Danube class starship (Star Trek)
Encyclopedia
The Danube class is a class
of small, multi-purpose starships (commonly referred to as runabouts) appearing in works of the Star Trek
science-fiction franchise, primarily the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
(DS9).
The Danube class vessels are larger than shuttlecraft
seen in previous series of Star Trek, but significantly smaller than previously depicted starships. They operate with a crew of two to four, and are equipped with warp drive
, transporters
, and accommodation for long-duration missions. Several were assigned to the space station Deep Space Nine
in the first episode of DS9, and a high rate of attrition saw individual runabouts regularly replaced, with eleven distinct vessels appearing across the series. All named runabouts took their name from river
s.
The runabouts were designed by Rick Sternbach
and Jim Martin, under the supervision of Herman Zimmerman
. They were conceived as a way to allow DS9 to continue on with Star Treks main themes of exploration and discovery with a show set on an immobile space station. From the third season onwards, the starship USS Defiant
took over much of the runabouts' previous role in allowing characters to move off Deep Space Nine. Despite this, runabouts continued to make regular appearances during the show's seven-season run. Although primarily seen in DS9, a Danube class runabout appeared in a single episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation
; this was the only episode of Star Trek that showed an interior section of the runabout other than the cockpit. An updated runabout design, the Yellowstone class, is shown in a single episode of Star Trek: Voyager
; inconsistent stock footage from DS9 was used to portray the new design.
seen in previous series of Star Trek. The series bible describes the Danube class vessels as "the symbol of the Federation
presence in [Deep Space Nines] sector". The Starfleet
design elements were intended as a touch of familiarity for the characters (and in turn, the viewers) in environments dominated by alien designs and structures, specifically the Cardassian
s and Bajoran
s.
The hull of the Danube-class runabout is shaped roughly like a long, rectangular box. A downward-curving 'wing' is located on each side of the vessel; these start near the top of the hull, and curve down to the warp nacelle
s. The runabout's impulse drive
s are located between the wings and the vessel's body. The Deep Space Nine Technical Manual gives the runabout's dimensions as 23.1 metres (75.8 ft) long, 13.7 metres (44.9 ft) wide, and 5.4 metres (17.7 ft) high. The runabouts have a two-person flight crew, and can carry two other crew. They are fitted with a two-person transporter
and accommodation bunks for long missions. According to the first season episode "Dax", they were capable of speeds up to Warp 5. Although not explored in the series, background materials indicate the runabout had a modular mission payload system, where the middle section of the runabout could be swapped out for modules carrying different equipment.
From the third season of DS9 onwards, much of the exploration aspect of the series was facilitated by the starship USS Defiant
, which took over much of the runabouts' previous role in allowing characters to move off the station. Defiant was introduced because the producers wanted the series to have a better connection with the themes of exploration and discovery shown in previous Star Trek works and needed a way to have more than two or three characters at the same place 'off-station', while the introduction of the Dominion
as an antagonist during season two created the in-universe requirement for a more powerful and combat-capable starship based at Deep Space 9.
In The Star Trek Encyclopedia
, Michael
and Denise Okuda
speculate the Sydney-class transport Montgomery Scott
(James Doohan
) is rescued from in The Next Generation episode "Relics" may have been, in-universe, an early runabout design. Although the name "Danube class" appeared in supplementary materials like The Star Trek Encyclopedia, it was not spoken onscreen until season four episode "Hippocratic Oath".
.
set was designed by Joseph Hodges, and constructed over a nine-week period. The set was laid out with the two flight crew facing forward and out the windows, while consoles for the two other crew have them facing the sides of the runabout. The runabout's transporter was located in the centre rear of the compartment. The set was overhauled between the second and third seasons, with the primary change being new computer consoles around the cockpit. Another major overhaul occurred between seasons four and five, with the transporter bay moved aft behind a large door (which was usually kept open), and a free-standing console added in its place. The set was redressed on four occasions to serve as the control areas of other vessels: a Maquis
raider during "Caretaker", the pilot episode of Star Trek: Voyager, mirror universe
ships in DS9 season three episode "Through the Looking Glass" and season four episode "Shattered Mirror", and a shuttlecraft from USS Enterprise-E
in the film Star Trek: Insurrection
.
