| Author |
Message |
Otter
Fleet Admiral
Joined: 12 Oct 2004
Posts: 12895
Location: England
|
 Thu Oct 28, 2004 5:19 am Quantum Torpedos |
|
First Contact introduced them into Starships but since then it's just Photon Torpedos. Why?
-------signature-------
Yeah, We'll Stay Forever This Way..
|
|
|
Five - seveN
Rear Admiral
Joined: 13 Jun 2004
Posts: 3567
Location: Shadow Moon
|
| Thu Oct 28, 2004 5:24 am |
|
Tssk, I have no idea, all modern Starfleet ships are equipped with them though...
btw I think this should be in Star Trek Tech... Let the mods be judging it 
|
|
|
lionhead
Rear Admiral
Joined: 26 May 2004
Posts: 4020
Location: The Delta Quadrant (or not...)
|
| Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:54 am |
|
Photn topredos was something cool when it was tought up. But now the photon torpedo is just, lame. So they came up with the quantum torpedo. Very effective against the borg. Well, at least better than a photon torpedo. They look bigger and brighter than a photon torpedo when they fire them
-------signature-------
Never explain comedy or satire or the ironic comment. Those who get it, get it. Those who don't, never will. -Michael Moore
|
|
|
Jadzia Lenara Dax
Garbage Queen
Joined: 17 Oct 2001
Posts: 5761
Location: Sunnydale, California
|
| Thu Oct 28, 2004 9:29 am |
|
[moved to star trek tech because it has to do with the technical stuff. jad.]
-------signature-------
"I can't stand someone who can outdepress me." -Shirley Manson, Garbage
|
|
|
Sonic74205
Rear Admiral
Joined: 01 Feb 2004
Posts: 4081
Location: England
|
| Thu Oct 28, 2004 4:20 pm |
|
Quantum torpedoes were first introduced in DS9 on the Defiant and not all starfleet ships have them these days. Only Sovereign & Defiant class ships have Quantum Torpedoes.
|
|
|
Otter
Fleet Admiral
Joined: 12 Oct 2004
Posts: 12895
Location: England
|
| Fri Oct 29, 2004 10:27 am |
|
| Chakotay1988 wrote: | Quantum torpedoes were first introduced in DS9 on the Defiant and not all starfleet ships have them these days. Only Sovereign &
Defiantclass ships have Quantum Torpedoes. |
Wasn't Defiant one of only one? I've not heard of a Defiant class Starship.
-------signature-------
Yeah, We'll Stay Forever This Way..
|
|
|
lionhead
Rear Admiral
Joined: 26 May 2004
Posts: 4020
Location: The Delta Quadrant (or not...)
|
| Fri Oct 29, 2004 10:41 am |
|
The defiant was that ship that was created too stand against the borg, i don't think its a Class eighter.
-------signature-------
Never explain comedy or satire or the ironic comment. Those who get it, get it. Those who don't, never will. -Michael Moore
|
|
|
Otter
Fleet Admiral
Joined: 12 Oct 2004
Posts: 12895
Location: England
|
| Fri Oct 29, 2004 1:25 pm |
|
The way Defiant fired it's phasers in block shots was strange.
-------signature-------
Yeah, We'll Stay Forever This Way..
|
|
|
TrekkieMage
Office Junkie
Joined: 17 Oct 2004
Posts: 5335
Location: Hiding
|
| Fri Oct 29, 2004 3:58 pm |
|
The USS Defiant was an experimental ship. They intended for it to become a class of ships- Defiant class. Just like the USS Prometeus was the first Prometeus class.
At least I think that's how it works.
|
|
|
Ronevick
The King
Joined: 23 May 2003
Posts: 11428
Location: (609), New Jersey
|
| Fri Oct 29, 2004 4:42 pm |
|
^You're right.
| StarDateDave wrote: | | The way Defiant fired it's phasers in block shots was strange. |
Those are called pulse phasers.  As for quantum torpedoes, it has something to do with them using a different kind of ammunition inside the torpedo casing.
|
|
|
Sonic74205
Rear Admiral
Joined: 01 Feb 2004
Posts: 4081
Location: England
|
| Fri Oct 29, 2004 5:31 pm |
|
Yeah thats right. The first ship thats built of it's class has the same name as it's class.
|
|
|
lionhead
Rear Admiral
Joined: 26 May 2004
Posts: 4020
Location: The Delta Quadrant (or not...)
|
| Fri Oct 29, 2004 5:41 pm |
|
So there once was a USS Galaxy? and a USS Intrepid, USS Sovereign, USS curry?
