THE MANY FASCITS OF THE GOOD OLD MIRANDA-CLASS CRUISERS
We all know the Miranda-class Cruiser well enough. A sleek design that made it's first appearance with The Wrath of Khan movie all those years ago. A sleek looking saucer starship with armaments extenuated out above the saucer appearing like wing. The warp nacelles hanging back very much like the legs on a wasp. Armed with an array of powerful weapons systems that nearly rivaled the Kirk's Enterprise and exceeded in others. The Reliant kick butt right up until three-dimensional tactic were used against a two-dimensional thinking assault commander.
It wasn't until the Wrath of Khan came out on DVD that I learned that there had been an inverted design of the Miranda. I had known that they had been design after a long trial and error method looking at each design. After looking at the model handing over my bed that I realized that it was a better looking design in my opinion? I thought the ship was good looking and better than the version that the Reliant and the inverted version of the Miranda-class. I like this version better but under stand their reasons for not using it. Two ships looking a lot alike would have been confusing to some of the movie patrons.
The sleek appearance with the warp nacelles deployed above the saucer like the Enterprise NX-01. I do note that the nacelles suspended over the saucer has the same phaser arc draw backs that they do hanging below the saucer without the roll bar phaser cannons. The torpedo launchers are well located for firing in the below position on all designs. With self-guided torpedoes they could fire dorsally, like the ICBM missiles from the ballistic missile submarines, for a ship coming at the bow of the ship.
Then after reading STAR TREK MAGAZINE for September 2002 (Volume 3 Issue 05) seeing article for BEHIND THE SCENES - THE RELIANT EARLY DESIGN for the Khans starship. I discovered a third version of the Miranda-class with photon torpedo launchers hung below. The versatility of the design and multi-purpose of the Miranda-class and her sister ships impressed me.
There are only a few variations that would be made to that of the Miranda-class deck layout in changes to the internal layout to support the changes. I would have attached the photon torpedo launcher to the hull their. I might have placed the forward and aft facing Phaser Cannons just above the saucer on the warp pylons. With the Paramount Pictures studio design the ship would be more of a science vessel than a destroyer type vessel. This design would clearly be within the Federation characteristics for the starship designs build for functionality.
I have included the Soyuz-class modifications that I have also noted in my personal notes on the Miranda. The U.S.S. Bozeman an enhanced sensor vessel with the ability to hold their own in a combat.
A list of different types of Miranda-class of starships seen to date
Miranda-class (Standard/Reliant) - over the saucer phaser cannon, torpedo launchers (science/cruiser)
Miranda-class (Saratoga) - Off to the side phaser Cannon looking apparatus (Patrol ship)
Miranda-class (Lantree) - no phaser cannons or photon torpedo launchers (cargo ship)
Soyuz-class (Bozeman) - enhanced sensors and phaser cannons (Heavy sensor ship)
Miranda-class (Inverted Standard/Reliant) - under the saucer phaser cannon, torpedo launchers (science/crusier)
Miranda-class (heavy torpedo ship) - twin under the saucer torpedo launchers (combat (missile boat) /cruiser)
Here are the slight changes I have made to the standard Spacedock Miranda-class designs to create the ships.
The changes to the Standard to Miranda-class to bring into Cannon appearance
Phaser Cannons: One of the first things I noticed about the Spacedocks Miranda-class was the lack of the aft facing phaser cannons. I clearly remember seeing that the first time I saw the film in the theater.
Phaser cannons (4 x <32> = 128)
Type: VII
Damage: 170 [17 Power]
Number of Emitters: 120 (up to 3 shots per round)
Auto-Phaser Interlock: Accuracy: 4/5/7/10
Range: 10/30,000/100,000/300,000
Location: ventral side forward port, forward starboard, aft port, aft starboard
Firing Arc: 180 degrees per phaser emitter
Firing Modes: Standard, Continuous, and Pulse, wide-beam
Miranda-class (Saratoga)
The Saratoga type the rolebar is dropped from the designs. And the phaser cannons exstenuated from the sides of the saucer port and starbaord aimed forward. By the 24th century these would be no more powerful than the standard phaser banks on the main hull.
Phaser cannons (2 x <32> = 64)
Type: VII
Damage: 170 [17 Power]
Number of Emitters: 120 (up to 3 shots per round)
Auto-Phaser Interlock: Accuracy: 4/5/7/10
Range: 10/30,000/100,000/300,000
Location: ventral side forward port, forward starboard,
Firing Arc: 180 degrees per phaser emitter
Firing Modes: Standard, Continuous, and Pulse, wide-beam
Miranda-class (Lantree)
With the lantree the type the dropping of the roll bar and weapons attached to it. Two photon launcher could be planed in the forward ventral hull
Photon Torpedo Launcher (2 x <14> 28)
Standard Load: Type II photon torpedo (200 Damage)
Spread: 4
Range: 15/300,000/1,000,000/3,500,000
Targeting System: Accuracy 4/5/7/10
Power: [20 + 5 per torpedo fired]
Location: ventral saucer section
Firing Arc: forward, but are self-guided
The Inverted design of the Miranda Class
Warp Nacelles: The Warp nacelles are deployed above the hull rather than below the hull like the standard Miranda-class.
