The Academy trainer craft was a type of agile sublight spacecraft flown by Starfleet Academy cadets as flight training vessels, that were also utilized for competitive or demonstrative purposes.
History[]
This type of ship was flown in the mid-2360s by such groups as Nova Squadron, who in 2368 attempted a highly dangerous, banned (as of the 2260s) five craft formation, the Kolvoord Starburst maneuver, near Titan.
Technical data[]
These cadet ships were small blunt-winged vessels, with a fairly flat cross-section, not wholly dissimilar to fixed-wing jets in their basic design. They had retractable landing struts that were operated with fluidic pressure.
Running through the cockpit was one of the ship's power couplings, which flowed through both the port and starboard sides of the ship, where its engines were located beyond the cockpit and between the wings. Maintenance of these vessels was intended to be conducted in a maintenance bay, such as repairs for fluctuating power flow, at which time the ship's coolant interlock, which was normally closed during flight, would be opened to perform a check on the engine coolant levels. In order to open the interlock valve, the ship's primary coolant tanks needed to be filled. The same procedure was required in the first step of purging the plasma exhaust.
Additionally, this type of ship was equipped with multiple safety systems, included proximity alarms and an emergency transporter. The ship's log recorder was positioned behind and above the pilot's seat. (TNG: "The First Duty")
Interior design[]
View from cockpit
These ships were flown by a single pilot from a confined cockpit, roughly three meters square, that was enclosed by a canopy, through which the pilot could view almost 180° left to right, and 90° forward to above. While flying the craft, the pilot wore flight suits, which included a flight helmet and gloves. (TNG: "The First Duty")
According to the script, "[t]he perspective is from over the head of the pilot, giving us a look out the front of his canopy […] most of the cockpit is hidden from view. Superimposed over the picture are various computer readouts showing speed, course, g-forces, sensor information, etc." [1]
Ships of the class[]
- Albert's ship
- Crusher's ship
- Hajar's ship
- Locarno's ship
- Sito's ship
Appendices[]
Background information[]
Sternbach's final design sketch
The original trainer craft was merely described as "five small SHIPS of the Nova Squadron" in scene 18 of the script. Another scene described them as "Nova ships". [2]
The vessel was referred to as a "trainer craft" by its designer, Senior Illustrator Rick Sternbach, whose final design was completed in January 1992. [3]
Echoing Sternbach's sketches, the term "Academy Trainer Craft" was later used in the Star Trek Encyclopedia, 4th ed., vol. 1, p. 9, where it incorrectly labeled an image of a Federation attack fighter that appeared beneath the entry for Academy Flight Range, describing the vessels that appeared in "The First Duty"; while under the Nicholas Locarno entry the same ship was labeled as a "Starfleet Academy Trainer" (3rd ed., p. 275), or "Lorcarno's Academy Trainer" (4th ed., p. 483). According to Sternbach, the reason for this was because "[t]here was some editorial confusion over which little ship was the trainer." [4]
The term was later slightly changed to "Academy flight trainer", when the same image with the new description appeared onscreen, still depicting the Federation attack fighter, as originally drawn for the Encyclopedia.
Starfleet Academy Trainer
(STE)
(LCARS)
(ST:TNG - TCM)
A production still of a Type 18 shuttlepod assigned to the starship USS Defiant later appeared, incorrectly, in the Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Continuing Mission, p. 162, which described "[a] Greg Jein model of the Starfleet Academy trainer from "The First Duty"."
Studio model[]
Jein's academy trainer studio model
A studio model was built by Gregory Jein but was only seen in two brief scenes and used only in "The First Duty". "Greg Jein built a physical miniature about 14" in length. There was no major CG version that I know of aside from five tiny diagramatic [sic] ships, [..]" Sternbach remarked. [5] The otherwise indiscernible symbol in front of the cockpit was that of Cobra from the G.I. Joe franchise, which Jein, a fan, added as a subtle homage. [6](X)
Early CG models
According to the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, 2nd ed., p. 197, "[t]he various sensor log tapes used in the inquiry were all computer generated by Curry's team, including the brief tape of the cadets' ship in flight."
A copy of the model, made by Jein for Sternbach and painted and detailed by the latter, along with five of Sternbach's sketches of the design, was later offered as Lot 298 in the The Ultimate Sci-Fi Auction of 26 April 2003, estimated at US$800-$1,200, where it sold for US$900.
The original studio model was still in the possession of CBS Consumer Products and was on tour as a display piece, starting with the Star Trek: The Adventure tour [7], and subsequently appearing in the Star Trek The Exhibition tour, as of late 2012. [8]
Modern rendering
Worn from years on the tours, the model was by CBS remitted into the care of ILM modeler John Goodson for some much needed restoration in 2015. [9]
A fully rendered design was created as a physical model for the British partwork publication Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection from Eaglemoss Collections, under the name "Starfleet Academy Flight Training Craft". However, because the original studio model bore the aforementioned Cobra Command logo from G.I. Joe as a nose marking, Hasbro, the owner of this design, "declined" Eaglemoss' request to use it for the starship model so a Red Squad logo was substituted.
External link[]
- Academy trainer craft at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works