Pages in this section:

• Comparison of the Akira Class and NX Class

• Copyright Information and Credits
• Size of the Akira Class

From the Desk of Dave Lowe

This is the one point in this entire page where you'll find that, for the first time, the authors step out of the Star Trek universe and back into our own 21st Century mindset. The information presented on this page is a result of hours and hours worth of researching, more researching and then a rigorous and intensive process of compiling the best information from canon sources, and making an attempt to fill in the blanks. For the purposes of Star Trek: A Call to Duty, these are the specs for the Akira class vessel. Now to address some of the problems found in compiling this information, followed by a brief explanation as to why a certain path was taken in these specs.

Torpedo Launchers: According to the technical specifications produced in the DS9 Manual, the Akira is listed as having 2 Photon Torpedo Launchers. Visual evidence on Star Trek: First Contact, suggests that the class has an aft launcher in the rear sail area. This would give the Akira Class a whopping three torpedo launchers, with one located on the ventral portion of the dish/primary spaces with two located in the aft torpedo sail; this also gives her the distinction of being the first starship to have the ability to fire more torpedoes than phasers - making the Torpedo launcher the craft's primary weapon. Editor's Note: In the real world, Alex Jaeger of Industrial Light and Magic designed the Akira Class. Jaeger's non-canon comments on the ship's design in an interview with Star Trek Magazine include:

"This was my gunship/battlecruiser/aircraft carrier. It has 15 torpedo launchers and two shuttlebays - one in front, with three doors, and one in the back. I really got into it with this one, with the whole idea that the front bay would be the launching bay, and then to return they'd come into the back, because they'd be protected by the rest of the ship."

So the Akira is a gunship! Fifteen torpedo tubes is a notably large number compared to other featured starship designs - in particular the larger Galaxy Class, which has only three torpedo launchers.

Warp Core Ejection Systems: So far, I've yet to see a hatch on the underside or topside of the ship that suggests the warp core can be ejected in the traditional manner ala the USS Enterprise-D, Enterprise-E, or Voyager. This, on top of her losing 4 decks to the Flight Deck, the idea that she has a horizontal warp core didn't seem all that far fetched - plus, I think it would just look cool.

EMH/Holodeck: It's reasonable to assume that Akira class vessels have been equipped with the latest version of the EMH series, even if her initial launch date predates this technology.

Flight Operations/Starfighters/TIC: This came from the idea of a 20th Century Aircraft Carrier, not unlike the CVN USS Enterprise. As we've seen on nearly every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager, the Bridge is a busy place. Now, toss in having to coordinate all flight operations, search and rescue, intelligence analysis of recon flights, along with making sure all fighters land and take off successfully, and even the most competent bridge officers would quickly be overwhelmed. The Tactical Information Center, or TIC, is designed to take all of those burdens off of the bridge and let the bridge officers do what they need to do in combat situations. Further, the star fighters were added as a nod to the discussions of the designer of the Akira class, Alex Jaeger.

Low NCC, New Starship: This was the stickiest part of the development process. The NCC registry number places the USS Thunderchild in the assignment era of the Nebula class of vessels, but clearly, through her escape pods, nacelle design, and overall appearance, she had to be newer than that. The idea that her unique hull configuration was causing problems with existing M/ARA Warp Engine technology was my idea, and way of explaining why such a low NCC could be assigned to a newer ship, her commissioning occurred much sooner than her actual deployment, and it wasn't until technology advanced far enough to make the design feasible did the Akira class go into full production. Further, the addition of another photon launcher after the initial class launching was also my idea, in an effort to distinguish between the published specifications for the Akira Class in the DS9 Tech Manual and what we've see on screen.

What is a "Kaneda"/ Where did you get the name: As the starship was named for the Anime film Akira (1988), so I named the star fighters for the hero of the film, the biker named 'Shôtarô Kaneda'; Akira, while violent compared to most mainstream Manga/Anime movies, is a lush metropolis of gang warfare, an examination into the possibilities of reality, and a fantasy tale of elements long lost in modern movies, so the more homage I can push, the better. I thought about using the Valkyrie class fighter from the PS1 game "Invasion", but as we know, games worry less about canon and more about balancing elements for smooth game play, so I don't feel its an adequate representation of a star fighter in the Starfleet inventory as far as armament, but the image certainly fits the current flavor of starship designs.