A set for the runabout's aft living quarters was built for "Timescape", an episode in the sixth season of The Next Generation (running concurrently with DS9s first season). The set was designed by Richard James, and was funded from The Next Generations budget, in order to take pressure off DS9s finances. The aft set consists of a set of bunk beds on either side of the door, and an open area extending to the sides and the rear of the runabout, with a table and chairs in the centre. Unlike the cockpit construction, design and fabrication of the aft set had to be completed in nine days. This was the only appearance of the Danube class outside of DS9, and although the set was intended for use on DS9, it was never used again to depict a runabout's interior. The bunks were later reused for quarters aboard Defiant.
work for the series.
One runabout, USS Ganges, appeared in season one episode "Past Prologue" with a 'roll-bar' mounted over the top of the ship. The roll-bar was a separate miniature that could be mounted on the filming model. This roll-bar, described as containing sensor equipment, was added to the model to help viewers distinguish between Ganges and the runabout USS Yangtzee Kiang during a chase sequence. Eight subsequent episodes of DS9 show Danube class ships with roll-bars, including second season episode "The Maquis, Part II", where two runabouts with roll-bars are depicted flying alongside a third, without the roll-bar. A prototype for an updated runabout design, the Yellowstone class, appears in an alternate timeline depicted in the Voyager episode "Non Sequitur". This episode used stock footage from various DS9 episodes; incongruously, the runabout's destruction depicts the vessel with a roll-bar, while all previous scenes show the vessel without one.
Season six episode "One Little Ship" had a runabout carrying Jadzia Dax
(Terry Farrell
), Julian Bashir
(Alexander Siddig
), and Miles O'Brien
(Colm Meaney
) shrunk down to tiny size, then having to rescue the rest of the cast when Defiant is captured by the Dominion. Screenwriter René Echevarria
conceived the 'little ship show' idea as a comedic filler episode early in The Next Generations run, but despite suggesting it multiple times, did not receive the chance to go ahead until late in DS9s run. Meiniger built a new, 6 inches (15.2 cm)-long runabout model: dialogue in the episode specified that the runabout had shrunk to 4 inches (10.2 cm), but a model that small would have had problems with lighting and detail. The model was mounted on a specially built three-axis head, which allowed for easier miniature effect work than with the original filming model.
: complex scenes where the ship weaved through the dense asteroid field were achieved without weeks of miniature effect work, and camera movements during the landing sequence allowed the runabout to be shown from multiple angles in the same scene, as there was no need to conceal a 'mounting point' for the miniature. After the CGI model for the Danube class was developed by Digital Muse, no further miniature work was performed; episodes depicting runabouts used a combination of CGI effects and stock footage.
NCC-73918. Five episodes of DS9 include unidentified runabouts. The runabouts depicted in DS9 are named after Earth rivers. A large number of runabouts are damaged or destroyed over the course of the series; in season three episode "Family Business", Kira Nerys
(Nana Visitor
) quips that "the rate we go through runabouts, it's a good thing the Earth has so many rivers.", while in Star Trek 101, authors Terry Erdmann and Paula Block comment that the show "goes through runabouts like potato chips". The show's art department joked that any runabout travel should be done on USS Rio Grande, as it is the only Danube class ship to survive the entire seven-season run of DS9 (appearing in series pilot "Emissary", final episode "What You Leave Behind", and eighteen other episodes in between), and therefore must be the safest. An unnamed Danube class runabout appeared in The Next Generation episode "Timescape", and a Yellowstone class runabout was depicted in Voyager episode "Non Sequitor".
model kit for the runabout USS Rio Grande. During the filming of season two, one of these models was put together by the show's art department for a miniature effect shot where a runabout exploded, instead of having to assemble, then destroy, a more-expensive filming model. Later, the company released a 1:2500 scale model of Deep Space Nine itself, which included three runabouts to place on the station's landing pads.
