties' in any wiki (they can build more later, if the wiki management allows it). The first is the User Page, which is owned by them. It can be used as a portal and introduction to other Users or as a reference for the User himself (direct links to others of concern, help pages, references and/or resources). On the two other wikis I'm on (Wikipedia and a Battletech one), I tend to go with the reference use.

Talk pages are the personal forums of Users. Users generally conduct discussions in two manners: the first starts off with the outsider contacting the User here and the User responding underneath. Just as in some older-school bulletin boards, the conversation would tree:

Ex:
First Post
:First response
::First branch response
:::First branch response
::::First branch response
:Second response
::Second branch response
:Third response

These are done by adding colons infront of the indented sections, using multiple colons for multiple indentions.

(I've gone back and made this change to the [[Help:Scratchpad/Questions for Timo|Questions for Timo]] discussion, as an example).

The second method usually has the User responding on the outsider's talk page. I find these conversations disjointed and usually don't pursue this.

Most posts start with first to last (top to bottom), but I've seen some Users go the opposite direction. Often, Users will archive old posts, to keep their Talk pages clean. If you're ever interested in that, let me know. Its rather simple.

One thing I've seen you've already discovered is the use of the ''signature with timestamp'' button. Those are welcomed in discussions, to indicate where one poster stops and another starts.--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Editting: Cheat Sheet and other beginners' resources===
Here's a list of resources I've lifted from Wikipedia and MediaWiki, the software behind Wikipedia and this site. The first one, the Reference Card, was critical to my initial understanding, but I really don't use it any longer. I hope they help.

*[http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:MediaWikiRefCard.pdf Reference Card] I've found it helpful to print this out
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Cheatsheet Cheatsheet]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Magic_words Magic Words]
--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Editting: History===
A great resource to learning how to do something is the ''History'' tab. Judging from the edits you have made, I'd say you already know this. However, assuming you might not know this little trick, here it is. On the history tab, you'll see the most recent edits for that article. By clicking two radio buttons (the before and after), and then clicking the ''Compare selected versions'' button, you'll get a side-by-side comparison of what was changed, with the changes marked in red. If text on the left side is red, it was either deleted or moved. I will be using this extensively to analyze the changes you made to the [[DY series (Guide)]]. Of course, I'm using it to recognize what changed in my understanding of the DY series, but its very useful from learning how others "do it". There are other methods that work equally well, but this is a good starting point. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Editting: Suggestion for formatting===
In the ''[[A Word Or Two From The Author (Guide)|A Word Or Two From The Author]]'' article, might I suggest using a colon (:) added in right before your responses? That would cause your statement to be indented, breaking it out from the questions.--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Strategy/Editting: Additional change needed===
(Note: In reality, on more established/populated wikis, comments about certain articles are made on the articles' talk pages -called ''Discussion''- but I think they could be missed here, if we both didn't monitor the Recent Changes religiously.)
You changed the displayed title for the DY series article on the [[Timo's Guide to Starfleet]] index page. For versatility's sake, I added brief index pages to the chapters' introductions (in this case, [[Before 2063 - The Playground (Guide)]]). So, the change you made didn't follow. Since this is a one-man wiki, its easy for me to remember to make both changes (and I've done so on the chapter intro to match the one you made).

However, for your '''Guide''' wiki. I don't know if you'll want that same feature (small index on the chapter intro). In very largely populated wikis, like Wikipedia, minor inconsistencies will probably be quickly discovered. On your wiki, once its up and running with its own life, neither you nor I will be following every small change others make, so some small detail like that could be missed. Its probably not important, but I thought I'd point out a pitfall of my design as I saw it. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Strategy: Your Current Material===
I can see, based on the [[DY series (Guide)|DY]] series article, you have indeed made quite a few changes to what I've already posted. (In my mind, you have the seventh printing or version, while I'm working off the sixth.) For your '''Guide''', it might be easier to post the v.7 material directly, than boosting the wiki code from here at '''SFC'''. The reason I say this is because you won't have to get into the nitty-gritty of the differences between mine and your's -just cut and paste it- and won't have to deal with all the dead wikilinks (''also'' wlinks) that will be built into my code. (We'll have templates tailor-built for '''Guide''' in which to post the data and text into.) Not really a concern until we have '''Guide''' actually up and running, but wanted you to consider that before you (mis-)realized the scope of the project, in regards to differences. When we get to that point, you can provide me with your latest version and we'll tackle it together.--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Editting: Manual of Style===
Take a look in the left side bar for the [[Help:Contents|Manual of Style]]. Its a Help Contents section that I didn't feel was appropriately named for a one-person wiki. In it, I have data-blank templates for Guide articles, as well as code ready for copying (as well as instructions, to help remind me how and why I did things). Take a look and see what resources you can make use of. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Editting: Daedalus ===
Maybe I shouldn't have, but I did a little formatting on the [[Daedalus (Guide)|Daedalus]] article. (You may have just been experiementing with starting an article, but maybe also practicing making it your own style for '''Guide.''') I assume you don't necessarily want a ''horizontal line'' (provided in the edit buttons or made with for hyphens [<nowiki>----</nowiki>]), but would like to stick with an asterisk-like break. I've included both ideas, for your consideration. Take a look (including at the code) and let me know if this is what you were intending.

Why did you put so many spaces before the images? Maybe I can help you. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

==From Flare PMs==
To keep from having our conversations going thru three or more mediums, I'm bringing points of
discussions from Flare over here:

===The ''Guide'' (Now with Images!)===
"I would love to share this stuff with you, perhaps updating the wiki entries to whatever
latest specs I've come up with. In practice, FlareUpLoad no longer is a practical tool for
sharing the files, not with the images in there. A site-type approach would really be in
order now..."--Timo, 05 March 2008
:Re-reading this, if I understand you correctly, you actually have some of your own images
embedded within the ''Guide''. Is that a correct assumption? That's awesome, if so. Are
these images begged, borrowed and stolen like here on '''SFC''' or from another source?
:I happened to find an archive of fandom imagery the other week, which led me to the work
done by 'Vance' on TrekBBS. Since you're a frequent poster there, and once we've gotten
'''Guide''' up to an acceptable level, do you feel you'll be able to enlist his help? --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 14:10, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Your schedule this week===
"Basically, I'll get on full swing only later this week, after an exam on Thursday and lots
of Easter-related stuff with the choir. I hope to get all the entries inserted and/or redone
in the next few weeks; so far, I've only done a "practice edit" on the "word from author"
bit to see how it's done, and I've had no problems yet. Let's see if I can figure out how to
properly edit class data..."--Timo, 11 March 2008
:Now that I've gotten your desired web page name, I can proceed with installation, so don't
feel like a deadline is over your head. In fact, you're now waiting on me, as the
installation has to be done at home, when I have the block of time to devote to it. I have a
lot of stuff to do before I deploy later this spring, both personally and professionally.
For the '''Guide''', I want everything that has to be done thru the server completed,
because I won't be able to access it from at sea. Hopefully, I'll be able to attempt the
initial installation this weekend, and then the supporting code for various useful features
(like citing references) can follow along later. To be honest, the site may be functional
but very ugly thru June, due to my schedule. But, as long as its functional and we're not
trying to go public, it should be just fine for our needs during that period of time. (And
then we can carry on these conversations over there.)--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 14:10, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Editing and Review Capacity===
"I'm really looking forward to having actual work done on this. And I think I'm a feedback
whore, too - but perhaps the wiki should at first be review only, later possibly to be
opened for general editing."--Timo, 11 March 2008
:If you'd like to allow public editting, I'd like to suggest forcing editors to register
(vice allowing anonymous edits). That's one step to prevent spambots from changing, deleting
and adding pages for their own aims. It also helps ensure a level of trust that someone has
the material's 'health' in mind, if they make an edit. In that regards, I'm going to leave
it open to registered editing, when I install. We won't advertise the site's existance,
except to a limited number of people who we trust to improve the site before its 'grand'
opening.--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 14:10, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Uploading Pictures===
"The major thing I have to learn yet is where to cache the pictures, and in what format..."--Timo, 11 March 2008
:Incredibly easy. I've allowed most picture types to be included in the database (as well as a few other mediums, so that I could transfer things between work and home without having to worry about e-mail buffers), so I imagine anything you have, we can display. (Note to self: copy relevant imagery code from this wiki to the '''Guide''' wiki, post-install.)
#Sidebar-->Toolbar-->Upload file
#Use the ''Browse'' button to select the image.
#Give it a fitting name for the site (not really necessary, but provides some consistency) in the ''Destination filename:'' field. (''Summary'' not really necessary, either.)
#''Upload file''
#You'll see a page similar to [[:Image:Intl Space Agency c2018-2104.gif| this one]]. The term ''Image:'' will preceed the chosen file name, with the file type following. The whole line (ex: Image:Intl Space Agency c2018-2104.gif) is the equivalent to a regular article's title. Paste this into the code, for most places.
#If you have a better image to replace the original (and wish to replace all uses of the original), instead of uploading a new file with a new name, overwrite the old one by clicking on the ''Upload a new version of this file'' link on that image page.
Hope this helps! --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 14:10, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Site Name===
"No problem with shortening the name of the site; I'd just like to have a title page eventually, with the full title."--Timo, 11 March 2008
:Roger that. I'll give the full title a go first and then short it to "Hobbyist's Guide" if necessary. The full title can definitely fit on the Main page. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 14:10, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

==Main Page==
Timo, another thing not at all necessary to have right now, but something to start considering is the [[Main Page]]. Here at '''SFC''', you'll see I have four sections: 2 blocks with two columns in between. Orginally, I envisioned the '''Guide''' having [[Timo's Guide to Starfleet]] as the Main Page, but thought you might want something less book-centric. Really, most any general format could work, with the exception of more than two clumns (I don't know how to do three or more, though with time and effort, might be able to figure it out).
Again, ideas:
*[[Timo's Guide to Starfleet]] as the main page
*Block format similar to this one (with/without columns):
:*Title Block (with quick resources)
:*Additional Blocks, comprising concepts such as eras, classes, major events, etc.
*Alternate ideas
Think about this some. We're not tied down to any one idea from the beginning (like we are for the browser title), and can experiment.

Another issue is the top-left graphic. There is a hole left there, as each site is expected to have an icon of the site. Mine is obviously borrowed/stolen from 'Reverend' from Flare and I'll put a placeholder there during installation. To be honest, getting him to design one for this site would be ''par excellence''. Do you think you could approach him, explain our project here and ask him to design one? The carrot would be to offer him beta entrance to the site...--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 14:10, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

== Hobbyist's Guide to the UFP Starfleet wiki is up ==

Yep, got it installed during evenings and labored on it surreptitiously at work. It is up and it is '''ugly''' (as it has no personality at the moment, but we'll work on that together). I've added several features that I had been looking for for my wiki, including two simple security measures. However, getting it so you can work trouble-free will still require a few more hours of work. I know you're a bit overworked right now, so in that way the timing is good. Feel free to address some of the questions I've put forward above and ask some yourself, if you find you do have the time. I'll introduce your wiki to you this weekend, if not tomorrow.

I have, however, come up with what I ''think'' is a winning front page layout, using multiple blocks. It is, of course, only my suggestion and can (I expect) be easily changed to whatever you might have come up with in the meantime. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 16:27, 13 March 2008 (PDT)

:Thank you very much, Dan!

I appreciate all the work you have put onto this hobby project where the lion's share of labor should be mine. I hope I can get to full swing in transferring and completing the actual entries in the following weeks. The current template for entries is quite practical, although I have to work on the division of weapons to various types (something I should have done a long time ago anyway), and on the sources&credits listing.

I have to study the front page layout when I find it... I'm still a bit lost around here, but hopefully learning. --[[Timo|Timo]] 10:56, 14 March 2008 (GMT+3)

== "Missing" Narrative ==

Timo, the [[Starships and Other Large Vessels (Guide)|Part I: Starships and Other Large Vessels]] 'chapter' is the only one of the three to not have anything written for it. With the focus of the ''Guide'' being primarily on starships, it would seem that it was covered by other areas (both senior and subordinate to the chapter entry), but it seems to be a bit (only slightly) odd when met on the '''Guide''' wiki. (I'm saying this with my fan hat on.) --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 16:37, 13 March 2008 (PDT)

:Good point. I think the lead-in to Part III also warrants expansion eventually. The Guide currently is lacking in symmetry in any case, what with only Part I having the Era division. But a lead-in for Part I will be forthcoming eventually.

