What class would make Voyager if you could change it?

[alexmann]

Revised Choice: A small, fast ship with the most powerful weapons and sensors you can fit. Unfortunatly the Intrepid fits that description almost perfectly!

[Nickswitz]

I think a Sabre or a Steamrunner would have done just as well a job as an Intrepid. But I don't see any reason to change it from an Intrepid.

[Tholian_Avenger]

Which appeared first on screen?

[Nickswitz]

IDK, I believe the steamrunner and Sabre were both first seen at Wolf 359 in BoBW.

[alexmann]

IDK, I believe the steamrunner and Sabre were both first seen at Wolf 359 in BoBW.

Thats right!

[Reliant121]

While we can't speak for the warp speeds of the Sabre/Steamrunner, it was clear that the warp 9.975 an Intrepid was capable of was pretty special. High speed would be crucial for intercepting enemy vessels.

[alexmann]

While we can't speak for the warp speeds of the Sabre/Steamrunner, it was clear that the warp 9.975 an Intrepid was capable of was pretty special. High speed would be crucial for intercepting enemy vessels.

Good point. You would want a ship capable of intercepting your target.

[Tholian_Avenger]

Through the power of Ex Astris Scientia, DITL, and Wikipedia:

Voyager was released in January 1995.
The Akira, Norway, Sabre, and Streamrunner first appeared in Star Trek: First Contact which was released in November 1996.
This places an OOU explanation on those four not being chosen.

[alexmann]

I hadn't thought of looking it up

[Nickswitz]

I had thought of doing that, but I was too lazy, and Reliant, I think that the Steamrunner and Sabre both had similar speeds.

[Captain Seafort]

While others have already gone over this:

Intrepid

The light cruiser of the Fed fleet - decent firepower, manoeuvrable enough to handle the plasma storms, and probably produced in sufficient numbers that one can be spared to go pirate-hunting.

Galaxy

She's the Fed's main capital ship. You do not send battleships out to chase pirates.

Sovereign

As above, reinforced by the fact that there are so few of them (possibly only two).

Prometheus

Didn't exist at the time.

[alexmann]

So basically, the Intrepid was a good choice after all. I just don't really like it.

[Reliant121]

IU perspective, it makes sense.

OOU perspective, the nacelle movement seems utterly pointless although there will likely be some IU explanation. The ship itself is ugly as sin compared to most federation ships. The fact it was a small ship with few resources was basically ignored throughout the whole damn show apart from the very beginning (and some parts of year of Hell, but that was only taken note of because of the context in which the episode was set).

[alexmann]

IU perspective, it makes sense.

OOU perspective, the nacelle movement seems utterly pointless although there will likely be some IU explanation. The ship itself is ugly as sin compared to most federation ships. The fact it was a small ship with few resources was basically ignored throughout the whole damn show apart from the very beginning (and some parts of year of Hell, but that was only taken note of because of the context in which the episode was set).

It was a bit stupid how it was almost totally annhialated sometimes and then the next episode looked like it had just come out of spacedock.

[Reliant121]

That's the thing that DITL seems to most hate about Voyager; the reset button took away what could have been a great part of the storylines (ie, scarce resources). The other thing is Janeway herself.