The thing through the middle of the olympus

[Banichi]

Just out of curiosity, is there any fluff out there that says what the thing through the middle (you know the gaint telescope looking thing) of the olympus corvette is meant to be? I know it's an odd question, but I've always wondered.

 

[Greg Smith]

The bridge is on one side of it, according to AoG's ship data sheet.

 

[Banichi]

That sounds like an odd (and easily shot off) place to put the bridge. I was guessing it would be something along the lines of sensor gear put out there so that the hull of the ship didn't muck up readings.

 

[Burger]

Maybe it's so the command crew can eject easily, when faced with 27 Sharlins?

 

[captainsmirk]

Its supposedly so they get a good view of what's going on around them...

Quite why you need a good view in a space battle (especially when your enemy is often not even within visual range and you have a perfectly good set of sensors) I don't know ...


Nick

 

[Ripple]

Everyone always says that space battles don't take place within visual range... maybe if your dealing with a science based world, but this is B5... most battles are clearly visual range.

Second issue... the bridge might not be primary point of control for space battle. It's could be that this is used in docking and other maneuvers where you are not being shot at but need to see things that the sensors aren't giving you real good images on do to cluttered layouts.

Last... it could be to help the bridge crew have a slightly less claustrophobic existence... close the blast doors for danger, relying on the fact that if one of those giant death beams is coming for you your dead anyway.

Ripple

 

[captainsmirk]

The Shadows quite happily destroyed the Narn fleet at Gorash 7 from beyond visual range...

In fact a lot of the early battles were much longer range than the later ones, so close range battles were not the only ones fought. Although I wouldn't rely on a visual data to run any of the close range battles which occurred in B5 either much too much going on...

And the description of the Olympus directly states the view in battle as being its primary purpose. Although your other reasons would fit the idea much better.


Nick

 

[mrambassador1]

I always thought it was the bridge and that it stuck out like that because it rotated to generate artificial gravity, like an early version of the rotating section on the omegas. I thought it rotated by spinning along its long axis like b5, not by rotating around the main hull axis like an omega. Difficult to explain what I mean without a picture. It doesn't spin around the ship like the omega, so sometimes it points up, sometimes to the side etc. It spins like b5, always sticking out to the side but spinning like a rolling pin. If you look at the opposite end (the thinner end sticking out the other side of the ship) it looks kind of like the back of b5 gyroscopically stabilizing the spin.

 

[CZuschlag]

It is, indeed, the bridge. From AoG:

"The Olympus was built with the bridge section partially jutting out of the port side of the ship, ostensibly to allow the ship's commander a better view of the battle. The C&C is therefore subject to a special damage rule. If an opponent rolls a natural (unmodified) damage location roll of "20" on any port side hit, that hit is automatically scored on the C&C. This rule is also noted on the control sheet for reference. Note: The C&C may not be targeted by called shots.

The craft has no secondary bridge. Doh!

 

[Banichi]

I suppose a nice view, unobstructed by annoying things like armour plating, is just what you want when space is filled with flaming death. :wink:

 

[skavendan]

Add a variant (as if there aint enough already) and give it that claming onto and being an assault ship