In 1994, Playmates Toys
released a "Runabout Orinoco" playset, in which two of Playmates' 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) action figures could be seated.
A runabout was amongst the Star Trek Micro Machines
produced by Galoob
. As well as the standard toy, bronzed and silvered versions have been released in collectors' sets.
Several 'ship' cards from Decipher, Inc.
's Star Trek Customizable Card Game
depicted Danube class ships. A generic Runabout card (based on the appearance in The Next Generation) was included in the original set, with named runabouts appearing in subsequent sets.
Ship class
A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....
of small, multi-purpose starships (commonly referred to as runabouts) appearing in works of the Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
science-fiction franchise, primarily the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
(DS9).
The Danube class vessels are larger than shuttlecraft
Shuttlecraft (Star Trek)
In the Star Trek fictional universe, a shuttlecraft is a small auxiliary spaceship carried by the larger craft such as the Enterprise. Shuttlecraft were documented in the writer's guide for the series in 1966 and first appeared in the episode The Galileo Seven. Galileo was the name of the...
seen in previous series of Star Trek, but significantly smaller than previously depicted starships. They operate with a crew of two to four, and are equipped with warp drive
Warp drive (Star Trek)
Warp drive is a faster-than-light propulsion system in the setting of many science fiction works, most notably Star Trek. A spacecraft equipped with a warp drive may travel at velocities greater than that of light by many orders of magnitude, while circumventing the relativistic problem of time...
, transporters
Transporter (Star Trek)
A transporter is a fictional teleportation machine used in the Star Trek universe. Transporters convert a person or object into an energy pattern , then "beam" it to a target, where it is reconverted into matter...
, and accommodation for long-duration missions. Several were assigned to the space station Deep Space Nine
Deep Space Nine
Deep Space Nine may refer to:* Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, a 1993-1999 television series* Deep Space Nine , the television show's setting...
in the first episode of DS9, and a high rate of attrition saw individual runabouts regularly replaced, with eleven distinct vessels appearing across the series. All named runabouts took their name from river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s.
The runabouts were designed by Rick Sternbach
Rick Sternbach
Richard Michael Sternbach is an illustrator who is best known for his space illustrations and his work on the Star Trek television series.- Early years :...
and Jim Martin, under the supervision of Herman Zimmerman
Herman F. Zimmerman
Herman F. Zimmerman is an art director and production designer. He is probably best known for his work in Star Trek.- Career :...
. They were conceived as a way to allow DS9 to continue on with Star Treks main themes of exploration and discovery with a show set on an immobile space station. From the third season onwards, the starship USS Defiant
USS Defiant
The USS Defiant is a fictional starship in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the feature film Star Trek: First Contact...
took over much of the runabouts' previous role in allowing characters to move off Deep Space Nine. Despite this, runabouts continued to make regular appearances during the show's seven-season run. Although primarily seen in DS9, a Danube class runabout appeared in a single episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
; this was the only episode of Star Trek that showed an interior section of the runabout other than the cockpit. An updated runabout design, the Yellowstone class, is shown in a single episode of Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
; inconsistent stock footage from DS9 was used to portray the new design.
- Note: The abbreviation DS9 refers to the television series, while the unabbreviated Deep Space Nine refers to the fictional space station.
Concept and fictional background
The idea for the runabout came from the need to provide a way for characters to move away from Deep Space Nine, and also allowed the show to explore Star Treks themes of exploration and discovery despite DS9 being set on an immobile space station. In order to help the new show establish its own identity separate from The Next Generation, the decision was made to have something larger and more capable than the shuttlecraftShuttlecraft (Star Trek)
In the Star Trek fictional universe, a shuttlecraft is a small auxiliary spaceship carried by the larger craft such as the Enterprise. Shuttlecraft were documented in the writer's guide for the series in 1966 and first appeared in the episode The Galileo Seven. Galileo was the name of the...
