Why this janky looking Imperial ship was one of their best

[@EckhartsLadder]

Thanks to Audible for sponsoring the vid. Visit audible.com/eckhartsladder or text eckhartsladder to 500-500 to check out the service. Thumbnail art linked in the description.

[@aurorauplinks]

really cool looking wierd ship.. i think i wouldnt mind a few more imperial ships similarly shaped like a weird combination of freightor section and warship prow and engineering back end that is fairly strong.... anyways on a different note.... I think I just got a really great idea on how to film relatively incredibly affordable fleet battles that look realistic... going to have to patent it or try to sell it to disney/lucasfilm somehow...

[@V.B.Squire]

@@aurorauplinks this is what the US Corvette Fleet was meant to do but they screwed the project so much its heart breaking

[@aurorauplinks]

@@V.B.Squire oh that is depressing, i am a huge fan of the military constructing impressive projects. It's sad the corvettes failed. Are we referring to the Littoral fleet or something else?

[@V.B.Squire]

@@aurorauplinks the Littoral Fleet, Great theory, like a Naval version of the stryker Brigades, but I did not believe it was possible to get something that wrong on that scale

[@aurorauplinks]

@@V.B.Squire Well... i cant speak to their sea worthyness, but i would personally try to use them as picket ships with remote control, automated drone systems, and maybe a command crew working from a specialized helicopter on the air pad that can lift off quickly if theirs a missile incoming. use them as sacrificial pawns that can provide simultaneous return fire of a few missiles, maybe even let them attempt to shoot down incoming missiles, but i suspect the missiles would connect. maybe instead of a helicopter crew just have a small tendor ship with it that's a high tech version of a torpedo boat, without torpedoes, just stock full of computers, control systems to interface with the littoral pawns, and travel alongside them until its time to get away quickly.

[@KaiserMattTygore927]

The Modular Taskforce Cruiser is one of my all time favorite imperial designs just by "janky" aesthetics alone.

[@Quintus_Fontane]

This ship makes complete sense from an economic and manufacturing standpoint; a lot of newer military vehicles today are following a similar modular design concept for the same reasons. Being ABLE to swap out modules also makes sense, in case you take cruiser losses, or if galactic conditions change and require you to have more of a particular loadout in service. In practice though, I really don't think they would have been swapping out modules frequently. You'd have some spare empty mothballed modules in storage, sure, but a task requirement would be long term.

[@vic5015]

It makes sense but the Empire isn't known for smart designs or strategic flexibility.

[@biggie1447]

Its been tried by the US Navy though and it turned out to not be very cost effective or functional. The Freedom and Independence class LCS were designed around of replaceable modules for different functions. Missile launchers, gun modules, extra sensors or control equipment, etc. It turned out that swapping the modules was such a time intensive task, (return to the US mainland to a shipyard, have whatever existing module removed, install the required mission package and then return to the area of operation) that most ships ended up with a fixed module setup and the ships were just rotated into whatever role they were needed in. It ended up being faster and more economical that way. That doesn't even begin to cover the failures of the LCS class of ships but the multi mission module setups were their primary design function.

[@00yiggdrasill00]

​@@biggie1447 I was aware of that failure, though I wonder how work intensive it would be in a zero gravity environment, by either orbit shipyard or antigravity tech like repulsors. That the imperial design is for a support ship rather than a combat ship may also make it more viable (I always had concerns about survivability of those experimental ships by the USN with the modular design maybe leaving weak points). Have them in reserve then switch to what's needed for a mission then come back to base. On a planetary scale I can't see much value, but on a galactic scale... maybe?

[@OrDuneStudios]

Modular stuff just isnt working as intended however.

[@joshuahudnell7401]

I used to love these ships, but then the LCS thing happened and my opinion changed.

[@johndeere2525]

Modular design actually makes a lot of sense on a vessel which will be deployed for extended periods of time. You get into dock and not only pick up a module, big a fully staffed, fully stocked module with supplies you will need to insure the ship is not held up in dock. Get to dock, unload module with crew taking shore leave. Attach new module with oncoming new crew and all supplies already on board, take off. The old module isn't sitting around either as while in dock, it can be maintained and retrofitted and stocked for the next mission. The frame containing the crew quarters, bridge and engineering/engines is your main cost and only having to build 1 ship to functionally replace a handful of required ships with marginal regular usage is brilliant resource wise.

