Talk:Akira class

Name source
This requires a valid source of some sort. --Gvsualan 06:06, 26 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * This ship is listed as being the registry applied to a CGI of an Akira-class ship image seen in Star Trek: Fact Files #117 -- which means it was used onscreen in one of the Akira's appearances, but i cant see whether it was one of the Akiras in or one of the ships in  -- but this might be one of the CGI Dominion war vessels, possibly from the Chin'toka battles. -- Captain Mike K. Barteltalk 14:38, 26 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Thats what I was stating... --Gvsualan 18:21, 26 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * This is a gray area-- we know this ship appeared on Trek since the studio CGI model was labeled Rabin at some point, but there are three separate occasions where it might have been used -- none of the situations i listed have good conditions for identifying ship names. -- Captain Mike K. Barteltalk 18:27, 26 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I'm wondering if maybe the Rabin was this ship which has a registry semi-readable from "Tears of the Prophets" or if that was a reuse of the USS Thunderchild, or USS Spector? But as it stands, we have 3 Akira's referring to "Message in a Bottle", but nothing pointing specifically at "TotP". Here is a link to Flare on the topic. It doesnt really help much, and it seems to contradict at one point the part Captainmike wrote above "registry applied to a CGI of an Akira-class ship image seen in Star Trek: Fact Files #117 -- which means it was used onscreen" that the Thunderchild never got re-named?? --Gvsualan 13:28, 31 May 2005 (UTC)


 * Under the current canon policy the publication Star Trek: Fact Files is a Restricted Validity Resource IF the information actually came from the production staff. Assuming that, the policy explicitly permits this article to exist, provided it is noted as non-canon.  I will make the notation. Aholland 03:48, 1 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Um... if an article is non-canon, that means it has to be deleted, or at the very least merged with another article (Fact Files, perhaps?). In any case, this whole Restricted Validity Resource stuff is a bit, um... I dunno. It's something else, I tell you. --From Andoria with Love 23:54, 1 March 2006 (UTC)


 * Very well, we can go for deletion then. My understanding was that wasn't what was desired from a policy, but it's fine by me.  Until the policy is amended to provide for deletion of all articles from sources such as this, though, it needs to be labeled as non-canon, not labelled that we aren't really sure if it is canon or not.  The current label makes it appear that Memory Alpha has no idea what it is doing, and just blowing in the wind as regards in-universe material.  That loss of credibility would be a big problem, I believe.  Aholland 03:15, 2 March 2006 (UTC)

Fact Files image
While I'm not 100% aware of the origin of all Fact Files images, I was fairly sure that all "CGI" starships were created as renders from the filming CGI models themselves, without alterations. Meaning that, if there was a computer generated brand schematic of Rabin with registry printed appearing in Fact Files, that means the model was altered like that for use in the show.

The Fact Files did create original graphics, but did not create (to my knowledge) any new high-quality 3D images of ships from the show -- only images of their existing 3D CGIs were used -- meaning the Rabin must've been used somewhere like that. Similar to the physical models for USS Valkyrie, USS Trinculo, and others -- they were the studio models, relabled for a filming use, but without our awareness of what episode those names/registries might've been labeled/filmed -- Captain M.K. Barteltalk 02:31, 2 March 2006 (UTC)


 * It is an assumption without basis, though, that the model was used. It could have been created and discarded, or created and used liberally - we just don't know.  For example, some costumes have been created over the years and not used in filming because the producers changed their minds and took another direction - that doesn't make the discarded costume canon, does it?  And neither should this without more definitive proof it was ever used.  Aholland 03:15, 2 March 2006 (UTC)

Anything More on Cites?
Does anyone have anything more definitive on this ship other than it appears to have been created as a CGI sometime and never actually seen used in an episode or movie? Aholland 16:34, 12 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Well, I have to check my Fact Files collection on Monday to be absolutely sure, but IIRC FF articles are written from an in-universe POV. Hence, I doubt that they claim a CGI model was labelled Rabin. --James Cody 23:33, 12 October 2006 (UTC)