seen in previous series of Star Trek. The series bible describes the Danube class vessels as "the symbol of the Federation
United Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
presence in [Deep Space Nines] sector". The Starfleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
design elements were intended as a touch of familiarity for the characters (and in turn, the viewers) in environments dominated by alien designs and structures, specifically the Cardassian
Cardassian
The Cardassians are an extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. First introduced in the 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Wounded", the species originating on the fictional Alpha Quadrant planet Cardassia Prime...
s and Bajoran
Bajoran
In the Star Trek science-fiction franchise, the Bajorans are a humanoid extraterrestrial species native to the planet Bajor. They were first introduced in the 1991 episode "Ensign Ro" of Star Trek: The Next Generation and subsequently also featured in episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and...
s.
The hull of the Danube-class runabout is shaped roughly like a long, rectangular box. A downward-curving 'wing' is located on each side of the vessel; these start near the top of the hull, and curve down to the warp nacelle
Warp drive (Star Trek)
Warp drive is a faster-than-light propulsion system in the setting of many science fiction works, most notably Star Trek. A spacecraft equipped with a warp drive may travel at velocities greater than that of light by many orders of magnitude, while circumventing the relativistic problem of time...
s. The runabout's impulse drive
Impulse drive
In the fictional Star Trek universe, the impulse drive is the method of propulsion that starships and other spacecraft use when they are travelling below the speed of light. Typically powered by deuterium fusion reactors, impulse engines let ships travel interplanetary distances readily...
s are located between the wings and the vessel's body. The Deep Space Nine Technical Manual gives the runabout's dimensions as 23.1 metres (75.8 ft) long, 13.7 metres (44.9 ft) wide, and 5.4 metres (17.7 ft) high. The runabouts have a two-person flight crew, and can carry two other crew. They are fitted with a two-person transporter
Transporter (Star Trek)
A transporter is a fictional teleportation machine used in the Star Trek universe. Transporters convert a person or object into an energy pattern , then "beam" it to a target, where it is reconverted into matter...
and accommodation bunks for long missions. According to the first season episode "Dax", they were capable of speeds up to Warp 5. Although not explored in the series, background materials indicate the runabout had a modular mission payload system, where the middle section of the runabout could be swapped out for modules carrying different equipment.
From the third season of DS9 onwards, much of the exploration aspect of the series was facilitated by the starship USS Defiant
USS Defiant
The USS Defiant is a fictional starship in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the feature film Star Trek: First Contact...
, which took over much of the runabouts' previous role in allowing characters to move off the station. Defiant was introduced because the producers wanted the series to have a better connection with the themes of exploration and discovery shown in previous Star Trek works and needed a way to have more than two or three characters at the same place 'off-station', while the introduction of the Dominion
Dominion (Star Trek)
In the Star Trek universe, the Dominion is a ruthless and militaristic Gamma Quadrant state consisting of many different races. The Dominion wages war on the United Federation of Planets and its allies in the late 24th century, acting as an antagonist in the TV show Star Trek: Deep Space...
as an antagonist during season two created the in-universe requirement for a more powerful and combat-capable starship based at Deep Space 9.
In The Star Trek Encyclopedia
The Star Trek Encyclopedia
The Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide to the Future is an encyclopedia of all the in-universe information from the Star Trek live-action television series and films. The Encyclopedia was written by Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda, with Debbie Mirek, and illustrated by Doug Drexler...
, Michael
Michael Okuda
- Work in Star Trek :In the mid-1980s, he designed the look of animated computer displays for the Enterprise-A bridge in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. This led to a staff position on Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987 as a scenic artist, adding detail to set designs and props...
and Denise Okuda
Denise Okuda
Denise Lynn Okuda is co-author of the Star Trek Encyclopedia, which Amazon.com says is the No. 1 reference book about Star Trek among the well over 100 non-fiction books published in this field...
speculate the Sydney-class transport Montgomery Scott
Montgomery Scott
Montgomery "Scotty" Scott is a Scottish engineer in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by James Doohan in the original Star Trek series, Scotty also appears in the animated Star Trek series, seven Star Trek movies, the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Relics", and in numerous...
