22nd-century Vulcan Technology

[mactavish]

I am having trouble making a couple of determinations about Vulcan technologies in the mid-22nd century:

1. Do the Vulcans use transporter technology? I can't recall any Vulcans beaming anywhere from Vulcan ships or bases. In fact, I only recall seeing Vulcan delivered and retrieved via shuttles (i.e. ).

2. Do the Vulcans use photon torpedoes (or any missile-type weapons, for that matter)? Again, I cannot recall any specific instance of Vulcan cruisers or combat vessels using anything other than their particle beam arrays.

3. What is the Vulcan's vessels' top FTL speed? I recall hearing warp 7 in "Fallen Hero," but I also recall hearing that ships built by the Coridanites can reach warp 7, which I believe was said to be faster than the Vulcans.

4. Regarding Vulcan hand weapons, what exactly are they using? I know we've seen Vulcan security personnel with energy rifles, but are they like phase rifles, particle beam weapons (like the Suliban), or something completely different? I'm wondering if they are more like phasers and humanity had only begun using that technology as the Vulcans finally agreed to share it.

I'm putting the Vulcan roughly 75-100 years more advanced than Earth (and about the same for Qo'nos), maybe 40-50 years more advanced than the Andorians, and perhaps 10-25 years ahead of the Xindi (though I can't be sure).

Please post your thoughts (and share any known facts, if you have any!).

mactavish out.

[Tricky]

Well, I know my one complaint about ENT was that it seemed everyone had tech but Earth, and it seemed to be at the level of the tech of TOS. It was just sorta odd that everyone had the stuff that would take us 100 years to develop, and then it would start to get more sophisticated.

Just sorta bothered me, i guess.

[The Tatterdemalion King]

I am having trouble making a couple of determinations about Vulcan technologies in the mid-22nd century:

1. Do the Vulcans use transporter technology? I can't recall any Vulcans beaming anywhere from Vulcan ships or bases. In fact, I only recall seeing Vulcan delivered and retrieved via shuttles (i.e. ).

You know, I think they might not... Nobody asked the Vulcans for help in Daedalus.

2. Do the Vulcans use photon torpedoes (or any missile-type weapons, for that matter)? Again, I cannot recall any specific instance of Vulcan cruisers or combat vessels using anything other than their particle beam arrays.

The D'kyr-type apparently has 'photonic weapons.'

3. What is the Vulcan's vessels' top FTL speed? I recall hearing warp 7 in "Fallen Hero," but I also recall hearing that ships built by the Coridanites can reach warp 7, which I believe was said to be faster than the Vulcans.

Maybe they just did it first...

4. Regarding Vulcan hand weapons, what exactly are they using? I know we've seen Vulcan security personnel with energy rifles, but are they like phase rifles, particle beam weapons (like the Suliban), or something completely different? I'm wondering if they are more like phasers and humanity had only begun using that technology as the Vulcans finally agreed to share it.

Vulcanizers.

I'm putting the Vulcan roughly 75-100 years more advanced than Earth (and about the same for Qo'nos), maybe 40-50 years more advanced than the Andorians, and perhaps 10-25 years ahead of the Xindi (though I can't be sure).

Well, the Tellarites apparently sold their ship designs to the Xindi, and they're supposed to be less advanced than the Andorians. The Klingons probably stole most of their technology, so they might have stuff nobody else does, they just can't replicate it.

[mactavish]

Okay, let's try it this way...

1. I am going to assume that while Vulcans do indeed have transporter technologies integrated into their vessels, they have been unable to improve said technologies to the point that biologicals could be effectively transmitted. Emory Erickson - like Zefram Cochrane - was an inspired genius, and his "illogical insights" led to improvements in the Heisenberg compensators, allowing for organic matter to be properly teleported (without turning the target inside out or scattering its molecules across the intervening space). The Klingons got their transporters from the technology left behind on Qo'nos by the Hur'q (which, while less safe than the Erickson transporter, evens out since the Klingons are tougher than humans and less likely to suffer any ill effects even after regular use).

2. Apparently the Vulcans do have photonic weapons on their ships. I'm going to assume that these weapons are just photon torpedoes (and update my Vulcan ship designs to reflect that).

3. I am going to assume that Vulcan capital ships can reach warp 7, but can only maintain that speed for up to 12 hours. Their normal cruising speed is about warp 5.8 (give or take).

4. I'm going to define Vulcan hand weapons as particle beam-based small arms. They are more elegant and have a greater particle density than human-designed weapons, but they are still not as good as 23rd-century phasers.

Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know if you think I'm on the right track.

Thanks again, guys.

mactavish out.

[The Tatterdemalion King]

Sounds more-or-less consistent with what's been onscreen.

[mactavish]

Would you say that the Vulcans are the most advanced of the contemporary Alpha and Beta Quadrant races?

We've seen that other races have advances in various areas [over humanity]: Coridanites have faster [warp 7] drive systems; Andorians have anti-matter variable compression nozzles (for their warp drives); Klingons [and others] have photonic missiles [torpedoes] (prior to humanity). The list goes on and on.

We've also seen that just about everybody with a warp drive has got better stuff than Earth Starfleet, but not all to the same degree. The Vulcans seems better off overall (i.e. fast ships, powerful weapons, energy shields, tractor beams, etc.), however, and I am wondering if this is actually the case or if I'm just missing something.

(Note: Okay, the Borg [as seen in "Regeneration"] clearly have far more advanced technologies than the Vulcans of the mid-22nd century, but that doesn't count as it is anachronistic technology from the future. The same [presumably] goes for some of the stuff used by the Xindi and the Suliban Cabal.)