[@theofficerfactory2625]

My one complaint is that you would either have to have a captain who is good at all things or rotate out ship captains pending upon the mission that the ship is being modded out to do. A captain does more than command a ship; they are also trained in expertises pending upon the ship type. You wouldn't want say a sub captain be in command of a hospital ship or a supply ship captain be in command of a battleship; they wouldn't know how to handle not only the power but the intricacies of operate those kind of ships.

[@nicholasfarrell5981]

It's not just the captain, you also need a new crew for each module. It's a great idea on paper, but it sounds like a logistical nightmare when you actually have to implement it.

[@axiomshift4666]

The way I’d see something like this being used is as something of a reserve ship. If you lost a ship or needed more of a ship for a particular mission profile you grab a mothballed mtfc and toss on mothballed module or make a new one, which is still faster than making a whole ship from scratch. No need to switch things out all the time but in a strategic sense it’s a lot more useful.

[@axiomshift4666]

Also simplifies ship building if the main ship is always the same and all you are changing is the modules.

[@theofficerfactory2625]

@@axiomshift4666 Still need a crew and a captain who knows how yo carry out the signed task and crew to carry out the mission which changed from mod to mod.

[@axiomshift4666]

@@theofficerfactory2625 as you do for every ship. Isn’t a particular downside for the mtfc.

[@brianphillips7696]

One reason to have modules in storage is the rapid repair of battle damage. If a cruiser got shot up badly but most of the damage was on the module you could strip it off the core frame and replace it with a module in storage at a fleet depot level maintenance facility. The ship could be rapidly returned to service and s replacement module could be fabricated at leisure and placed in storage until the next cruiser gets shot up.

[@entropy11]

Ran into the same problems with our modular frigates. In practice, these modules were never swapped, and there weren't spares lying around to use because, well, you have to store that stuff somewhere and keep it maintained and wouldn't that be better off just mounted on another ship?

[@sethb3090]

Yeah. The idea of having a single reliable spaceframe is good though, and building it to have modular capability might make it easier to maintain and/or upgrade as time passes. Even if you're not actually changing it, some of the design principles still hold.

[@hanzzel6086]

You could (in this case) have a modular station counter part where the "spare" modules are mounted and used until you decide you need more of a particular ship for a mission. Then you bring in a ship frame with no ar a (relatively) unimportant module, switch them (and thier crews too). Then when you can you do the reverse (either with the originals, a different set, or new production).

[@sumukhvmrsat6347]

Maybe the modules can be repurposed and reusable pretty fast and easily ,Finished with the hospital module ,Park the module off in a Orbit ,or on Surface somewhere where its needed ,or Just the Acclamator ,where you have pretty empty space around and only need equipment and people ,

[@JakeInaitor5000]

Addressing what you said with, "why bother having these modules sitting around when you could have them on ships, maybe it's really just good for manufacturing purposes" I believe the USN kind of ran into this with one of its ship classes in the last 30 years where they had different modules that they could swap out for different missions, but it didn't really work out. I heard about this from pretty cool channel called Not What You Think.

[@jacobhiatt1901]

Yeah, this ship gives me really the same vibe as the zumwalt class frigate from the US. A huge problem the zumwalt ran into that I think this would have had was the module port would be an easy target when caught alone; which would cause serious damage to the ship.

[@Klaaism]

The USN system didn't work out well for reasons more to do with insufficient technology for some of the proposed modules, in addition to fundamental design flaws with the overall ship. In fact almost the entire class is being decommissioned after just a few years.

[@ascensionindustries9631]

Not What You Think is a great channel. I watch it as well.

[@williammagoffin9324]

Big issue they had was that most of the modules they designed for it either didn't work or ran over budget and were canceled. The towed sonar system wasn't stable when the ship was in motion, the mine neutralization drone system went over budget, the only ones that worked were the gun and missile modules. They also ran in to problems where the engines on some ships never reached the power they were advertised, while other ships developed cracks in the hull (on a few ships the hulls actually started dissolving by galvanic reaction). Whole thing was a disaster. The Danish navy however did build a system that worked back in the '80s called "StanFlex" (combination of Standardized+Flexible) where weapons, sensors, and some support systems were made as modules that plugged in to a ship like components in your PC tower. But the system only made sense if you design your entire navy around it, so even though it looks really slick no one else adopted it and any meaningful way.

[@sonickunckle]

@@williammagoffin9324 I think it would make more sense and be more realistic if modular design is implemented as an ease of maintenance feature instead of a fast reconfiguration solution.