--[[User:Timo|Timo]] 10:59, 14 March 2008 (GMT+3)

User talk:Timo

2008-03-14T08:56:51Z

Timo: /* Hobbyist's Guide to the UFP Starfleet wiki is up */

==First Discussion==
Hey, Timo: welcome to your very own Talk page. I really don't know how much wiki-experience you have, but from what I've seen, I'm assuming you're a quick learner. I'm going to talk to you as if you're a novice to wikis and not just to this one, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

These conversations are going to be divided between attempts to help you with your goals in wiki-editing and strategy for the '''Guide''' wiki (I'm going to try and bold any references to the wiki itself, to differentiate from the project you've created or actual text from the project). Please respond to anything you'd prefer here or start your own thread.

===Editting: User & Talk pages===
Each registered User automatically has two 'properties' in any wiki (they can build more later, if the wiki management allows it). The first is the User Page, which is owned by them. It can be used as a portal and introduction to other Users or as a reference for the User himself (direct links to others of concern, help pages, references and/or resources). On the two other wikis I'm on (Wikipedia and a Battletech one), I tend to go with the reference use.

Talk pages are the personal forums of Users. Users generally conduct discussions in two manners: the first starts off with the outsider contacting the User here and the User responding underneath. Just as in some older-school bulletin boards, the conversation would tree:

Ex:
First Post
:First response
::First branch response
:::First branch response
::::First branch response
:Second response
::Second branch response
:Third response

These are done by adding colons infront of the indented sections, using multiple colons for multiple indentions.

(I've gone back and made this change to the [[Help:Scratchpad/Questions for Timo|Questions for Timo]] discussion, as an example).

The second method usually has the User responding on the outsider's talk page. I find these conversations disjointed and usually don't pursue this.

Most posts start with first to last (top to bottom), but I've seen some Users go the opposite direction. Often, Users will archive old posts, to keep their Talk pages clean. If you're ever interested in that, let me know. Its rather simple.

One thing I've seen you've already discovered is the use of the ''signature with timestamp'' button. Those are welcomed in discussions, to indicate where one poster stops and another starts.--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Editting: Cheat Sheet and other beginners' resources===
Here's a list of resources I've lifted from Wikipedia and MediaWiki, the software behind Wikipedia and this site. The first one, the Reference Card, was critical to my initial understanding, but I really don't use it any longer. I hope they help.

*[http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:MediaWikiRefCard.pdf Reference Card] I've found it helpful to print this out
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Cheatsheet Cheatsheet]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Magic_words Magic Words]
--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Editting: History===
A great resource to learning how to do something is the ''History'' tab. Judging from the edits you have made, I'd say you already know this. However, assuming you might not know this little trick, here it is. On the history tab, you'll see the most recent edits for that article. By clicking two radio buttons (the before and after), and then clicking the ''Compare selected versions'' button, you'll get a side-by-side comparison of what was changed, with the changes marked in red. If text on the left side is red, it was either deleted or moved. I will be using this extensively to analyze the changes you made to the [[DY series (Guide)]]. Of course, I'm using it to recognize what changed in my understanding of the DY series, but its very useful from learning how others "do it". There are other methods that work equally well, but this is a good starting point. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Editting: Suggestion for formatting===
In the ''[[A Word Or Two From The Author (Guide)|A Word Or Two From The Author]]'' article, might I suggest using a colon (:) added in right before your responses? That would cause your statement to be indented, breaking it out from the questions.--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Strategy/Editting: Additional change needed===
(Note: In reality, on more established/populated wikis, comments about certain articles are made on the articles' talk pages -called ''Discussion''- but I think they could be missed here, if we both didn't monitor the Recent Changes religiously.)
You changed the displayed title for the DY series article on the [[Timo's Guide to Starfleet]] index page. For versatility's sake, I added brief index pages to the chapters' introductions (in this case, [[Before 2063 - The Playground (Guide)]]). So, the change you made didn't follow. Since this is a one-man wiki, its easy for me to remember to make both changes (and I've done so on the chapter intro to match the one you made).

However, for your '''Guide''' wiki. I don't know if you'll want that same feature (small index on the chapter intro). In very largely populated wikis, like Wikipedia, minor inconsistencies will probably be quickly discovered. On your wiki, once its up and running with its own life, neither you nor I will be following every small change others make, so some small detail like that could be missed. Its probably not important, but I thought I'd point out a pitfall of my design as I saw it. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Strategy: Your Current Material===
I can see, based on the [[DY series (Guide)|DY]] series article, you have indeed made quite a few changes to what I've already posted. (In my mind, you have the seventh printing or version, while I'm working off the sixth.) For your '''Guide''', it might be easier to post the v.7 material directly, than boosting the wiki code from here at '''SFC'''. The reason I say this is because you won't have to get into the nitty-gritty of the differences between mine and your's -just cut and paste it- and won't have to deal with all the dead wikilinks (''also'' wlinks) that will be built into my code. (We'll have templates tailor-built for '''Guide''' in which to post the data and text into.) Not really a concern until we have '''Guide''' actually up and running, but wanted you to consider that before you (mis-)realized the scope of the project, in regards to differences. When we get to that point, you can provide me with your latest version and we'll tackle it together.--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Editting: Manual of Style===
Take a look in the left side bar for the [[Help:Contents|Manual of Style]]. Its a Help Contents section that I didn't feel was appropriately named for a one-person wiki. In it, I have data-blank templates for Guide articles, as well as code ready for copying (as well as instructions, to help remind me how and why I did things). Take a look and see what resources you can make use of. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Editting: Daedalus ===
Maybe I shouldn't have, but I did a little formatting on the [[Daedalus (Guide)|Daedalus]] article. (You may have just been experiementing with starting an article, but maybe also practicing making it your own style for '''Guide.''') I assume you don't necessarily want a ''horizontal line'' (provided in the edit buttons or made with for hyphens [<nowiki>----</nowiki>]), but would like to stick with an asterisk-like break. I've included both ideas, for your consideration. Take a look (including at the code) and let me know if this is what you were intending.

Why did you put so many spaces before the images? Maybe I can help you. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:42, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

==From Flare PMs==
To keep from having our conversations going thru three or more mediums, I'm bringing points of
discussions from Flare over here:

===The ''Guide'' (Now with Images!)===
"I would love to share this stuff with you, perhaps updating the wiki entries to whatever
latest specs I've come up with. In practice, FlareUpLoad no longer is a practical tool for
sharing the files, not with the images in there. A site-type approach would really be in
order now..."--Timo, 05 March 2008
:Re-reading this, if I understand you correctly, you actually have some of your own images
embedded within the ''Guide''. Is that a correct assumption? That's awesome, if so. Are
these images begged, borrowed and stolen like here on '''SFC''' or from another source?
:I happened to find an archive of fandom imagery the other week, which led me to the work
done by 'Vance' on TrekBBS. Since you're a frequent poster there, and once we've gotten
'''Guide''' up to an acceptable level, do you feel you'll be able to enlist his help? --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 14:10, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Your schedule this week===
"Basically, I'll get on full swing only later this week, after an exam on Thursday and lots
of Easter-related stuff with the choir. I hope to get all the entries inserted and/or redone
in the next few weeks; so far, I've only done a "practice edit" on the "word from author"
bit to see how it's done, and I've had no problems yet. Let's see if I can figure out how to
properly edit class data..."--Timo, 11 March 2008
:Now that I've gotten your desired web page name, I can proceed with installation, so don't
feel like a deadline is over your head. In fact, you're now waiting on me, as the
installation has to be done at home, when I have the block of time to devote to it. I have a
lot of stuff to do before I deploy later this spring, both personally and professionally.
For the '''Guide''', I want everything that has to be done thru the server completed,
because I won't be able to access it from at sea. Hopefully, I'll be able to attempt the
initial installation this weekend, and then the supporting code for various useful features
(like citing references) can follow along later. To be honest, the site may be functional
but very ugly thru June, due to my schedule. But, as long as its functional and we're not
trying to go public, it should be just fine for our needs during that period of time. (And
then we can carry on these conversations over there.)--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 14:10, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Editing and Review Capacity===
"I'm really looking forward to having actual work done on this. And I think I'm a feedback
whore, too - but perhaps the wiki should at first be review only, later possibly to be
opened for general editing."--Timo, 11 March 2008
:If you'd like to allow public editting, I'd like to suggest forcing editors to register
(vice allowing anonymous edits). That's one step to prevent spambots from changing, deleting
and adding pages for their own aims. It also helps ensure a level of trust that someone has
the material's 'health' in mind, if they make an edit. In that regards, I'm going to leave
it open to registered editing, when I install. We won't advertise the site's existance,
except to a limited number of people who we trust to improve the site before its 'grand'
opening.--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 14:10, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Uploading Pictures===
"The major thing I have to learn yet is where to cache the pictures, and in what format..."--Timo, 11 March 2008
:Incredibly easy. I've allowed most picture types to be included in the database (as well as a few other mediums, so that I could transfer things between work and home without having to worry about e-mail buffers), so I imagine anything you have, we can display. (Note to self: copy relevant imagery code from this wiki to the '''Guide''' wiki, post-install.)
#Sidebar-->Toolbar-->Upload file
#Use the ''Browse'' button to select the image.
#Give it a fitting name for the site (not really necessary, but provides some consistency) in the ''Destination filename:'' field. (''Summary'' not really necessary, either.)
#''Upload file''
#You'll see a page similar to [[:Image:Intl Space Agency c2018-2104.gif| this one]]. The term ''Image:'' will preceed the chosen file name, with the file type following. The whole line (ex: Image:Intl Space Agency c2018-2104.gif) is the equivalent to a regular article's title. Paste this into the code, for most places.
#If you have a better image to replace the original (and wish to replace all uses of the original), instead of uploading a new file with a new name, overwrite the old one by clicking on the ''Upload a new version of this file'' link on that image page.
Hope this helps! --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 14:10, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

===Site Name===
"No problem with shortening the name of the site; I'd just like to have a title page eventually, with the full title."--Timo, 11 March 2008
:Roger that. I'll give the full title a go first and then short it to "Hobbyist's Guide" if necessary. The full title can definitely fit on the Main page. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 14:10, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

==Main Page==
Timo, another thing not at all necessary to have right now, but something to start considering is the [[Main Page]]. Here at '''SFC''', you'll see I have four sections: 2 blocks with two columns in between. Orginally, I envisioned the '''Guide''' having [[Timo's Guide to Starfleet]] as the Main Page, but thought you might want something less book-centric. Really, most any general format could work, with the exception of more than two clumns (I don't know how to do three or more, though with time and effort, might be able to figure it out).
Again, ideas:
*[[Timo's Guide to Starfleet]] as the main page
*Block format similar to this one (with/without columns):
:*Title Block (with quick resources)
:*Additional Blocks, comprising concepts such as eras, classes, major events, etc.
*Alternate ideas
Think about this some. We're not tied down to any one idea from the beginning (like we are for the browser title), and can experiment.

Another issue is the top-left graphic. There is a hole left there, as each site is expected to have an icon of the site. Mine is obviously borrowed/stolen from 'Reverend' from Flare and I'll put a placeholder there during installation. To be honest, getting him to design one for this site would be ''par excellence''. Do you think you could approach him, explain our project here and ask him to design one? The carrot would be to offer him beta entrance to the site...--[[User:Dan|Dan]] 14:10, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

== Hobbyist's Guide to the UFP Starfleet wiki is up ==

Yep, got it installed during evenings and labored on it surreptitiously at work. It is up and it is '''ugly''' (as it has no personality at the moment, but we'll work on that together). I've added several features that I had been looking for for my wiki, including two simple security measures. However, getting it so you can work trouble-free will still require a few more hours of work. I know you're a bit overworked right now, so in that way the timing is good. Feel free to address some of the questions I've put forward above and ask some yourself, if you find you do have the time. I'll introduce your wiki to you this weekend, if not tomorrow.

