What if it's a carrier? Now, before everyone dogpiles on me, let me explain.
So far in "Babylon 5" and "Crusade," we've seen destroyers, frigates, dreadnoughts, heavy cruisers, and the White Stars themselves, which I always thought of as a combination of gunships and attack subs. So if you look at today's navy, a carrier would be the only option left.
Also, both shows have always taken the "Star Wars" approach to a fleet, where any capital ship can dock and launch fighters. So why bother using a carrier at all?
The answer is this. I read in USA Today a while ago that carriers are effectively like mobile command bases for the military. You send one to a potential hotspot, and a fleet can base all their operations there.
During "Crusade," the Excalibur had, what? Two, three squads of Starfuries and some shuttles? Think of how many more ships a full carrier could field. A carrier could combine the fighter coverage that Babylon 5 had with the offensive firepower of the Excalibur, even without that "main gun" it used.
Also, watch "The Final Countdown" sometime. Carriers use all kinds of ships, from fighters, bombers, and shuttles to utility ships like refuelers, helicopters, spy planes, you name it.
I think that's what the Liandra's going to be, a type of ship that can help guard trade routes and set up camp in potential trouble spots to help enforce the InterStellar Alliance's laws. Besides, how many shows have there been that used a carrier but didn't last? "Battlestar Galactica" and "Space: Above and Beyond" both tried that route, and they didn't last because they didn't have jms in their corner.
And the last, best reason I can think of for having a carrier? Because NONE of the "Star Trek" shows ever DARED to do it. And something tells me this new "Enterprise" thing won't be any different.
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