[@spartan078ben]

The modular taskforce cruiser sounds a lot like the strike cruiser. You had a standard version, then one where part of the hull was swapped for a hanger, and another where it would hold some armored vehicles like AT-STs and AT-ATs

[@wordwyrd]

Same basic idea, just even more modular. The strike cruiser replaced only the central section, but more than half the ship was unchanged. The taskforce cruiser is over twice the size (a bit bigger than a victory class even), and the only fixed portions are the command/drive section and the keel/spine.

[@sumukhvmrsat6347]

​@@wordwyrdbasically a pickup truck with variable cargo or modules

[@notapairofjeans1076]

This concept reminds me of the precursor Vindicator starship from star control 2. That ship had a bunch of model slots that could be used for storage, crew compartments, fuel tanks, or weapon systems. A maxed out Vindicator could easily destroy entire battlegrounds of enemies. It would be so cool to cover the Ur-Quan masters (the community-backed, easy-to-download version of star control 2) on the channel if you ever have time to play an older title. The story is definitely a classic and I'd love it if a bigger channel could cover it.

[@roguerifter9724]

Not really surprising because the Vindactor was a support ship. She was basically designed as a long range Tug boat if memory serves. Fortuantely the designers were smart enough to anticipate the class might need to defend itself and their technology was so advanced that with the right modules one of their armed support ships could hold her own against most warships used by the powers that be in the period when the game takes place

[@notapairofjeans1076]

@@roguerifter9724 Yup the precursors used it as a service vehicle, but they were so much more advanced that even their service ships would be a massive threat to any ship of the line fielded by modern races. As a service vehicle, it had to be adaptable to a situation, like carrying cargo or transporting personnel, however, none of the compartments besides the bridge and frame are of precursor origin. The only weapons used in game by the precursors were the Utwig bomb and the Sa Matra, to my knowledge at least, both of which decide the fate of the quadrant.

[@sonofeyeabovealleffoff5462]

FOR DOGAR AND KAZON! I love those stupid Ilwrath.

[@legoforbeginners6950]

Two issues of Dark Empire alone has more new ships then the entire sequel trilogy managed to come up with.

[@SignoftheMagi]

You can base a number of modules at Imperial starbases, which would likely have yards more capable of changing them. I am going to guess swapping them out was not an easy thing, and would require a bit of time and some equipment.

[@paulwasilewski9030]

Starfleet designed the Nebula Class for modular task force missions just like this. It was almost as long range as a galaxy class. The triangular pad atop the saucer was a mission specific set of decks. It could hold 6 or 8 photon torpedo tubes (Dominion War book series) one held an extra shuttlebay and transporter to rescue the Enterprise D crew in Generations.

[@zeng6042]

Babe wake up new Eckhart just dropped

[@FarrellMcGovern]

It sounds like it was inspired by either the Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane, or the spacecraft that was inspired by the S-64, the Space 1999 Eagle. Both had loadable modules for different roles, and both were well enough known to possibly inspire the Modular Task Force Cruiser.

[@isaacgraff8288]

It is an interesting ship idea. The big thing that I am considering is crew composition. I have not read dark empire so maybe they cover it, but if your MTF cruiser is currently loaded with a hospital load out, you will need a lot of medical staff. You get back to base and you are getting assigned to a more recon mission, okay you swap out the hospital module, but how much staff will need be swapped as well? Are some personnel assigned to the modules? A basic skeleton crew to keep the MTF cruiser's 'core' ship operating?

[@theorangeninja6486]

"mom, can we get a nebulon?" "no, we have a nebulon at home" the nebulon at home:

[@fakshen1973]

Having the modules makes sense, especially if it's hangared in a larger ship or smaller base. The other thing is that if you have a whole other ship, you have to crew that ship... you have to maintain that ship. Modular designs work well if they are competent designs and it's acceptable that they won't be as good as a dedicated ship... but in its temporary role, it's adequate.

[@randymotter51]

I like that you brought up the practicality of the ship. I remember watching a video way back about why modular designs for real world ships don't work well and it is similar to what you suggested here. Being able to change the modules quickly and easily is a must and the needed module must be available and properly stored. You must also have personnel capable of properly operating any special equipment, which can be hard to do at a moments notice. On top of that by the time you have made the switch the task in question may not be needed anymore. Easier and simpler logistically to just make all the ships you might need and add or remove personnel as needed. If a new task is required the modular ship would have to be recalled from duty to make the change. Just sending another ship would mean you not only save the time from not having to recall a vessel but you can get it prepared and crewed more quickly allowing you to respond to a need while it is still relevant. It also means not pulling a ship away and leaving a gap in your fleet. It is all a really big headache having to change out a ship for entire missions, though smaller modules to tweak a ship would be different especially for a sci-fi ship in space. Modularity has to be done as a supplement to the vessel and not the whole design philosophy to be useful without a huge headache. Think of a combat ship with a single space somewhere for a small module. Extra supplies for a long time away could be nice or providing extra munitions or hangar space for a battle against a specific threat. Even if the module is not available you still have a functional ship, it just won't be tuned as heavily for a specific situation.

