Quick question: the Narn were "bombed back to the Stone Age" in Season 2 after the Shadows lay waste COMPLETELY to their entire, combined fleet at Gorash 7; they were briefly occupied by the Centauri until the liberation at the climax of the Vorlon-Shadow-Younger Races trifecta war at Coriana 6 and the Centauri (yet again) coup against their Emperor, courtesy of Londo.

How were they able to even construct one, or two ships at best to team up with the Drazi (which, themselves, suffered MAJOR losses throughout the Shadow War and had lost quite the territory to the Centauri expansion in Season 3) and attack Centauri Prime with that fleet, when they were being picked off slowly by the Drakh/Centauri shadow fleet that passed off as Centauri?

You can't crank out 100 ships in under a year, when you don't even HAVE orbital shipyards to crank them in the first place.

If the story had given her a better role than just antagonize pretty much EVERYONE (and laying in bed with Dukat... enjoy that mental image! LOL), could she have raised better/more valid points about Bajor?

In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Shakaar," Kai Winn explains her push for agricultural technology: "By this time next year, we can be producing boton, moreka and salam grass. All valuable commodities for export." She wants to spark interstellar commerce to strengthen Bajor's Federation application.

Throughout the episode, a case is made that

• Kai Winn = EVUL,
• Bajoran Resistance fighters ploughing the fields = GOOD
• FOOD = GOOD
• EXPORTS = BAD

Like this little exchange:

>SHAKAAR: If you think giving the reclamators back to the government is the best thing for Bajor, then you've been out on that space station for too long. We waited three years to get the reclamators. We finally got them two months ago and we were told that they were ours for at least a year. The Provisional government actually did something right for a change. Then Minister Kalem died, and the next thing we know we get an order to return the reclamators immediately to the Rakantha farming project.
KIRA: The Rakantha project is important. If they can get it underway, Bajor could start exporting goods again. It could start to change the way the rest of the galaxy looks at us. They'll stop seeing us as poor refugees and start seeing us as equals.
SHAKAAR: I don't give a damn how the rest of the galaxy looks at us. We're trying to feed our own people here and you're talking about exports.

I might be mistaken, but I believe this sub-plot/story arc was a one-episode only thing and the subject is never brought up again. My question is this: could these exports have brought in enough money that would allow Bajor to import food enough to feed its people?

Here in the real-world, sometimes one type of produce is simply too difficult to cultivate in one region or the cost outweighs anything value yielded by the harvest (crops not up to quality, not bountiful, pests, soil acidity, lack or excess of moisture, droughts, etc..) but countries sell a variety of commodities or manufactured goods to make up for it and import what they lack. Was Kai Winn wrong in her thinking?

(Yes, I know she was. And in the end, she probably would have embezzled the money too, among other things. But I wonder if somewhere in the Multiverse, a different Quantum Reality version of her might have been a more shrewd, wiser and benevolent government ruler...)

With enough money, maybe they would be able to invest in a faster, better renovation/restoration of Bajor, post-Cardassian Occupation. No?

Hey everyone! So, this ship intrigues me and... I admit I don't actually know WHY; oddly, I think it's the saucer shape and profile - It looks like a hexagon or something trapezoidal and it just makes sense (if this ship is, say some sort of Mobile Carrier).

But then, there's a Mission Pod that feels a tad redundant.

>Much like previous Khitomer Alliance vessels, the Garrett-Class is a blend of two established Star Trek design languages and technology: the Klingon Empire and Federation Starfleet. Conceptually similar to the Khitomer-Class itself, the Garrett-Class makes a departure by emphasizing Federation elements more: its general profile resembles that of a Galaxy-Class, augmented with Klingon-style patterning, nacelles, and pylons. Its bridge module is similar to that of the K't'inga-Class, featuring a layered section and an asymmetrical cylinder.

OK.

>The Alliance’s growth has brought with it unexpected, yet positive, side effects. With the creation of the Alliance came the question of how to move into action, in a consolidated way, such a vast array of different ship designs and configurations, communication protocols, exotic technologies. The answer might come from the very source of the issue. The advancements in experimental technology born from the brightest minds and the varied experience of veteran crews from all over the galaxy led to the creation of the Garrett-Class. Meant as a main force on the frontline as much as a mobile HQ, it is able to command, enhance, and direct the combat effectiveness of any nearby arrangement of forces. Just as the Alliance is made greater by every one of its members, this ship is made greater by our collaboration. It is a testament to our promise: Together We Stand.

