Runabout (Star Trek)

Runabouts ("Danube-class" vessels) are a fictional class of small, multi-purpose starships appearing in the Star Trek science-fiction franchise, primarily the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which aired on syndicated television between 1993 and 1999. They served as a means of transport for the crew of the fictional space station Deep Space Nine, in the early seasons of the series enabling storylines taking place away from the station.

This spacecraft design was created primarily by Herman Zimmerman, Rick Sternbach and Jim Martin in the 1990s for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and later used throughout the franchise such as in books, comics, and games.

The series bible describes the Danube-class vessels as "the symbol of the Federation presence in [Deep Space Nines] sector". The Starfleet design elements were intended as a touch of familiarity for the characters (and in turn, the viewers) in environments dominated by alien designs and structures, specifically those of the Cardassians and Bajorans.

From the third season of DS9 onwards, much of the exploration aspect of the series was facilitated by the starship USS Defiant, which took over much of the runabouts' previous role in allowing characters to move off the station. Defiant was introduced because the producers wanted the series to enable more than two or three characters to travel away from Deep Space Nine at once, while the introduction of the Dominion as an antagonist during the second season created the in-universe requirement for a more powerful and combat-capable starship based at Deep Space Nine.

The Danube-class vessels are larger than shuttlecraft seen in previous series of Star Trek, but significantly smaller than previously depicted starships. The runabouts are usually named after rivers on Earth.

The hull of the Danube-class runabout is shaped roughly like a long, rectangular box. A downward-curving 'wing' is located on each side of the vessel; these start near the top of the hull, and curve down to the warp nacelles. The runabout's impulse drives are located between the wings and the vessel's body. The Deep Space Nine Technical Manual gives the runabout's dimensions as long, wide, and high.

The runabouts have a two-person flight crew, and can carry two other crew. According to the first season episode "Dax", they were capable of speeds up to Warp 5. Although not explored in the series, background materials indicate the runabout had a modular mission payload system, where the middle section of the runabout could be swapped out for modules carrying different equipment. The set was laid out with the two flight crew facing forward and out the windows, while consoles for the two other crew have them facing the sides of the runabout. The runabout's transporter was located in the centre rear of the compartment.

One runabout, USS Ganges, appeared in season one episode "Past Prologue" with a 'roll-bar' mounted over the top of the ship. This roll-bar, described as containing sensor equipment, was added to the model to help viewers distinguish between Ganges and the runabout USS Yangtzee Kiang during a chase sequence. This episode used stock footage from various DS9 episodes; incongruously, the runabout's destruction depicts the vessel with a roll-bar, while all previous scenes show the vessel without one. Screenwriter René Echevarria conceived the 'little ship show' idea as a comedic filler episode early in The Next Generations run, but despite suggesting it multiple times, did not receive the chance to go ahead until late in DS9s run. Meiniger built a new, -long runabout model: dialogue in the episode specified that the runabout had shrunk to , but a model that small would have had problems with lighting and detail. The model was mounted on a specially built three-axis head, which allowed for easier miniature effect work than with the original filming model.

Computer-generated imagery model

The first CGI ship ever used in the Star Trek franchise was created by Dennis Blakey and Dorene Haver at VisionArt. It was a 3D computer model of the "Runabout" shuttle for Star Trek: The Next Generation. Previously, Star Trek had exclusively used physical models, which at the time were composited by Adam Howard and Steve Scott at Digital Magic. VisionArt's 3D model of the Runabout was primarily used for the stretching effect when it jumped to warp.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season six episode "Change of Heart" later depicted a runabout traversing an asteroid field, then landing on a planet. This was the first episode in which runabout sequences were done completely with computer-generated imagery: complex scenes where the ship weaved through the dense asteroid field were achieved without weeks of miniature effect work, and camera movements during the landing sequence allowed the runabout to be shown from multiple angles in the same scene, as there was no need to conceal a 'mounting point' for the miniature.

|Destroyed by the Jem'Hadar. Rescued Vash from the Gamma Quadrant.

|Destroyed by a T'Lani Munitions Cruiser.

|Notable river in India

|USS Mekong

|NCC-72617

|Helps rescue Benjamin Sisko from the Jem'Hadar.

|Abandoned during the Obsidian Order/Tal Shiar attack on the Founder's homeworld in the Omarian Nebula, presumably destroyed.

