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Excalibur Tech Specifications

Galahad

Galahad

Regular
I was reading on a website dedicated to ship specifications in the B5 universe, that the Victory Class Destroyer, was originally intended to incorporate Vorlon Bio-Armour, in addition to Vorlon shielding, just like the White Star. Unfortunately the Excalibur was pressed into service in a moments notice, and it apparently takes time to grow the bio-armour around the ship hull. If this is true, the Victory class vessel would be even harder, than it is as seen in Crusade. Does it mean that any further Victory class vessels, will have Bio-armour grafted onto them, they would surely look much more similar in colour to a White Star, if they had the technology added.

I was also thinking, with the whole Destroyer programme starting from scratch, and a complete new team working on the project, how much different any subsequent design of destroyer would be. Presumably, they would want to change a few things around to regain an edge over the Drakh, who may or may not have detailed info on the Excalibur.

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"We Live for the One. We die for the One!"
 
Galahad, could you give us the URL for the website with ship specifications? I'd really like to see it. Thanks

BTW did you see the series finale for Voyager last night? I swear they take their cues from Crusade and B5.

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Judy Kelly
Xenobotanist
hfcckelly@hotmail.com
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Galahad:
Does it mean that any further Victory class vessels, will have Bio-armour grafted onto them<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Nope, because the website that states that (B5tech), maninly consists of specualtion on the part of the owner. Basically, it's technical fanfic.
 
I was going to say, because I don't remember any reference to this in A Call to Arms or Crusade. I didn't see Voyagers finale, I vome from the UK and the BBC is notoriously slack when it comes to Sci Fi. Channel 4 has begun to adopt similar tendencies. Though I enjoy Star Trek, I much prefer B5. The Beeb thinks if it has Star Trek it has sci-fi. It does do other shows, but is unambitious in it's pursuit of genre programmes.

I don't have satelite either so I'll be waiting a few years...

It would be good if there were an official technical database detailing B5's ships, one that dealt with the nitty gritty right, complete with piuctures.

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"We Live for the One. We die for the One!"
 
<b5tech.com> is a Tech fan, (like myself), however, he als mentions all his referances, some are from the show itself, while others are notes from writers, designers, et. He has the closest information I have ever seen, and the write-ups are amazing. This is the most comprehensive site I have ever seen on tech. Go through all the info, it is addicting.

As to the original question... YES, the bio armor was not added due to Excalibur and Victory being pressed into service early, (or in the spirit of Zaphod Beeblebrox(sp?)) stolen by the President!!! The skin was mentioned in a call to arms, and takes months to grow. As we know, the skin adapts to attacks, making each successive like attack less effective.

As a note, B5LR, (if made a series,) I'll bet will get it's 5 year run, but in year four we will see the rebirth of Crusade, to fit the timelines together.

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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>
Originally posted by Hesperous
in year four we will see the rebirth of Crusade, <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Hope so as I hate seeing things unfinished..

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Emporer Turhan-"How will this end"
Kosh-"In fire"

[This message has been edited by whitestar90 (edited May 26, 2001).]
 
By the way, the hull armour design was conceived by the Minbari. It was an improvement on their current hull armour designs that they currently use on the Sharlin class cruisers

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I seem to recall that the mention in Call To Arms was that the Hull of the ships _Would_ adapt. It was presented as an accomplished fact that the hull material was the Vorlon Bio Armor. And, in a couple of the Crusade Episodes, I also seem to remember a comment or two that it Is adapting.

Personally, I'd expect them to spend a bit of time on new construction deliberately bombarding the hull with increasingly intense weapons fire to "build callus" in a controlled situation before exposing the ship to enemy fire.




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Yes, I like cats too.
Shall we exchange Recipes?
 
The Vorlon bio-armor bit isn't true. The b5tech site apparently got that from Tim Earls, one of the designers of the Excalibur, but it was never a canon fact. According the Crusade writer Fiona Avery the Excalibur's armor was to be exactly as it was when ACtA started. (And her job is to decide such things!)

Why replace the crystalline armor that can already refract energy weapons with more expensive and difficult to apply armor that does essentially the same thing?

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WombatControl
http://www.flarn.com/wombatcontrol/
"Who let the spoo out? Sigh sigh sigh sigh sigh..."
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>
According to the Crusade writer Fiona Avery the Excalibur's armor was to be exactly as it was when ACtA started. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

WombatControl, That was exactly the point of my post: The armor was installed. And, it _was_ the Vorlon armor that adapted to weapons fire whenever it met anything new.

The Vorlon armor was "living technology", so calling it "bio" isn't too far off. I never heard the word "crystalline" used to describe it before. Where did That come from?