Some Basic Source Info
I just stumbled across this Akira debate--maybe I can help without zeroing some future value on my notes. For the record: three or four ship names and numbers were all pre-approved for the four CGI ships of First Contact--"approved," as in Mike Okuda/art dept. got Berman to OK them so that in the heat of the moment the ILM CGI people (and CGI was new, remember) could drop them on the CG models and go--since everything like approvals is so heightened on a movie. I personally saw the approved names page at the time; in my 1999 interview with Alex Jaeger about all this at ILM, I saw his copy and jotted down all the names and numbers. This has never been published--but this is where Akira, Thunderchild, Rabin and Spector (that spelling) comes from, and the numbers. MY list had 635 for Rabin and 655 for T-child...I may have them swapped; I am attempting to check this with Alex as of today, since it is such a confusion factor now. The CGI file we got for Fact Files had -635...but no name.

Other clarifications: The ST Magazine text article is mine (see vague, upfront credits list ), from that interview; the other ships' comments and info remains unpublished. I had Alex circle and mark up with callouts the ship diagrams from the four ships, all from xeroxes from the Encyclopedia, as we did not have CGI files at that time. (Sadly, of course, the artist intention is not always carried out, or back then the elements were all in a vacuum--a siatuation more modern CGI use has slimmed down, TV and movies alike. But at least I have them). And yes, all CGI in the Fact Files was direct from the files obtained from Foundation or Digital Muse/Eden. ILM wanted a ton of money, but by the time "scary new" CGI was being comfortably dealt with, all these files had passed to the (much easier/cheaper to deal with) TV FX vendors for series use.

I am apologizing for the text choices in the first third or so of Fact Files; this was "not my dept" but was eventually cracked down on, but not before the rep was damaged. In their defense, the Brits *were* promised this huge degree of tech and source detail they were used to having for resources with their other techie partworks, and then were left hanging when it didn't exist--no excuse, but that's what happened. I did some tech writing (the topics no one else could "humanize"), but mainly I tracked source refs, imagery and art materials in both the unchartered Licensing archives (some buried, that the dept. didn't even know existed) or from cherished, chased-down personal sources or other sources like the various Trek art departments. The Fact Files get a lot of abuse now, but they pioneered and PAID FOR a lot of research and original art —AND frame grabs, and CGI acquisition—that Pocket Books and other licensees, and even Paramount— never had the stomach to get into. And all at a pre-digital time when the poor 35mm episodic slides and Licensing reference snapshots had been exhausted before weary Trek readers' eyes for years.

So--catalog as you will, on the sliding spectrum of sources--but that's where she lies. Someday I'm going to publish all this stuff; I know it needs to be gathered up. --Larry

Name Canon?
is the class name "Akira Class" mentioned on screen, or readable on any display? --Shisma 14:14, 11 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Probably not, but like Livingston, the name is derived from an official source and avoids the creations of unnecessary "Unnamed Starship class" articles. --From Andoria with Love 02:29, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

astrometrics screen
hi. does anyone have a picture of the akira appearing in on astrometrics screen in "The Voyager Conspiracy"? does it stat a designation?-- Shisma Bitte korrigiert mich 19:34, 13 July 2008 (UTC)
 * Only part of the ship is seen, using stock footage from, hence, no designation. --Jörg 20:54, 13 July 2008 (UTC)

Fifteen torpedo launchers?
Someone changed the Tech Manual info to say that the Akira, according to the Manual, has fifteen torpedo launchers instead of two. Is this correct? --From Andoria with Love 05:23, 8 December 2008 (UTC)
 * No. I'm guessing someone didn't realize the info in that section was specifically from the TM, and just thought it was general stats. --OuroborosCobra talk 06:36, 8 December 2008 (UTC)