I have, however, come up with what I ''think'' is a winning front page layout, using multiple blocks. It is, of course, only my suggestion and can (I expect) be easily changed to whatever you might have come up with in the meantime. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 16:27, 13 March 2008 (PDT)

:Thank you very much, Dan!

I appreciate all the work you have put onto this hobby project where the lion's share of labor should be mine. I hope I can get to full swing in transferring and completing the actual entries in the following weeks. The current template for entries is quite practical, although I have to work on the division of weapons to various types (something I should have done a long time ago anyway), and on the sources&credits listing.

I have to study the front page layout when I find it... I'm still a bit lost around here, but hopefully learning. --[[Timo|Timo]] 10:56, 14 March 2008 (GMT+3)

== "Missing" Narrative ==

Timo, the [[Starships and Other Large Vessels (Guide)|Part I: Starships and Other Large Vessels]] 'chapter' is the only one of the three to not have anything written for it. With the focus of the ''Guide'' being primarily on starships, it would seem that it was covered by other areas (both senior and subordinate to the chapter entry), but it seems to be a bit (only slightly) odd when met on the '''Guide''' wiki. (I'm saying this with my fan hat on.) --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 16:37, 13 March 2008 (PDT)

Help:Scratchpad/Questions for Timo

2008-03-12T09:01:21Z

Timo: /* Federation Reference Series */

==Who went first?==
In the [[Durance (Guide)|Durance article]], it says, "''USS Chandeleur'' (FR-263) was the first to fall to an attack by the forces of the Rihannsu people, expanding to meet the people who had intruded their space." However, "[[2130-2161 - Into The Romulan War (Guide)|2130-2161 - Into The Romulan War]]" and the [[Messier (Guide)|Messier]] article indicate the first offensive action was against ''USS Balboa'' in [[2132]]. Would it be more correct to state that the loss of ''USS Chandeleur'' was the first one known (at the time) to be a result of Romulan aggression? And, if so, what year did it occur? --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:39, 6 March 2008 (PST)

:Good question... The ''Chandeleur'' comes from a reference that gives the service years in unambiguous Earth years, and in fact lists this vessel as disappearing in 2137. Since the date does not conflict with modern Trek dating, this is how the entry should read as well. In contrast, the ''Balboa'' comes from a novel where the years are somewhat at odds with modern dating, and the year for the disappearance of that vessel is not given explicitly. While I originally intended the ''Chandeleur'' to merely be the first ''Durance'' to disappear, not necessarily the first Earth ship or other asset, it would not be a problem to say that she also went down slightly before the ''Balboa''.

:However, neither of these losses would be known to be to the Romulans at the time. The loss of the starliner ''Diana'' would in this version of Trek history (and in the Spaceflight Chronology) be the first one immediately attributed to the Romulans. --[[User:Timo|Timo]] 14:58, 11 March 2008 (GMT+3)

::I think you've done a good job building the confusion with what was deemed simple losses to pirate activity and what was actual beligerence by a state. Thanks for the explanation. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:40, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

==Visit to Romulas when?==
Related question: Both the [[Messier (Guide)|Messier]] article and "[[2130-2161 - Into The Romulan War (Guide)|2130-2161 - Into The Romulan War]]" mention a visit (supposedly to Romulas) by ''USS Carrizal''. When did this occur? --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:39, 6 March 2008 (PST)

:Further food for thought... The ''Messier'' is postulated here to be a slow, primitive type, so the ''Balboa'' sortie probably would not be an instant follow-on mission to the ''Carrizal'' survey. Whether ''Balboa'' is set at 2132, or moved to 2137, ''Carrizal'' could be anywhere between the 2100s and the 2130s; the source novel, ''The Romulan Way'', does not dictate an exact date for this mission, either.

:Generally, the only reason we have for assuming that these two ships would be close contemporaries, and of the same class, is their seemingly systematic naming after conquistadors. So far, the Guide does not claim that the ''Carrizal'' would belong to the ''Messier'' class, but this is the unvoiced assumption. --[[Timo|Timo]] 15:22, 11 March 2008 (GMT+3)

::Okay. I'll leave that 'open' for the time being. Thanks. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:31, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

==730 or 750?==
The data for the [[DY series (Guide)|DY series]] indicates the existance for a DY-750, while the text mentions a subclass referred to as a DY-730. Is the former a mistake for the latter? --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 19:32, 8 March 2008 (PST)

:The DY series entry has now been edited to better accommodate the numerous various fan-created variants. There is also a semi-systematic approach to the DY numbers now, with numbers below 200 used for early sublight types (and any fan sublight design number above this is shamelessly altered in the style of DY-400 -> DY-140, DY-350 -> DY-135). A separate article will soon describe the warp-capable or warp-uprated variants, and will mention the general DY-700 series, of which the DY-750 as seen in the first Chronology book (courtesy of Greg Jein and Mike Okuda) is one member but does not get specific mention because it is not in UEDP/UESF/Starfleet use. The new entry doesn't mention a DY-730 any more, either, but I trust that one exists as well - as do DY-710, DY-720 and so forth...

:I considered the idea that the number would in fact be a registry/serial number, as possibly suggested in the chart glimpsed in TNG "Up the Long Ladder" where no two identical DY numbers appear. Ships from 500 to 599 might then be of identical design but would have unique identity indicated by the DY number. The system proved too cumbersome, though, and isn't dictated by the source material. --[[User:Timo|Timo]] 15:11, 11 March 2008 (GMT+3)

==Federation Reference Series==
I saw you made this change to the history reference data for the [[DY series (Guide)|DY]] series. What is this? I don't think I've heard of it. --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 11:45, 11 March 2008 (PDT)

:Oops, the reference is actually incorrect. For the fan-made DY vessels, the primary reference should be Star Fleet Tactical Database, a "reimagining" and expanding of the Spaceflight Chronology by Lawrence Miller in 1992. The Federation Reference Series is a set of publications by the Mastercom bureau (aridas sofia et al.) from 1985 where canon and Franz Joseph material is graphically represented, but it does not feature the aridas sofia vessel DY-350/''Black Mamba'', which in the Guide entry is perverted into the DY-135. Both can be currently found at the Cygnus-X1 blueprint site (http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/blueprints-main2.php) by John Patuto. --[[User:Timo|Timo]] 10:59, 12 March 2008 (GMT+3)

Help:Scratchpad/Questions for Timo

2008-03-11T13:22:21Z

Timo: /* Visit to Romulas when? */

==Who went first?==
In the [[Durance (Guide)|Durance article]], it says, "''USS Chandeleur'' (FR-263) was the first to fall to an attack by the forces of the Rihannsu people, expanding to meet the people who had intruded their space." However, "[[2130-2161 - Into The Romulan War (Guide)|2130-2161 - Into The Romulan War]]" and the [[Messier (Guide)|Messier]] article indicate the first offensive action was against ''USS Balboa'' in [[2132]]. Would it be more correct to state that the loss of ''USS Chandeleur'' was the first one known (at the time) to be a result of Romulan aggression? And, if so, what year did it occur? --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:39, 6 March 2008 (PST)

Good question... The ''Chandeleur'' comes from a reference that gives the service years in unambiguous Earth years, and in fact lists this vessel as disappearing in 2137. Since the date does not conflict with modern Trek dating, this is how the entry should read as well. In contrast, the ''Balboa'' comes from a novel where the years are somewhat at odds with modern dating, and the year for the disappearance of that vessel is not given explicitly. While I originally intended the ''Chandeleur'' to merely be the first ''Durance'' to disappear, not necessarily the first Earth ship or other asset, it would not be a problem to say that she also went down slightly before the ''Balboa''.

However, neither of these losses would be known to be to the Romulans at the time. The loss of the starliner ''Diana'' would in this version of Trek history (and in the Spaceflight Chronology) be the first one immediately attributed to the Romulans. --[[User:Timo|Timo]] 14:58, 11 March 2008 (GMT+3)

==Visit to Romulas when?==
Related question: Both the [[Messier (Guide)|Messier]] article and "[[2130-2161 - Into The Romulan War (Guide)|2130-2161 - Into The Romulan War]]" mention a visit (supposedly to Romulas) by ''USS Carrizal''. When did this occur? --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 12:39, 6 March 2008 (PST)

Further food for thought... The ''Messier'' is postulated here to be a slow, primitive type, so the ''Balboa'' sortie probably would not be an instant follow-on mission to the ''Carrizal'' survey. Whether ''Balboa'' is set at 2132, or moved to 2137, ''Carrizal'' could be anywhere between the 2100s and the 2130s; the source novel, ''The Romulan Way'', does not dictate an exact date for this mission, either.

Generally, the only reason we have for assuming that these two ships would be close contemporaries, and of the same class, is their seemingly systematic naming after conquistadors. So far, the Guide does not claim that the ''Carrizal'' would belong to the ''Messier'' class, but this is the unvoiced assumption. --[[Timo|Timo]] 15:22, 11 March 2008 (GMT+3)

==730 or 750?==
The data for the [[DY series (Guide)|DY series]] indicates the existance for a DY-750, while the text mentions a subclass referred to as a DY-730. Is the former a mistake for the latter? --[[User:Dan|Dan]] 19:32, 8 March 2008 (PST)

The DY series entry has now been edited to better accommodate the numerous various fan-created variants. There is also a semi-systematic approach to the DY numbers now, with numbers below 200 used for early sublight types (and any fan sublight design number above this is shamelessly altered in the style of DY-400 -> DY-140, DY-350 -> DY-135). A separate article will soon describe the warp-capable or warp-uprated variants, and will mention the general DY-700 series, of which the DY-750 as seen in the first Chronology book (courtesy of Greg Jein and Mike Okuda) is one member but does not get specific mention because it is not in UEDP/UESF/Starfleet use. The new entry doesn't mention a DY-730 any more, either, but I trust that one exists as well - as do DY-710, DY-720 and so forth...

I considered the idea that the number would in fact be a registry/serial number, as possibly suggested in the chart glimpsed in TNG "Up the Long Ladder" where no two identical DY numbers appear. Ships from 500 to 599 might then be of identical design but would have unique identity indicated by the DY number. The system proved too cumbersome, though, and isn't dictated by the source material. --[[User:Timo|Timo]] 15:11, 11 March 2008 (GMT+3)

Help:Scratchpad/Questions for Timo

2008-03-11T13:11:59Z

Timo: /* 730 or 750? */

Help:Scratchpad/Questions for Timo

2008-03-11T12:59:04Z

Timo: /* Who went first? */

Guide:Daedalus

2008-03-11T10:33:27Z

Timo: First attempt at inserting full content to a preexisting entry slot

{{Sidebar Guide ship
|image=[[Image:Daedalus.jpg|250px|''Daedalus'' class survey cruiser]]
|classname=''Daedalus''
|category=Survey cruiser
|years=[[2145]] - [[2196]]
|constructed=20 total 
*1 ''Daedalus'' CID testbed
*4 ''Horizon'' survey cruisers / gunships
*15 ''Daedalus'' survey cruisers
|length=103.0 m
|beam=45.1 m
|height=34.0 m
|mass= 
*47,300 tons (CID testbed)
*48,800 tons (original survey configuration)
*49,900 tons (Romulan War gunship configuration)
*48,500 tons (final survey configuration)
|cruisespeed= 
*w 3
|maxspeed= 
*w 3.25
|endurance= 
*4 years
|officers= 
*12
|enlisted= 
*62
|troops=N/A
|passengers= 
*up to 25 research staff
|patients=N/A
|beamweapons= 
CID testbed:
*none
Original survey configuration:
*4 berths for laser emitters (250 nm / 300 MW) or plasma cannon (2.0 GW) on main hull
Romulan War configuration, in addition to above:
*4 laser emitters (250 nm / 300 MW) on ventral secondary hull
*1 to 3 Type C phased particle cannon (80 GJ / 100 GW) on fwd secondary hull
*1 to 3 Type C phased particle cannon (80 GJ / 100 GW) on aft secondary hull
Final survey configuration:
*1 or 2 Type C phased particle cannon (80 GJ / 100 GW) on fwd secondary hull
*2 laser emitters (250 nm / 400 MW) on main hull
|missileweapons=
Romulan War configuration:
*1 aft missile tube w/ 50-200 fusion or penetration missiles or mines
|otherweapons=
|shields= 
*Electromagnetic shield (29 T)
*4-layer graviton/subspace globular shield later upgraded to all vessels
*Polarizable armor over primary and secondary hull, later removed
*Navigational deflector on secondary hull bow
|labs= 
*2 GP
*1 planetary sciences
*1 life sciences/chemistry
|auxcraft= 
*2 atmospheric shuttlepods
|historicalships= 
*''USS Archon'' (SV-71/NCC-189)
*''USS Essex'' (SV-73/NCC-173)
*''USS Horizon'' (SV-70/NCC-176)
*''USS Lovell'' (NCC-189/NCC-470)
|design=DS9/Greg Jein, SFC
|name=TNG,SFC
|history=TNG,SFC
}}

By the beginning of the 22nd century, it had become painfully clear that there never could be a Dominion of Earth in the immediate vicinity of Sol. The seeming power vacuum in the region was but an illusion, as long as the powerful Vulcans refused to let anybody fill it. Yet humans had ventured to the stars when the fierce interstellar competition of Vulcans and Andorians was reaching its peak. Moreover, the Klingons were recovering from their bitter defeats, and once again heading for conquest, this time driven by a new, dangerously fanatic warrior mythos.

