I love this ship class, along with the NX-refit model. The Freedom-class makes me think of a pre-federation Defiant, being a tiny tough as nails little ship that won't quit.
Franklin is one of my favourite start trek ships (definitely top 3, with The Raven and Runabouts). Seriously, it should be a hero ship. Small ships like this give a great opportunity for a show in which we can see the entire crew of the ship (Rocinante from Expanse or Serenity from Firefly for example). Also, the design is very well thought out. Small, compact and yet very practical & flexible.
Perhaps the warp systems upgrades were prioritised to the ships with the least advanced systems first, assisting b oth in propulsion and increased energy budget for upgrading their tactical systems. This class may simply have been deemed to be good enough as is or at the end of the queue and never reached.
@@barrybend7189 You just made me think of a small ship where they cut a hole in the roof and basically put a big propane tank shaped cylinder sticking out holding the warp core. Called it a refit...lol
I could see all the other classes being created while the warp 5 core was being developed and each class was improved from advancements that were discovered while trying to achieve warp 5 and the freedom class had a warp 4 core design that was smaller but wasn't able to get past warp 4 and the space was made too small for further upgrades.
Chuck it up as competition between different design teams. I seriously doubt that Cochrane would keep his warp drive a secret for 80 years or so. Probably had an open source policy.
The Franklin was not really a class much as its whole purpose was being a testbed for the warp 4 engine. I doubt Starfleet would have build many of them. same with NX-Alpha NX-Beta etc
@@dswynne u think to much like current earth. if u remember everything changed after the Vulcans made first contact in 2063. in Star Trek: Enterprise Archer blames the Vulcans for holding back just enough information to slow humanity down
I always thought there was a possibility it was developed after the NX Class. Basically Starfleet's version of a Liberty Ship during the Romulan War. Something easier to build and could be mass produced vs the more labor consuming builds of the NX Class. But it couldn't handle the Warp 5 engine so it had its own Warp 4 which made it faster than most Starfleet Ships.
The lens flare definitely got out of hand, but if anything I hate how NuTrek is too dark. How are officers not constantly stubbing their toes on these new, dimly-lit ships is beyond me...
'Beyond' did so much right; shame they cut the film franchise off just as it was finding itself. Even if that fourth film ever materializes, I doubt it'll capture that same special something this film found.
Beyond is very underrated. Trek 2009 in my opinion is a good reboot, at least in setting up a new corner of the franchise, reintroducing old characters, and being a fun zippy movie. But then Into Darkness kind of grinds the momentum down by being an uninspired remake of Wrath of Khan, and a lot of the goodwill that was generated with the first film is kind of lost (then of course Abrams goes onto do the same boring "remake an older movie" tactic in Star Wars... twice; but that is a whole OTHER discussion). But Beyond, Beyond is just special. It had an original story. It tonally felt like something that fit the T.O.S. inspiration. The nods to Star Trek: Enterprise with the MACO's and the Freedom class are wonderfully done. The way it balanced the zippy action of the last two films (complete with a Beastie Boys song) while also bringing in a more highbrow argument about soldiers trying to find a purpose after war which feels like more old-fashioned Star Trek films. Beyond feels like both a much better sequel to the 2009 film, and was the moment the Kelvin timeline really began to show some chance of escaping the shadow of the Prime universe. The film just had bad timing to be honest. It came out in a summer only a few months before Star Wars Episode 7 was about to hit theaters that winter, and it felt like Star Wars was sucking out the wind from the sails of every other sci fi franchise coming to theaters that year, even the ones like Trek that hit theaters months before. Combine that with the bad taste Into Darkness left in many fans mouths, and it is not surprising many fans chose to skip the sequel. Beyond deserved so much more recognition but it felt like all the cards were stacked against it from the start.
you summed up the excelsior beautifully. It does the job, and it refuses to stop. Out of all experimental and innovative ships starfleet ever made, the excelsior class is one of THE most reliable designs they ever made.
A tiny addition: As stated the ship USS Franklin was named after Frank Lin. Due to this, you can actually see a slightly larger space between the K and L in FRANKLIN on the plaque shown in the film, than is used in the rest of the spacing between letters of the same word. Personally I always thought this was a great little detail.
