The Fat Duck

So, she thought; this is the end result of twenty years of peace?

She looked at the new starship that sat at dock through her bunk window. It was like nothing she or many had ever seen; different is an understatement; disappointment was more accurate.

When Admiral Schmidt and a chosen few read the details of Star Fleet’s new ship that was to go on its maiden voyage, many like her, thought they were getting a new level of innovation, of performance, and of design pioneering.

Everything on ‘paper’ suggested a powerhouse of a ship; her hull was three times bigger than that of the Excelsior Class; the Saucer section was the largest ever built; and the drives were the most powerful ever mustered. Visions of a new Excelsior came to pass.

Then everyone saw it and she like so many were lost for words; most praised the new nicer vision this ship radiated; others like herself had different feelings; one commodore summed it up perfectly – “What a fat ship!”

Many more regarded her as a starliner, and they were not far wrong; she did have a bigger second hull and saucer – but all designed to have better interior fittings and quarters, larger cabins, and plush staterooms and recreational lounges; the engines were the most powerful ever developed but only because none of the other systems available were capable of pushing its bulk to satisfactory speeds.

In addition she had two shuttlebays, one in the saucer section; massive cargo facilities, larger crew capacity, ultra advanced sickbays, and new labs; she also boasted to have the most powerful onboard computer in the Fleet.

What was the ultimate shock was her armament and shields; phasers were now mounted in these new ‘bumper’ like strips; each made up of lots of individual phasers but fired as one; this not only made the weapons more powerful it made targeting and tracking faster; the torpedoes were loaded into a single tube in the neck but used a new revolver mechanism that allowed rapid firing. Her shields used multiple frequencies meaning it could adapt to new weapons at a faster pace.

Yet looking at it all she could see is a fat duck waiting to be carved up by any of their enemies. It felt like a bureaucrat’s ship; hell it even has a special dedicated ‘captain’s yacht’ shuttlecraft. The machine radiated ostentation and vanity to pacifists and cowards.
It was said to be a revert to the ‘golden age’ of space exploration; where ships were mobile homes promoting peace and friendship but with the silent steel to meet any threat instead of vessels dedicated to fighting and defence. In short she was going to be an Ambassador to the new age. Many waffled on that the late and great Admiral Kirk and co would have been proud of such a ship.

She doubted that; and an ironic thought came to mind; the ship was going to be named at the launch ceremony (and there was a very strong bet it is to be called the Ambassador (how quaint)) and every precaution was there to prevent a repeat of the disaster that befell the Enterprise B’s departure; this vessel was going to be escorted by two of the last Larson Class Destroyers so in case they ran into a rescue situation or hostility; they were also there as a ‘symbol’ of change and respect.

If that is the case, she is a Klingon harlot she thought.

As she looked at the monstrosity, she wondered; if this thing works, will one of them ever end up being called the Enterprise-C?

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This maybe the last Trek piece I will do – I have near reached my limit.

I did this as the conclusion to a series of pics, and also to do a version of the Ambassador class – I based it on the Andrew Probert/Tobias Richter model that looks more closer to the Excelsior – Galaxy evolution; semi-circular hull and nav deflector, and slender neck as just fine examples of the inheritance.