![]() ![]() We see shuttles mainly in the Next Gen, used for dignitary transport, crew swaps and a few detached missions. They are also larger in length than the shuttles. They can hold quite a number of people on short or extended trips. They are intended to operate on their own for extended missions and are employed mainly on spacestations. They can sustain Warp 5, pack a couple of phaser arrays and occasionally stock a couple of torpedoes. Runabouts, on the other hand, are designed to be much more hardy. They are also barely armed, often with just a phaser array and no photon torpedoes. Good for short trips or just two for a long one. Think of them as the lighters that old style sailing vessels had. They have limited warp and are mainly intended to stay close to their mothership. It also allows for personnel to move around without tasking an entire starship to accompany them, such as when crew members have a transfer or family emergency. Shuttlecraft are short range craft used on starships and space stations to ferry people from place to place where the transporter is either a poor or impossible choice. But they were not meant to sustain much damage, despite the fact they could be used in combat. Runabout specifications included deflectors and phaser arrays. Runabouts were used primarily on space stations such as Deep Space Nine (DS9) as a means of travel between the Federation, Cardassian and Bajoran sectors of space. Properly fitted, they could function as transports, scientific vehicles or medical evacuation vehicles. Runabouts were warp-capable, had personal transporters and usually had a crew of four personnel. Runabouts were slightly larger than shuttlecraft but smaller than starships. There were many different classes of shuttlecraft depending on the duties being carried out. By the TNG series, shuttlecraft came standard with relatively short-hop warp capacities (some light years allowing them to be used as exploration vehicles). Shuttlecraft had to be fit during the TOS period with technologies to allow them to be used with warp drives. Shuttlecraft were small ships assigned to starships, used primarily in cargo transportation, short trips for species which experience transporter difficulties or anxiety, or movement through electromagnetic phenomenon which might disrupt or challenge transporter technologies. With the ability to customize ships in the Federation, there are numerous designs for shuttlecraft which includes vehicles such as the Delta Flyer (VOY) or the Captain's Yacht, Cousteau (TNG). Most of the time, their duties were interchangeable so either ship could be used. The difference between a runabout and a shuttlecraft is a matter of size and capability.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |