SFB in the Early Years
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 6:02 pm
After seeing Xander's new art, I was minded to start this thread up, and see if anyone else was similarly inspired to talk about this fascinating era once more (or perhaps for the first time).
As the above cover suggests, there have been three SFB modules looking at the Early Years in the Alpha Octant thus far; each offering a chance to explore one of the truly defining eras of SFU history.
It was a time when almost no-one had overloads; when the Gorns and Federation had yet to meet; when the founding planets of the ISC only gradually learned to set their rivalries aside and work together; when a Klingon invasion of the Romulans was averted only by the unexpected arrival of a Tholian sphere; when old ironclad designs gradually made way for the immediate forerunners of the modern star fleets (not least Star Fleet itself); and when the borders which seem so "normal" to modern eyes were anything but.
The Early Years ships are broadly divided into two types; the W-era, where the first warp-refitted (or warp-driven, in the case of the early ISC) starships entered service; and the Y-era, which saw the first vessels built from the ground up to incorporate mature tactical warp technology emerge on the stage.
Notably, both the Federation and ISC go through the W-era with seperate planetary fleets; only in the Y-era do the first saucer-and-nacelle Star Fleet ships and the first two-prong (in contrast to the more modern three-prong) ISC naval vessels start to make their mark.
Also, two "new" (well, "old") powers were major factors in this era, only to have been removed from the scene by the time the Middle years roll along. The Carnivons, a canine species genetically related to the Kzintis and Lyrans, fought both of these rival species before they were laid low; while the Paravians terrorized their Gorn genetic cousins before a Sun Snake wiped out their existence... in the Alpha Octant, at least.
Does anyone here have an interest in this era?
(As an aside, Module C5 includes a few Y-era ships for the Baduvai and Eneen; I'm not sure how well they might play with Early Years ships in Alpha, but it could be an interesting simulator exercise...)
As the above cover suggests, there have been three SFB modules looking at the Early Years in the Alpha Octant thus far; each offering a chance to explore one of the truly defining eras of SFU history.
It was a time when almost no-one had overloads; when the Gorns and Federation had yet to meet; when the founding planets of the ISC only gradually learned to set their rivalries aside and work together; when a Klingon invasion of the Romulans was averted only by the unexpected arrival of a Tholian sphere; when old ironclad designs gradually made way for the immediate forerunners of the modern star fleets (not least Star Fleet itself); and when the borders which seem so "normal" to modern eyes were anything but.
The Early Years ships are broadly divided into two types; the W-era, where the first warp-refitted (or warp-driven, in the case of the early ISC) starships entered service; and the Y-era, which saw the first vessels built from the ground up to incorporate mature tactical warp technology emerge on the stage.
Notably, both the Federation and ISC go through the W-era with seperate planetary fleets; only in the Y-era do the first saucer-and-nacelle Star Fleet ships and the first two-prong (in contrast to the more modern three-prong) ISC naval vessels start to make their mark.
Also, two "new" (well, "old") powers were major factors in this era, only to have been removed from the scene by the time the Middle years roll along. The Carnivons, a canine species genetically related to the Kzintis and Lyrans, fought both of these rival species before they were laid low; while the Paravians terrorized their Gorn genetic cousins before a Sun Snake wiped out their existence... in the Alpha Octant, at least.
Does anyone here have an interest in this era?
(As an aside, Module C5 includes a few Y-era ships for the Baduvai and Eneen; I'm not sure how well they might play with Early Years ships in Alpha, but it could be an interesting simulator exercise...)