|Notable river in Southeast Asia

|USS Orinoco

|NCC-72905

|Helps rescue Benjamin Sisko from the Jem'Hadar.

|River in South America

|USS Rio Grande

|NCC-72452

|Vessel aboard which Jadzia Dax and Benjamin Sisko discover the Bajoran wormhole. Later located the missing Sword of Kahless. Helps rescue Sisko from the Jem'Hadar.

|Abandoned, and presumably destroyed, in episode ”The Die is Cast”.

|River in Italy famous as boundary crossed by Julius Caesar on his march to Rome

|USS Shenandoah

|NCC-73024

|Taken by Jadzia Dax and Worf to rescue a Cardassian informant from the Dominion.

|Severely damaged by the Jem'Hadar, and presumably destroyed, en route to deliver diplomatic message to Grand Nagus Zek.

|Eponymous river of the Shenandoah Valley in the United States

|USS Volga

|NCC-73196

|Participates in botanical survey of Torad IV.

|unknown

|Longest and largest river in Europe

|USS Yangtzee Kiang

|NCC-72453

|Hijacked by Bajoran terrorist Tahna Los.

|Longest river in Asia

|USS Yukon

|NCC-74602

|Stolen by Founder in failed attempt to destroy the Bajoran sun.

|Destroyed by USS Defiant.

|Major river in northwestern North America

|-

|Unknown

|Transports Enterprise-D staffers to and from conference.

|Destroyed blocking power transfer between Enterprise and a Romulan warbird.

|Unknown

|<nowiki>-</nowiki>

|Destroyed in orbit of Torga IV with the loss of all hands.

|Unknown

|<nowiki>-</nowiki>

|Destroyed on Ajilon Prime during the Klingon bombardment of the Federation colony.

|Unknown

|<nowiki>- </nowiki>

|Destroyed by a Cardassian soldier at Empok Nor.

|Unknown

|Used by the Cardassian Liberation Front en route to stealing a Breen weapon.

|unknown

Yellowstone class (alternate reality)

{|class="wikitable" width=100%

|- bgcolor="#e7e8ff"

!width=110px|Name

!width=90px|Registry

!Depiction

!Fate

!Named for

|USS Yellowstone

|NX-74751

|Prototype for an advanced runabout designed in large part by Ensign Harry Kim and Lieutenant Laska in an alternate timeline.

|Destroyed by antimatter containment loss.

|A river in the western United States, also the first national park and a volcano

Disposability

A large number of runabouts are damaged or destroyed over the course of the series. In the third-season episode "Family Business", Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) quips, "The rate we go through runabouts, it's a good thing the Earth has so many rivers" (referencing the naming tradition of the Danube-class vessels), and in Star Trek 101, authors Terry Erdmann and Paula Block comment that the series "goes through runabouts like potato chips".

Merchandise

In 1993, AMT/Ertl released a 1:72 scale model kit for the runabout USS Rio Grande. During the filming of season two, one of these models was put together by the show's art department for a miniature effect shot where a runabout exploded, instead of having to assemble, then destroy, a more-expensive filming model. Later, the company released a 1:2500 scale model of Deep Space Nine itself, which included three runabouts to place on the station's landing pads.

In 1994, Playmates Toys released a "Runabout Orinoco" playset, in which two of Playmates' action figures could be seated.

A runabout was amongst the Star Trek Micro Machines produced by Galoob. As well as the standard toy, bronzed and silvered versions have been released in collectors' sets.

Several 'ship' cards from Decipher, Inc.'s Star Trek Customizable Card Game depicted Danube-class ships. A generic Runabout card (based on the appearance in The Next Generation) was included in the original set, with named runabouts appearing in subsequent sets.

Runabouts appear in several incarnations in the Star Trek Online massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Danube and Yellowstone classes appear as both playable 'small craft' starships and as decorative non-combat pets to be displayed when using larger starships. The Danube-class starship and pet correspond to the DS9 appearance, with the roll bar equipped. However, the Yellowstone runabouts have a different visual design to the ship's appearance in Star Trek: Voyager.

Reception

In 2017, CBR ranked the runabout the fifteenth most powerful spacecraft of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. They note they were an important vessel in the television show early on before the arrival of the USS Defiant spacecraft.