-------signature-------
Never explain comedy or satire or the ironic comment. Those who get it, get it. Those who don't, never will. -Michael Moore
|
|
|
Ronevick
The King
Joined: 23 May 2003
Posts: 11428
Location: (609), New Jersey
|
| Fri Oct 29, 2004 5:56 pm |
|
Exactly.
|
|
|
Sonic74205
Rear Admiral
Joined: 01 Feb 2004
Posts: 4081
Location: England
|
| Fri Oct 29, 2004 8:20 pm |
|
Yep. And we all know that the USS Excelsior is the first Excelsior class.
|
|
|
PrankishSmart
Rear Admiral
Joined: 29 Apr 2002
Posts: 4779
Location: Hobart, Australia.
|
| Fri Oct 29, 2004 10:34 pm Re: Quantum Torpedos |
|
| StarDateDave wrote: | | First Contact introduced them into Starships but since then it's just Photon Torpedos. Why? |
The uss defiant was the testbed for the quantum torpedos, first seen in ds9: defiant.
They then were introduced onto the sovereign and prometheus classes.
Quantum torpedos were introduced because of the increased borg and dominion threats. It is believed that they are 2 to 3 times more powerful than a type 6 photon torpedo.
|
|
|
Five - seveN
Rear Admiral
Joined: 13 Jun 2004
Posts: 3567
Location: Shadow Moon
|
| Sat Oct 30, 2004 5:57 am |
|
| DITL.org wrote: | Introduced in the late 2360s1, the quantum torpedo was part of the range of projects which formed Starfleet's response to the threats represented by the Borg and renewed activity by the Romulans. Although there is no theoretical upper limit on the size of a matter/antimatter torpedo warhead - the Cardassian 'Dreadnought' type heavy penetrator carries a two thousand kilogram m/am warhead for example2 - warheads beyond the 25 isoton range tend to be too large and heavy for use as truly effective anti-ship weapons. Starfleet wanted to develop a warhead which offered firepower in the 50+ isoton range without penalising the agility of the weapon.
Starfleet R&D quickly decided to focus on a zero point energy system. Initial testing yielded a negative energy balance - it took more energy to initiate the zero point reaction than that reaction generated in turn. This problem was eventually surmounted and a 52.3 isoton quantum warhead was detonated at the Groombridge 273-2A facility.3
The device works by generating an eleven dimensional space time membrane which is twisted into a string similar in structure to a superstring. This process calls large numbers of subatomic particles into existence, liberating correspondingly large amounts of energy in the form of an explosion.3
The production torpedo is of similar size to the standard photon torpedo and is made of a shell of densified tritanium and duranium foam coated in an ablative layer and an antiradiation polymer coating. Great attention has been paid to making the weapon stealthy in operation by minimising the number of penetrations through the casing and by treating those which have been made.3
The warhead itself comprises a zero-point field reaction chamber, which is formed from a teardrop shaped crystal of rodinium ditellenite jacketed with synthetic neutronium and dilithium. A zero-point initiator is attached to this; the initiator is made of an EM rectifier, a wave guide bundle, a subspace field amplifier, and a continuum distortion emitter. The emitter creates the actual pinch field from a conical spike 10-16 meters across at the tip.3
The zero-point initiator is powered by the detonation of an uprated photon torpedo warhead with a yield of 21.8 isotons. The m/am reaction occurs at four times the rate of a standard warhead; the detonation energy is channelled through the initiator within 10-7 seconds and energizes the emitter, which imparts a tension force upon the vacuum domain. As the vacuum membrane expands over a period of 10-4 seconds, an energy potential equivalent to at least 50 isotons is created. This energy is held by the chamber for 10-8 seconds and is then released by the controlled failure of the chamber wall.3
The propulsion and guidance systems of the quantum torpedo also represent improvements over the standard photon. The computer system is based around bio-neural gel packs, allowing more efficient data processing and so improved guidance capability.4
Fabrication of the quantum torpedo initially proved difficult, since they contain many parts which are non replicatable. As a result the quantum torpedo was issued to relatively few vessels.4 Over time this problem has gradually been overcome, and the quantum torpedo is now becoming available on a much wider scale.
