I am not ignoring the guaranteed 20% mass savings (relative to Tritanium; equal to Ditanium); you will note the "Mass" column on the table is universally +M vs Tritanium, =M vs Ditanium. 5/9 upgrade, 2/9 downgrade, 2/9 sidegrade (one being an upgrade and one a downgrade for this project specifically) is after accounting for that. Without that we'd have...I think only 3/9 upgrades, 3/9 sidegrades, 3/9 downgrades, so it promotes one downgrades to sidegrade and two sidegrades to upgrade.
What I was meaning to say, with a full replicator serving of sarcasm, is that after commissioning the Cygnet class, I don't think we are at a grave tactical deficit any longer.
The Cygnet has shields, she has phasers and photonics, and she's got solid maneuverability. If we get blindsided by a war we don't have foreknowledge of, the Cygnet will keep the Federation alive until we make a new Dreadnought or Warbird design to commence elbow-dropping alien nutsacks.
I pity the dumbass who makes us design the Thunderchild 2. We ground a technologically and industrially superior foe down with the original by using better fleet tactics and this time it's not going to be a tier behind.
While this is largely good work and I will admit that yeah the numbers are more for comparison's sake, I'm not sure we can rightly say ditanium is cheaper cost-wise than tritanium - it's not noted as such anywhere that I can spot (and if it was relevant to the choice it probably would have been noted in the option) so for whatever reason we probably shouldn't count on it being noticeably 'cheaper' industrially than tritanium. For example, maybe that cost would represent needing to recreate parallel tooling and production lines for what is otherwise an obsolete hull material that had been replaced.
I.E. using your M/D/C comparison, tritanium at 0/0/0, ditanium at +1/-1/0:
EC defence+ (+1)
EC defence = tritanium (0)
EC defence- (-1)
EC cost+ (-1)
+1/+1/-1
(i.e. linear upgrade)
+1/0/-1
(sidegrade, +effective manoeuvring for +cost)
+1/-1/-1
(worse than ditanium)
EC cost = tritanium (0)
+1/+1/0
(major linear upgrade)
+1/0/0
(modest linear upgrade)
+1/-1/0
(ditanium)
EC cost- (+1)
+1/+1/+1
(perfect upgrade)
+1/0/+1
(major linear upgrade)
+1/-1/+1
(modest linear upgrade)
Alternately, cost and mass are factored together for the sake of simplicity (this strikes me as extremely unlikely, but who knows); assuming then that tritanium is 0/0 and ditanium is +1/-1 (M/D), EC would begin with a baseline of +1/0:
I pity the dumbass who makes us design the Thunderchild 2. We ground a technologically and industrially superior foe down with the original by using better fleet tactics and this time it's not going to be a tier behind.
I anticipate we'll get a full opera about the legacy and triumphs and downfall of each Thunderchild 2.0 we'd send at them as the greatest foes the Empire ever witnessed and fought. Honored enemies, a true test of a warrior and battle commander to confront and overcome, or die trying.
I pity the dumbass who makes us design the Thunderchild 2. We ground a technologically and industrially superior foe down with the original by using better fleet tactics and this time it's not going to be a tier behind.
I pity the dumbass who makes us design the Thunderchild 2. We ground a technologically and industrially superior foe down with the original by using better fleet tactics and this time it's not going to be a tier behind.
IIRC they should still be mostly disarmed by this point. In canon, they and earth fought four wars between 2060 and 2100 during which the Kzinti were routed so comprehensively that the resulting humiliating peace treaty left them with zero military capability whatsoever.
No doubt the Vulcans helped, but it's implied that humanity was the primary participant doing the boot feeding.
IIRC they should still be mostly disarmed by this point. In canon, they and earth fought four wars between 2060 and 2100 during which the Kzinti were routed so comprehensively that the resulting humiliating peace treaty left them with zero military capability whatsoever.
No doubt the Vulcans helped, but it's implied that humanity was the primary participant doing the boot feeding.
The canonicity of that is dubious. The wars were supposedly fought with sublight vessels, with Earth's acquisition of Warp drive being what decided the conflict. This is at direct odds with the fact that first contact was with the Vulcans who picked up our first warp drive.