This was not just a threat but an opportunity for Earth. In place of old nationalism, humanity now experienced its first bout of specieism, as it strove to explore and exploit space as independently as humanly possible. To increase the reach of its survey ships beyond the space already explored by Vulcans, the team led by the venerable Zephram Cochrane initiated in 2115 the development of a new series of warp engines. These would be necessary for warp four or five cruising, a feat far beyond the capabilities of clumsy Earth spacecraft so far. Even though this speed range was already available to the more refined Vulcan ships, the Vulcan spacecraft of which Earth designers had data available met none of the basic requirements of UESF – foremost of these the requirement of being reproducible using Earth technology.

Basic research on warp dynamics was funded by Earth government, soon to be followed by joint research efforts with leading Vulcan scientists. Slow progress gave ammunition to the specieist factions, however, as it was argued that the Vulcans were not volunteering sufficient data and expertise. Cochrane himself denied the charges, as did most of his closest associates. Yet subdivisions emerged within the project, and by 2136, there were four parallel lines of warp engine development underway. Two of them were to lead to actual spacecraft applications, and have later generally been associated with the names of the resulting classes. Project Enterprise was headed by Henry Archer in close cooperation with Vulcans. Project Daedalus, under the lead of Victor Brodesser, took a different approach altogether, and shared no data whatsoever with interstellar allies.

Common to both projects was a new warp concept of two-lobed distorted fields, created by rapidly modulating the plasma streams feeding the engine coils. The field would no longer be symmetrical in the plane of the nacelles; the bow and stern portions of the field would be off-centerline by roughly equal amounts. This field configuration did not immediately promise any quantum leaps in speed or endurance, but warp theorists were convinced that the asymmetry would some day be harnessed to produce significantly more effective drives.

Even the marginal advantages gained by the new system were worth exploiting, so when UESF in 2134 decided it was time for a new survey ship type, the diminutive class was ordered built with pronounced asymmetry. As could be guessed, UESF had its sights set farther than just survey missions. Propulsive technology downselection quickly ruled out traditional approaches, leaving Archer’s antimatter-spiced superengine and Brodesser’s cascade ion drive system. Although the former had a greater number of test rig flights under its belt, the latter fit better with the political aims of the project.

[[Image:ABC.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Henry Archer and Victor Brodesser standing next to a portrait of Zephram Cochrane. The iconic “ABC” photograph idealizes Earth’s innovative spirit, yet belies the fact that most of the improvements in Cochranean warp technology and theory were the result of dialogue with more experienced cultures.]]

Operational experience was to be gathered as quickly as possible, so that the technology could be applied on sorely needed modern combat vessels. Thus, the Daedalus design was cut down in size thrice within four years, ending up as a modest proof-of-concept demonstrator. Characteristic of the downscaled but updated design was the application of classic Earth hull forms in an innovative configuration. A cylindrar hull outwardly similar to the old Earth designs but arranged into longitudal decks was to be attached to a command sphere by a strong tubular keel. Due to the new field configuration, the keel was off-center of both the cylinder and the sphere, providing a structural challenge to UESF engineers.

The ultra-compact, 70 m, barely 22,000 ton nacelles designated PB-2 were also mounted out of the mass distribution centerplane. The engines, the first of the highly successful PB series by Cochrane Warp Dynamics to be put to operational use, held the promise of providing warp three cruising. With Brodesser’s revolutionary CID powerplant, warp five could be reached for a few hours, and the wildest projections suggested a dash speed well beyond warp seven. This first dividend of the warp development project was eagerly awaited both in UESF defense and exploratory arms. The effort would finally be moving beyond test rig stage and into operational testing; production of true cruisers and destroyers would immediately follow, were the ''Daedalus'' to succeed.

Another test article shouldered on the humble survey ship was a radically compacted and improved reaction drive. Gravitics-augmented reaction engines were installed on the aft ends of the nacelles, taking the form of rings or plates perforated by tiny engine nozzles. Accelerations up to 400 gravities were promised; more importantly, fuel consumption in normal operations would be halved from the semi-Newtonian requirements of classic Singh-type rockets.

Despite the downscaling, the secondary hull was to house three major mission elements. The forward compartment consisted of the main ion cascade powerplant, producing energy densities far in excess of fusion designs. Its radiators covered much of the dorsal outer surface of the hull. The second major compartment in the auxiliary hull was the shuttle hangar with stern sliding doors 20 m wide and 3 m high. Inside, pressurized corridors and locks enabled direct boarding of the two shuttlepods with the hangar unpressurized. Above the doors was an approach control room. Below, holds for storage of equipment, consumables and samples, as well as laboratories and workshops, could be directly accessed from the shuttlebay. Together with an array of eighteen probe deployment tubes, these facilities provided the actual survey muscle of the vessel, and formed the third major partition of the hull.

In the command sphere lay cramped accommodation for most of the proposed 74 crew, plus command, control and communications equipment. Also mounted here were self-defense plasma cannon or lasers as well as advanced sensors capable of scanning ahead 1.5 ly in realtime in ideal conditions – rather respectable combat systems for a ship officially intended for peaceful survey duty. The 300 MW lasers were the preferred fit, as they at least served a secondary scientific purpose as precision spectroscopy tools. In an extreme emergency, the sphere could be severed from the rest of the ship, maneuvering to safety with RCS engines and possibly even making planetfall with the help of gigantic parachutes stowed around the bridge at the top level of the sphere.

Neither jettison systems nor defensive weapons could save the ''Daedalus'' from disaster, however, when in October 5th, 2140, the entire drive chain blew up at the warp four threshold. Lost with the vessel were professor Brodesser and chief test pilot Duvall. Lost, too, was UESF’s confidence in the ion cascade system, and all funding was diverted to the ‘Archer drive’.

The basic design of the surveyors was still quite sound, and a more conventional powerplant choice allowed continuation of the program. The ambitious little vessel was first fielded operationally in 2145, and pompously still designated ‘survey cruiser’. The first unit completed, ''USS Horizon'', entered a long period of trials at  Centauri, away from the prying eyes of the Vulcans, to verify operational safety. In 2146, the PB-2 engines were given an official clearance for warp 3 cruising to give the ''Horizon'' and her three somewhat prematurely procured sisters ''Archon'', ''Bastion'' and ''Essex'' active status in the UESF, yet repeatedly failed to perform in practice.

[[Image:Daedalusart.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Koziumi’s neo-cubistic “Wings of Infinity”, adorning the offices of Advanced Starship Design Bureau. Interestingly enough, the color scheme is completely realistic for the early 2150s, from the golden forward reactor cover to the blue-gray hull armor and transverse tricolor stripes. Generally thought to have been painted in situ on high Martian orbit, the work in fact dates to 2159, when Koziumi no longer served aboard the ''Horizon''.]]

At the outbreak of open war against the Romulans, the four lilliputian surveyors still comprised some 10% of Earth’s warp 3 fleet, and were called to arms. They were hastily endowed with no less than six Type C phased particle cannon, and a ventral battery of four lasers was added to the artillery. The weapons were not given armored gunports, but protruded directly to the outer surface, a rare sight indeed in Earth vessels of the era, and rarer still in essentially noncombatant survey ships. A final step in turning the surveyors into gunships was the adding of missile magazines and an aft-firing launcher in the shuttle hangar. Thankfully, precious few combat incidents put to test these weapons, added as an extreme desperation measure. For most of the war, the ''Horizon'' and the ''Bastion'' sat idle at Sol, making only short patrol runs ‘around the block’ as engineers struggled to make the ships behave as planned.

* * *

By 2161, the role of desperation in Earth’s starflight programs was greatly reduced, and specieism was receding as well. The survey cruiser project was back on full speed, and expert opinions from war veterans and civilian researchers alike were being collected by the newly formed Committee for Starfleet. Several modifications were made to the equipment suite, such as removal of at least four of the phase cannon as too massive and redundant, further removal of the rather ridiculous missile system and the lightspeed defense lasers, and installation of two warp-accelerated lasers in their stead. Rationalizing of the armament was followed by adoption of modern mission gear, including an improved suite of short range sensors and a transporter system. A new generation of shipboard subspace transmitters was introduced to allow unboosted communication across twenty lightyears (although in practice, the ships often operated beyond this distance from UFP outposts). Also, multilayer subspace shielding was introduced. With this protective capacity, hull armor was rendered superfluous, and various sensor and weapon ports and even the top of the main bridge were peeled out from beneath the layers of cumbersome plating.

The warp engines were finally accepted in their PB-2A4 form, so radically different from the miserable PB-2 that the designation was called “deliberately and dangerously misleading” by the UE Senate experts who had been fooled to support the funding of the deadline-busting project. In a symbolically opposite move, UFP Starfleet wholeheartedly endorsed the decision to refer to the vessels as the ''Daedalus'' class once again.

Specieism or not, the commissioning of the Daedalus ships can be seen as the first baby step in Earth’s policy of taking a leading role within the UFP. Operationally, survey projects would surely have been better served by adoption of existing Vulcan or Andorian research vessels. Politically, it was important for Earth to show that it could build things besides hard-striking warships and intrusive tramps. The move yielded unexpected political dividends as well. The voyages of the ''Daedalus'' ships, from the first three-year sortie by the ''Horizon'' (now NCC-176) on, first truly revealed the extent of humanlike cultures in the sectors bordering on UFP space. The potential for a Dominion of Earth had indeed awaited just beyond the rim of explored space.

Time for that was now irrevocably past, yet ambitions of influence remained. The technological standard represented by Earth’s interstellar messengers was not yet formidable enough to cement alliances with any but the least advanced worlds, but the precedent was set for Earth policy to be followed when more capable ships would be promoting it. Indeed, Earth’s contribution to Starfleet did emerge as a political force of note, first as a tool of protection against the Romulan threat, then as a peacekeeper force to settle the differences within the UFP – between the arrogantly self-conscious Tellarites, proud and reclusive Andorians, still largely enigmatic Vulcans, and the wildly multicultural peoples of the ancient Rigel colonies. Later these alliances would lead to the new members participating in exploration aboard vessels operated by the joint Federation Starfleet.

It is perhaps just a stroke of incredible luck that the second inter¬stellar expansion of humans began in a time and place not occupied by any other expansion-driven race or alliance. Major local conflicts like the Erselrope wars raged thousands of lightyears away, but UFP had little or no knowledge of them at the time. Nor did humans have the slightest idea of the powers they had unleashed when unwittingly challenging the Klingon Empire. The ''Daedalus'' ships encountered little resistance in their journeys, letting the war-weary veterans of the Romulan conflict commanding them to establish the network of alliances in the spirit of peace and cooperation. Still, their trusting and easygoing attitude in encounters with near-human cultures led to varying degrees of cultural contamination and in fact proved near-disastrous in later contacts with more alien mindsets.