The whole issue of Vulcan transporters is still bugging me. Is there any on-screen evidence of Vulcan ships using transporters during the entire run of Enterprise? I believe that I've seen every episode of the show, but I cannot truthfully say that I EVER remember a Vulcan undergoing a transport effect.

Maybe they're allergic (like to Trellium-D).

mactavish out.

[Tobian]

The impression I got from the Vulcans technology in Enterprise was that it was pretty mature, reliable, artistic and advanced, but not massivelly so, compared to their neighbours. Most of the advantage they had was fast(er) ships, large fleets, and quite powerful defensive capabilities (both weapons and shields).

It kind of seemed antiethical to their TOS origins, but then this was explained away in Season 4 as the influence of the Romulans. I imagine the internal revelation of this would probably, as a people, eek away at their cultural confidence in space warfare, and instead make them head towards inner exploration, and peaceful negotiations.

The Klingons, ironically, were probably the most advanced and powerful aliens in Enterprise, with the best, fastest, most well armed, but fortunately our of easy reach of Earth

I didn't really follow all of Enterprise, but to be honest, not many cultures, locally, used Transporters, period. The Vulcans also seemed, while logical, quite intransigent about certain things "The Vulcan science directorate does not believe in X" This again seems antiethical to Vulcanness, but again this may have just been a cultural redirection by the Romulans interfering...

I think that the drive system that the Enterprise used, wasn't approved by the Vulcans, partly from a 'you are moving too fast for our comfort' reason, but I suspect also because it was very different. Ultimatelly the Linear warp drive was obviously far superior to Vulcan drives, it just wasn't mature yet.

Erm Photon torpedoes.. that's a silly issue for me.. if you can safely make and store antimatter, why would you use anything less in your warheads. That it was some kind of revalation for the crew was silly, because they surely must have seen Vulcans use em! The real stopping point would have been safe storage and shield casings etc, but simply finding some left over Klingon devices doesn't suddenly give you an instruction manual on how to build exotic materials and components without years of R&D!

[The Tatterdemalion King]

Would you say that the Vulcans are the most advanced of the contemporary Alpha and Beta Quadrant races?

Generally, yes. That's probably a deliberate choice on the part of the writers.

The whole issue of Vulcan transporters is still bugging me. Is there any on-screen evidence of Vulcan ships using transporters during the entire run of Enterprise? I believe that I've seen every episode of the show, but I cannot truthfully say that I EVER remember a Vulcan undergoing a transport effect.

I'm trying to think of which episodes it might happen in to go look for it, but I'm not sure. Cease Fire maybe? One of the Vulcan trilogy?

[mactavish]

I have been thinking that perhaps my estimate that the Vulcans are 100 years more advanced than humanity is a bit liberal. I was wondering how far ahead you think the Vulcans are compared to humans?

What about the Andorians? Tellarites? Denobulans? Xindi? Xyrilians?

If you have any thoughts - and any way to represent them (on a scale, for instance) - please post your ideas here.

Thanks,

mactavish out.

[The Tatterdemalion King]

I have been thinking that perhaps my estimate that the Vulcans are 100 years more advanced than humanity is a bit liberal. I was wondering how far ahead you think the Vulcans are compared to humans?

Considering that it apparently took them a thousand years to get to the point you see on ENT, it might not be as useful a measure. Vulcans are probably reticent–as a culture–to adopt crazy new technologies.

What about the Andorians? Tellarites?

Andorians were supposedly midway between Vulcans and Humans, but hell if i know where I read that.

Denobulans? Xindi? Xyrilians?

Denobulans seem to be at the 'local norm' of most species, i.e. roughly where humans are now. You might be able to make a case for there not being a great imperative for most cultures to develop more technology than is apparently common.

Xindi are probably not significantly advanced over humans. After all, they did need a crazy superweapon to defeat them, rather than just invade normally.

Xyrillians get a lot of word time for appearing in one episode. I guess it was cause they were kinda wacky and out there. Anyway, I got the impression they weren't native to this area of space–they didn't know not to screw with the Klingons. Maybe the Xyrillian ship is actually their Voyager equivalent, on a journey home through this region of space with advanced technology everyone else wants.

If you have any thoughts - and any way to represent them (on a scale, for instance) - please post your ideas here.

Don't forget the Axanar, or the Kriosians or these other important 22nd century groups...

[mactavish]

Does anyone have statistics for Enterprise-era Vulcan ships? I am looking specifically for the Maymora- and the D'kyr-class vessels.

mactavish out.

[The Tatterdemalion King]

Does anyone have statistics for Enterprise-era Vulcan ships? I am looking specifically for the Maymora- and the D'kyr-class vessels.

mactavish out.

The Maymora-class never appeared onscreen (or was never connected to any aired designs). I think the D'Kyr was in the Enterprise book that was floating around.

[Meteo]

The Vulcans had Plasma Cannons, Shields and Warp 6 Drives. They're very close to TOS-level technology, but are still a LITTLE primitive in comparison.

[mactavish]

I just watched "Breaking the Ice" and found that the Ti'Mur, a Suurok-class vessel commanded by Captain Vanik, has a top speed of warp 6.5. It is a comparatively large ship, and seems like a powerful vessel. It has a particle beam cannon and a tractor beam emitter. The Ti'Mur is a science vessel, so it is not as fast or as powerfully-armed as a combat cruiser might be. Indeed, another Suurok-class ship that we saw later in the series had a top speed of warp 7.

Memory Alpha states that the Vulcans have photonic weapons, too (though I can't recall seeing them used on-screen). I've also made the executive decision that the Vulcans have transporters, too (even though I don't recall seeing them used on-screen, either).

mactavish out.

[The Tatterdemalion King]

Well, after finding out that Andorians have transporters, Vulcans possessing the same technology seems logical...

EDIT: "Kir'Shara" mentions Vulcan transporters. There's your answer.