Everything with the Kzinti is in a state of nebulous canon due to being a TAS episode adapting a book that wasn't even in Star Trek in the first place.
Everything with the Kzinti is in a state of nebulous canon due to being a TAS episode adapting a book that wasn't even in Star Trek in the first place.
Mmm. They did pop up again in Lower Decks, which is the closest we've got to a true source for them at this point. Unless you want to pull from SFB, but that's a completely different timeline.
Everything with the Kzinti is in a state of nebulous canon due to being a TAS episode adapting a book that wasn't even in Star Trek in the first place.
Everything with the Kzinti is in a state of nebulous canon due to being a TAS episode adapting a book that wasn't even in Star Trek in the first place.
Mmm. They did pop up again in Lower Decks, which is the closest we've got to a true source for them at this point. Unless you want to pull from SFB, but that's a completely different timeline.
Actually they showed up again (or were rather mentioned) by Riker in Picard S1, the rather impressive defences they've got at the house/colony are because the Kzinti were (iir the dialogue correctly) "acting up again".
The electro-ceramic hull composite is a gamble, especially for a project of this scale. But the transition from small-scale to large-scale manufacturing can be difficult, but you soon hear that it is now being produced en masse with no impediments to an economy of scale with the new material. Some of the fabrication processes were touch-and-go for a while, but experience and some gentle tweaks to the sequencing has ironed out the remaining barriers in time for a full run of production for the hull plating of the Copernicus. It's more expensive than the standard tritanium alloy mix that has been used for decades, but not exorbitantly. You are also pleased to find that the electro-part of the electro-ceramic is proving quite amenable to the high energies involved in modern structural integrity fields. Not quite as durable as the old polarised armor, but this isn't supported by polarisation relays all over the ship. All told you're quite happy with the new hull material, and expect it will become standard in future barring any unforeseen issues.
(Electro-Ceramic Hull Composites match expected production costs and provide increased hull strength compared to predictions.)
The saucer itself isn't the largest ever built by diameter, but certainly is by mass. The new plating gives it a rather bright and austere look that provides quite the contrast against its predecessors, while the trio of phasers near the bridge provides all-round protection, with two more optional hardpoints for each surface to further support the side and forward arcs. The interior is quite spacious and you feel confident that it will be able to support plenty auxiliary systems of a decent size.
Next is the secondary hull. The first option is to create an inline hull, which will keep the ship sleek and low-profile. It will also eliminate one of the main engine hardpoints in doing so, but minimize the mass additions overall. The main deflector will have to be moved to a forward blister, but otherwise the design should be quite straightforward. You can even add a shuttlebay.
The second option is to follow in the footsteps of the Cygnus and add a ventral engineering hull connected by a neck. This would allow you to install the deflector there rather than building out the bow of the ship, as well as place the warp engine as close as possible to the nacelle struts. It would add a substantial amount of mass, however, even if it is less than anticipated thanks to the new hull material. The first proposals are very much in the vein of the Cygnus, with similarly sized sections, but the largest option is a full deck deeper with more auxiliary space. Fortunately no matter what you choose, it is now standard practice to carve out at least enough space for another antimatter pod for a standard operating range of one year, though further expansion will need to spend auxiliary space.
The electro-ceramic hull composite is a gamble, especially for a project of this scale. But the transition from small-scale to large-scale manufacturing can be difficult, but you soon hear that it is now being produced en masse with no impediments to an economy of scale with the new material. Some of the fabrication processes were touch-and-go for a while, but experience and some gentle tweaks to the sequencing has ironed out the remaining barriers in time for a full run of production for the hull plating of the Copernicus. It's more expensive than the standard tritanium alloy mix that has been used for decades, but not exorbitantly. You are also pleased to find that the electro-part of the electro-ceramic is proving quite amenable to the high energies involved in modern structural integrity fields. Not quite as durable as the old polarised armor, but this isn't supported by polarisation relays all over the ship. All told you're quite happy with the new hull material, and expect it will become standard in future barring any unforeseen issues.
(Electro-Ceramic Hull Composites match expected production costs and provide increased hull strength compared to predictions.)