[@fadelsukoco3092]

Oh yeah I remember that ship from the Dark Empire comics! I thought it was some kind of future heavy Nebulon-type ship, tbh.

[@prussianhill]

Some of the potential problems sound like real life drawbacks to the US navy's Freedom class litorial vessels. Modular, but it takes an unexpectedly long time to transition to models, plus the conversion requires both a port facility that can handle the modification as well as having the additional modules on hand.

[@andrewbryant4259]

Imagine this thing beefed up a bit with some big fire power batteries slapped on to make highly mobile and versatile "star destroyers" You put a bunch of these up front with some mobile hangars just behind and landing craft/medical frigate attachments a short lightspeed jump away to clean up

[@phineasdecool8982]

Another often overlooked but great Vessel ist the Strikecruiser. Very useful ship!

[@tkc1129]

There was also the Strike Cruiser, which was a cruiser that was modular. But that one seems both smaller and designed primarily as a warship, not as a support craft. And I think the Nebulon-B should also be modular, just by looking at it.

[@lightspeedvictory]

Kinda reminds me of the Littoral Combat Ship concept IRL. Wonder if some Pentagon planner saw this and thought it would be a good idea IRL…surprised there wasn’t a carrier module #askeck How were the Seperatists able to get past Coruscant’s planetary shields when they attacked in Episode III? Lore ship Versus video request: Resurgent vs. Starhawk Tie Striker vs. New Republic V-Wing World Devastator vs. Vong Worldship Tie Silencer vs. X-83 Twintail Tie Silencer vs. Tie Defender (legends version) Keldabe vs. ISD II MC90 vs. Nebula class star destroyer Nebula class vs. Pellaeon class Majestic class vs. Bothan Assault Cruiser EAWX: FOTR’s Mandator II portrayal vs. Subjugator Praetor vs. Subjugator EAWX: TR’s Mediator portrayal vs. Resurgent Starhawk vs. Bulwark MK III

[@ascensionindustries9631]

Robotech Zentraedi Cruiser vs. Star Destroyer.

[@celebrim1]

"How were the Seperatists able to get past Coruscant’s planetary shields when they attacked in Episode III?" Insider sabotage IIRC.

[@bigman9490]

Eck, Love the vid. These logistic ships are great. I think a modular ship is more of a long-term strategy play. Certain time periods may require certain class of ship (hospital or salvage for current civil war) while future time periods require another class (survey, control/inquisition or maybe there could have been expansion support/engineering module). This makes sense. Build a short-term dominance (Star destroyers) fleet and a long-term support/flexibility (modular cruisers) fleet. Add the economic feasibility on top with modular capability and this makes more sense. Of course, the empire never expected to lose the galactic civil war, but they were looking beyond that time frame. Just my thoughts.

[@RylTheValstrax]

I love seeing modular ships/base hull design re-use in fiction since its believable (much more so than things like a single company producing a number of ships that should be similar and reuse parts only to have radically different designs for each class) that one would want to recycle a base hull design across several classes, and in some cases swappable modules also make sense for some doctrines.

[@Zretgul_timerunner]

One of the few truly greats of imperial designs, built to be multipurpose instead of being turned into that by nessecity

[@sinisterisrandom8537]

This ship is honestly cool. Kind of reminds me of my headcanon design the Bellfast infiltration Vessel which could be modified for numerous different tasks if it was called upon. It's based on a civilian ship that was militarized in which now serves primarily an Infiltration role to get through enemy blockades either to deploy units on the ground or knock out enemy ship's rear engines. So I find the modular taskforce cruiser a fascinating ship to see.

[@khandimahn9687]

Modular sections you swap around sounds good on paper, but is not so practical in practice. As you said, any modules not in use have to be stored. Stored modules are just sitting there, doing nothing. Swapping modules also takes time, and can only be done at special facilities, which limits how often changing them can happen. Then there's the added maintenance to keep everything in good shape so swapping can occur safely and efficiently. And so on. It's just easier to make either a jack-of-all-trades vessel, or use a common framework but build specialized vessels around it.