[[Image:Essex.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Shuttlecraft on approach to ''USS Essex''. The ship is seen in UFP Starfleet duty in 2163, in the new light beige paint scheme with high-visibility NCC registries. Absent are visually identifiable gunports or the original radiators of the ion cascade drive, but otherwise the ''Essex'' still looks like her late sister from quarter a century before. The cramped little design would continue service for another quarter, but fate would not be so kind to the ''Essex'' herself.]]

While the first application of the asymmetric field configuration had not resulted in a revolution in warp technology, it had at least proved that warp three cruising was attainable without the miracle powerplants of Archer or Brodesser. Some engineers said this meant that the winning formula had been found, that all that stood between Starfleet and warp ten now was the lack of a power source potent and reliable enough. Others still claimed that there had to be a good reason why none of the neighboring cultures had managed to develop ships capable of speeds exceeding warp seven, and that further breakthroughs in warp coil design and field manipulation would be needed as well. But this was still in far future when Starfleet in 2196 retired the last of the Daedalus ships from exploration use.

Most of the surveyors were scrapped, but a few were modified to serve as support vessels for UESPA, FAS and SCE activities, and some were sold as light cargo ships for civilian applications. ''USS Archon'' (NCC-189), ''USS Horizon'' (NCC-176) and ''USS Essex'' (NCC-173) had been lost in exploration action, while ''USS Columbia'' (NCC-177) had in 2188 succumbed to a Klingon raid in military picket duty, for which she was ill equipped.

Guide:Timo's Guide to Star Fleet

2008-03-11T10:10:00Z

Timo:

[[Template:Guide]]

__TOC__
==[[Forward (Guide)|Forward]]==
==[[Introduction (Guide)|Introduction]]==
==[[Starships and Other Large Vessels (Guide)|Part I: Starships and Other Large Vessels]]==
===[[Before 2063 -The Playground (Guide)|Before 2063 - The Playground]]===
*[[DY series (Guide)|''DY'' series interplanetary transports (1989-2128)]]
*[[TAU series (Guide)|''TAU'' series extrasolar exploration vessels (2036-2069)]]
*[[Columbus series (Guide)|''Columbus'' series interstellar sublight explorers (2040-2075)]]
*[[Liberty (Guide)|''Liberty'' class system defense cruisers (2058-2093)]]
*[[Phoenix (Guide)|''Phoenix'' warp drive testbed (2063)]]

===[[2063-2130 - The Incredible Expansion (Guide)|2063-2130 - The Incredible Expansion]]===
*[[Defiant and Valiant (Guide)|''Defiant'' and ''Valiant'' survey cruisers (2064-2066/2064-2073)]]
*[[Bonaventure (Survey Cruiser)(Guide)|''Bonaventure'' survey cruiser (2064-2077)]]
*[[Verne (Guide)|''Verne'' class survey cruisers/destroyers (2064-2077)]]
*[[Conestoga (Guide)|''Conestoga'' class colonizers (2067-2098)]]
*[[Messier (Guide)|''Messier'' class survey/heavy/attack cruisers (2078-2162)]]
*[[Cosmos (Guide)|''Cosmos'' class nearspace survey cruisers (2080-2120)]]
*[[Hercules (Guide)|''Hercules'' class transports (2091-2177)]]
*[[Roanoke (Guide)|''Roanoke'' class transports (2101-2279)]]

===[[2130-2161 - Into The Romulan War (Guide)|2130-2161 - Into The Romulan War]]===
*[[Stuart/Siebel/Neptune (Guide)|''Stuart/Siebel/Neptune'' class transports/strike transports/surveyors (2118-2193)]]
*[[Durance (Guide)|''Durance'' class transports (2130-2163)]]
*[[Djartanna (Guide)|''Djartanna'' class destroyers (2139-2162)]]
*[[Vanguard (Guide)|''Vanguard'' class fast transports (2144-2180)]]
*[[Daedalus (Guide)|''Daedalus'' class survey cruisers (2145-2196)]]
*[[Triton (Guide)|''Triton'' class heavy cruisers (2146-2167)]]
*[[Iceland (Guide)|''Iceland'' class destroyers (2146-2179)]]
*[[Hopkins (Guide)|''Hopkins'' class hospital ships (2149-2173)]]
*[[Enterprise (Guide)|''Enterprise'' class heavy cruisers (2151-2193)]]
*[[Cavalry (Guide)|''Cavalry'' class destroyers (2151-2193)]]
*[[Mercury (Guide)|''Mercury'' class scouts (2154-2181)]]
*[[Marshall (Guide)|''Marshall'' class heavy destroyers (2156-2207)]]
*[[Doppler (Guide)|''Doppler'' class scouts (2157-2177)]]
*[[Armstrong/Helena (Guide)|''Armstrong/Helena'' class cruisers/light cruisers (2158-2203/2158-2174)]]
*[[Christopher (Guide)|''Christopher'' class light cruisers (2158-2182)]]
*[[Victory (Guide)|''Victory'' battle cruiser (2162)]]

===[[2161-2200 - The Federation (Guide)|2161-2200 - The Federation]]===
*[[Murmansk (Guide)|''Murmansk'' class heavy transports/command ships/cultural exchange ships ((2167-2246))]]
*[[Almeida (Guide)|''Almeida'' class heavy multimission cruisers (2168-2206)]]
*[[Boxer (Guide)|''Boxer'' class destroyers (2169-2196)]]
*[[Placido (Guide)|''Placido'' class scouts (2170-2216)]]
*[[Castor (Guide)|''Castor'' class survey cruisers (2174-2208)]]
*[[Texas (Guide)|''Texas'' class light cruisers (2175-2241)]]
*[[Byrne (Guide)|''Byrne'' class hospital ships (2179-2217)]]
*[[Boyden (Guide)|''Boyden'' class cargo drones (2184-2220)]]
*[[Watt (Guide)|''Watt'' class fleet tranker/transports (2189-2225)]]
*[[Caracal (Guide)|''Caracal'' class command/attack/light cruisers (2189-2239)]]
*[[Cahuya (Guide)|''Cahuya'' class survey cruisers (2191-2281)]]
*[[Horizon/Advance (Guide)|''Horizon/Advance'' class heavy cruisers/battle cruisers (2193-2263)]]
*[[Tritium (Guide)|''Tritium'' class testbed (2199-2207)]]

===[[2200-2240 - Way of the Warrior (Guide)|2200-2240 - Way of the Warrior]]===
*[[Mann (Guide)|''Mann'' class light cruisers (2206-2244)]]
*[[Podish/Tuverlind (Guide)|''Podish/Tuverlind'' class scouts (2213-2237)]]
*[[Ranger (Guide)|''Ranger'' class light cruisers (2215-2291)]]
*[[Lowell (Guide)|''Lowell'' class scouts (2215-2239)]]
*[[Kovaris/Marklin/Portsmith (Guide)|''Kovaris/Marklin/Portsmith'' class light destroyers (2217-2295/2218-2250/2246-2273)]]
*[[Titan/Valkyr (Guide)|''Titan/Valkyr'' class shuttlecarriers (2221-2266/2228-2270)]]
*[[Baton Rouge/Nordenskiöld (Guide)|''Baton Rouge/Nordenskiöld'' class heavy/light cruisers (2222-2277/2252-2290)]]
*[[Detroyat (Guide)|''Detroyat'' class heavy destroyers/heavy scouts (2222-2291)]]
*[[Saladin/Siva (Guide)|''Saladin/Siva'' class destroyers (2224-2297)]]
*[[Hermes/Monoceros/Nelson (Guide)|''Hermes/Monoceros/Nelson'' class scouts (2224-2313)]]
*[[Ptolemy/Keppler (Guide)|''Ptolemy/Keppler'' class fleet tugs/tenders (2224-2289)]]
*[[Symma (Guide)|''Symma'' class cargo drones (2224-2290)]]
*[[Albion (Guide)|''Albion'' class battle/heavy cruisers (2229-2297)]]
*[[Hale (Guide)|''Hale'' class scouts (2229-2250)]]
*[[Independence (Guide)|''Independence'' class medium transports (2229-2270)]]
*[[Bonaventure (Testbed)(Guide)|''Bonaventure'' testbed (2231)]]
*[[Texas refit (Guide)|''Texas'' refit class light cruisers (2230-2276)]]
*[[Bode (Guide)|''Bode'' class scouts (2232-2256)]]
*[[Byrd (Guide)|''Byrd'' class galactic curvey crisers (2234-2278)]]
*[[Amchitka/Kearsarge (Guide)|''Amchitka/Kearsarge'' class light cruisers (2238-2287)]]

===[[2240-2270 - The Final Frontier (Guide)|2240-2270 - The Final Frontier]]===
*[[Constitution (Guide)|''Constitution'' class heavy cruisers (2239-2275)]]
*[[Anton (Guide)|''Anton'' class light cruisers (2239-2252)]]
*[[Larson (Guide)|''Larson'' class destroyers (2240-2287)]]
*[[Cochrane (Guide)|''Cochrane'' class colonizers (2241-2327)]]
*[[Loknar (Guide)|''Loknar'' class frigates (2242-2283)]]
*[[Miranda/Surya (Guide)|''Miranda/Surya'' class heavy frigates (2242-2295)]]
*[[Burke (Guide)|''Burke'' class light frigates (2245-2273)]]
*[[Rochester (Guide)|''Rochester'' class cruisers (2246-2297)]]
*[[Aakenn (Guide)|''Aakenn'' class heavy transports (2247-2319)]]
*[[Grayson/Finch (Guide)|''Grayson/Finch'' class buoy tenders (2247-2342)]]
*[[Coventry (Guide)|''Coventry'' class heavy/strike frigates (2247-2295)]]
*[[Ohio (Guide)|''Ohio'' class light fleet tugs (2252-2287)]]
*[[Federation (Guide)|''Federation'' class dreadnoughts (2255-2295)]]
*[[K'Kamarak (Guide)|''K'Kamarak'' class survey cruisers (2256-2291)]]
*[[Ford (Guide)|''Ford'' class command ships (2257-2276)]]
*[[Coronado (Guide)|''Coronado'' class through-deck cruisers (2257-2299)]]
*[[Hopi (Guide)|''Hopi'' class large survey cruisers (2258-2273)]]
*[[Derf (Guide)|''Derf'' class bouy tenders/mine warfare ships (2260-2294)]]
*[[Achernar (Guide)|''Achernar'' class heavy cruisers (2260-2295)]]
*[[Deneb/Defender (Guide)|''Deneb/Defender'' class defenders/battleships (2263-2315)]]
*[[Pompey (Guide)|''Pompey'' class destroyers (2262-2292)]]
*[[Oberth (Guide)|''Oberth'' class surveyors/supply ships/tenders/medical ships/various other types (2266- )]]
*[[Chandley (Guide)|''Chandley'' class strike frigates(2266-2283)]]
*[[Garneau (Guide)|''Garneau'' class light surveyors/light supply ships/light fleet tugs/salvage tugs (2267- )]]
*[[Unity (Guide)|''Unity'' class command ships (2268-2289)]]