And here I was expecting the ship that showed up in the Lower Decks s4 finale to get a vid next time you uploaded. I am pleasantly surprised! Loved seeing this ship in Beyond and good vid.
@@gabelogan5877 i put it in my head Canon that Maco and starfleet merged sense it does not make sense for scientist be there last form of defenses plus why would a sciense exploration agency have a divivsion called Starfleet marines
“Starfleet is not a military organization” -picard I fully disagree, they are the armed forces branch of the UFP. Just like the United States Armed Forces, they don’t pretend to be fluffy cute puppy delivery services. They attack and bomb the crap out of you then invade you with the army.
@@darthvolcaniz503 No. Operations are basically MAKO. They role was just shifted to ship security. STO straight treat them as tactical branch. Section 31 existed before Federation, as they are in ST Enterprise.
I like the little Franklin. Part of that is it’s just a great little ship, part of it is that it’s much easier to build in Space Engineers and use as a personal ship to hop around and explore.
I've recently heard about the USS Basestar, or whatever exactly it's called, that's effectively a fusion of a star base and a star ship. Would be neat if you could do a video about that if it does exist in some form or another somewhere.
Ok, so here is my theory about Freedom class. As we know a NX ship fall apart during the tests, what is the reason why Archer is initially angry on Vulcans, who did know about vibration issues, but didn't say anything. As such his father could not see completion of his project, though Vulcans argued that humanity would find out about problem, if it would do proper tests. For a time it was assumed it was NX class ship, but Freedom what entered service in 2145 was technically also part of the project. Furthermore NX was unusual in size, for relatively poor Earth at the time using smaller ~100 meter Frigates. It is logical to assume Freedom was that ship. And also one of reasons why NV was designed as alternative to reuse NX parts in case of Archer Drive failure. While Freedom is ranked as Warp 4 (later upgraded to Warp 5). I do believe that this speed was not achieved until conclusion of NX mission, what perfected drive. Starfleet planed serial production of NX, because it was not clear if ships can be smaller. But it become a option after that. What probably is also why we do not see Daedalus class ships. What were designed shortly after NX Alpha, but didn't enter production until break of Earth-Romulan War. Despite the fact that it become standard for rest of 22'th century. Freedom was produced in short number as some number of frames, was build before the test. But after conclusion of NX program Earth has already better option for high end explorers. With Ceres (Old Bonaventure) and Bonaventure class.
Whenever you have a navy, you are going to need marines. It is unfortunate that Roddenberry did not address this in TOS. However, in TMP they did include people who were wearing military-looking body armor.
I always thought this was an interesting design. I need to get the Mobieus U.S.S. Franklin model. I'm glad they used events of Enterprise to tie into the Kelvin timeline. I wonder what happened to Eddison and the crew of the Franklin in the cannon timeline. I'm glad that they changed the bussards from blue to orange/redish color like they did from the concept art to what we see on film. I REALLY dislike seeing blue bussard collectors. That's just me though...
You know, I've got to give them credit for mentioning MACO and the Xindi wars. It really helps tie in the Kelvin universe with prime...granted anything before the time change is the same.
Very intriguing, I never looked closer I just thought it looked good and believable. Good to now that they purred effort into its design to align it wit Ent. Maybe one day we see it in main universe too?
My favourite ship from the alternate movies. On the other hand, that space base from Beyond is ridiculous. One thing I was noticing with the curved negative space behind the saucer is that, if it was permanently crash-landed, that would form a rather nice amphitheater for the survivors or their descendants, in a kinder story they then experienced.
I think Certifiably In game forgot the Excelsior wasn't exactly forgotten in the TMP era, one had that transwarp failure (Search for spock) and another with Captain Sulu (Undiscovered country) at the helm redeemed the class's reputation. It was very visible in the Dominion war and a few were in TNG; That ship and the Miranda have pretty much out lived all comparable designs of their era.
@@marcusjustice6165 Yup that's the one that was sabotaged by Scotty. It really had it coming for having a captain who looked like the trek version of Thaddeus Harris from Police Academy.