The Cardassians are known to have developed a version of the quantum torpedo which equips their Dreadnought type heavy penetrator.2 It is known that the design schematics of the quantum warhead developed by Starfleet were scanned by unauthorized personnel at least once during the development of that weapon, and it is now thought that an operative of the Obsidian Order was able to copy this data and escape with it. The Cardassians have apparently encountered considerable problems with the manufacture of quantum weapons, and their version of the torpedo is significantly less reliable than the Starfleet model. As a result the central command considered the quantum torpedo unsuitable for use as the primary torpedo armament of a fleet vessel, hence its role as the short range defence system of a device like Dreadnought.
The Cardassians were almost certainly working on creating uprated quantum torpedoes similar to Starfleet's weapon, but during the war with the Klingons many of their main weapons research and production centres were destroyed, most with the loss of all personnel. Although details are unclear, this seems to have all but eliminated the Cardassian's ability to fabricate these weapons. Certainly the Dominion showed no signs of using quantum torpedoes during their war with the Federation.
Most quantum torpedo launchers are simple modifications of photon launchers. The first model introduced on the Defiant was a quantum version of the Pulse fire torpedo tube, which can fire an average of one torpedo per second. The Sovereign class introduced a quantum burst fire tube - a variant on the type 4 photon burst fire model capable of launching a dozen torpedoes simultaneously.
Also introduced on the Sovereign class is the rapid fire turret; this allows torpedoes to be fired directly at a target, rather than having to manoeuvre toward it after launch - a measure which cuts down the torpedo flight time against targets at short range. The Sovereign turret is capable of firing four torpedoes per second, a rate of fire higher than any other model of torpedo tube in service. |
Information is silly. Heh.
|
|
|
Zeke Zabertini
Captain
Joined: 13 Sep 2002
Posts: 4832
|
| Sat Oct 30, 2004 2:35 pm |
|
Here's a short article from http://techspecs.acalltoduty.com/ on Quantum torpedoes. It should answer this and more questions you have on them.
Quantum Torpedoes:
A newer torpedo device that uses a traditional 21.8 isoton matter/antimatter reaction to jump-start an energetic local release of a zero point energy field, which is more effective at penetrating deflector shields with a theoretical maximum yield of 52.3 isotons. Unlike the photon torpedo, quantums are manufactured at a limited number of hidden facilities within the Federation. Because of the nature of various exotic materials, many of the components cannot be replicated and thus cannot be manufactured locally aboard starships. According to the DS9 TM, half of all manufactured quantum torpedoes are allocated to DS9 and the Defiant. It also states that vessels handling quantum torpedoes must observe special handling and loading precautions, including antigravs, tele-robotic servicing and protective buffer fields.
Three different starship classes have been observed to make use of quantums: Defiant-class, Sovereign-class, and the Excelsior-class U.S.S. Lakota. The Lakota is an exception to the rule, since information in that episode specifies the ship was refit with new hardware to take part in Admiral Leyton's coup on Earth.
The Sovereign-class U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E has been seen making use of quantum torpedoes, specifically from a forward launcher on the ventral side of the saucer near the Captain's Yacht docking port in "First Contact" and "Nemesis," though the vessel also fires photon torpedoes from various other launchers in "Insurrection" and "Nemesis."
Various Defiant-class starships have been seen using only quantum torpedoes in numerous episodes, though the DS9 TM states the vessel's launchers can handle both quantum and photon torpedoes depending on what is available.
Given the powerful nature of this type of weapon, it's surprising that we didn't see other starship classes making use of it during the Dominion War, specifically in episodes such as "Sacrifice of Angels" and "What You Leave Behind." In both instances, it was well known that all ships involved would be taking part in massive battles, yet they were still not equipped. It can be inferred that either other starship classes lack some specific hardware in their torpedo launching systems that prevent them from using quantum torpedoes (such as the previously mentioned protective buffer fields), or that Starfleet keeps a tight leash on its supply. The DS9 TM specifically states that much higher security restrictions are in place for the quantum torpedoes, and that distribution is rationed.
