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Shuttlebay

Multiple realities

(covers information from severalalternate timelines)

Theshuttlebay (variously called theflight deck,hangar deck,shuttlecraft bay,shuttlecraft deck,launch bay, orlanding bay) was a facility on astarship whereshuttlecraft were launched, received, stored, and maintained. The shuttlebay was externally accessed via thehangar doors and internally by thepressure doors.

By the time of the mid-24th century, the terminology of the hangar deck had changed to refer only to the hangars which were used for the maintenance of shuttlecraft. The location, and purpose, of the hangar deck on theUSSEnterprise-D was labeled in the ship'smaster situation display. This deck was located in the primary hull. (Star Trek: The Next Generation) On board theUSSDauntless in2384, the hangar deck was listed with other areas of the ship on a bridge conn panel. (PRO: "Mindwalk")

A clear view of the panel was provided by Dominique Rossier of Wardenlight Studio.[1]

The use of shuttlebays during the22nd century (ENT: "Fight or Flight", "Cold Front", "Shuttlepod One", "Storm Front") and23rd century (DIS: "Context Is for Kings";TOS: "The Galileo Seven", "The Doomsday Machine", "Journey to Babel", "The Immunity Syndrome", "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield") involved depressurization of these shipboard facilities, during which time thespace doors would be opened to permit ingress and egress of spacecraft. In some situations during the 23rd and24th centuries, development offorce-field technology allowed shuttlebay space doors to usually be kept closed, and when these were opened during shuttlebay operations, the physical doors were replaced with a force field where shuttlecraft or other space vehicles were about to board or were about to be launched. These force-fields could be penetrated by the shuttlecraft itself, while nonetheless preventing decompression through exposure to the vacuum of space of the shuttlebay. (DIS: "Context Is for Kings", "Into the Forest I Go";TNG: "The Child", "Time Squared", "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II")

Most shuttlebays were equipped with atractor beam emitter in order to facilitate the landing procedure. During the 22nd century, these facilities were referred to on Starfleet vessels as "launch bays" and used agrappler. (ENT: "Broken Bow",et al.)

On at leastConstitution-class starships, flight decks were overlooked by anobservation deck. The location of the hangar deck for this class was depicted on a schematic stored in theUSSEnterprise-D library computer in2364. (TOS: "The Conscience of the King";TNG: "Datalore")

Constellation-class starships had seven shuttlebays. At the front of the ship, there was shuttlebay 1. Along the starboard, there were shuttlebays 2, 3, and 4. Along the port, there were shuttlebays 5, 6, and 7. (TNG: "The Battle")

Galaxy-class starships had several shuttlebays. Amain shuttlebay was located in theprimary hull whileshuttlebays 2 and3 were located in thesecondary hull. These bays were supported by severalhangars located in the primary hull. (Star Trek: The Next Generation,TNG: "Evolution")

InStar Trek: The Next Generation, the shuttlebays aboard theGalaxy-classEnterprise-D were represented by a single set, which was also used for the ship'scargo bays,holodecks andgymnasium. This was one of the last sets to be built for the show. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, 3rd ed., p. 10)

The angled control booth window of the shuttlebay set which was first seen in thesecond season episode "The Child" was later re-used as the control booth window for theEnterprise NX-01 launch bay control booth. ("The Andorian Incident",text commentary,ENT Season 1 DVD special feature)

Deep Space 9'slanding pads provided a similar storing location for small starships such asDanube-class runabouts,Ferengi shuttles, andRomulan shuttles. (DS9: "Emissary", "The Magnificent Ferengi", "In the Pale Moonlight")

Intrepid-class starships had a shuttlebay located at the rear of the secondary hull supported by at least one hangar, commonly referred to as shuttlebay 2. (Star Trek: Voyager,VOY: "In the Flesh", "Body and Soul")

Dauntless-class starships had a shuttlebay located at the rear of the secondary hull. The location of the shuttlebay on Deck H was labeled on themaster situation display. (PRO: "Mindwalk")

A clear view of the MSD was provided by Dominique Rossier of Wardenlight Studio.[2]

Lamarr-class starships had two main shuttlebays, fore and aft. A third smaller shuttlebay was located on the port side. The location of the main shuttlebays in theUSSVoyager-A were labeled in the ship'smaster systems display. (PRO: "Into the Breach, Part I")

A clear view of the MSD was provided by Dominique Rossier of Wardenlight Studio.[3]

Aircraft carriers of the20th century were the firstEarth ships equipped with hangar decks. These decks were used for the storage ofaircraft and their accessories. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)

InStar Trek: Discovery, the shuttlebay aboard theUSSDiscovery was a completelyCGI set, with the actors standing in a large, empty, green room. Due to the extensive use of visual effects, this set was the most expensive in the entire show. (AT: "Context Is for Kings")