Phaser cannons: stationed at the corners of the rollbar the phaser cannons would hang under the hull while the nacelles are above.
Photon Torpedo Launchers: similar to the Standard Miranda-class mid-rollbar the alternative would be an under slung like the phaser cannons of the above.
Phaser cannons (4 x <32> = 128)
Type: VII
Damage: 170 [17 Power]
Number of Emitters: 120 (up to 3 shots per round)
Auto-Phaser Interlock: Accuracy: 4/5/7/10
Range: 10/30,000/100,000/300,000
Location: ventral side forward port, forward starboard, aft port, aft starboard
Firing Arc: 180 degrees per phaser emitter
Firing Modes: Standard, Continuous, and Pulse, wide-beam
Phaser Bank <22> (optional phaser bank)
Type: VII
Damage: 140 [14 Power]
Number of Emitters: 120 (up to 3 shots per round)
Auto-Phaser Interlock: Accuracy: 4/5/7/10
Range: 10/30,000/100,000/300,000
Location: Aft (just in front of the impulse engines)
Firing Arc: 180 degrees per phaser emitter
Firing Modes: Standard, Continuous, Pulse, wide-beam
Notes: this is just to cover the Phaser weapons blind spot in the upper rear of the Miranda-class left by the dropping the heavy weapons to the under the saucer. This can be installed under the saucer half way back behind the saucer dome to cover the Phaser weapons blind spot on the Miranda-class standard.
Photon Torpedo Launcher (4 x <14> 56)
Standard Load: Type II photon torpedo (200 Damage)
Spread: 4
Range: 15/300,000/1,000,000/3,500,000
Targeting System: Accuracy 4/5/7/10
Power: [20 + 5 per torpedo fired]
Location: middle of Ventral rollbar, two tubes facing forward two facing aft
Firing Arc: forward, but are self-guided
Inverted design with heavy torpedo launchers
Twin launcher pods hanging below the main hull on the either side below the warp pods port and Starboard. Two launcher facing forward and aft on either mounting would be needed as would dropping the phaser cannons.
Photon Torpedo Launcher <(8 x 14) 112>
Standard Load: Type II photon torpedo (200 Damage)
Spread: 4
Range: 15/300,000/1,000,000/3,500,000
Targeting System: Accuracy 4/5/7/10
Power: [20 + 5 per torpedo fired]
Location: Twin launcher pods hanging below the main hull on the either side below the warp pods port and Starboard. Four launchers per pod, two forward and two aft.
Firing Arc: forward and aft, but are self-guided
Soyuz-class
Phaser Cannons: what looks like four long barrel like protrusions from the aft dorsal mast, the Ventral rudder looking thing and port and starboard pods could be phaser cannon locations. Mixed in with what could easily be sensing equipment. For all I know they could be sensing equipment.
Phaser cannons (4 x <32> = 128)
Type: VII
Damage: 170 [17 Power]
Number of Emitters: 120 (up to 3 shots per round)
Auto-Phaser Interlock: Accuracy: 4/5/7/10
Range: 10/30,000/100,000/300,000
Location: forward ventral, forward Dorsal, Forward port, forward starboard
Firing Arc: 180 degrees per phaser emitter
Firing Modes: Standard, Continuous, and Pulse, wide-beam
Photon Torpedo Launcher (2 x <14> 28)
Standard Load: Type II photon torpedo (200 Damage)
Spread: 4
Range: 15/300,000/1,000,000/3,500,000
Targeting System: Accuracy 4/5/7/10
Power: [20 + 5 per torpedo fired]
Location: ventral saucer section
Firing Arc: forward, but are self-guided
Other plausible changes foreseen in the inverted designs:
Warp nacelles: The nacelles from the Constitution-class may replace them if the need arises. A simple upgrade in warp drive performance with the Mark 7 <105> 7.0/8.5/9.0 the rest of the systems would be the same as they are on the standard Miranda-class. This change could also be done in the standard Miranda-class.
Warp Core: in horizontal alignment - with the large nacelles an increase in the warp core would be needed to equal the Constitution-class in power the core would have to increase power by 20 -- 2 additional SU's.
Sensor pod: An over the hull sensor pod mounted much like the Phoenix type of the Nebula-class improving the sensors of the Miranda-class. One could even utilize the Sutherland style of the Nebula-class installing a forward and aft launcher in along side the enhanced sensor equipment.
A under slung cargo pod like the Ptolemy-class cargo hauler could be utilized in the Miranda-class as a heavy protected cargo carrier. Could another variant. That’s just getting carried away.
In conclusion: The Miranda-class is one versatile vessel with many more interesting facets that can be explored and manipulated in the designs.
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