===[[2270-2300 - Troubled Homefront (Guide)|2270-2300 - Troubled Homefront]]===
*[[Belknap/Impervious/Excel (Guide)|''Belknap/Impervious/Excel'' class strike cruisers (2270-2355)]]
*[[Andor (Guide)|''Andor'' class cruisers (2270-2336)]]
*[[Constitution refit (Guide)|''Constitution'' refit class heavy cruisers/cruisers (2272-2337)]]
*[[Cygnus/Cochise/Amerind (Guide)|''Cygnus/Cochise/Amerind'' class diplomatic couriers/destroyers/scouts (2272-2299/2283-2318/2288-2330)]]
*[[Larson refit/Newton (Guide)|''Larson'' refit/''Newton'' class destroyers/heavy scouts/relay layers (2273-2351/2285-2351)]]
*[[Miranda refit (Guide)|''Miranda'' refit class heavy frigates/frigates (2273- )]]
*[[Chesapeake (Guide)|''Chesapeake'' class light cruisers (2273-2298)]]
*[[Lotus Flower (Guide)|''Lotus Flower'' class heavy tankers/transports (2274-2354)]]
*[[Daran (Guide)|''Daran'' class frigates (2275-2356)]]
*[[Constellation (Guide)|''Constellation'' class through-deck cruisers/cruisers (2275-2284)]]
*[[Soyuz (Guide)|''Soyuz'' class survey frigates (2276-2288)]]
*[[Draco/Athabaska (Guide)|''Draco/Athabaska'' class galactic survey/strike cruisers (2276-2349/2284-2311)]]
*[[Federation refit (Guide)|''Federation'' refit class dreadnoughts (2276-2295)]]
*[[Ariel/Fredrikstad (Guide)|''Ariel/Fredrikstad'' class shuttlecarriers (2277-2312)]]
*[[Balson (Guide)|''Balson'' class command ships (2277-2306)]]
*[[Ascension (Guide)|''Ascension'' class dreadnoughts (2278-2299)]]
*[[Chandley refit (Guide)|''Chandley'' refit class strike frigates (2279-2321)]]
*[[Komsomolsk (Guide)|''Komsomolsk'' class dreadnoughts (2279-2302)]]
*[[Menahga/Mitannic/S'harien (Guide)|''Menahga/Mitannic/S'harien'' class battle cruisers (2279-2322)]]
*[[Ishtasse (Guide)|''Ishtasse'' class cruisers (2280-2324)]]
*[[Kirov (Guide)|''Kirov'' class dreadnoughts (2283-2299)]]
*[[Odysseus (Guide)|''Odysseus'' class fast cruisers (2283-2316)]]
*[[Constellation refit (Guide)|''Constellation'' refit class reconnaissance cruisers/cruisers (2284-2372)]]
*[[Excelsior (Guide)|''Excelsior'' class testbed/space control ships/explorers/heavy cruisers (2284- )]]
*[[Sydney (Guide)|''Sydney'' class medium transports (2285- )]]
*[[Ianar (Guide)|''Ianar'' class fast frigates (2285-2325)]]
*[[Advance (Guide)|''Advance'' class through-deck cruisers (2285-2316)]]
*[[Nineveh (Guide)|''Nineveh'' class large exploratory cruisers (2287-2339)]]
*[[Amchitka/Kearsarge refit (Guide)|''Amchitka/Kearsarge'' refit class light cruisers (2290-2311)]]
*[[Doppler/Dollond (Guide)|''Doppler/Dollond'' class tugs/tenders (2291-2358)]]
*[[Gibraltar/Grin'ki (Guide)|''Gibraltar/Grin'ki'' class tenders (2293-2351)]]
*[[Polaris/Constant (Guide)|''Polaris/Constant'' class heavy destroyers/scouts (2293- /2295-2356)]]
*[[Lng'we Chi (Guide)|''Lng'we Chi'' class exploratory cruisers/survey cruisers (2294-2358)]]
*[[Hensley (Guide)|''Hensley'' class support frigates (2295-2347)]]
*[[Deneva (Guide)|''Deneva'' class light transports (2296- )]]
*[[Altair (Guide)|''Altair'' class heavy transports (2297- )]]
*[[Reigate (Guide)|''Reigate'' class cruisers (2298- )]]

===[[2300-2340 - The Golden Years (Guide)|2300-2340 - The Golden Years]]===
*[[Apollo (Guide)|''Apollo'' class heavy cruisers (2305- )]]
*[[Hokule'a/Medusa (Guide)|''Hokule'a/Medusa'' class cruisers (2310-2376/2372-2376)]]
*[[Wambundu (Guide)|''Wambundu'' class light cruisers (2311- )]]
*[[Ambassador (Guide)|''Ambassador'' class explorers/heavy cruisers (2311- )]]
*[[Arrogant (Guide)|''Arrogant'' class command cruisers (2314- )]]
*[[Niagara (Guide)|''Niagara'' class explorers/heavy cruisers (2317- )]]
*[[Merced (Guide)|''Merced'' class scouts (2323-2370)]]
*[[Surak (Guide)|''Surak'' class exploratory cruisers (2323- )]]
*[[Istanbul (Guide)|''Istanbul'' class heavy transports (2324- )]]
*[[Renaissance/Baracus (Guide)|''Renaissance/Baracus'' class light frigates/scouts (2332- /2347- )]]
*[[Mediterranean/Shelley (Guide)|''Mediterranean/Shelley'' class medium transports/tugs (2332- )]]

===[[2340-2360 - The Restless Borders (Guide)|2340-2360 - The Restless Borders]]===
*[[Cheyenne (Guide)|''Cheyenne'' class light cruisers (2341- )]]
*[[Steamrunner (Guide)|''Steamrunner'' class strike carriers (2342- )]]
*[[Yorkshire (Guide)|''Yorkshire'' class medium transports (2344- )]]
*[[Olympic (Guide)|''Olympic'' class troopships/various other types (2345- )]]
*[[Springfield (Guide)|''Springfield'' class frigates (2346- )]]
*[[New Orleans (Guide)|''New Orleans'' class heavy frigates (2347- )]]
*[[Korolev (Guide)|''Korolev'' class heavy tugs/tenders (2347- )]]
*[[Challenger (Guide)|''Challenger'' class heavy scouts (2349- )]]
*[[Whitewater/Norfolk (Guide)|''Whitewater/Norfolk'' class troop transports(2348- )]]
*[[Saber (Guide)|''Saber'' class strike/light cruisers (2350- )]]
*[[Zodiac (Guide)|''Zodiac'' class scouts (2351- )]]
*[[Nebula (Guide)|''Nebula'' class explorers (2352- )]]
*[[Rigel (Guide)|''Rigel'' class destroyers (2352- )]]
*[[Akira (Guide)|''Akira'' class heavy cruisers (2354- )]]
*[[Norway (Guide)|''Norway'' class strike transports/strike command ships (2354- )]]
*[[Griffin (Guide)|''Griffin'' class light cruisers (2355- )]]
*[[Galaxy (Guide)|''Galaxy'' class explorers (2357- )]]
*[[Andromeda (Guide)|''Andromeda'' class heavy scouts (2358- )]]
*[[Freedom (Guide)|''Freedom'' class heavy destroyers (2358- )]]

===[[2360-2370 - Coming Of Age (Guide)|2360-2370 - Coming Of Age]]===
*[[Sequoia (Guide)|''Sequoia'' class medium transports (2360- )]]
*[[Sovereign (Guide)|''Sovereign'' class heavy cruisers (2367- )]]
*[[Intrepid (Guide)|''Intrepid'' class light cruisers (2369- )]]

===[[2370-2375 - Invasion! (Guide)|2370-2375 - Invasion!]]===
*[[Nova (Guide)|''Nova'' class surveyors/multipurpose platforms (2370- )]]
*[[Philadelphia (Guide)|''Philadelphia'' class light cruisers/anti-Borg platforms (2372- )]]
*[[Prometheus (Guide)|''Prometheus'' class cruisers (2374- )]]

===[[After 2375 - Whither Federation? (Guide)|After 2375 - Whither Federation?]]===

==[[Small Warp-Drive Vessels (Guide)|Part II: Small Warp-Drive Vessels]]==

===[[Corvettes, Couriers, Escorts, Perimeter Ships & Light Scouts (Guide)|Corvettes, Couriers, Escorts, Perimeter Ships & Light Scouts]]===
*[[Athens (Guide)|''Athens'' class couriers/scouts (2148-2179)]]
*[[Ariadne (Guide)|''Ariadne'' class corvettes/couriers/scouts (2170-2328)]]
*[[Pointer (Guide)|''Pointer'' class corvettes (2182-2208)]]
*[[Frobisher (Guide)|''Frobisher'' class couriers/light scouts (2210-2293)]]
*[[Hunter/Bloodhound (Guide)|''Hunter/Bloodhound'' class corvettes (2219-2243)]]
*[[Braveheart/Battleaxe (Guide)|''Braveheart/Battleaxe'' class corvettes (2236-2279)]]
*[[Sawyer (Guide)|''Sawyer'' class light scouts/couriers (2238-2255)]]
*[[Procyon (Guide)|''Procyon'' class corvettes (2245-2283)]]
*[[Kiaga/Agilis (Guide)|''Kiaga/Agilis'' class perimeter action ships (2248-2294)]]
*[[Centaurus (Guide)|''Centaurus'' class courier/scouts (2249-2288)]]
*[[Mustang (Guide)|''Mustang'' class corvettes (2252-2282)]]
*[[Remora (Guide)|''Remora'' class escorts (2257-2274)]]
*[[Hellespont (Guide)|''Hellespont'' class escorts (2260-2277)]]
*[[Archer (Guide)|''Archer'' class light scouts (2262-2283)]]
*[[Griffon (Guide)|''Griffon'' class escorts (2267-2312)]]
*[[Remora (Guide)|''Remora'' class escorts (2268-2299)]]
*[[Daring/Renner (Guide)|''Daring/Renner'' class heavy corvettes (2275-2319)]]
*[[Centaurus refit (Guide)|''Centaurus'' refit class corvettes/couriers/light scouts (2278-2369)]]
*[[Firestone (Guide)|''Firestone'' class couriers/corsairs (2284-2328)]]
*[[Akyazi/Arbiter/Akula (Guide)|''Akyazi/Arbiter/Akula'' class perimeter action ships (2285-2349)]]
*[[Engage (Guide)|''Engage'' class perimeter action ships (2285-2377)]]
*[[Juliet/Lautaro/Riga (Guide)|''Juliet/Lautaro/Riga'' class heavy corvettes (2286-2333)]]
*[[Kirsanov (Guide)|''Kirsanov'' class large perimeter action ships (2288-2351)]]
*[[Asmodeus (Guide)|''Asmodeus'' class light corvettes (2292-2315)]]
*[[Clarke (Guide)|''Clarke'' class couriers (2302-2356)]]
*[[Condor (Guide)|''Condor'' class couriers (2320-2364)]]
*[[Singapore (Guide)|''Singapore'' class corvettes (2329-2372)]]
*[[Chimera (Guide)|''Chimera'' class escorts (2347- )]]
*[[Bradbury (Guide)|''Bradbury'' class heavy corvettes (2362- )]]
*[[Defiant (escort)(Guide)|''Defiant'' class escorts/anti-Borg platforms (2371- )]]
*[[Orkney (Guide)|''Orkney'' class corvettes (2372- )]]
*[[Spica (Guide)|''Spica'' class couriers (2372- )]]

===[[Small Craft (Guide)|Small Craft]]===
*[[Tshin (Guide)|''Tshin'' class fightercraft (1907-2202)]]
*[[Mansu (Guide)|''Mansu'' class scoutcraft (1934-2198)]]
*[[Franklin (Guide)|''Franklin'' class scoutcraft (2075-2102)]]
*[[Arrow/Gaillant/Dagger (Guide)|''Arrow/Gaillant/Dagger'' class escort fightercraft (2147-2169)]]
*[[Clark (Guide)|''Clark'' class space tank (2150-2178)]]
*[[Bradley (Guide)|''Bradley'' class space tank (2160-2181)]]
*[[Normandy/Port Stanley (Guide)|''Normandy/Port Stanley'' class escort fightercraft (2162-2187)]]
*[[Powers (Guide)|''Powers'' class scoutcraft (2165-2185)]]
*[[Gadshen (Guide)|''Gadshen'' class liaison craft (2169-2273)]]
*[[???? (Guide)|''????'' class sublight fightercraft (2182-2236)]]
*[[Hubble (Guide)|''Hubble'' class runabout (2219-2262)]]
*[[Talion (Guide)|''Talion'' class sublight fightercraft (2242-2276)]]
*[[Chameleon (Guide)|''Chameleon'' class light courier/scoutcraft (2242-2294)]]
*[[Mission (Guide)|''Mission'' class runabout/scoutcraft (2248-2285)]]
*[[Sulek/Velikovski (Guide)|''Sulek/Velikovski'' class prospector(2253-2286)]]
*[[Aden (Guide)|''Aden'' class light scoutcraft/support cutter(2253-2279)]]
*[[Benares (Guide)|''Benares'' class hopper (2257-2269)]]
*[[Questor (Guide)|''Questor'' class runabout(2259-2286)]]
*[[Karekh (Guide)|''Karekh'' class prospector (2261-2339)]]
*[[Tycho (Guide)|''Tycho'' class light sublight fightercraft (2262-2289)]]
*[[Tai/Sait (Guide)|''Tai/Sait'' class light courier (2265-2357)]]
*[[Leonardo/Rogge/Carbonare (Guide)|''Leonardo/Rogge/Carbonare'' class corsair (2268-2307)]]
*[[Wasp/Dragonfly (Guide)|''Wasp/Dragonfly'' class light interceptor (2274-2318)]]
*[[Scorpio (Guide)|''Scorpio'' class heavy interceptor (2274-2317)]]
*[[Meiji (Guide)|''Meiji'' class light fightercraft (2279-2319)]]
*[[Messina/Juneau/Annapolis (Guide)|''Messina/Juneau/Annapolis'' class scoutcraft/runabout (2277-2371)]]
*[[Killer Bee/Gadfly (Guide)|''Killer Bee/Gadfly'' class light sublight attack craft/drone (2279-2314)]]
*[[Falcon/Raptor (Guide)|''Falcon/Raptor'' class scoutcraft/heavy interceptor (2286-2337)]]
*[[Storn (Guide)|''Storn'' class assault craft (2289-2325)]]
*[[Peregrine (Guide)|''Peregrine'' class light courier/fightercraft (2330-2367)]]
*[[Kilauea (Guide)|''Kilauea'' class runabout (2339- )]]
*[[Starling/Rio Tinto (Guide)|''Starling/Rio Tinto'' class light surveyor/prospector (2348- )]]
*[[Kestral (Guide)|''Kestral'' class fightercraft (2362- )]]
*[[Tempest (Guide)|''Tempest'' class fightercraft (2365- )]]
*[[Danube (Guide)|''Danube'' class runabout (2366- )]]
*[[Talon (Guide)|''Talon'' class scoutcraft (2373- )]]
*[[Valkyrie (Guide)|''Valkyrie'' class fightercraft (2374- )]]

