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Warning! This page contains information regarding Star Trek: Prodigy, and thus may contain spoilers.
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The shuttlebay (variously called the flight deck, hangar deck, shuttlecraft bay, shuttlecraft deck, launch bay, or landing bay) was a facility on a starship where shuttlecraft were launched, received, stored, and maintained. The shuttlebay was externally accessed via the hangar doors and internally by the pressure doors.
By the time of the mid-24th century, the terminology of the hangar deck had changed to refer only to the hangars which were used for the maintenance of shuttlecraft. The location, and purpose, of the hangar deck on the USS Enterprise-D was labeled in the ship's master situation display. This deck was located in the primary hull. (Star Trek: The Next Generation) On board the USS Dauntless in 2384, the hangar deck was listed with other areas of the ship on a bridge conn panel. (PRO: "Mindwalk")
A clear view of the panel was provided by Dominique Rossier of Wardenlight Studio. [1]
The use of shuttlebays during the 22nd century (ENT: "Fight or Flight", "Cold Front", "Shuttlepod One", "Storm Front") and 23rd century (DIS: "Context Is for Kings"; TOS: "The Galileo Seven", "The Doomsday Machine", "Journey to Babel", "The Immunity Syndrome", "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield") involved depressurization of these shipboard facilities, during which time the space doors would be opened to permit ingress and egress of spacecraft. In some situations during the 23rd and 24th centuries, development of force-field technology allowed shuttlebay space doors to usually be kept closed, and when these were opened during shuttlebay operations, the physical doors were replaced with a force field where shuttlecraft or other space vehicles were about to board or were about to be launched. These force-fields could be penetrated by the shuttlecraft itself, while nonetheless preventing decompression through exposure to the vacuum of space of the shuttlebay. (DIS: "Context Is for Kings", "Into the Forest I Go"; TNG: "The Child", "Time Squared", "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II")
Most shuttlebays were equipped with a tractor beam emitter in order to facilitate the landing procedure. During the 22nd century, these facilities were referred to on Starfleet vessels as "launch bays" and used a grappler. (ENT: "Broken Bow", et al.)
On at least Constitution-class starships, flight decks were overlooked by an observation deck. The location of the hangar deck for this class was depicted on a schematic stored in the USS Enterprise-D library computer in 2364. (TOS: "The Conscience of the King"; TNG: "Datalore")
Constellation-class starships had seven shuttlebays. At the front of the ship, there was shuttlebay 1. Along the starboard, there were shuttlebays 2, 3, and 4. Along the port, there were shuttlebays 5, 6, and 7. (TNG: "The Battle")
Galaxy-class starships had several shuttlebays. A main shuttlebay was located in the primary hull while shuttlebays 2 and 3 were located in the secondary hull. These bays were supported by several hangars located in the primary hull. (Star Trek: The Next Generation, TNG: "Evolution")
In Star Trek: The Next Generation, the shuttlebays aboard the Galaxy-class Enterprise-D were represented by a single set, which was also used for the ship's cargo bays, holodecks and gymnasium. This was one of the last sets to be built for the show. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, 3rd ed., p. 10)
The angled control booth window of the shuttlebay set which was first seen in the second season episode "The Child" was later re-used as the control booth window for the Enterprise NX-01 launch bay control booth. ("The Andorian Incident", text commentary, ENT Season 1 DVD special feature)
Deep Space 9's landing pads provided a similar storing location for small starships such as Danube-class runabouts, Ferengi shuttles, and Romulan shuttles. (DS9: "Emissary", "The Magnificent Ferengi", "In the Pale Moonlight")
Intrepid-class starships had a shuttlebay located at the rear of the secondary hull supported by at least one hangar, commonly referred to as shuttlebay 2. (Star Trek: Voyager, VOY: "In the Flesh", "Body and Soul")
Dauntless-class starships had a shuttlebay located at the rear of the secondary hull. The location of the shuttlebay on Deck H was labeled on the master situation display. (PRO: "Mindwalk")
A clear view of the MSD was provided by Dominique Rossier of Wardenlight Studio. [2]
Lamarr-class starships had two main shuttlebays, fore and aft. A third smaller shuttlebay was located on the port side. The location of the main shuttlebays in the USS Voyager-A were labeled in the ship's master systems display. (PRO: "Into the Breach, Part I")
A clear view of the MSD was provided by Dominique Rossier of Wardenlight Studio. [3]
Aircraft carriers of the 20th century were the first Earth ships equipped with hangar decks. These decks were used for the storage of aircraft and their accessories. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)
In Star Trek: Discovery, the shuttlebay aboard the USS Discovery was a completely CGI set, with the actors standing in a large, empty, green room. Due to the extensive use of visual effects, this set was the most expensive in the entire show. (AT: "Context Is for Kings")
,_shuttlebay.jpg "USS Enterprise (alternate reality), shuttlebay.jpg (144 KB)")