(James Doohan
James Doohan
James Montgomery "Jimmy" Doohan was a Canadian character and voice actor best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television and film series Star Trek...
) is rescued from in The Next Generation episode "Relics" may have been, in-universe, an early runabout design. Although the name "Danube class" appeared in supplementary materials like The Star Trek Encyclopedia, it was not spoken onscreen until season four episode "Hippocratic Oath".
Design and depiction
Overall design of the runabout was supervised by Herman Zimmerman, with Rick Sternbach and Jim Martin responsible for the design work. According to Sternbach, initial designs for the Danube class were based on the 'Spacedock Ferry' that appeared in the film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered CountryStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is the sixth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise and is the last of the Star Trek films to include the entire main cast of the 1960s Star Trek television series. Released in 1991 by Paramount Pictures, it was directed by Nicholas Meyer and...
.
Sets
The cockpitCockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. Most modern cockpits are enclosed, except on some small aircraft, and cockpits on large airliners are also physically separated from the cabin...
set was designed by Joseph Hodges, and constructed over a nine-week period. The set was laid out with the two flight crew facing forward and out the windows, while consoles for the two other crew have them facing the sides of the runabout. The runabout's transporter was located in the centre rear of the compartment. The set was overhauled between the second and third seasons, with the primary change being new computer consoles around the cockpit. Another major overhaul occurred between seasons four and five, with the transporter bay moved aft behind a large door (which was usually kept open), and a free-standing console added in its place. The set was redressed on four occasions to serve as the control areas of other vessels: a Maquis
Maquis (Star Trek)
In the American Star Trek science-fiction franchise, the Maquis are a 24th Century paramilitary organization or terrorist group first introduced in the 1994 episode "The Maquis" of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, who subsequently also appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation and...
raider during "Caretaker", the pilot episode of Star Trek: Voyager, mirror universe
Mirror Universe (Star Trek)
The Mirror Universe is a fictional parallel universe in which the plots of several Star Trek television episodes take place...
ships in DS9 season three episode "Through the Looking Glass" and season four episode "Shattered Mirror", and a shuttlecraft from USS Enterprise-E
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)
The USS Enterprise is a Sovereign-class starship in the Star Trek franchise. It serves as the primary setting of the films Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
in the film Star Trek: Insurrection
Star Trek: Insurrection
Star Trek: Insurrection is a 1998 American science fiction film directed by Jonathan Frakes, written by Michael Piller , and with music composed by Jerry Goldsmith. It is the ninth film in the Star Trek franchise, and the third to feature the cast from the television series Star Trek: The Next...
.
A set for the runabout's aft living quarters was built for "Timescape", an episode in the sixth season of The Next Generation (running concurrently with DS9s first season). The set was designed by Richard James, and was funded from The Next Generations budget, in order to take pressure off DS9s finances. The aft set consists of a set of bunk beds on either side of the door, and an open area extending to the sides and the rear of the runabout, with a table and chairs in the centre. Unlike the cockpit construction, design and fabrication of the aft set had to be completed in nine days. This was the only appearance of the Danube class outside of DS9, and although the set was intended for use on DS9, it was never used again to depict a runabout's interior. The bunks were later reused for quarters aboard Defiant.
Filming models
The filming model was built by Tony Meininger. Filming of the runabout was done by Image G, along with all other miniature effectMiniature effect
A miniature effect is a special effect created for motion pictures and television programs using scale models. Scale models are often combined with high speed photography or matte shots to make gravitational and other effects appear convicing to the viewer...
work for the series.