==[[Shuttlecraft, Shuttlepods & Other Auxiliary Craft (Guide)|Part III: Shuttlecraft, Shuttlepods & Other Auxiliary Craft]]==

===[[Shuttlecraft (Guide)|Shuttlecraft]]===
*[[Class D1 (Guide)|''Class D1'' light atmospheric/spatial shuttle (2136-2179)]]
*[[Class A6 (Guide)|''Class A6'' light atmospheric shuttle (2206-2249)]]
*[[Class B5 (Guide)|''Class B5'' heavy atmospheric/spatial shuttle (2207-2259)]]
*[[Class G2 (Guide)|''Class G2'' heavy shuttle (2240-2262)]]
*[[Class F3 (Guide)|''Class F3'' light shuttle (2260-2272)]]
*[[Class F4 (Guide)|''Class F4'' medium shuttle (2264-2276)]]
*[[Class G3 (Guide)|''Class G3'' heavy shuttle (2264-2277)]]
*[[Class C2A/C2B and Type 30 (Guide)|''Class C2A/C2B and Type 30'' aquashuttle (2265-2318)]]
*[[Class G5 (Guide)|''Class G5'' medium shuttle (2267-2285)]]
*[[Type 1 (Guide)|''Type 1'' medium shuttle (2271-2358)]]
*[[Type 20/27 (Guide)|''Type 20/27'' atmospheric shuttle (2273- )]]
*[[Type 31 (Guide)|''Type 31'' aquashuttle (2274-2348)]]
*[[Type 2 (Guide)|''Type 2'' light shuttle (2303- )]]
*[[Type 3 (Guide)|''Type 3'' heavy shuttle (2328- )]]
*[[Type 4 (Guide)|''Type 4'' medium shuttle (2349- )]]
*[[Type 5/6 (Guide)|''Type 5/6'' medium/light shuttle (2353- )]]
*[[Type 7A1/A2 (Guide)|''Type 7A1/A2'' medium shuttle (2357- )]]
*[[Type 9/9A/9B (Guide)|''Type 9/9A/9B'' heavy shuttle (2359- )]]
*[[Type 8 (Guide)|''Type 8'' light shuttle (2365- )]]
*[[Type 10 (Guide)|''Type 10'' light shuttle (2374- )]]
*[[Type 12 (Guide)|''Type 12'' light shuttle (2370- )]]
*[[Type 11 (Guide)|''Type 11'' medium shuttle (2374- )]]
*[[Type 14 (Guide)|''Type 14'' heavy shuttle (2375- )]]

===[[Shuttlepods (Guide)|Shuttlepods]]===
*[[Type 10 (Guide)|''Type 10'' shuttlepod (2291- )]]
*[[Type 12 (Guide)|''Type 12'' shuttlepod (2328- )]]
*[[Type 15/16 (Guide)|''Type 15/16'' shuttlepod (2359- )]]
*[[Type 17 (Guide)|''Type 17'' shuttlepod (2362- )]]
*[[Type 18 (Guide)|''Type 18'' shuttlepod (2369- )]]

===[[Starbase Auxiliary Craft (Guide)|Starbase Auxiliary Craft]]===
*[[Type 9 (Guide)|''Type 9'' work pod (2249-2278)]]
*[[Type 10 (Guide)|''Type 10'' work pod (2259- )]]
*[[Class B (Guide)|''Class B'' inspection pod (2139-2168)]]
*[[Class C6 (Guide)|''Class C6'' inspection pod (2230-2282)]]
*[[Class C8 (Guide)|''Class C8'' inspection pod (2230-2282)]]
*[[Type 401 (Guide)|''Type 401'' harbor tug (2266- )]]

==[[Of Ship Statistics (Guide)|Appendix A: Of Ship Statistics]]==

==[[Glossary (Guide)|Appendix B: Glossary]]==

==[[Starfleet Organization - General Outline (Guide)|Appendix C: Starfleet Organization - General Outline]]==

==[[Abbreviations From Outside (Guide)|Appendix D: Abbreviations From Outside]]==

==[[A Word Or Two From The Author (Guide)|A Word Or Two From The Author]]==

[[Category:Guide|{{PAGENAME}}]]

Guide:A Word Or Two From The Author

2008-03-11T08:25:15Z

Timo:

==A Word Or Two From The Author==

Although I have already ranted at some length about the choices and methods I have used in compiling this work, the reader no doubt finds my thought processes obscure to the extreme after having read this far. Many a thing about the way I treat my source material looks arbitrary on the surface. However, I hope to convince you that nothing has been left to chance. All the implausibilities, contradictions, misspellings and bouts of utter weirdness are there by design. In anticipation of the protests, I have assembled a sort of FAQ here, so that we at least can agree on what we disagree about.

''First of all, why don’t you include my favorite source here?''

Probably because it is too far down the hierarchy. Of course, it may also be that I haven’t had access to that source yet.

''Hierarchy?''

You already know I give priority to ‘visual canon’. Material that contradicts this is ruthlessly excluded. In turn, material that speculates on and expands visual canon in a non-contradictory way is embraced. Publications that feature the greatest ratio of canonical versus original material are thus preferred when I compile this Guide, and it is canon plus the acceptable original content of these publications that then serves as ‘effective canon’ in similarly judging the suitability of the next-level publications.

For example, I have found ‘Ships of the Star Fleet’ by Todd Guenther to be an excellent compilation of fan interpretations of TOS visual canon, and other fan works also eagerly reference this publication. However, most such works, including e.g. Jackill’s manuals, feature a lower visual canon content and a higher content of original material, which places them lower in the hierarchy – even when they feature no contradictions and seamlessly and creatively expand the Trek universe. So visuals from aired material count as ‘first-order material’, SotSF and the assorted Paramount/Pocket Books technical manuals as ‘second-order material’, and most of the other works as ‘third-order material’.

''But why then would you include all those FASA ships? They sure aren’t visual canon!''

Well, some of them are – see e.g. ''Lotus Flower'' – but the ratio of canon to original is indeed very low. However, I will accept third-order material (usually in order of seniority and/or of popularity among fandom, these often being the same thing) when I find it necessary for maintaining ‘realism’ in this fictional universe.

There’s a somewhat insidous aspect of second-order canonicity to those third-order entries you refer to. You see, by embracing SotSF, I have also taken in its views of a 1,600-ship TOS movie era Starfleet. Table 1-1 in that publication tells me how many ships of each mission class served in the Fleet in the 2270s through 2290s. There are gaping holes in that table if only canon and SotSF classes are used. Thus, I have taken just enough FASA, SFB or similar material to fill these gaps, and ditched the rest. This I find preferable to just plain inventing ‘gapfiller classes’ out of thin air. Similar gapfilling goes on even outside the scope of SotSF, as I assume that certain aspects of the Star Trek universe will stay consistent across all eras. Third-order material allows me to populate the ENT, TNG and in-between eras with enough corvettes, destroyers and other canonically seldom mentioned mission classes to keep up a consistent Starfleet.

''So what about ships from novels, eh? Trek novels aren’t illustrated!''

No, they aren’t – save for the graphic novels, which sometimes feature nice ships that I count as third-order canon, or the cover art, which oftentimes doesn’t match the textual contents at all.

Which is why I extremely seldom accept a ‘novel ship’ unless I already have a canon or at least second-order visual to go with it. Fortunately, the Star Trek universe is littered with visuals that lack corresponding textual descriptions. There are numerous Paramount-solicited ‘conceptual designs’ and ‘study models’ around, some of these glimpsed in a minor uncredited role on screen, some merely faithfully reproduced in second-order publications. There are also true shooting models that were never assigned a canon identity by Paramount. Coupling these with a ship lovingly described in a nonvisual medium such as a novel is great fun.

Sometimes a captivating written description forces me to adopt or adapt a lower-order visual to go with the text. In such cases, FASA and its ilk are often of great help. In some rare cases, I’m forced to create a visual identity from scratch for a textual starship that I find irresistibly good and important to the Star Trek universe – examples include the ''Deneb'' and ''Chesapeake'' classes, rather crucial to the masterpieces of Dianes Duane and Carey.

''Oookay… But what’s with ‘Spaceflight Chronology’?''

Well, yes, good point. Here I give de facto ‘second-order’ status to a work that features very little canon material and lots of rather ugly graphics. This is only because there used to be no other source for the early days of Earthling starflight, not until ENT premiered. And even with the canon of ENT now available, there is no other published work that would elbow itself in and take the ‘second-order’ place from SFC. Just bear with me when I give preferential treatment to this senior publication, even when it necessitates some pretty extreme creative reinterpreting.

''So, to make sure… You place no value whatsoever on whether the words ‘official’ or ‘approved by Paramount’ are included in the blurb of a publication or not?''

Nope. Most of this officially approved stuff is good – but some unofficial material is better, and at times even more faithful to canon than the official books are!

''Right. Moving on. Justify your excessive mass figures.''

You take that back! I’m fit as a fiddle!

As for my starship mass figures, I give utmost credence to the precious few canonical datapoints we have on the issue: Scotty’s “Nearly a million gross tons” for ''Constitution'' in TOS “Mudd’s Women”, and Janeway’s “700,000 tons” for ''Intrepid'' in VOY “Phage”. Some tend to dismiss at least the former, both because most fan material contradicts this lone utterance, and because a ship of ''Constitution'' size would be inordinately dense if massing that much. I cannot dismiss canon that easily, though. Thus, I have assigned this superdense material to that part of a starship that is most alien to us – the warp engines. If a single PB-31 nacelle masses 250,000 tons apiece, then a ''Constitution'' otherwise built of realistic materials masses close to 700,000 tons and thus agrees with Scotty’s expert opinion.

Keeping those density figures for warp nacelles and starship hulls, respectively, and applying volumetrics, I can rather easily reconcile between the high-end TNG TM and DS9 TM mass figures on one hand, and the well-known low-end fan and RPG estimates on the other. The latter simply refer to hull mass sans these exotic engines! It is also rather endemic in naval history to give crucial ship statistics in oddball ways (say, ship length given only at waterline, or displacement defined differently depending on the type of cargo onboard). Thus, the idea of engineless mass figures just adds a hint of pseudorealism to this Guide…

Rest assured, I have the masses of various warp nacelles tabulated by volumetrics, using a density derived from a LN-64 mass of 300,000 tons as the basis for all post-TOS designs, and a somewhat lower density for pre-TOS ones (to honor certain fan concepts of different technologies in use, and a different percentage of coil material in given nacelle volume, in that earlier era). For an exact fit with the DS9 TM mass figures, which I generally opt to take as authoritative despite the authors’ admittance that the work was somewhat rushed, I sometimes make assumptions about the percentage of nacelle volume actually occupied with coil material. Generally, though, simple volumetrics are sufficient. Total masses thus almost always consist of the second- or third-order fan publication mass figure plus this tabulated nacelle mass.