I have the Kelvin model but need to get the Franklin. I for one love the design of the Franklin. I like how it has the orange/redish Bussard's and not the blue ones like the Kelvin ships have.
at Warp 4 it may have been intended as a resupply ship for other long range vessels. You may need to resupply or deliver hard to replace equipment to NX or similar class vessels and if it's important you're going to want those parts there sometime relatively quickly also well enough armed to defend itself while carrying cargo too valuable for freighters or other factions.
It was after MACO was absorbed into Starfleet Security that we see those helmets. The ones in Search for Spock, especially the scene for Intruder in Spock's Quarters. Those helmets should have been continued.
Easy to see this as a precursor of the FASA Loknar-class, if you want to head into that alternative canon (or cutpaste this and/or certain other ships into one's headcanon)
I'd like to see a show centered around a freelance trader\smuggler in the Star Trek universe. Like Mudd, i suppose. I want to imagine a small, barely capable, ship like this but highly modified by an electric traveler with no federation rules. "Got this here shield emitter from a Romulan who was in a pickle.". "I won this thing in a card game off a real ugly dude. Calls it a "dis-rup-tor", whatever that means.". The federation would be like the sheriff in the dukes of hazard. They can scold him but they can't catch him. That would be a cool show.
Unless something goes wrong the new Star Trek Online character I'll be making soon will be flying a Freedom class Exploration Frigate (The Star Trek Online version of this ship) by the month's end. I've had a massive soft spot for Frigates as far back as I can remember so once Star Trek Online added playable Frigates (Originally Frigates were only low level NPC ships with the playable versions of these ships being upgraded to Light Cruisers) I set out to gather some for my characters. It took a long time to get my first one, and this will be my second. I already have the third Frigate which will go to my Romulan character selected, and I'm hoping they add more including some KDF unique playable Frigates
Well thanks to me making a mistake by believing November's console event was part of the Season campaign I didn't get my Alt's Freedom until a few days ago. On the plus side I actually managed to get the Frigate I wanted for my Romulan character in the interim so now I have my three most wanted STO ships and hopefully more I want get added this year.
2:51 Wasn't the Daedalus a post-2161 ship? IIRC, it was the first class of the new UFP Starfleet. I know it wasn't said on screen (we've never gotten a date when the Daedalus line was launched on screen, only when it was decommissioned), but Beta Canon seems to point to it being the Federation Starfleet's first ship.
I am sure this was probably mentioned by someone else, but I will repeat the obvious. That this ship seems to be a J.J. Abrams further messing with the Trek-verse as the ship is an obvious copy if the old Starfleer Command Loknar class frigate. J.J. Abrams a well known fan of Star Wars and a basic detractor on Star Trek as a rival franchise, wanted to stir up emotions and give a few jabs at Trek fans by making, one of the most disliked overhaul designs of the Enterprise. When given the chance to blow up and disrupt the Romulan homeworld and empire (one of the most recognized antagonists if Star Trek, after the Klingons). Blow up Vulcan and making Vulcans (one of the most recognized alien symbols of Star Trek) wandering refugees, and endangered species. Make Spock a well known stoic character, into an emotional mess with his feelings an his affections for Uhuru. And of course, introduce a well known ship design from an old game that had been the red-headed step child of Star Trek lore. It just feels like another purposeful twist of that proverbial knife in the gut action by him, before his influence on change in Star Trek wanes and the helm of the franchise is given to someone else who is more sympathetic to quote, traditional idioms. And repair what damage he has already done. One must wonder to what length Abrams will go to jostle and destabilise the franchise image of Star Trek, while maintaining carefully his own love of the Star Wars orthodoxy?
