Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 20

Thread: Of warp speeds, tractors and tow-trucks...

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2000
    Location
    Geelong, Vic; Australia
    Posts
    1,131

    Post Of warp speeds, tractors and tow-trucks...

    Well, tow-ships, I guess!

    Just wondering what peoples' take on "warp-towing" is? I always thought it was a no-no (can't think of an episode where we see a ship being towed via tractor-beam at warp speeds - but that means little! My memory is like a sieve... ), but having spent the last day excitedly devouring A Fragile Peace, I noticed in the episode Aiding and Abetting it suggests towing a damaged Orion ship as an option, albeit at reduced speed.

    I was thinking maybe a speed-limit of warp 5 for a warp-tow, on the assumption that the tower would have to extend its warp field around the towee, thus reducing its efficiency. Or maybe subtracting 4 - 5 from the maximum warp speed?

    I'm not sure, and was hoping for some input from you brilliant guys!!


    ------------------
    "May I find you with peace, and leave you with hope."

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2000
    Location
    Golden, CO, USA
    Posts
    59

    Question

    Tower? Ohhhhh, you mean tow-er, not the things that castles have or tall buildings are.

    Anywho, I've never seen an instance of warp towing myself, but I would say it is reasonable to say that a ship could extend its warp field around the towed ship in order to move it at warp speeds. I'm not sure what the rules are for extending a warp field, but I would think it would require a significant amount of energy to do it.

    It may be that Starfleet has vessels designated for towing tasks, tug boats in essence. I think tugs may have been mentioned in the episode with the Stargazer, but can't recall for certain. They would probably be craft designed to be able to tow another ship at warp speeds, and so would be small with a large warp field. This is just speculation, though.

    ------------------
    Tony Fanchi
    Homer "Here are your messages, Mr. Burns."<reads> "'You have one hour to move your car.' 'You have ten minutes to move your car.' 'Your car has been impounded.' 'Your car has been crushed into a cube.' 'You have one hour to move your cube.'" <phone rings, Homer answers> "Hello, Mr. Burns' office?"

    Mr. Burns "Is it about my cube?"

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2000
    Location
    Colorado Springs, CO USA
    Posts
    1,352

    Post

    I don't think we ever actually see warp towing, but it has to be possible.

    Otherwise a disabled ship located anywhere other than within a star system mist be abandoned. The E towed Stargazer _somewhere_...

    ------------------
    "I'd rather die standing than live on my knees..."
    Shania Twain

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2000
    Location
    Cartography Heaven, AussieLand
    Posts
    2,482

    Post

    Well its not StarFleet, but the very last scene in VOY: Scorpion I, the BORG cube gets shit scared of Species 8472 and jumps to warp (or transwarp) with Voyager in tow!

    ------------------
    SIR SIG a Aussie TREK Narrator

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2000
    Location
    anywhere but here
    Posts
    195

    Post

    I was wondering the same thing.
    would it affect power costs ?
    the SIF system?

    OOPs looks like ya all found another thing to bother steve about

  6. #6

    Post

    There is a Starfleet Tug... It can be seen in the opening episodes of DS9 season 6 in some of the 'battered fleet' exteriors...

    This vessel can be seen towing an excelsior at sub-light, so it doesn't help answer the question, but the concepts so far of incresed SDF, high powered tractor beams and engorged warp fields are possibly the way to go...

    Fortunatly, this vessel was recently featured in the Star Trek Fact Files, so over the weekend I can scan it in and make it available for viewing...



    ------------------
    Dan.

    "A couple of thoughts from a random mind!"

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2000
    Location
    Cartography Heaven, AussieLand
    Posts
    2,482

    Post

    The Tug in question is vary small and thus has very powerful tractor beams. I think 2 plus are used to tow the Excelsior.

    ------------------
    SIR SIG a Aussie TREK Narrator

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2000
    Location
    Northeast Florida
    Posts
    83

    Post

    Warp towing is very possible. I point out several possibilities: the first was the episode with the First Federation, Fesarius towing the Enterprise 1701 (No bloody A, B, C, D, or E) , and the second time was towing the SS Botany Bay.

    How to do it game Mechanic wise, I'd extend the warp field about the towed ship, and basically assign a difficulty of base normal, and modify the difficulty by size class difference, the larger the ship harder to tow. of course if said vehicle does not wish to be towed, well then it's contested and boy look at the literal sparks fly

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2000
    Location
    Cartography Heaven, AussieLand
    Posts
    2,482

    Post

    Originally posted by Arithon:
    Warp towing is very possible. I point out several possibilities: the first was the episode with the First Federation, Fesarius towing the Enterprise 1701 (No bloody A, B, C, D, or E) , and the second time was towing the SS Botany Bay.

