The Galaxy Class Star ship.

A very unique ship is the Galaxy class, it was the first of its kind to be fitted with a detachable saucer section, and still remains one of the most respected class' in Federation and other main races in the quadrant. But what was the reason behind the detachable disc, in truth, behind the scenes, Gene Rodenberry wanted the original Enterprise to detach its saucer and use it to land on planets. However due to the lack of funds this never came to be, with the success of the Star Trek franchise Gene finally got what he wanted in The Next Generation and , with no lack of funds, in the very first episode the proud figure of the Enterprise D separated into two.
That’s the 'real' reason behind it, but what about the Trek reason. Well, here’s my take on it.
In the Federation, each ship is multi propose, the Nebula class has a 'Pod' that can be changed to suit a mission, so why can the Galaxy class change its disc to suit what’s coming up next. It makes sense this would have been behind the main plan and reason it can seprerate, however it was never implemented into the class.

So, what discs could there have been, here are some examples...

Disc 1, Standard.
The standard saucer that came with the ship, its multi purpose accommodates diplomatic envoys, recreation areas, crew quarters, science decks, and two computer cores for data assimilation (for want of a better word )

Disc 2, Diplomatic.
A different saucer that could have been made, the same size and outer dimensions, however inside it a different story. The quarters would be much bigger, up to three times the size of those seen normally; this would allow a luxury journey for any diplomat. It would have more hollodecks, and larger recreations areas, including areas people can play, rest and work. Also it would contain special Bio features to cover those not totally able to live in normal human conditions.

Disc 3, Battle.
This saucer would look different on the outside, although the same size, so it could fit the star drive. It would have photon tubes around its edge, larger phaser strips and perhaps even its own, smaller warp core to generate power for the weapons. It would have large cargo bays full of photons, and very few crew quarters inside, it may contain different style computer cores, more adapt in tracking targets that the standard ones.

More...

Sorry for the double post, didnt know how much would fit...

Disc 4, Science.
A saucer that would be for looking into the stars rather that shooting at them. This disc would look different on the outside also, it would have, smaller, deflector type sensor arrays on its edge, to allow it to stair into space better. Most of the internal matrix would be labs an crew quarters; it would have very few weapons, maybe none at all. And would certain contain more computer cores, perhaps 5 or 6m, so it can collect and process more data at a faster rate.

Disc 5, Troop.
A saucer that contains spartan crew quarters, lots of them, and 10 - 15 mass transporters. This disc could hols over 10000 crew, trained for taking over other ships, bases, even planets. It would have a large 10 forward to compensate all those hungry officers but very few recreation facilities. Mint to deliver them to battle and that’s all. This disc can be backed up with two instances from star trek. The first is in Yesterdays Enterprise. Tasha yar, back from the dead, tells her counterpart from the Enterprise C, that the D is capable of transporting over 6000 troops into combat, that’s a lot of people. The second, although never happened it would have made the job easier, is from DS9. The retake if the station from the Cardsassaions infect. Imagine 5 galaxy’s with these saucers in there taking the shields of Tearak Nor down and transporting 6000 troops each, that’s 30000 troops, wow.

So that’s the Saucers I thought of, but, I hear you say, what would these do when there’s no need for them. Well...
Disc 1 would be fitted to the star drive at all normal times; its multi purpose would mean it could deal with anything it came across.
Disc 2 could become a ferry, moving people from planet to planet in the lap of luxury, without its Warp capability it couldn’t be able to travel fast of very far.
Disc 3 would be excellent at defence, if it did have its own warp core, not necelless, then it could travel around a planet easily with only a Sterlington crew, of maybe on automatic, simply flying around till something bad came along and then, wham! One hell of an orbital battery.
Disc 4, wouldn’t really need the star drive section to study an anomaly. It could simply be taken to an area, and left to study on its own, it can take months even years to catalogue some things in space, and with its impulse drive it could easily move with the object it was studying. You never send a science ship to the front line, even if and amazing star things happening, too risky. In times when there’s northing to study, or even times of war, the scanners could become very long range, or could become a listen post for enemy broadcasts.
Disc 5 can be used as an evacuation device, a few Galaxy’s come to a planet where the stars going to go nova, they over full them with 12500-15000 people, get them to safety and come back for more, it would clear the planet is a quicker time than any other ship could. Or they could be used as peace keepers, a planet that’s in civil war; the Galaxy takes this saucer to orbit, leaves it and goes back to its next mission. The disc then transports troops down as needed, an can use its medical facilities to aid those in trouble.

That’s my ideas on the subject let me know what you think.

Honest opinion, a bit silly.

It was stated in many tng episodes that saucer separation was primarily a means of getting the civilian population to safety should the ship enter a dangerous combat situation. That's why the stardrive section has a 'battle bridge'. Riker once said that relieved of it's bulk the enterprise is formiddable. All the torpedo launchers are in the stardrive, the ship will be able to maneuver much better without the extra mass.

In reality, the galaxy was to gorgeous a ship to be routinely separated, the stardrive alone looks plain ugly. I guess this is why the e-d never really separated and the other galaxies in ds9 were always complete. Maybe with it's extra phaser banks the complete ship is more powerful than just the stardrive and so in ds9 they evacuated the civilians before the battles so they could take advantage of the whole ship.

I'm not really bothered if the galaxy can separate in the game, unless there's some morale bonus in getting civilians to safety.

Also, many ships have been able to seperate. Even kirk's enterprise. The galaxy was unique as it could re attach in space.

This is only my opinion though, and your idea is quite well thought out. Maybe gturfrey will take to it but if I'm honest I'm kind of hoping not. You are right about one thing though Hedgehog, the galaxy is unique, and will always be one of my favourite ships.

The Galaxy is my fav ship of all time, although im a Romulan fan. But this was just my idea of what may have been going through the designers heads as the team made the ship plans, I agree is shouldnt be able to spereat in the game, it would be really point less, and it shouldnt have diffent saucers either, leave it cannon.
The nebula should have diffrent modes however, many times ive seen difffrent pods on them, you should be able to build two diffrent nebulas, one for science, with a hight scanner range, and one for combat, witha weapons pod attacked to it.

Too right mate.

Funnily enough, in my mod there are 2 types of nebula which can be built at the same time. The science pod version has better scan range than a galaxy class and the weapon version has 4 torpedoes as opposed to 2.

Scanner ranges always seemed a bit strange to me anyway, how did an oberth have better scanners than a galaxy, all ship can scan the area their in and some surounding sectors, prehaps the nebula with the scanner pod can scan better, but they ships shouldm have a better range that 1.

I know you never saw a troop transport pod for the nebula class in the series but I was just tossing out anther idea. I agree with SonOfMogh that they should be interchangeable at a starbase, and i'm all for pods even if they just are science and defence. also we need a ship in the late stages of development that can have increased scanner range but be able to hold it's own in combat.
-Jega

I think the relationship between the nebula and galaxy is great. The galaxy is slightly bigger, and good at everything.

The nebula has the same technology, but with it's pod is alright at one thing and excellent at another. A cheaper, more specialised alternative.

I was thinking about your transport pod idea, I initially hated it, but if you take into account the size of a nebula, there'd be more internal volume in a hollowed out pod than an entire excelsior saucer!

I don't know if it would work but It was just an idea. something for the designers to contemplate. I agree with your assessment of the nebula that it was designed to be good at everything but the pods would make it excellent in a pertectulat area, so as much as I hate the concept of the nebula being a "strike cruiser" (and I do hate it) if that is the idea having it be able to deploy troops would make since! It just adds a different dimension to the Nebula starship which is one of my favorites. Personally though and this is more to the designers, when the Nebula is programmed into botf 2, make it an explorer class, something that the Star Trek designers intended it's use to be. I could like actually having Starfleet not have a strike cruiser. Starfleet isn't meant for war (even though this game is) it's meant for diplomacy and expansion. So anyway, I think the 3 pod idea could work and I like it having that aspect of being specialised in too.
-Jega

I dont really think ships should be givin designations other than their class. The Galaxy is called an explorer, but its got diplomatic abilitys, and top class Weapons (at the time) Its a luxry liner with teeth, so calling it an explorer sounds... off, Galaxy is right.

As for the Troop pod, i think the idea behind that would not be the pod would carry troops, but it would be a high range and mass rate transproter system. Troops can be squeezed into every part of the ship, the crew quaters could hold about 10 people, with standard supplys and sleeping bags ect. so the pod would just Mass transport them down, or over onto another ship, so overwealm them.

I'm with hedgehog on ship designations.

In botf, everyone had to have a cruiser, a heavy cruiser etc. The single most ridiculous thing they did was make the lumbering, oafish constellation into a nimble destroyer. Beggars belief.

They screwed up the size of that ship too, it was tiny compaired to the Galaxy, but in the Ep that showed her being towed but the Ent, she was about half the size, not that small.

The nebula's not really any smaller at all, in terms of mass. It's the same saucer and nacelles, just less stardrive. Let's not talk about the negh'var size......

I was on about the constellation, The Stargazer i think it was called, Picards old command.

As for the Nebula, i had a really funny thought about that a while ago. This is from a Trek view, not TV design.
Starfleet had the Galaxy built in two pieces, the Stardrive and Saucer, then put them together at the end. Somehow, commucation between the two departments got screwed up, and they ordered 6 initial Galaxys, but 6 stardrives got built and 16 Saucers got built. Faced with this problem, starfleet then bodged some necessles and a warpcore into her, and added a small Pod to the back so she didnt looked too much like a saucer, and called her something new.
You can just see that being true, its just something i made up. I know the miranda and constution were the same, but prehaps it happend back then, and because the mistake came so good, they dicided to do it again, who knows. lol

Ha Ha Ha! What are we supposed to do with all these saucers!!

I really like the nebula. Really efficient design, a much more compact, lower profile ship, but has nearly everything the galaxy has, same phaser banks etc. To be fair, any two designs at the same period should realistically have similar components.

Oh yea, the nebula stands fine on her own. But you just know the CGI people couldnt be bothered to design a new one, so they just cut up an old one and made it look good.

The first Nebula, USS Phoenix was an Enterprise-D model kit that the producers bought from a ship and hacked up, worked out well though, same as the miranda.

There are a few really bad attempts to make a new ship out of old parts I can think of...

As for my little story, thats what im always gonna think when i see a nebula and a galaxy together. I can just see the Galaxy going, Im the daddy, dont you forget it stumpy!