So, the ship is meant to be some sort of AWACS, CIC, CNC? I think that if it were, say, bigger than the Galaxy-class, it could work. But if it's smaller or the size of an Ambassador-class, it probably feels weird to have that many roles to fill.

What are your thoughts? How does it feel like, playing it in the game?

Where in each and every episode, the crew shifts assigned to the left nacelle think that the delta shift of the right nacelle are conspiring against them, just because.

Of course, the consoles will be made of EXPLODIUM because, well, working THAT CLOSE to the warp nacelles mean that when things go BOOM, they really DO go... boom.

A ship with minimal weaponry, minimal shielding, minimal crew. Always saddled with the worst assignments. The command staff is a sad bunch of misfits: a depressive captain, an alcoholic first officer, a hypochondriac medical officer, a tactical officer struggling with OCD and an engineer that alternates between hyper-euphoria and being a sluggish sloth because he's on heavy antidepressant medication.

Season opens with the lower decks struggling because NO ONE is assigned to mentor them. Starfleet is ONE SEASON AWAY to decomissioning the ship due to overall poor mission performance points. They assign an Admiral as their rehabilitation liaison officer and the story begins from there on.

Oh, said Admiral has chronic PTSD as a Wolf 359 survivor and he's xenophobic as a result: Starfleet secretly assigned him to this ship because they hope that he will fail so they can force him to retire in shame, as well.

(based on feedback from: https://www.reddit.com/r/StarTrekStarships/comments/1vfatbh/in\_your\_opinion\_what\_is\_or\_should\_be\_the\_one/)

PREAMBLE

A Starfleet vessel is not merely a platform for impulse and warp propulsion; it is the physical manifestation of the United Federation of Planets' founding principles. It serves simultaneously as a scientific laboratory, a diplomatic embassy, a community, and a defensive bulwark.

To maintain fleet cohesion and operational integrity across Starfleet Command, all shipyards, naval architects, and design bureaus shall adhere strictly to the following Five Mandatory Design Directives.

STARFLEET SHIP DESIGN CODEX

DIRECTIVE I: GEOMETRIC PROPORTION AND WARP EMISSION CLEARANCE

1. Direct Line-of-Sight: Primary warp nacelles must always operate in balanced pairs (or symmetrical multiples) with an unobstructed, 360-degree line-of-sight vector aft, forward, and mutually across the central inter-nacelle planar axis.
2. Subspace Volume Buffer: Critical primary living quarters, science modules, and high-occupancy areas must not sit directly within the intense planar radiation corridor generated between active warp coils.
3. Component Visibility: Functional specialized systems — including Bussard collectors, navigational deflector arrays, and primary phaser emitters — must remain externally exposed and serviceable, prioritizing direct field line-of-sight over armor encapsulation.

DIRECTIVE II: DUAL-ZONE TOPOLOGICAL SEPARATION

1. Primary vs. Secondary Division: Ship designs shall enforce a distinct structural separation between Command/Habitat Zones (Primary Hull) and Power Generation/Heavy Mission Systems (Secondary Hull).
2. Egress & Redundancy: Connection between primary and secondary zones (whether via structural pylons, interconnecting neck assemblies, or integrated blended contours) must accommodate independent life-support isolate capabilities and primary turbolift trunking.
3. Emergency Disarticulation: Where viable, primary hulls must retain emergency separation or saucer-evacuation capability to preserve life in the event of anti-matter containment failure or catastrophic structural breach.

DIRECTIVE III: PHILOSOPHICAL NON-AGGRESSION AND UTILITY

1. Contour and Hull Line: Hull geometry must project peaceful resolution and scientific poise. Jagged edges, predatory silhouettes, acute forward-pointing spires, and dark light-absorptive hull plating are strictly forbidden. Soft curves and sweeping lines shall prevail.
2. Structural Integrity & Physical Continuity: All hull components must remain physically anchored and structurally connected. Floating, unattached hull segments, variable geometry voids, or ornamental mechanisms that compromise primary structural integrity fields are prohibited.
3. Orbital First: Starfleet vessels are built in orbital drydocks for deep-space endurance. Planetary atmospheric capability is a secondary mission feature and shall never compromise deep-space hydrodynamic or warp-field efficiency.

