Title Alt
Odyssey Class Science Vessel


 About the Odyssey class
The Odyssey class is the primary science vessel of the C Quadrant Defenders. It's a single deck vessel with minimal armament and a crew of four, featuring plenty of on-board computing power to assist in analysis of data in the field. To aid in scientific research, the Odyssey class has a dedicated airlock to the rear of the ship, along with a roof mounted telescope, and a considerable long-range sensor suite. While the general mission profile was not expected to be particularly long, the ship was designed with some crew comforts including a pair of bunks, a small galley, and a lounge chair. The ship class has enjoyed a respected longevity within the CQD's space fleet, and is a favorite of the captains who commanded them. The bridge layout in particular was well received, and became the template from which most future CQD ship bridges would be patterned after. For planetary survey missions, the ship features deployable landing gear and a boarding ramp.


   The Odyssey class science vessel and her crew of 4: captain, science officer, navigator, and pilot.


   The ship itself is built for scientific exploration above all else, but that doesn't mean it can't look good while doing that.


   The port side, featuring the main hatch and the airlock. The stand-out along the silhouette is the sensor mast above the airlock.


   Once the main hatch has opened, a boarding ramp extends. The exterior airlock doors fold open to provide a platform for egress.


   The starboard side is more spartan, just a pair of small windows.


   From the front, the Odyssey class's rugged simplicity shines.


   The engines on the rear of the hull.


   The sensor mast features a few types of omni-directional antennas.


   Sensor dishes face forward to gather the really important data.


   The only defensive armament on the Odyssey class is a single twin-barrel machine gun turret.


   The star of the sensor suite is the telescope array for long range scientific research. The smaller telescopes operate in other wavelenths to help calibrate the large telescope.


   We'll follow the captain inside for the interior view shortly.


   The pilot demonstrates the airlock's inner rotating door.


   Normally the exterior door is closed when the occupant is brought inside.


   Underneath, the landing gear mechanisms can be seen.


   These fold up to provide minal airflow disruption during atmospheric flight.


   A top-down view of the interior of the Odyssey class.


   With the whole starboard bulkhead removed, we can see the activity within the ship.


   Starting at the bow, we have the bridge, followed by the computer room and entryway.


   Going farther back, we have the crew quarters, and engine room.


   The cockpit is arranged such that the captain can see everything that's happening at both the pilot and navigator consoles.


   The left side is the helm, the right side is the navigator's console, and the middle shows general status displays. The captain's chair also has a few controls for general tasks.


   Flanking the doorway is the ship's mess. The water kettle is a popular feature, so that tea and coffee is never beyond arm's reach.


   The captain's general computer readout is front and center, just above the radar screen.


   Stepping farther back to the science officer's station, we can see the main computer terminal and data tape storage bins.


   The entryway also features the first aid kit and armory, although nobody expects the crew of an Odyssey to see combat, they give them a pistol and rifle all the same.


   The crew quaters aren't especially roomy, but they do get a lounge chair for longer missions, and two bunks.


   The bunks are roomy enough, and they even get a pair of windows. The airlock opens into this room, so the pressure suit is stored here, along with a few larger tools.


   Should you need a fire extinguisher, this is where to find it.


   The engine room is packed, with two atomic reactors extending back through the hull to the engine bells.


   These particular reactors are robust, and well suited for long duration missions, but they aren't as responsive as those seen on combat vessels.


   The engine controls are nestled between the two reactors, with tool storage above for keeping these red behemoths operating efficiently on longer missions.



 Meta Description
I've been waiting a long time to rebuild and refit the Odyssey class. I had so many ideas in my head these past ~9 years.

A bit of history: The Odyssey was a major step forward for my LEGO creations. I remember discovering MOCpages and Brickshelf in 2005, being heavily inspired by the works of Dan Jassim in particular. I saw his large ships with color coordinated designs, and no visible compromise in parts selection. He also valued interior details on ships (one of my favorite aspects of playability) as well as interesting exterior profiles. So I decided it was time for me to try something like this for myself.

I built the Odyssey in fall of that year, my first large scale LEGO ship. It was posted to MOCpages on November 17, 2005. Here's what the original version looked like: Odyssey (Old Version). I picked a science vessel to start with because it felt like something I could accomplish. It didn't have to be particularly big, nor bristling with weapons, or color stripes to be considered good. Also, for a long time I misspelled the name as 'Oddessy' out of a teenage association between spellcheck and homework... It also was the first time that I really standardized anything like uniforms, including the iconic CQD space helmet I love so much. The sliding main door, rotating airlock, and roof hatch all felt realistic yet playable to me.

Fast forwarding to this revision, I've added a few things like landing gear, a more rounded under-hull, and a revised sensor mast. The armament was reduced to make it seem less like an assault ship, and more sensors were added, like the telescope. The engines underwent alot of revision, ditching the barrels used for the engine bells, and the reactors are more detailed than ever. I wanted to make the crew accomodations seem more realistic, and make the airlock structure more easily playable using modern parts. The color stripes really added that bit of flair that the older versions lacked, and I think I nailed it this time.
 
General Characteristics
NameOdyssey Class
TypeScience Vessel
AffliationC Quadrant Defenders, Earth
Armament1 x Twin barrel machine gun turret
Propulsion2 x Long range atomic reactor
Decks1
Crew Compliment4




Gallery was generated using igal2 2.2
This page was last updated on 3/14/2023
Home