[@cliffcorson4000]

You could also create a fighter carrier modular cruiser or even something used in WWII of a "JEEP" carrier which ferries fighters to a dedicated carrier/cruiser and could operate as a massive repair/salvage facility for damaged fighters

[@isd_chimaera8335]

Ah, the Modular Taskforce cruiser, a ship that just seems to want to blow up no matter where I place it in my empire at war campaigns. Still, a fun ship nonetheless. Thanks for the video Eck!

[@rodneykelly8768]

Modular ships are becoming common. "Star Fleet Battles" has the tugs, and "Traveller" has Element Class Cruisers. These are not the main ship types of any fleet, but they do give operations a bit of flexibility. These ships could be considered "Jack-Of-All-Trades," but one should remember the full quote, "A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one."

[@МихаилРозов-ю9п]

In fact, the reason for the appearance of a modular CRUISER is that the replacement of a damaged module is often faster than the repair of the module. In addition, in the manufacture of many modules, it is not required to use the huge production capacities of such large shipyards as Kuat, Mandalore or Mon Calamari. The ship was created in order to control the outer and middle rims without overspending resources on relatively slow Star Destroyers that could not keep up with rebel Freighters. To prevent Lando's Arrival basicly. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6jbmZ-vh8Rjatk&ysclid=lade3z9evt878883745

[@justinvanvolkenburg5298]

The other idea is that a space station could be used to keep the various modules in use and available for said ships. That way personnel can be kept on stand by and the modules are kept in a state of order.

[@nobleman9393]

Video Idea: Colossus(Halo) vs Knight Paladin (Warhammer 40k)

[@pierz882]

Ah yes, finally the most beautiful ship gets the attention it deserves, thank you ever so much Eck!

[@Hadex79]

The Modular Taskforce Cruiser is one of my favorite ships in Star Wars. Logical design to solve the logistical needs of the navy. Every era should have something similar.

[@ascensionindustries9631]

I loved the Dark Empire comics. I still have the originals but haven't read them since they came out. Now that my comics are buried under a pile of Gundam kits, I'll probably get the graphic novel as a reading copy.

[@teekayfourtwoone4686]

I can see in production, having a common frame and then being able to add whatever module you want. Probably helps keeps cost and fabrication time down. Doesn't sound practical to be swapping out parts though. Are you going to stockpile all these modules? Would a hospital module be fully staffed by doctors and nurses just waiting around in storage? Would a crew with a hospital module be prepared to operate with a repair module? Recon module? Training could be an issue. Maybe you need a module, but no spaceframes are available. Logistics of sending ships in to swap out modules.

[@wolftal1178]

It shows initiative and adaptability. It’s the same way the Republic military and fleets were. They had basically multitask ships that could do any number of roles. A single vanetor Class, was a warship/Ship carrier and also could take a certain amount of cargo, not to mention was highly agile and small enough to fly in dangerous areas. But still be large and powerful enough to do a massive hit. In addition to that it could also carry many troops and tanks if needed. It was never quite as good as a specialised ship for certain roles. But in reality you could send it into any scenario and it would have the capability of doing any number of roles and tasks. that was one of the problems the Empire had. They were far too specialised and had to call in special troops and equipment for a certain planets or battles. It’s obvious the empire learnt the mistake far too late as by the time of the dark Empire they were nowhere near as powerful as they used to be nor would ever really recover.

[@thomasbrown6723]

I can see the modular class being perfect for the imperial remnant since they don’t have as many resources or ships than the empire I can see this ship being used to replace most support ships since it can be changed out for any role instead of having a separate ship type to do it

[@reallybigmistake]

Another cool ship from the Dark Empire comics is the Allegiance Class Star Destroyer which is 2200 meters. Got used as escorts for the original black Eclipse class SSD

[@ultramarine0123]

What ever mad man actually got the us navy to try this deserves a toast and a hug for how badly it went

[@trebacca9]

The MTFC is often imagined as the Swiss-Army-Ship, but practically speaking, module swaps were probably rare. The real advantage is being able to crank out the hulls much much faster than specialized craft, and have ground-side industries build the modules separately. A repair cruiser probably remains a repair cruiser unless circumstances change drastically for the command it's serving with.