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Yes, I like cats too.
Shall we exchange Recipes?
 
It's taken from Drake's description of the Excalibur's specs in A Call to Arms. He says it's a crystaline armor that reflcts 80% of all energy, whatever that means.

There is no mention of any adaption ability.
 
80 percent of all energy, I assume, refers to the effects of energy weapons. Radiation, EMP's, heat? If that includes kinetic energy, that's one durable ship.
cool.gif


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Joe Medina (neargrai@aol.com)

"...that which are, we are"
 
I always wished that the Excalibur had blue Sharlin Armor. It was a cool ship, but not too colorful, and B5 always had neat colorful ships and backgrounds in it.

I remember an old preproduction sketch of the Excalibur, and it had green and red parts on it. It kind of made me wonder, seeing as how TNT like to pee in everybodys punchbowl, if they wanted the ship to look more Star Trek-ish...you know, the Enterprise is grey so our ship should be too...I can hear them whining now. I have a magazine that first broke the news about Crusade, and how the Rangers, a Warrior Caste Minbari and Zathras were supposed to play major parts in it...oh well. maybe in the 2nd season.

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Marcus, "Well They said I was carrying around a lot of repressed anger.
Lennier, "and?"
Marcus, "I'm not repressed anymore."
 
a ship need not be colorful, the excalibur looks great as it is now i think
i can't imagine a "multicolor" victory class cruiser
laugh.gif


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I think at least some of the diferences in the Excaliber can be explained by the fact that it was a different group of Artists who created and animated it. They took the opportunity to do things Their way. Just as they subtly altered the appearance of the Jump points.

As far as what was published in the early magazine reports, unless they were quoting JMS, most of it was speculation and what the person who wrote the article was hoping to see. Just as there are a lot of posts Here wishing for one story line or another to come true.

We can wish & hope, but only Kosh Straczynski KNOWS.




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Yes, I like cats too.
Shall we exchange Recipes?
 
Can i just point out this interesting fact about the Excalibur's armor, it was intended to have Vorlon Bio that was stated by the CGI company that designed the Excalibur but for Crusade they decided that that one ship wouldnt coz you wouldnt have been able to put tension into the show if the main ship was invincable so they decided not to have it on the Excalibur but to have when they introduced a fleet of these ships late on in the Crusade show

BTW - i live in the UK and Channel 4 sux

SiGuard Out!

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The FDR said "Put down your shovels, get off your camels, sit on your ass, we aint going to the promised land".
Moses said "pick up your shovels, get off your ass, get on your camles, where going to the promised land".
President Clark said "I'll tax your shovel, i'll take your camel, i'll kick your ass and there aint no promised land".
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by bakana:
We can wish & hope, but only Kosh Straczynski KNOWS.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

And he's not telling.

Hmmmmm sounds like a Bush's baked beans commercial don't it?



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Colleen L. Stanford
Gideon's Mine, all Mine
(he just doesn't know it yet, LOL)
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR> I always wished that the Excalibur had blue Sharlin Armor. It was a cool ship, but not too colorful, and B5 always had neat colorful ships and backgrounds in it. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I remember hearing that the Excalibur was a combination of Minbari, Vorlon and Earth technologies. Hence we have Minbari field manipulation and such, big MF Vorlon gun, and Earth Alliance colour schemes
smile.gif
.

With regard to Channel 4, they suck hard, especially the way they held back the last five episodes of B5, then proceeded to show them at eleven in the morning. It also pissed me off that they couldn't give it a regular slot. Fortunately, the Sci-fi channel (UK) have shown B5 several runs through on weekdays.

Regards

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Nuke 'em all
Nukemall
 
I'm just glad JMS didn't throw in any favorable references to TNT like he did for channel four. Ivanova always seemed to use that one.

B5 tech is nice but must be taken with a large grain of salt. The bio-armor thing seems to be a bit of a red herring. I'm not on my computer so I don't have the address but I know isn has an offshoot for ships and I have one other bookmarked. If I can get to my computer I'll post where to find them.

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Bus
"Authorities say the phony pope can be recognized by his high-top sneakers and increadibly foul mouth." Kent Brockman
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR> Hmmmmm sounds like a Bush's baked beans commercial don't it? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

So, would JMS be playing the role of Duke the dog, with Doug Netter shutting him up at the last moment?
smile.gif
Or would it be some corporate sneeb in a 3-piece suit from WB wagging his finger at JMS/Duke?
smile.gif


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-Londo's Hair
"Vir, intelligence has nothing to do with politics!"

[This message has been edited by LondosHair (edited June 16, 2001).]
 
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