One runabout, USS Ganges, appeared in season one episode "Past Prologue" with a 'roll-bar' mounted over the top of the ship. The roll-bar was a separate miniature that could be mounted on the filming model. This roll-bar, described as containing sensor equipment, was added to the model to help viewers distinguish between Ganges and the runabout USS Yangtzee Kiang during a chase sequence. Eight subsequent episodes of DS9 show Danube class ships with roll-bars, including second season episode "The Maquis, Part II", where two runabouts with roll-bars are depicted flying alongside a third, without the roll-bar. A prototype for an updated runabout design, the Yellowstone class, appears in an alternate timeline depicted in the Voyager episode "Non Sequitur". This episode used stock footage from various DS9 episodes; incongruously, the runabout's destruction depicts the vessel with a roll-bar, while all previous scenes show the vessel without one.
Season six episode "One Little Ship" had a runabout carrying Jadzia Dax
Jadzia Dax
Jadzia Dax , played by Terry Farrell, was a main character during the first six seasons of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine....
(Terry Farrell
Terry Farrell (actress)
Theresa Lee "Terry" Farrell is an American actress and former fashion model. She is perhaps best known for her performances in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Becker.-Early life:...
), Julian Bashir
Julian Bashir
Lieutenant Julian Subatoi Bashir, M.D., played by Alexander Siddig, is a main character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Bashir is the chief medical officer of space station Deep Space Nine and the USS Defiant.-Overview:...
(Alexander Siddig
Alexander Siddig
Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abderrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi is a Sudanese-born English actor, also known as Siddig El Fadil and his stage name Alexander Siddig. He is known for playing Dr...
), and Miles O'Brien
Miles O'Brien (Star Trek)
Miles Edward O'Brien, played by Colm Meaney, is Chief of Operations in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Before DS9, he appeared as a recurring transporter chief in Star Trek: The Next Generation...
(Colm Meaney
Colm Meaney
Colm J. Meaney is an Irish actor widely known for playing Miles O'Brien in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is second only to Michael Dorn in most appearances in Star Trek episodes. He has guest-starred on many TV shows from Law & Order to The Simpsons...
) shrunk down to tiny size, then having to rescue the rest of the cast when Defiant is captured by the Dominion. Screenwriter René Echevarria
René Echevarria
René Echevarria is an American-Cuban screenwriter and film producer.-Screenwriter career:Echevarria began his career as an amateur screenwriter submitting unsolicited scripts to the producers of Star Trek: The Next Generation. After using a few of his stories, they hired him as a writer. He then...
conceived the 'little ship show' idea as a comedic filler episode early in The Next Generations run, but despite suggesting it multiple times, did not receive the chance to go ahead until late in DS9s run. Meiniger built a new, 6 inches (15.2 cm)-long runabout model: dialogue in the episode specified that the runabout had shrunk to 4 inches (10.2 cm), but a model that small would have had problems with lighting and detail. The model was mounted on a specially built three-axis head, which allowed for easier miniature effect work than with the original filming model.
Computer-generated imagery model
Season six episode "Change of Heart" depicts a runabout traversing an asteroid field, then landing on a planet. This was the first episode in which runabout sequences were done completely with computer-generated imageryComputer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
: complex scenes where the ship weaved through the dense asteroid field were achieved without weeks of miniature effect work, and camera movements during the landing sequence allowed the runabout to be shown from multiple angles in the same scene, as there was no need to conceal a 'mounting point' for the miniature. After the CGI model for the Danube class was developed by Digital Muse, no further miniature work was performed; episodes depicting runabouts used a combination of CGI effects and stock footage.
Appearances
Danube class runabouts appear in 62 of DS9s 176 episodes, with eleven distinct runabouts identified: USS Gander, USS Ganges, USS Mekong, USS Orinoco, USS Rio Grande, USS Rubicon, USS Shenandoah, USS Volga, USS Yangtzee Kiang, USS Yukon, and an unnamed vessel with the registryStarfleet ship registry and classes in Star Trek
The Star Trek science fiction franchise included a large number of starships, some of which were regular settings while others made only brief appearances...