    How to do it game Mechanic wise, I'd extend the warp field about the towed ship, and basically assign a difficulty of base normal, and modify the difficulty by size class difference, the larger the ship harder to tow. of course if said vehicle does not wish to be towed, well then it's contested and boy look at the literal sparks fly
    So the towed ship is actually in the warp bubble then?



    ------------------
    SIR SIG a Aussie TREK Narrator

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2000
    Location
    Northeast Florida
    Posts
    83

    Post

    That's the way I see it yeah.. with the Tractors basically keeping the ship steady in the warp bubble.. I could be wrong but *shrug* that's what makes sense to me..

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2000
    Location
    Jacksonville, Arkansas, USA
    Posts
    1,880

    Post

    If I understand Einstein right, it would take infinite energy to warp tow a ship that was outside the warp bubble.

    ------------------

    <<<<

    LUGTrek isn't really dead. Not as long as we remember it.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2000
    Location
    Cartography Heaven, AussieLand
    Posts
    2,482

    Post

    Can they extend the warp bubble out that far to encompass another ship? Must play havok on the SIFs and other systems.

    And before you answer 'Yes, we saw it in the show'; that was actually shields being extended around another ship.

    ------------------
    SIR SIG a Aussie TREK Narrator

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Oct 2000
    Location
    Everett, WA, USA
    Posts
    143

    Post

    Originally posted by SIR SIG:
    Can they extend the warp bubble out that far to encompass another ship? Must play havok on the SIFs and other systems.


    Depends -- do you consider "Encounter at Farpoint" when the Saucer section detached at Warp Speed? It had to get _clear_ of the Engineering Hull before dropping out of its warp bubble -- as soon as they separated, it was (in essence) a different ship, and, if the Engineering Hull had been moving at Warp and the Saucer hadn't, the top of the Engineering Hull would have ripped right through the bottom of the Saucer section -- so the Saucer _was_ moving at Warp Speed for at least a fraction of a second while in the warp bubble of the Engineering Section.

    Gamethyme

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jun 2000
    Location
    Cartography Heaven, AussieLand
    Posts
    2,482

    Post

    Originally posted by Gamethyme:
    Originally posted by SIR SIG:
    Can they extend the warp bubble out that far to encompass another ship? Must play havok on the SIFs and other systems.


    Depends -- do you consider "Encounter at Farpoint" when the Saucer section detached at Warp Speed? It had to get _clear_ of the Engineering Hull before dropping out of its warp bubble -- as soon as they separated, it was (in essence) a different ship, and, if the Engineering Hull had been moving at Warp and the Saucer hadn't, the top of the Engineering Hull would have ripped right through the bottom of the Saucer section -- so the Saucer _was_ moving at Warp Speed for at least a fraction of a second while in the warp bubble of the Engineering Section.

    Gamethyme
    I believe the Saucer has its own warp sustainer coils and thus can hold onto its own rapidly deteriorating <sp> warp bubble. Check the Tech manuel to be sure though!

    ------------------
    SIR SIG a Aussie TREK Narrator

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2001
    Location
    ON, CA
    Posts
    18

    Post

    The impulse engines generate a milli-cochrane strength field, so they could help a bit, but still, as soon at the saucer left the engineering hull's warp field, they had a pretty bumpy ride down to sublight.

    I would compare it to rolling your car off a transport truck on the highway, using only first gear (and no clutch).

    You piggyback on the truck, and it's ok. then as soon as you fall off, *bam* *grind* *rev* *screech* *whoah* you're now going normal speed (with maybe some engine/drivetrain damage).

    BTW, I recall it being more than a 'fraction of a second' Probably a bit of slow-motion tension building in there, but they wouldn't be moving apart at more than a few meters/second at first. Only once the saucer was clear of the 'neck' area, could it move quickly and drop out of the warp field.

    -----------
    What about people falling out of bed at warp? They're no longer attached to the ship in any way until they hit the floor. So, I'd say anything inside the field would be able to go at warp, even on momentum. Outside the field you'd need a personal warp field (eg. a warp sustainer as on torps), but inside, classical momentum is enough.

    [This message has been edited by suicide junkie (edited 02-20-2001).]

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •