Galor class

Galor class

You may be looking for Galor IV, the Federation planet.

Galor-class cruisers were the primary class of warship by the Cardassian military during the latter half of the 24th century.

Technical Data

Design

The Galor-class shared the same basic superstructure as their Template:ShipClass counterparts, but were used far more frequently by the Cardassian military. (DS9: "Defiant")

Commonly referred to as "warships" or "war vessels", this class was also designated by the Cardassians and the Maquis as "cruisers". (TNG: "The Chase"; DS9: "Past Prologue", "Defiant"; VOY: "Fury")

During the late 2360s, these warships had three sub-classes, with the Galor-class, Type-3 being considered to be "top of the line." (TNG: "Ensign Ro")

During the Dominion War, these vessels were classified by Starfleet as "destroyers", in relation to their Dominion counterparts. (DS9: "Sacrifice of Angels")

Tactical systems

The arsenals of Galor-class warships vary, though typically they are armed with numerous phaser arrays. Although the Galor-class vessels were decidedly inferior to the Federation's Template:ShipClass starships, they proved to be very effective against Template:ShipClass and other older Federation starships. (TNG: "The Wounded"; DS9: "Sacrifice of Angels", "Waltz")

In 2369, Captain Edward Jellico ordered a fleet of Galor-class starships to leave the McAllister C-5 Nebula one-by-one, ejecting their primary phaser coils. (TNG: "Chain of Command, Part II")

In 2370, Cardassian colonists living in the Demilitarized Zone modified Cardassian shuttles, which they equipped with Galor-class phaser banks to protect their colonial interests. (DS9: "The Maquis, Part I")

Forward weapons pulse

Forward weapons array

Dorsal weapons array

Bridge and aft dorsal weapons arrays

In "Ensign Ro", the two Type-3 warships fired a weapon that resembled something along the lines of a photon or plasma torpedo. No distinct description was ever given to describe this weapon type, nor was the effect ever seen again in subsequent appearances. The only clue given, as vague as it may be, can be found in the script, which stated that they "fire several rounds."

The Galor-class was also utilized in the mirror universe by the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance where they were described by Intendant Kira Nerys as being "quick and powerful". These vessels, however, were not without their weaknesses, specifically, their targeting systems could be easily fooled. (DS9: "Shattered Mirror")

Subsystems

In 2367, the Cardassian warships lacked the ability to read Federation starships transponder codes, while the latter had that ability. The Cardassians were granted this ability when Captain Picard gave Gul Macet the Federation's codes to track the USS Phoenix. Federation starships also had superior terminal interface systems. (TNG: "The Wounded")

Ships of the class

Named

• Aldara
• Kraxon
• Prakesh
• Reklar
• Trager
• Vetar

Unnamed

• Unnamed Galor-class starships
  • Dolak's starship
  • Dukat's starship
  • Jasad's starship
  • Nador's starship
  • Ocett's starship
  • Toran's starship

Appendices

Appearances

• TNG:
  • "The Wounded"
  • "Ensign Ro"
  • "Chain of Command, Part I"
  • "Chain of Command, Part II"
  • "The Chase"
  • "Parallels"
  • "Preemptive Strike"
• DS9:
  • "Emissary"
  • "Past Prologue"
  • "Profit and Loss"
  • "Defiant"
  • "Through the Looking Glass"
  • "Explorers"
  • "The Way of the Warrior"
  • "Shattered Mirror"
  • "Call to Arms"
  • "A Time to Stand"
  • "Rocks and Shoals"
  • "Sons and Daughters"
  • "Behind the Lines"
  • "Favor the Bold"
  • "Sacrifice of Angels"
  • "Tears of the Prophets" (LCARS display)
  • "Shadows and Symbols"
  • "Once More Unto the Breach"
  • "The Changing Face of Evil"
  • "What You Leave Behind"
• VOY:
  • "Caretaker"
  • "The Voyager Conspiracy"

Background

The Galor first appeared in "The Wounded", and was first identified by name in "Ensign Ro".

