Starship Smackdown!

[Evshell]

(Scroll up or click here to get to poll)
Click Here to see the ongoing results...

Congratulations to the Vulcan D'Kyr and to the Vulcans for staying in the race! They won out 9-3 over the Klingon Raptor.

Next contest is between a Federation Oberth and a Borg Cube! Yikes, the Oberth will certainly only succeed on merits other than pure power!

Federation Oberth

Specifications
This is a ship dedicated to scientific pursuits and discovery. In combat it is reliable but not overly powerful, however that is not what it was intended for. The distinctive design is not only visually unique, but also allows for modular deployment depending on the mission. The single photon torpedo launcher doubles as a probe launcher, and other than that, the armament is standard Federation phasers.

Borg Cube

Specifications
First encountered by the USS Enterprise-D in 2365, this Borg vessel is by far one of the biggest, most powerful, and most durable ship in the Galaxy, second only to its successor, the Borg Tactical Cube. Any direct combat with this behemoth will certainly require an armada of ships or some ingenious improvisation. It is equipped with phasers and a distinctive kinetic cutting beam to cut through shields and hull at the same time. The ship has redundancies that allow it to function even when 80% of its hull is damaged. It is able to travel through Transwarp conduits, which means it can get anywhere in the galaxy within days. 2 Borg cubes were destroyed in 2 different distinctive battles. The first in 2366 at Wolf 359 resulted in a catastrophic loss of Starfleet life and 39 of the 40 ships that were amassed to stop it. In 2373, dozens more ships were destroyed in the Battle of Sector 001.

[Jeff T]

Sorry to say... but that Federation Oberth would most likely be exterminated (i.e. sliced-and-diced) by that Borg cube almost like a warm knife through butter if they ever figuratively came face-to-face.

They had better separate that saucer section and scram while the stardrive goes all kamikaze on that cube!

[Kheren]

Although there is no official source about it, no plan I could find mention anything about the possibility of saucer separation even in dire emergencies as in the case of the Connie. And since it is defined as an integrated hull design (like the Defiant for example) I doubt they had that capability looking at the design itself and especially the deck plans (where the seemingly distinct saucer's corridors are in fact extending directly aft and out of it). Because the separable bridge module came many decades after with the advent of the Ambassador class (as a precursor to the Galaxy class reattachable saucer seper function) I guess we must rule that one out as well.

Anyway, voting in this random-paired game on the basis of tactical assessment alone is here more than ever proven meaningless.

Nevertheless, I vote for it on the simple basis of how it felt to see it when first shown in The Search For Spock. It was the third new design ever seen of Starfleet ships, right after the Miranda and the Excelsior, and I recall most people found it quite cool in those days. At least I did back then.

The Borg cube... well not only is it just an ugly lego cube, but to me it was disappointing once I saw it and learned about the Borg; as well played as the Borg concept was when first seen in TNG in terms of threat/enemy/challenge, I knew instantly where the whole idea of the race, it's outlook and it's technology came from; copied straight out from the Bioposis found a full decade earlier in the German SF universe of Perry Rhodan.

Here Star Trek just did what Star Wars is so famous for: rehashing others' ideas and offering them as it's own by hijacking them first on film.

So, as with the Tholian, I stand apart and probably alone this time and vote Oberth.

[Athos]

Hands-down: Borg Cube

Oberth: Yes, it has a wholly unique design.  And that's about all the positive I can say about this ship.  It's slow, it's ugly, and it's cannon fodder (i.e. it's weak).  The first appearance of the Oberth was Star Trek III...where it was promptly destroyed with 1 shot.  It is designed as a science vessel...but honestly not a very good one.  Every time we see it on screen, it's getting blown up or, later, used as a transport.  And perhaps that is the best use for this ship...a transport.  This is a great ship for civilians, not for StarFleet.

Borg Cube: This is our introduction to one of the most feared bad guys in the Trek Universe.  The Cube is, well, a cube; it's not aerodynamic as is basically every other ship in the Trek Universe.  Of course, in space, a ship doesn't need to be aerodynamic though shield geometry is impacted.  But this is a testament to the Borg...a show of ominous force and power.  The cube isn't pretty, but if you see that huge block coming at you, it tends to put a chill down your spine (even if you don't know who/what the Borg are...yet).

Like the Oberth, the Cube is wholly unique in design within the Trek Universe.  And the cube's greatest advantage other than regeneration?  It can assimilate your technology thereby becoming at least as advanced as you, if not more so. 

I don't know anything about the German SF universe of Perry Rhodan, but most people get inspiration from somewhere.  Just because I didn't know anything about Perry Rhodan's writings does not invalidate a new spin on an old idea.

[Kheren]

Well that's the thing; it's not inspired, it's totally copied from it in every detail. So for me, it was a big let down to see Star Trek be so cheap and uninspired.

It's like Star Wars using the Sci Fi classic lensman series planet killer exactly as was (the Death Star down to it's size, shape and mega laser) and thus ensuring we will never see a lensman movie or series. Being inspired from something is okay if in fact possibly unavoidable; copying the idea however is cheap; but downright stealing the whole idea, that's bad and unworthy of what Roddenberry had created until then.

So, since I vote on other criterias than tactical value, I can't ignore this, even if the Borg are, indeed, among the best villains ever in Trek (although they were cheapened and reduced from awesome force of nature collective in TNG to stupid hive stereotype with First Contact and especially later as mere villain of the week with Voyager).

The fact that the Oberth was only underused as canon fodder and ready victim doesn't change the fact that it is original, and a pure Trek design and concept (the dedicated science and exploration ship rather than the stereotyped space warship, huge monster-alien ship or smuggler-combat-pirate ship). That alone already makes it a good contender here for me. 

[Athos]

Kheren...As you claim that the cube is "totally copied from it in every detail", the burden of proof is on you.  Show us a picture of the cube from a source other than Trek; or post a description of it from a source other than Trek.  Links are helpful.

[Kheren]

Unfortunately my source are books I read in French in the seventies which I don't have anymore and all links I found about it are also in French only... with the only images being from book covers that are, as is usual in most cases, unrelated to the actual content of the book itself (the actual descriptions). So guess I have no "proof" to offer you other than my good word.

Regardless of this, what I stated is the fact I explain my vote with, that is, the instant recognition on screen of exactly what I had read before in novels; huge geometric vessels with irregular features, ships of unparalleled power made and piloted by a civilization of cyborgs intent on transforming the entire universe into their own image.

Hence why I was disappointed as much as I enjoyed their ominious presence in Trek. And once they turned their excellently portrayed concept of a true collective into a bland hive (which is a beaten-to-death idea), they lost all interest for me, just as their too familiar vessels had been for me from the start.

And so, Oberth for me.

EDIT: well, I found this: http://www.bioposis.com/

[Niomo]

Cube! A square is the 'perfect' shape. All hail the cube!

[Sorripto]

Cube.  There is really nothing I can add that has not already been said.  In my humble opinion this is the most lopsided fight so far.

[Evshell]

Empirically it is not the most lopsided fight so far as it is currently 8-4 and we've had ones end at 9-0 and 10-0!