Talk:Species 8472 energy focusing ship

Identification
There are actually two varieties of the bioship, the regular vessel with movable fins, seen in most episodes, and the planet killer type, seen in and at the beginning of part II.

That planet killer ship is the one at the center of the the 8 surrounding regular bioships. It is larger, has a different overall structure of segments and additional spikes or fins, where the orange rays, sent from the outer 8 ships, hit the central ship and then are focused to the front of that bigger ship where the killer beam is emitted.

Now, in the episode itself, the ship is not seen very well, because the camera and the ships are in motion and because of all the orange rays and exploding things.

The Star Trek Encyclopedia and the Star Trek Sticker Book however feature a side view of exactly this unique vessel on page 665 in the 1999 edition. While you generally find the "regular" version all over the net and in other secondary books about Trek, this sideview only seems to appear in the Encyclopedia and some select works.

Compare the shot of that special ship from the Encyclopedia here with a shot of the regular bioship, from the Star Trek Fact Files, for example (here) and you'll spot the difference.

Anyway and fortunately, we do not only have to depend on those blurry few shots from but also get to see the side view of the planet killer variety in full glory (though only for a few frames) on Valerie Archer's Species 8472 desktop monitor in. Like in several later VOY episodes (see USS Voyager library computer) starship sideviews from the Encyclopedia were used for graphics seen in some episodes - the planet killer is one of them.

This isn't the first time that the Encyclopedia has shown a sideview of a lesser known ship. I was wondering for quite some time (and quite some time ago), why the side view in the book didn't really fit the proportions of the Caatati starship seen in, especially after CG views of that ship had been published in the Fact Files. I decided to take a really close look at the episode again and realized that there were actually two different types of Caatati ships seen in the episode. The larger type, which was seen less frequently, was the one depicted in the Encyclopedia. I mailed my findings to Bernd and he included the new ship in the ex-astris-scientia starship database. (look under "Caatati") That's when that ship started to appear on the other Trek ship sites as well (though both articles haven't been created here at MA yet ;-)) --Jörg 18:07, 18 March 2007 (UTC)


 * Done! Article has been created at Species 8472 energy focusing ship. Planet killer is too 'fanon', an energy focusing properly describes the vessel. Thanks for the assistance Jörg! - Enzo Aquarius 18:30, 18 March 2007 (UTC)

Merge
Wouldn't the Species 8472 energy focusing ship be the weapon here, as it only appeared in use for this function, rather than creating a third article for the weapon itself? --Alan 01:19, 23 June 2007 (UTC)
 * I agree... looks as though a merge is in order. --From Andoria with Love 22:35, 26 June 2007 (UTC)
 * Indeed, the energy focusing ship came out of a chat in the IRC. 'Planet killer' was suggested as a name, but we thought it was too fanon and POV. - Adm. Enzo Aquarius...I'm listening 22:44, 26 June 2007 (UTC)
 * I disagree. The energy-focusing ship by itself is not the weapon. By itself if could not destroy a planet; it had to form the planet killer with 8 bioships. The energy-focusing ship did not destroy the planet. Neither did the bioship. Only together, forming a unique entity (the planet killer) could a planet be destroyed. The article should therefore be left separate.– Orr6000 02:09, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

The thing here is, is that it not a third entity, nor do I see where the term "planet killer" even comes into play here, as stated above it is rather "Fanon" sounding. Having three articles assumes three entities, when only two exist, and really, have we seen the "energy focusing ship" perform any other function outside of what this articles content describes? --Alan 02:49, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

Deja Vu
It seems the energy focusing ship (and eight corresponding bioships) have popped up Elsewhere Before.