Are there any micro-torpedo probes?

[John Adams]

I have been designing a small, class 3 scout / courier with a crew of about 25. It seems to me that a regular photon torpedo launcher should be too big for such a ship. Can probes be launched without a photon torpedo launcher?

[Erik Filean]

Originally posted by John Adams:
I have been designing a small, class 3 scout / courier with a crew of about 25. It seems to me that a regular photon torpedo launcher should be too big for such a ship. Can probes be launched without a photon torpedo launcher?

I suppose that it would be possible to launch them out of a shuttlebay on a fire-and-forget arrangement, but the range would be cut back if the probes didn't have the boost from the launcher.

A size 3 ship should be capable of holding a launcher, though, if only one. If you designated it a probe launcher only, gave it a Spread of 1 and assign no actual torpedoes, enough space should be conserved to justify it. A ship doing scouting missions really should have the equipment to launch probes properly.

[USS Intrepid]

Actually Voyager used micro-probes quite early on in it's run. They sent one into that microwormhole they found, which allowed them to talk to the Romulan scientist in the past.

So yes, micro-probes do exist. I don't recall sizes or anything, but you could base it on the micro-torpedo stats for runabouts in the DS9 Tech Manual. I see no reason why it couldn't be the same launcher.

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Captain Daniel Hunter
CO NCC-73602, U.S.S. Intrepid http://www.ussintrepid.org.uk

[This message has been edited by USS Intrepid (edited 12-23-2000).]