''Almost? There’s something funny about your FASA figures. And not just the masses.''

Yes. FASA ships typically consist of a ''Constitution'' saucer and nacelle(s), liberally rescaled, plus an original secondary hull and pylon structure. As the artwork usually is small and of low resolution, allowing or even necessitating some creative interpreting, I have taken the liberty of ‘un-rescaling’ all the FASA ships to match either the real dimensions of the familiar saucer and nacelle, or then a putative alternate hull and engine design some 50 % the size of the original. Reducing the multitude of FASA saucer and engine sizes to just these two options strikes me as logical from the engineering standpoint. The 50 % alternative also nicely agrees with certain other canon and fan designs – such as the engines seen on ''USS Huron'' in TAS “Pirates of Orion”, or the ones moving certain RPG light cruisers around at warp speed.

This rescaling naturally affects the FASA mass figures, too. Sometimes the effect is so small that I merely assume the dimensions were ‘printing errors’ which I then correct, yet the mass was already true down to the ton. Sometimes an actual mass correction is required, though, and a scaling factor derived from the dimension corrections is used. Sometimes the FASA masses make no volumetric sense even with the original dimensions, in which case I am forced to introduce more consistent figures of my own. Usually I find creative workarounds, though (such as assuming there is a surprisingly massive piece of special equipment aboard, for example).

This scaling logic often necessarily extends to the numbers of onboard transporters, shuttlecraft, weapon systems and crew, too. Again, some workarounds are explicit in the entires, some implicit. It may in general be fun to compare the Guide to the corresponding RPG fact sheets…

''So, to sum up, you just twist everything to fit your own interpretation of Star Trek?''

In a nutshell, yes.

Objectively thinking, this work is another example of third-order material, and in practice a competitor to the other third-order interpretations of Star Trek. Since it excludes so much of the material on that hierarchial level, it must be considered to represent an alternate universe of its own, incompatible with the other third-order ones. Yet it strives to be fully compatible with both its second-order targets of idolatry, and its canon fundaments.

Still, respecting the letter of the second- and first-order sources does not amount to doing justice to their spirit. The authors of, say, SotSF or ST:TNG are artists who have their own well-developed interpretations of what Star Trek is about. No doubt they will find this work incompatible with their views, in part or in whole. It is my humble hope that this does not diminish their enjoyment, would they happen to stumble upon this work, nor prevent other kinds of Star Trek enthusiasts from having a fun few days disseminating, dismantling, dismissing or discussing the Hobbyist’s Guide to Starfleet.

Faithfully yours,

Timo Saloniemi

Guide:A Word Or Two From The Author

2008-03-11T08:24:36Z

Timo: Practice editing; italics to tell Q from A

==A Word Or Two From The Author==

Although I have already ranted at some length about the choices and methods I have used in compiling this work, the reader no doubt finds my thought processes obscure to the extreme after having read this far. Many a thing about the way I treat my source material looks arbitrary on the surface. However, I hope to convince you that nothing has been left to chance. All the implausibilities, contradictions, misspellings and bouts of utter weirdness are there by design. In anticipation of the protests, I have assembled a sort of FAQ here, so that we at least can agree on what we disagree about.

''First of all, why don’t you include my favorite source here?''

Probably because it is too far down the hierarchy. Of course, it may also be that I haven’t had access to that source yet.

''Hierarchy?''

You already know I give priority to ‘visual canon’. Material that contradicts this is ruthlessly excluded. In turn, material that speculates on and expands visual canon in a non-contradictory way is embraced. Publications that feature the greatest ratio of canonical versus original material are thus preferred when I compile this Guide, and it is canon plus the acceptable original content of these publications that then serves as ‘effective canon’ in similarly judging the suitability of the next-level publications.

For example, I have found ‘Ships of the Star Fleet’ by Todd Guenther to be an excellent compilation of fan interpretations of TOS visual canon, and other fan works also eagerly reference this publication. However, most such works, including e.g. Jackill’s manuals, feature a lower visual canon content and a higher content of original material, which places them lower in the hierarchy – even when they feature no contradictions and seamlessly and creatively expand the Trek universe. So visuals from aired material count as ‘first-order material’, SotSF and the assorted Paramount/Pocket Books technical manuals as ‘second-order material’, and most of the other works as ‘third-order material’.

''But why then would you include all those FASA ships? They sure aren’t visual canon!''

Well, some of them are – see e.g. ''Lotus Flower'' – but the ratio of canon to original is indeed very low. However, I will accept third-order material (usually in order of seniority and/or of popularity among fandom, these often being the same thing) when I find it necessary for maintaining ‘realism’ in this fictional universe.

There’s a somewhat insidous aspect of second-order canonicity to those third-order entries you refer to. You see, by embracing SotSF, I have also taken in its views of a 1,600-ship TOS movie era Starfleet. Table 1-1 in that publication tells me how many ships of each mission class served in the Fleet in the 2270s through 2290s. There are gaping holes in that table if only canon and SotSF classes are used. Thus, I have taken just enough FASA, SFB or similar material to fill these gaps, and ditched the rest. This I find preferable to just plain inventing ‘gapfiller classes’ out of thin air. Similar gapfilling goes on even outside the scope of SotSF, as I assume that certain aspects of the Star Trek universe will stay consistent across all eras. Third-order material allows me to populate the ENT, TNG and in-between eras with enough corvettes, destroyers and other canonically seldom mentioned mission classes to keep up a consistent Starfleet.

''So what about ships from novels, eh? Trek novels aren’t illustrated!''

No, they aren’t – save for the graphic novels, which sometimes feature nice ships that I count as third-order canon, or the cover art, which oftentimes doesn’t match the textual contents at all.

Which is why I extremely seldom accept a ‘novel ship’ unless I already have a canon or at least second-order visual to go with it. Fortunately, the Star Trek universe is littered with visuals that lack corresponding textual descriptions. There are numerous Paramount-solicited ‘conceptual designs’ and ‘study models’ around, some of these glimpsed in a minor uncredited role on screen, some merely faithfully reproduced in second-order publications. There are also true shooting models that were never assigned a canon identity by Paramount. Coupling these with a ship lovingly described in a nonvisual medium such as a novel is great fun.

Sometimes a captivating written description forces me to adopt or adapt a lower-order visual to go with the text. In such cases, FASA and its ilk are often of great help. In some rare cases, I’m forced to create a visual identity from scratch for a textual starship that I find irresistibly good and important to the Star Trek universe – examples include the Deneb and Chesapeake classes, rather crucial to the masterpieces of Dianes Duane and Carey.

''Oookay… But what’s with ‘Spaceflight Chronology’?''

Well, yes, good point. Here I give de facto ‘second-order’ status to a work that features very little canon material and lots of rather ugly graphics. This is only because there used to be no other source for the early days of Earthling starflight, not until ENT premiered. And even with the canon of ENT now available, there is no other published work that would elbow itself in and take the ‘second-order’ place from SFC. Just bear with me when I give preferential treatment to this senior publication, even when it necessitates some pretty extreme creative reinterpreting.

''So, to make sure… You place no value whatsoever on whether the words ‘official’ or ‘approved by Paramount’ are included in the blurb of a publication or not?''

Nope. Most of this officially approved stuff is good – but some unofficial material is better, and at times even more faithful to canon than the official books are!

''Right. Moving on. Justify your excessive mass figures.''

You take that back! I’m fit as a fiddle!

As for my starship mass figures, I give utmost credence to the precious few canonical datapoints we have on the issue: Scotty’s “Nearly a million gross tons” for ''Constitution'' in TOS “Mudd’s Women”, and Janeway’s “700,000 tons” for ''Intrepid'' in VOY “Phage”. Some tend to dismiss at least the former, both because most fan material contradicts this lone utterance, and because a ship of ''Constitution'' size would be inordinately dense if massing that much. I cannot dismiss canon that easily, though. Thus, I have assigned this superdense material to that part of a starship that is most alien to us – the warp engines. If a single PB-31 nacelle masses 250,000 tons apiece, then a ''Constitution'' otherwise built of realistic materials masses close to 700,000 tons and thus agrees with Scotty’s expert opinion.

Keeping those density figures for warp nacelles and starship hulls, respectively, and applying volumetrics, I can rather easily reconcile between the high-end TNG TM and DS9 TM mass figures on one hand, and the well-known low-end fan and RPG estimates on the other. The latter simply refer to hull mass sans these exotic engines! It is also rather endemic in naval history to give crucial ship statistics in oddball ways (say, ship length given only at waterline, or displacement defined differently depending on the type of cargo onboard). Thus, the idea of engineless mass figures just adds a hint of pseudorealism to this Guide…

Rest assured, I have the masses of various warp nacelles tabulated by volumetrics, using a density derived from a LN-64 mass of 300,000 tons as the basis for all post-TOS designs, and a somewhat lower density for pre-TOS ones (to honor certain fan concepts of different technologies in use, and a different percentage of coil material in given nacelle volume, in that earlier era). For an exact fit with the DS9 TM mass figures, which I generally opt to take as authoritative despite the authors’ admittance that the work was somewhat rushed, I sometimes make assumptions about the percentage of nacelle volume actually occupied with coil material. Generally, though, simple volumetrics are sufficient. Total masses thus almost always consist of the second- or third-order fan publication mass figure plus this tabulated nacelle mass.

''Almost? There’s something funny about your FASA figures. And not just the masses.''

Yes. FASA ships typically consist of a ''Constitution'' saucer and nacelle(s), liberally rescaled, plus an original secondary hull and pylon structure. As the artwork usually is small and of low resolution, allowing or even necessitating some creative interpreting, I have taken the liberty of ‘un-rescaling’ all the FASA ships to match either the real dimensions of the familiar saucer and nacelle, or then a putative alternate hull and engine design some 50 % the size of the original. Reducing the multitude of FASA saucer and engine sizes to just these two options strikes me as logical from the engineering standpoint. The 50 % alternative also nicely agrees with certain other canon and fan designs – such as the engines seen on ''USS Huron'' in TAS “Pirates of Orion”, or the ones moving certain RPG light cruisers around at warp speed.

This rescaling naturally affects the FASA mass figures, too. Sometimes the effect is so small that I merely assume the dimensions were ‘printing errors’ which I then correct, yet the mass was already true down to the ton. Sometimes an actual mass correction is required, though, and a scaling factor derived from the dimension corrections is used. Sometimes the FASA masses make no volumetric sense even with the original dimensions, in which case I am forced to introduce more consistent figures of my own. Usually I find creative workarounds, though (such as assuming there is a surprisingly massive piece of special equipment aboard, for example).

This scaling logic often necessarily extends to the numbers of onboard transporters, shuttlecraft, weapon systems and crew, too. Again, some workarounds are explicit in the entires, some implicit. It may in general be fun to compare the Guide to the corresponding RPG fact sheets…

''So, to sum up, you just twist everything to fit your own interpretation of Star Trek?''

In a nutshell, yes.

Objectively thinking, this work is another example of third-order material, and in practice a competitor to the other third-order interpretations of Star Trek. Since it excludes so much of the material on that hierarchial level, it must be considered to represent an alternate universe of its own, incompatible with the other third-order ones. Yet it strives to be fully compatible with both its second-order targets of idolatry, and its canon fundaments.

Still, respecting the letter of the second- and first-order sources does not amount to doing justice to their spirit. The authors of, say, SotSF or ST:TNG are artists who have their own well-developed interpretations of what Star Trek is about. No doubt they will find this work incompatible with their views, in part or in whole. It is my humble hope that this does not diminish their enjoyment, would they happen to stumble upon this work, nor prevent other kinds of Star Trek enthusiasts from having a fun few days disseminating, dismantling, dismissing or discussing the Hobbyist’s Guide to Starfleet.

Faithfully yours,

Timo Saloniemi