That said, only ACTD's Defiant and Sovereign-class starships carry quantum torpedoes as part of their standard loadout. Unless we change our stance on the differences involved in the physical launching of torpedoes, only ships under special circumstances can have a few allocated for mission-specific purposes. We're not talking "Oh, it'd be easier to destroy this station with quantum torpedoes," it's more like "we can't destroy this station without quantum torpedoes." If Starfleet is unwilling to let other starship classes make use of them during an all-out war, then the circumstances warranting usage should be greater then that, and any unused torpedoes from said mission-specific applications would be returned afterward in accordance with protocol.
|
|
|
Five - seveN
Rear Admiral
Joined: 13 Jun 2004
Posts: 3567
Location: Shadow Moon
|
| Sun Oct 31, 2004 12:11 pm |
|
| Quote: | | Three different starship classes have been observed to make use of quantums: Defiant-class, Sovereign-class, and the Excelsior-class U.S.S. Lakota. |
Not entirely,
| DITL.org wrote: |
Excelsior Variant 2 (Lakota subtype) 30 x Type IX phaser bank 4 x Pulse fire quantum torpedo tube
Prometheus Class (docked mode) 1213 x Type XII phaser arrays 213 x Pulse fire quantum torpedo tube
|
And there's probably more, but I don't have time to look it all up right now...
|
|
|
Zeke Zabertini
Captain
Joined: 13 Sep 2002
Posts: 4832
|
| Sun Oct 31, 2004 3:17 pm |
|
We're talking about episodes in the series' and movies here; as in what ships have actually been seen to use them in the show. Data from third-party sites is not included, nor should it be.
|
|
|
webtaz99
Commodore
Joined: 13 Nov 2003
Posts: 1229
Location: The Other Side
|
| Sun Oct 31, 2004 9:59 pm |
|
What's the difference between what the writers make up and a fan makes up?
-------signature-------
"History is made at night! Character is who you are in the dark." (Lord John Whorfin)
|
|
|
Zeke Zabertini
Captain
Joined: 13 Sep 2002
Posts: 4832
|
| Sun Oct 31, 2004 10:11 pm |
|
The difference is that what the writers make up goes on television; and what goes on television is Star Trek.
|
|
|
PrankishSmart
Rear Admiral
Joined: 29 Apr 2002
Posts: 4779
Location: Hobart, Australia.
|
| Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:47 am |
|
Only one excelsior class ship was fitted with quantums and also had other various tatical upgrades. So that is not a class wide deployment.
Two classes of ships have been seen with quantums. The sovereign and defiant. There is also a very high chance the prometheus also has quantums standard. It is a ship built after both the defiant and sovereign, and is built mostly for battle much like the defiant. It has ablative armour like the defiant and various other new tatical implementations, so why wouldn't it have quantum torpedos too.
|
|
|
PrankishSmart
Rear Admiral
Joined: 29 Apr 2002
Posts: 4779
Location: Hobart, Australia.
|
| Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:49 am |
|
| webtaz99 wrote: | | What's the difference between what the writers make up and a fan makes up? |
If it makes a difference, i'm pretty sure the illistrators who created the prometheus had provisions in mind for both photon and quantum torpedos. I'm not sure what section of the ship is suposed to fire what, though.
|
|
|
Otter
Fleet Admiral
Joined: 12 Oct 2004
Posts: 12895
Location: England
|
| Tue Nov 02, 2004 11:24 am |
|
| Zeke Zabertini wrote: | | The difference is that what the writers make up goes on television; and what goes on television is Star Trek. |
I agree wi Zeke.
-------signature-------
Yeah, We'll Stay Forever This Way..
|
|
|
Sonic74205
Rear Admiral
Joined: 01 Feb 2004
Posts: 4081
Location: England
|
| Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:57 pm |
|
Don't forget that www.ditl.org is quite inaccurate.
also it is not confirmed that a prometheus class has quantum torpedoes. it has only been seen using photon torpedoes. although it is most likely that it would have qantums.
|
|
|
|
Search
FAQ
Log in
