The series bible describes the Danube-class vessels as "the symbol of the Federation presence in sector". In order to help the new show establish its own identity separate from The Next Generation, the decision was made to have something larger and more capable than the shuttlecraft seen in previous series of Star Trek. The idea for the runabout was prompted by the need to provide a way for characters to travel away from Deep Space Nine, allowing the series to feature Star Trek 's themes of exploration and discovery despite being set on a stationary space station. This spacecraft design was created primarily by Herman Zimmerman, Rick Sternbach and Jim Martin in the 1990s for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and later used throughout the franchise such as in books, comics, and games. They served as a means of transport for the crew of the fictional space station Deep Space Nine, in the early seasons of the series enabling storylines taking place away from the station. Runabouts (" Danube-class" vessels) are a fictional class of small, multi-purpose starships appearing in the Star Trek science-fiction franchise, primarily the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which aired on syndicated television between 19. Each has a descriptive designation such as quad-load, demi-wide, demi-long, monoload, long-load, full-load and the like.The USS Yangtzee Kiang, a Danube-class runaboutĢ micro Photon torpedo launchers. These are schematic only, not showing any specialised equipment or furnishings. Also shown is the sensor rollbar pod seen in the series, as well as a section drawing showing the torpedo launcher extended into firing position, by way of a pair of "bomb-bay" doors.Īt the bottom of the page I have shown a variety of modular layouts in various combinations. I have also shown a variant of the aft lounge and a variety of modules, including a 54-seat passenger module, a 22-bed medevac module, a 14-bed M*A*S*H-style surgical module, a 16-bed dormitory module for extended missions, a full-sized torpedo launcher module (the launcher is lowered out a hatch in the underside of the module and can fire both probes and photon torpedoes) and a ground reconaissance module housing two Argo-type light reconnaisance vehicles. In the following drawings, I have shown both versions of the cockpit and the aft lounge. Among the available modules ia apparently a sort of passenger bus module, as the runabouts are frequently depicted as running a regular passenger service between Bajor and Deep Space Nine.ĭuring the series, the runabout apparently had a refit, as the cockpit's transporter platform was moved to a compartment immediately aft, and some consoles reconfigured. They have a maximum speed of warp factor 4.7. They are armed with type VI phasers and micro-photorps. They are equipped with transporters and replicators and sleeping facilities (and presumably sanitary facilities). The runabout has a standard crew of two (CONN and Ops) with space for at least two additional crew. Several episodes depict runabouts equipped an optional rollbar containing additional sensor equipment (in reality so that viewers could tell the Rio Grande from the Yangtzee Kiang), and it is stated in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual that the ships can carry a variety of mission-specific modules, not unlike Space: 1999's Eagle transporter, whose design influence can be clearly seen. The initial three shown in the pilot episode, Emissary, were the USS Rio Grande, the USS Ganges and the USS Yangtzee (sic) Kiang. Indeed, the three runabouts are delivered to Deep Space Nine by the Galaxy class USS Enterprise-D, leaving some fans under the impression that it was a shuttle and routinely assigned aboard starships, completely ignoring the fact that runabouts have their own independant "NCC" numbers and bear "USS" prefixes to their names. Joseph Hodges designed the cockpit set.Īt 23.1 metres (75'-9") in length, it is a small, versatile starship, little larger than a shutlecraft. The runabouts were designed by Rick Sternbach and Jim Martin, and the studio model was built by Tony Meininger. Even the aft compartment, seen in a STTNG episode, fit into the design with few problems, thus neatly avoiding the TARDIS effect of the sets for the Millennium Falcon, where no matter how you adjust the sizes, the interior just can't be made to fit inside the ship. Unlike most spaceships in TV and the movies, the runabout was designed at the same time the sets were being built, so the set for the cockpit exactly matched the enveloping space of the exterior design. It continued to be featured heavily for the rest of the season, even taking on the title role in the episode One Little Ship The Danube class runabout was initially the way characters in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine got around before they acquired the USS Defiant at the beginning of Season 3.
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