DIRECTIVE IV: THE FRONT-LINE FRONTIER COMMUNITY

1. Habitation and Ergonomics: Internal volume allocation must respect human-scale and multi-species habitability standards. Living quarters, recreational lounges, environmental gardens, and medical facilities are mandatory shipboard infrastructure — never secondary afterthoughts.
2. Vertical Directionality: Interiors shall preserve a uniform internal gravity axis ("up/down") aligned logically with deck numbering and turbolift shafts, regardless of external spatial orientation.
3. Modular Adaptability: Mission bays and primary research decks must feature modular deck layouts capable of rapid refit at starbases to support multi-mission transitions (e.g., pivot from stellar cartography to disaster relief triage).

DIRECTIVE V: TACTICAL RESTRAINT AND NAVAL WEIGHT

1. Broad-Coverage Tactical Arrays: Shipboard energy defense relies on continuous-strip phaser arrays configured for maximum field-of-fire coverage rather than forward-locked siege weaponry.
2. Deliberate Maneuverability: Primary capital ships must be designed to maneuver with naval poise, utilizing structural integrity fields (SIF) and inertial dampeners to handle high-yield energy discharges rather than high-G fighter-style dogfighting tactics.
3. Defensive Deterrence: Torpedo launchers and heavy tactical systems must remain integrated into the secondary hull or centerlines, visually confirming that offensive systems are secondary to the vessel's primary mission of peaceful exploration.

---------

When you distil that other thread into condensed principles, this is basically what you all seem to agree on. That said, now that it has been refurbished onto a more formal style of writing... would you, as an in-universe shipwright, agree that this correctly identifies the principles of Federation Starfleet's ship design?

Would you further refine this? If so, what would you add? What would you remove? What do you agree, disagree, agree to disagree with, and most importantly - why?

I look forward to continuing this conversation with y'all.

Let's extrapolate for fun a bit: Paramount has contacted you, regarding the Star Trek IP: they want to establish guidelines for future writers, artists and designers as Star Trek moves forward. It's not that they are discarding everything that has come before... but they feel that new fans would benefit if they can look at a ship and immediately say, "Oh, that`s a Federation Starfleet vessel because of ________!"

They want YOU to establish that ______.

What would you make it as the design principles and philosophies of Starfleet?

• Exposed gun ports?
• NO dedicated fighercraft, EVER?
• Capital ships only? Cruiser and above, no room for little guys? Or no "ship body shaming, everyone's welcome"?
• Mandatory, well-defined saucer and stardrive sections? Capable of seperation?
• No less than THREE OVERLAYERED ENERGY SHIELDING SYSTEMS, so that shields can hold even as shields fail?
• Phaser arrays ONLY? No "pulsed phaser banks"?
• What beam color? (This is a very important decision!)
• Missiles or torpedoes?
• Defensive Grid emplacements? Dedicated gunner stations?
• AI-operated or NO AI EVER, and everything must be manually controlled?

(Just some ideas to get the ball rolling...)

I'd like to hear your thoughts, opinions and ideas, everyone.

I mean, this is something that's been really, really bugging me (not in any bad way, just in a "loose ends" manner): in the game "Star Trek: Armada II", the Undine (Species 8472), use something like what happens at the end of PIC Season 2 to invade the Alpha Quadrant (not unlike what happened in the Delta Quadrant, except it was done by the Borg); we have the Bajoran wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant as a similar construct -- although the theme of War between two Superpowers (the Federation and allies, versus the Dominion) has been done ad nauseum.

And we already have firmly established through Star Trek: Lower Decks, that there is a Quantum Rift permanently stabilized to be used as a Gateway to Adventures on the Primeverse.

So, what I would like to understand is whether THIS event in S2 is linked to the LWD S5 ending, or was just a plot hook abandoned? What happened to the "new Borg" that wanted to become the 'Guardian at the Gates'? WHO opened the singularity portal? Is it a new wormhole? Are there wormhole aliens inside it? Was Sisko supposed to come back through THIS new entry/exit point, instead of the Bajoran one? And how would/did the Federation react to what's basically a SUBWAY EXIT popping up so close to their core worlds, uninvited??

In one of the victory scenarios, the Factions race to cease as individuals, and integrate with the Planetary consciousness. That's the "Ascent to Transcendence".

But let's say whoever wins has Nihilistic tendencies. What then? Would that kill the planetary mind? Make the mind worms seek out and kill all life? Or they'd just brood in a corner, chanting "Your futile existence has no meaning" all day (and night) long?

How would an epic crossover of Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri with Age of Wonders: Planetfall happen?

Would the Vanguard help Pravin Lal, or choose to side with the Spartan Federation?

Would Deirdre perhaps embrace the Therians? Side with the Amazons and the secret project of XENOPLAGUE?

Would Chairman Yang seek out the secrets of Psynumbra?