NCC-73918. Five episodes of DS9 include unidentified runabouts. The runabouts depicted in DS9 are named after Earth rivers. A large number of runabouts are damaged or destroyed over the course of the series; in season three episode "Family Business", Kira Nerys
Kira Nerys
Kira Nerys , played by Nana Visitor, is a main character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Backstory:Per Bajoran custom, her family name, Kira, precedes her given name, Nerys. She has two brothers , and her parents' names are Kira Taban and Kira Meru...
(Nana Visitor
Nana Visitor
Nana Visitor , born Nana Tucker, is an American actress, best known for playing Kira Nerys in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Jean Ritter in the television series Wildfire.-Early life:...
) quips that "the rate we go through runabouts, it's a good thing the Earth has so many rivers.", while in Star Trek 101, authors Terry Erdmann and Paula Block comment that the show "goes through runabouts like potato chips". The show's art department joked that any runabout travel should be done on USS Rio Grande, as it is the only Danube class ship to survive the entire seven-season run of DS9 (appearing in series pilot "Emissary", final episode "What You Leave Behind", and eighteen other episodes in between), and therefore must be the safest. An unnamed Danube class runabout appeared in The Next Generation episode "Timescape", and a Yellowstone class runabout was depicted in Voyager episode "Non Sequitor".
Merchandise
In 1993, AMT/Ertl released a 1:72 scale1:72 scale
1:72 scale is a scale used for scale models, most commonly model aircraft, corresponding to one sixth of an inch representing one foot . In other words, 72 of a given model placed end to end would represent the length of the real thing. In this scale, a man who is six feet tall would be exactly...
model kit for the runabout USS Rio Grande. During the filming of season two, one of these models was put together by the show's art department for a miniature effect shot where a runabout exploded, instead of having to assemble, then destroy, a more-expensive filming model. Later, the company released a 1:2500 scale model of Deep Space Nine itself, which included three runabouts to place on the station's landing pads.
In 1994, Playmates Toys
Playmates Toys
Playmates Toys is a Costa Mesa, California toy manufacturer and a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Playmates Holdings Ltd , which was founded in 1966.-Proprietary brands:*Amazing Dolls*Amazing Pets*Kinder-Garden Babies*R.E.V.s*Waterbabies*WOW Pals...
released a "Runabout Orinoco" playset, in which two of Playmates' 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) action figures could be seated.
A runabout was amongst the Star Trek Micro Machines
Micro Machines
Micro Machines: The Original Scale Miniatures were a line of toys originally made by Galoob in the mid 1980s and throughout the 1990s. Galoob licensed the idea behind Micro Machines from Clem Heeden, a toy inventor from Wisconsin...
produced by Galoob
Galoob
Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc. was a toy company headquartered on Forbes Blvd. in South San Francisco, California. Best known for distributing the Game Genie, a videogame cheat device, for Codemasters in the US, Galoob was founded by Barbara Frankel and Lewis Galoob in 1954 as an import business. Before...
. As well as the standard toy, bronzed and silvered versions have been released in collectors' sets.
Several 'ship' cards from Decipher, Inc.
Decipher, Inc.
Decipher, Inc. is an American gaming company based in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. They began with three puzzles called "Decipher" then moved on to party games and Pente sets, but since 1994 produced collectible card and role-playing games. Their longest-running offering is the How to Host a Murder...
's Star Trek Customizable Card Game
Star Trek Customizable Card Game
The Star Trek Customizable Card Game is a collectible card game based on the Star Trek universe. The name is commonly abbreviated as STCCG or ST:CCG. It was first introduced in 1994 by Decipher, Inc., under the name Star Trek: The Next Generation Customizable Card Game...
depicted Danube class ships. A generic Runabout card (based on the appearance in The Next Generation) was included in the original set, with named runabouts appearing in subsequent sets.
External links
- Runabout Fligh Deck Set - Blog post by Doug DrexlerDoug DrexlerDoug Drexler, born in New York City, is a visual effects artist, designer, sculptor, illustrator, and an academy award-winning makeup artist who has collaborated with such talents as Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, James Caan, Meryl Streep, and Warren Beatty. He began his career in the entertainment...
describing the design of the Danube class cockpit set