It is possible that the generic references made in later seasons to Cardassian warships, Cardassian battle cruisers and Cardassian destroyers were made in reference to the Galor-class starship. It is, however, as equally likely that those references were made with regards to the Keldon or yet unseen class of warship.

While there were never any specific references to the maximum speed of a Galor-class, an observation can be made in DS9: "Defiant", where the warship Kraxon chased the USS Defiant, which was traveling at warp 8 towards the Orias system. The display graphic featuring the pursuit depicted an even match, however, based on the events in the episode, the Kraxon was not moving fast enough to catch the Defiant before it reached its destination.

Studio model

Design

This studio model was designed by Rick Sternbach, with assistance from Peter Lauritson. The inspiration for this model was the starting shape of the Egyptian ankh; in fact, according to Sternbach, the physical model has "a little temple and some fire pots and little tiny pyramids for the phasers." Sternbach commented further on his design:

The orthos furnished to VFX for Ed to go by were fairly simple pencil affairs showing the basic dimensions/masses. Ed also had the top and bottom 3/4 views to use for detailing. I did some more detailed ortho vellums before and after the miniature was done(...).[1] One of the really early Galor designs had the ship looking more like a scorpion, with a few dorsal tail pods and some forward cannons looking like pincers, but it felt a bit too blah. The pods disappeared along with the cannons, but a flat disruptor forked tail thing remained. Once the basic shape felt right, the detailing began, in the Egyptian ankh mode.[2] The tail (...) was a big aft-facing disruptor weapon similar to the forward-facing one on the Klingon Attack Cruiser. The Cardassians seem to like borrowing other races' technology. The big square under the bridge section was really meant to be a nav deflector, but the VFX folks shot beams out of it. The green pyramids on the "wings" were smaller disruptors like Starfleet's phaser strips.[3]

The physical model

The Galor class studio model The model at Christie's aft view

The shooting model was originally built by Ed Miarecki and Tom Hudson, receiving the order on 14 November 1990 and delivering the finished model on 5 December 1990. According to Miarecki:

This miniature is about 37 inches long, and was built in 2 ½ weeks, by Tom Hudson and myself, (our initials, "TH" and "EM" are built into the detailing). Originally contracted for the ST-TNG episode "The Wounded" it has been seen in many episodes of ST-TNG, ST-DS9, and in the pilot of ST-VOY. It has the distinction of being the only ST-TNG spaceship miniature built on the east coast of the U.S. and was one of the last few TV filming miniatures built for "Star Trek", before the conversion to all-CGI spaceships. [4]

Hudson, on his website, has made the following observations on constructing the model:

In 1990, my modeling partner in SFMA (Science Fiction Modelmaking Associates), Ed Miarecki, put in a bid to build a starship model for Star Trek: The Next Generation. For several years, we had been making various props for the show, including tricorders and medical scanners, and we had been building various science fiction models for years, so we thought we'd see if we could build a filming model for Trek. We heard they were going to need a model built for their new race of bad guys, the Cardassians, so we put in the bid. One day not long after, the phone rang, and it was Ed. "We got the job!" he yelled. It was like, "All right! We got the job, we got the job!!" We had three weeks -- And the realization was hitting us that the clock was ticking. "Oh my god -- we got the job..." Star Trek art department gurus Rick Sternbach and Mike Okuda sent out the plans for the ship, along with color chips showing what colors they'd like the ship to have. We then started looking at how were were going to build the thing. The next week was a whirlwind of activity as we started getting ready for the project. I started cutting the aluminum framework that would be the interior structure of the ship in Kansas City, and Ed got busy in Massachusetts with other aspects of the build -- Getting materials and lining up special services we'd need, like a big vacu-former and custom neon fabrication. After about a week of prep, I flew up to Massachusetts and Ed and I dived into two solid weeks of 16-hour days, building a starship. It was probably the most fun two weeks of my life. The project went largely without a hitch, even though it was the most complex thing either of us had ever built.[5]

The deflector has been frequently and erroneously colored blue on promotional images, despite appearing only yellow or red on screen.

