In Trek canon, such a deflector ring is never seen lit up (like the ST I Enterprise deflector is shown to) for several reasons. First, most canon Klingon attacks are shown at speeds less than warp 1 (Kobyashi Maru scenario anyone?). In such an example the deflector may not need to be turned on as a power conservation tactic or the ship is depicted as moving too fast (TOS Klingon warp speed attack espisodes). The second reason, IMHO, is practical. Put too many lights in one place and model details tend to bleach out, so how would you actually show it on film without adding something that alters the established canon model? The closest we ever got to seeing the lit up torpedo tube on a K' t'inga was when Qo' Nos One was about to fire on the Enterprise-A in ST: VI. Finally, the Klingon deflector technlogy may not have light or heat generating properties. The Klingons prefer stealth and surprise attacks so light discipline is a tactical consideration. I do not recall any instance where the Klingons used their deflectors offensively unlike the Federation.
Interesting take on the Klingon nose. It also explains why the Klingon torpedo tube is wider, by an order of magnitude, than a Federation torpedo tube. Having the device charge-up, putting out more energy as the ship accellerates, makes sense, like the automatic wing-sweep program on an F-14. I also like the idea of Klingons using stealth, even when not equipped with a cloak.
As far as Klingon deflector never being lit in the movies, I don't think that it is a matter of cinimatic lighting technique, but more of the fact the producers are not wedded to ST movies for very long, and really just don't care. In ST II WoK, a deflector dish on the Reliant could have confused the audience as to which ship they were looking at, so rather than trying to come up with something distinctive, they simply discarded it. There, I think it was a matter of a deliberate omission.
My main take on post-TOS productions is that model-making is less of a concern to the producers, and farmed out to subordinates. The "hero" ship gets all the deep thought, while everything else is simply built to meet its role. In later ST series, they unpacked a lot of old models when the script called for something. In ST Enterprise, they unpacked the old K'Tinga, because a model built especially for the show was not ready in time for production.
Gow is right about SFB being a far more interesting combat system than anything else in the ST universe. Steve Cole was the first to systematize a ST combat system, back in the 1970's, which explains why a lot of things were not included. At first, I think he took a lot with a grain of salt, because it just didn't fit in with his take on things, until after he established his basic concepts of ship structure, then warmed up to new ideas to create additional material.
I don't know if the weapons on the Klingon's warp engine nacelles were disruptors, but its as good a name as any. I too, accept the concept that SFB "phasers" are a collection of any number of weapons that identical as far as game-play is concerned.
I don't know where I saw the critique of Wikia, but I have to agree that it mashes 45 years of a fantasy together. I don't think anything in the ST universe should be teased into making coherant sense.
Topic: Klingon FASA TMP era D-12 WIP (Read 9516 times)