Comparing Sci-fi Starship Sizes

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Comparing Sci-fi Starship Sizes

Posted by CowboyNeal on Saturday April 12, 2003 @04:47AM from the let-the-arguments-begin dept.

LiberalApplication writes "It looks like someone has very lovingly created something that sci-fi fans everywhere will likely want to see; if not out of curiosity, then at least to revitalize the burning, seething, grudges between fanatics of rival science-fiction universes. Starship Dimensions places images of various starships from science fiction settings such as Star Trek, Star Wars, Babylon 5, ID4, Macross/Robotech, Lexx, Freespace, and Battlestar Galactica side-by-side, in scale! The author has also conveniently included football fields, humans, King Kong, and buildings for comparison. You can even drag them around the page and stage your own interstellar battle royale."

19 of 494 comments (clear)

slashdotted by neurostar · 2003-04-12 04:48 · Score: 4, Funny

Well, it looks like the battle happened before I got there... all the ships are gone already :(
1. Re:slashdotted by FlashBIOS · 2003-04-12 05:03 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Well, it is on IIS - I Infrequently Serve.
/.'ed but who cares? by smoondog · 2003-04-12 04:49 · Score: 4, Funny

I guess comparing spaceship sizes is really important to /. readers. Always reminds me of the scene in "Stand By Me" where the kids argue over the superiority of mighty mouse vs superman.

-Sean
1. Re: /.'ed but who cares? by Black+Parrot · 2003-04-12 05:04 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  > I guess comparing spaceship sizes is really important to /. readers.
  
  Maybe they don't realize that sometimes a starship is just a starship.
  
  --
  Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
What i want to know.... by Photon01 · 2003-04-12 04:50 · Score: 5, Funny

What i've always wanted to know is how do sci-fi starships always manage to be the same way up?

I'd love to be watching star trek, and see a bird of prey fly along upside down in relation to the Enterprise.
1. Re:What i want to know.... by SlashdotLemming · 2003-04-12 05:30 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  The reason is that...
  
  No it isn't
  You think every race in the universe decided on a standard AND they all use it? HAH!!!
  In my experience as an intergalactic pilot I can tell you that, in general, a ship, while not travelling, is in a position normal to the celestial body that is exerting the largest gravitational pull on it. While traveling, a path is planned to the destination, this path is not a straight line, but a series of arcs and lines, depending on whether or not gravity is being used as a mechanism of propulsion. So, for each point in the path, a ship is either in the position it was in during its last point, or it is in transition to the position it must be in to take the next point of the journey. Often this is dictated by the design of the ship, more importantly, the flexibility of the propulsion unit. If your thrusters have a wide range of motion, then you have a bigger range of what your 'up' position could be relative to your path, and a larger set of choices for path planning
  Now, if we're talking about a super-spectral propulsion mechanism.. err.. oh gods of vacuous matter, I've said too much already.
2. Re:What i want to know.... by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · 2003-04-12 06:38 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  What's even funnier is that when these always upright ships lose power they "lose" the ability to stay upright and drift on their side or upside down.
  
  Actually, when artifial gravity fails, the graviton matrix that supports the inertial effect degenerates, and you get a recoil effect resulting in exactly that. Don't they teach you kids anything in high school any more?
  
  Wait... This is 2203, right? Because if it's gone wrong and I've jumped too far again, the time cops are going to ki
  
  --
  If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
Slashdot logic.. by mumblestheclown · 2003-04-12 04:56 · Score: 5, Funny
1. The site is slashdotted.
2. it runs IIS.
3. therefore, microsoft is evil.
SpaceBalls by AntEater · 2003-04-12 04:58 · Score: 5, Funny

I'm sure none of those ships are as big as the one that they show during the opening scenes of SpaceBalls. That one was BIG!

"Ludicrous Speed!"

--
Alex, I'll take keybindings not used by Emacs for $400....
Re:Mirror? by quantaman · 2003-04-12 05:01 · Score: 5, Funny

You know it's bad when the first post is requesting a mirror!

--
I stole this Sig
Mighty Mouse vs. Superman by nucal · 2003-04-12 05:07 · Score: 5, Funny

You're right, that's just silly.
Superman is far greater than Mighty Mouse.
I don't know about that - on a Power per Gram ratio, Mighty Mouse beats Superman ...
Plus, MM has a better theme song ...
Operation Timed Out?!?! by mraymer · 2003-04-12 05:18 · Score: 5, Funny

What a shocker this is... An article on Slashdot about Starship Sizes... why would that be Slashdotted?
I mean, it's not like it is the nerd version of a pissing contest... oh wait, it is.
Nerd1: The Enterprise-E could SO waste a Star Destroyer!
Nerd2: Nuh-uh! Star Destroyers are so huge, you can't even see the windows most of the time. You can ALWAYS see the windows in the puny little federation starships.
Nerd1: Look, I don't care how big it is... One quantam torpedo from the Enterprise-E will make it a giant space junkyard.
Nerd2: You're such a dork!
Nerd1: No, you're the dork!
[begin pathetic, uncoordinated nerd brawl]

--
"To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit." -Stephen Hawking
If all those ships were together... by Peterus7 · 2003-04-12 05:21 · Score: 5, Funny

The enterprise would probably start trying to open diplomatic relations with the Death star, and make a new ally, the Babylon 5 alien cruisers would go off against the cylon forces, And the robotechs would get accidently blown up by Stanley Tweedle.
Re:Strange ... by Oloryn · 2003-04-12 05:28 · Score: 5, Funny

What ? No WV bug comparison ?

They don't actually grow them that big in West Virginia
What about... by los+furtive · 2003-04-12 06:07 · Score: 4, Funny

What about the starship in Spaceballs, the one that transformed into Mega Maid?
"Dear God, she's gone from suck to blow!"

--
I'm a writer, a poet, a genius, I know it. I don't buy software, I grow it.
What's the difference b/t a /.ing and a DDOS'ing? by fbg111 · 2003-04-12 06:34 · Score: 5, Funny

When ddos'ers successfully crash your server, they move on to the next victim. When the slashdotters crash your server, they sit around bitching about your IIS POS, till you're back online, then they slashdot you again.

--
Flying is easy, just throw yourself at the ground and miss. -Douglas Adams
Scotty! Beam us out! by Pharmboy · 2003-04-12 06:40 · Score: 4, Funny

Slashdot Readers:
More power, dammit! Show us your pretty pictures!

Webmaster Scotty:
She can't taking anymore Captain! She's givin' us all she's got, but she can't take the slashdotting!

--
Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
Re:Google by TwP · 2003-04-12 07:30 · Score: 4, Funny

SHIP NAME/TYPE: Earth (class M)
LENGTH: Approximately 12600 km.
BUILDER/COMMENTS: Originally built by God for humans and launched near the creation of the universe for peacful enjoyment of life and relationship. Earth was invaded by evil forces under direct control of Lucifer and has not been the same since. Recall notice has been sent to fix problems introduced by Lucifer. The exact time of the recall is unknown.
SOURCE: Bible, (Book), Written by God, et. al.
Re:The Force strikes again by Cpt_Kirks · 2003-04-12 08:54 · Score: 4, Funny

What other force on the Internet is as powerful as /.? Within 60 seconds of the original article appearing on the front page of Slashdot, the linked site was already taken down.

You know, according to the Patriot Act, /. could be classifed as a terrorist device.