Template:ShipClass

The design was later modified by Tony Meininger to include the addition of fins located on the aft end of the hull, and a large attachment located on the upper-middle section of the hull, creating the Template:ShipClass, which made appearences in "Defiant" and "The Die is Cast". The additions were not permanently affixed, so that the model could be easily reverted back to its original configuration.

The model debuted in TNG: "The Wounded" and was last shown as stock footage in DS9: "Favor the Bold" and VOY: "The Voyager Conspiracy".

Concept sketches for this design was sold in the Profiles in History auction for US$750.00. [6] The Galor-class model (measuring 36" × 18"), in its original form, was listed in the 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection auction as Lot #708 with an estimated sale price of $3,000-$5,000; it sold for $20,000 ($24,000 with premium)on 7 October 2006. Several Galor-class camera test models were also sold off on various IAW auctions in 2008. [7][8][9]

The CGI model

For the last two seasons of Deep Space 9, the model made the transition into the digital realm. The physical model was sent to Foundation Imaging as a reference for Brandon MacDougall, who built and mapped the CGI model. MacDougall recalled:

I set the the motion control model of the Cardassian Galor Cruiser on my desktop and started to input measurements into our 3D software. First the hull of the spacecraft and then the primary disk and finally the outside panels or what my boss lovingly calls "Nurnies". Next it was time to paint the 3D textures for the 3D model of the Cardassian Galor Cruiser. One of my fellow 3D modelers, Koji Kuramura, stopped by my office and pointed out that if I put the motion control model of the Cardassian Galor Cruiser on our flat bed scanner I could get a good color scan and panel detail. One thing I have learned over the years working with concept designers like Syd Mead and Jim Martin, and now with Ron Thornton, Paul Bryant and Rick Sternbach is to keep a very open mind! The scanner approach worked very well for the base 3D texture and with little painting in Photoshop I was finished. (Sci-Fi and Fantasy Models, No.32, November 1998, page 54)

The CGI-model made its debut in "Sacrifice of Angels".[10]

Size

Brandon MacDougall posted the real-world length of the LightWave model he built for the sixth and seventh seasons of DS9: "I loaded the 3D model up and she's around 368m [1207 feet]. I would've checked with Rick [Sternbach] at one time regarding the size when laying it out." [11] A camera test model from an auction contains a handwritten note: "Cardassian 1200 ft [366 meters]". [12] Visual Effects Supervisor David Stipes noted that the "Galor is about 1200 ft." [13] When asked whether he had a definitive size, Rick Sternbach replied:

Definitive? Not really, but I can try to make a guess. I pegged it at ~371m in the DS9TM, and just now measuring a reduced xerox of my starboard elevation ortho (and assuming a humanoid-comfortable deck height of ~3.8m), I get 379.6m, not far off from what I thought for the book. Will there ever be an authoritative figure? Probably not, but the number I get could be considered “original intent,” ... [14]

A couple of sources imply that the Galor was intended to be approximately 3/4 as long as the Enterprise-D. An article in the magazine Sci-Fi & Fantasy Models #16 states that the Galor miniature was in scale with the four-foot miniature of the Enterprise-D. [15] Ed Miarecki also recalled such a consensus between him and Rick Sternbach. [16] If so, the overall length can be estimated at (~37 inches / ~49.25 inches) * 2108 feet = ~1580 feet (~480 meters). Larry Nemecek likewise wrote that "Rick S[ternbach]'s original length was 1,587 ft, or @ 3/4 the length of the Galaxy-class." [17]

Technical Manual

The following specifications, which describes this vessel as a Galor-class attack cruiser, comes exclusively from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual:

• Production Base: Cardassia Prime Orbital Three Assembly Facility
• Type: Medium Cruiser
• Accommodation: 300 plus flight crew and troops
• Power Plant: One and possibly two M/A warp systems; three or more impulse systems
• Dimensions: Length, 371.88 meters; beam, 192.33 meters; height, 59 meters
• Mass: 1,678,000 metric tons (est.)
• Performance: Warp 9.6 (observed)
• Armament: Eight or more spiral-wave disruptors; one large aft disruptor wave cannon; possibly other weapons

External links

• Template:NCwiki
• Template:Exastris - a comprehensive look at the various appearances of the Galor class bridge