If you review the TNG Episode "Parallels", Lt Cmdr Data explains the, what I call "The Infinite Tree", model of time Star Trek, by canon, abides by. This model does not allow for the creation of a 'new branch" without something to branch off of. Because all timelines WILL deviate from each other, based on the variation of actions taken in each Temporal branch, depending on how far from the original branch someone time travels, it is a near 100% certainty that a time traveler can end up on a branch that has remarkably little, if anything at all, like their own branch. Certainly everything may well have changed. This also explains why Nero and Spock Prime were in the past of an alternate temporal branch. An uncontrolled temporal traversion, time travel with no navigation, drops onto a temporal branch (timelines) that is, in all likelihood, over 90-degrees and an unmeasured distance from the original temporal branch, does NOT create a new branch from scratch but does introduce new variables, events, object, and criteria, that cause reactions leading to new outcomes that would not have occurred without them. What this means is the ships, as mentioned in 0:21 of the video, are NOT given to have existed before or were NOT magically created when the Narada arrived. Otherwise the Jellyfish, having arrived decades after the Narada, should have changed everything YET AGAIN. And this DID NOT happen. The Narada did not create a new temporal branch in which "everything (just) changed". Nothing changed until there was reaction to the Narada and the action undertaken thereof. Nothing would have changed at all if Nero and the Narada did nothing upon arrival. There is a temporal branch where Spock Prime was able to save Romulus. Another where the Hobus Hypernova sterilized a huge chunk of the galaxy, including Earth. Yet another were Nero just opted to hand over the Narada and its advanced technology to the Romulan Empire creating a power imbalance that upends everything in the Romulans favor. and MORE... I chose to use the Term "temporal branch" over "timeline" because the term "timeline" is more synonymous with the overall structure or the Infinite Tree, the singular "tree" being the Timeline in total. The variations created by actions, going left or right, taken along the way create the Branches. It serves to make more sense in context.
say what ever you want, but MACO may have been abolished by orders from the admiralty, but during the integration into the new organization the personal would most certainly be placed where their particular skill set was in most demand i.e.. postings to Starfleet Security and most certainly 31 too
So, I'm curious. If the Franklin crashed in the prime timeline, only to end up in the Kelvin universe, does that mean there is still a Franklin located on Altamid in the prime timeline?
To me the NX- class is what it is because it shares the exact same subsystems as the Freedom class except everything is pushed to upper margin of its recommended specs to achieve warp five and better sensor capability, because of that everything is on the edge of overload and unstable prototypes. The freedom class has its systems underclocked and run with stability in mind so thats why its such a solid performer at warp 4.
I don't really understand the idea of MACO's when Starfleet wasn't really a military organization (Forrest was surprised Archer invited them onboard for Enterprise's expedition into the expanse). What's the point of having a military mainly meant for ground combat when all of the ships needed for transportation to planets are under the control of an organization not meant for military exercises?
I wish this ship was more prime timeline than Kelvin. I like small ships but I never was much a fan of the Kelvin style. (Kelvin ships redone in TOS or TMP style though.. Chef's Kiss)
Overall, there’s a distinct lack of “corporate” names or words in the Star Trek universe. That eventual total shift toward socialist utopia was apparently very effective in shifting the vocabulary. Imagine a world where Kleenex didn’t instantly and obviously mean “any ole tissue”. Wild.
makes you wonder if they're still out there in TNG Era and getting angrier for believing beeing forgotten and abandoned or if someone else found them, since we don't know where they really are, are they in the light Blue region on the Star Trek Map or do the map look different in the Kelvin Timeline since the Narada Accident speed up the exploration so Yorktown could be anywhere and well, Space is Big and more so in a Fictional Universe and even quite deep in Federation Space, not everything is really explored like Ba'ku from Insurection and i believe that the Son'a gave the Federation the coordinates for the Planet
Tbf, this ship is a thick as metal nugget. The only way they could make this thing more structually stable is integrating the nacells into the main hull.
@Certifiably Ingame Hey Rick, what's your take on the Embracer Group's layoffs of the Cryptic devs? We still got a game going on or is it going to all go pear shaped and they'll turn the server off on us one of these days.
Ah man, I didn't know this happened, I was following the Bungie layoffs news. Seems it's all over the place right now and from this layman's POV, money at the top could have been sent down the chain to avoid this. Stuff like this is why I dropped game dev, the people who care about the art are the ones who get shafted.
The timeline was ALTERED to the point where the Kelvin timeline became its own thing. The prime universe was never affected. These adults with special needs man, I tell you. Nothing but crybabies
