13 Apr 2014

Is a Klingon K'Tinga Class 214m long?

The official size of a Klingon K'Tinga Class is 214m. The length of this ship was determinated for the first Star Trek movie "The Motion Picture" in accordance with the bridge set.

 

design scetch and bridge layout by Andrew Probert (memory-alpha.org)
 
To calculate the size of the bridge I used the original blueprints and based my calculations on the diameter of the opening for the elevator. This opening measures 2.64m (8'-8").
 
 



  • The premise for all my deck calculations: a deck is 2.5m + 0.5m for EPS cables, power cables, ... = 3m height for a deck.
  • My calculations follow a purely mathematical approach. I do not compare bridge modules or disk heights with each other. I always pull in decks based on the rows of windows and then calculate a physically plausible room height.
So we got this result for the decks in this ship:
 
schematic by Strategic Design

design problems:
  1. The bridge blueprint above doesn't match with the size of the structures. The bridge would then be a bit too long and the round area where the elevator is located wouldn't fit into the tower structure. The size of the bridge leaves no room for an outer shell (wall thickness).
  2. A Klingon who is at the top of the tower can't see out the windows because these windows are at the level of the abdominal muscles. 
  3. We have on deck 4 two rows of windows but only one deck.
  4. The second row of windows on deck 4 are in height of the feet. 
  5. The row of windows on deck 7 are also in height of the feet.
  6. The lounge at the end of the "neck part" is cut by decks 5 and 6 because it lies exactly halfway.
  7. The "neck-head contact point" would only be 1.5 decks high. This seems very unstable and like a built-in vulnerable weak point.
 
screenshot by trekcore.com (Star Trek I)

We wouldn't have this problems if we use a length of 349.54m
All windows are always correctly positioned at this size. The lounge at the end of the "neck part" has a plausible position.
 
schematic by Strategic Design
 
In Star Trek VI "The Undiscovered Country" the Qo'noS One looks bigger than 214m. The Enterprise-A is 305m long and flies in the background. The vessels fly at the same angle. As Chekov says in the scene before the Enterprise is very near of Qo'noS One.
 
screenshot by trekcore.com (Star Trek VI) 
 
Even in Deep Space Nine the K'Tinga classes are not shown only 214m. Then they would only be as long as a Vor'Cha class warp nacelle. In "The Way of the Warrior" they fly in the background and are significantly longer than a warp nacelle.
 
screenshot by trekcore.com
(DS9: "The Way of the Warrior")