Topic: Hubris...

[Atolm-Rising]

This ship that I am about to present to you was designed as a "plot-device" for a hypothetical third season TOS episode that I envisioned being called Hubris....
The episode would deal with the Federation building  a new highly experimental vessel designated USS Excellence.  Her mission was to replace the Constitution-class as the premier deep-space explorer by utilizing a newer type of FTL warp drive.  During the episode, the Enterprise was despatched to act as a "chaser" vessel to the Excellence, and observe her progress, but something (obviously) goes very wrong.  When the Excellence engages her experimental warp drive the ship bolts like a bat-out-of-hell, into subspace and begins to rip a fissure in the fabric of space.  To make a long story short, the ship gets destroyed with practically all hands, and the crew of the Enterprise attemps to same who's still alive while the orions attempt to scavenge the people and ship parts for sale.
Anyway, the ship is designed to show why intergrated nacelles have never really occured outside low warp designs, till TNG era's USS Defiant. 
The large deflector, was also thought of at the time as a neccesity for the much higher than 'normal" relativistic speeds that the vessel would be travelling.

Well here she is:
USS Excellence, NX-1900

Sketches to help fill out the idea:

[Antivyrus]

Sweet ship.  Shame she was destoyed on her test flight.

[Atolm-Rising]

Sweet ship.  Shame she was destoyed on her test flight.

LOL that happens
would make for a good SFB/SFC scenerio/mission though

[Vipre]

Cool ship. As F_W posted it looks good without the saucer also, make a nice cargo ship version.  I'd like to see an NCC-1901 with stubby pylons to prevent another tragic test run. 

[FoaS_XC]

I'd just assume that this is a one off that was never brought into full production because of the accident.

Suppose that the developer was rather obsessive about the success of his project and ignored the warnings of his research team, and lets say that the captain was the son of a prominent federation council member, maybe the two had a falling out due to the captain's wish to pursue a career in starfleet instead of politics. The tragic accident occurs the father of the captain, the council member, shuts down the entire project as an outlet of his grief. the developer is shamed and his career in warp physics is over with. The entire concept, even, of integrated warp nacelles is hung until Sisko finds his old notes, and with the technology available in the 24th century, helps develop the Defiant.

[Starforce2]

that looks sweet.

[Atolm-Rising]

I'd just assume that this is a one off that was never brought into full production because of the accident.

Suppose that the developer was rather obsessive about the success of his project and ignored the warnings of his research team, and lets say that the captain was the son of a prominent federation council member, maybe the two had a falling out due to the captain's wish to pursue a career in starfleet instead of politics. The tragic accident occurs the father of the captain, the council member, shuts down the entire project as an outlet of his grief. the developer is shamed and his career in warp physics is over with. The entire concept, even, of integrated warp nacelles is hung until Sisko finds his old notes, and with the technology available in the 24th century, helps develop the Defiant.

yeap

[Bernard Guignard]

Would be nice to see an op model of this 

[Norsehound]

I feel I should point out that Matt Jeffries put the Enterprise's nacelles on struts, away from the hull, for easy ejection in case anything wrong happened.

It's a nice design Atlom, but I cannot understand most ship designer's compulsions to put these very dangerous field generators as close to the hull as possible.

[Atolm-Rising]

because like many things, streamlining is in all of our blood.  Just because a field is powerfull does not mean it cannot be shielded against.  Also the idea of jettisoning warp nacelles could still be accomplished as they are positioned way aft(the bussards would not need to go), as well as the possibility of just ejecting the core.  You never know, there might have been a need to have the ship's warp profile/silhouette be more akin to what is presented here to achieve their desired goals mentioned above.  Remember its a fictional universe, not a scientific fact, and thus, all the Trek "facts" are always being challenged, and going to be so.  This ship, as stated above was designed to challenge and explain fanonically(I cannot believe I just used that term  ) the reasons why warps were put out there in the first place, via a hypothetical season 3 or season 4 TOS ep. Rather than having that tidbit of info that was held in design backstory and episode notes, because nowhere Canonically, has it ever been explained or even mentioned.

[FoaS_XC]

I feel I should point out that Matt Jeffries put the Enterprise's nacelles on struts, away from the hull, for easy ejection in case anything wrong happened.

It's a nice design Atlom, but I cannot understand most ship designer's compulsions to put these very dangerous field generators as close to the hull as possible.

Psh, like that matters.

[Klingon Fanatic]

Atolm-Rising,

A+ for the background story.

It is so cool and nice to see a Federation design that is flawed and not yet another uber-ship that the paint can't get scratched on. 

I also happen to think this is a nice reminder of why we like the canon ships to begin with.

Nicely done!

KF

[Atolm-Rising]

Thanks mates for the comments.
KF, I am not sure wht you are exactly trying to convey with your comments, but I appriciate the feedback 
I believe that you are saying that its nice to have a vessel to compare against the established canon vessels...

Anyway thnx