Re: B5 Parasite Fighters (first season!)

----------
> From: Sprayform <sprayform.dev@netwales.co.uk>
> To: FTGZG-L@bolton.ac.uk
> Subject: Re: B5 Parasite Fighters (first season!)
> Date: Wednesday, 12 March 1997 19:18
> 
> At 17:17 11/03/97 +1000, you wrote:
> >The Raider carrier seen in Signs and Portents, back in season 1,
carried
> >all its fighters externally. The ship
> >had a central docking bay but apparently no means of getting ships
from
> >this bay to the hardpoints. Since these hardpoints were on the
rotating
> >section of the ships I hate to think about how they re-attach; maybe
they
> >have to take spin off the carrier first.
> >
> >Are you sure that it wasnt the habitation core rotating and the
docking
> ring fixed?? (the ring was rather skinny and some way from the
apparent
bulk
> of the ship) Everything is relative in the deep black yonder!
> 
> Jon (T.C.)
> SDL

Yup, I'm sure. I checked the tape last night and it's clear that the
rings
rotate (at least in one shot, with the carrier framed against B5; in
some
other scenes it isn't so obvious what, if anything, is rotating). I
don't
know if there is anything official going around on this ship, but I'd
guess
that pirates would be converting an existing ship to a carrier and their
carrier may well be an old liner or troop transport with fighters
(fifteen
of them?) hung off the only available space. Although it would be a pain
to
maintain fighters on the outside, you could bring one or two into the
hanger in the core for maintenance.
And if your fighters are on the spun bit at least you guarantee good
separation when the grapples let go.