[@Darkfirephoenix3010]

The biggest question I have is: Could the modules operate without being attached to a ship/could be attached to a station or turned into a "tiny station" itself or such. I mean having multiple such modules just "laying around" unused is a waste, so the ability to just "deploy" them at a spot in working condition where they are needed but won't have to be moved for the forseeable future would be a great idea. For example: They found a system with a planet suitable for a colony. They deploy a MTFC with Observation module to keep an eye on the system and see if they can find traces of enemies (while also doubling as a possible pre survey), MTFC "deploys" the module, flies off, grabs a survey module, comes back and places the module in orbit of the colony candidate planet...

[@Leonidas1210vc]

Wait you're telling me this isn't a fan design? Sweet

[@eclipped]

@@michaelandreipalon359 you obviously know what he meant, why even correct him

[@eclipped]

@@michaelandreipalon359 fair, apologies on my end

[@voiceofraisin3778]

Not a bad idea. Standard set of engines and flight deck so you can train crew up quickly and swap them around. You dont necessarliy have to have multiple modules just a production requirement to contractors t have a standard layout of corridors and power couplings. Produce the units in smaller factories rather than tying up shipyards then slot them onto a hull and your good to go. If a ship is damaged, if the engines need an overhaul but you have a high value module just swap it over onto a working hull or vice versa. Plus since theres only one type of hull you can standardise maintenance training

[@josephmontanaro2350]

Would be cool to see some combat type modules, a hanger one for fighters and gunboats, a missile one like an IRL AGIS type setup and basically a smaller scale victory SSD, an orbital bombardment configuration, just a straight up turbo/ion cannon battery one, etc.

[@Amarok410]

almost looks like a cousin design to the Nebulon-B. both do seem to have similar functions.

[@tombearclaw]

So the modularity factor is not just for the flexibility of the platform but it also makes it easier for the manufacturer to subcontract the production of the specialized mission modules

[@enisra_bowman]

i am not shure if "modularity" means that they are ad hoc interchangebility and more that you don't need to design multiple spaceframes, like with cars, particular modern electric ones where you have von Skateboard that you build a chassis on it or some Shipdesigns in the End, it's the same with the Danube Runabout or the Nebula-Class in Star Trek, where they also have Modules/Pods but they never ever Change But since that are all Fictonal: it would have been really cool if we would see on DS9 or Star Wars a Thunderbird 2 Style change of Modules

[@davebignell773]

So rather like the Strike class medium cruiser from the old Expanded Universe. Back in the old X-Wing books, a Strike cruiser called the Termagant shows up, but she had been modified since the last time the New Republic had seen her to carry a squadron of TIE's in addition to her own weaponry. And there was also a Strike class used as a transport to haul parts of the Death Star superlaser in the Tales trilogy (Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina I think).

[@johngancarcik5682]

Honestly this a practical option different modules on each ship gives some unique combinations like say combat and espionage together or medical and something endless combos to be made

[@getnohappy]

For a support vessel, a generic spaceframe that's fitted with a module at construction makes sense. Means each ship can be built to order without needing a whole new design or retooling of the construction yard. But as you say, a modular design itself doesn't because they'll be a lot of unused resources sitting around.

[@daniwalmsley611]

These are really great as long as you keep your modules at an immobile position be it at base or on a ship that cannot be dispatched with the ship (ie the Modular task force cruiser is part of a... task force)

[@MercenaryPen]

Personally I see the idea of modular warships like this, the Loronar strike-class cruiser and others as being an advantage only in concept. The problem is the need to change out for specialist modules and the need therefore for major naval bases to have a surplus on hand of any module that is likely to be needed... so rather than having 40 specialist vessels, you have the main frames of 20 modular cruisers, and the need to pre-position at least 100 mission modules for them at the naval bases for the sector they've been assigned to

[@macwelch8599]

Interesting design for an Imperial starship

[@loganwendigo937]

This ship lives rent free in my head since I saw it in Dark Empire

[@patrickfiller5197]

I think the modularity could have worked very well for the empire if executed correctly. One thing the empire did have was resources and logistics. Having MTCs as a common fleet element would pay off if every major shipyard and fleet support outpost had modules stored there. Basically, anywhere a fleet regularly operates out of, there are MTCs, modules, and the facilities to apply them. Especially if these cruisers had Class 1 hyperdrives like ISDs, they could quickly respond to support needs as they arose. Thinking about it kind of like a fire station, where the crews grab any specific tools they’ll need for rescue or firefighting on their way out to the scene.

[@brentbarr498]

Well done... simply awesome info.. thank you!!

[@pirateraider1708]

This kind of ship sounds like it would be great for video games. You start with just the skeleton, then get some basic modules to complete it, then get better ones to upgrade it, and fully customize it with select modules. Eventually you get the best ship possible.

[@zachhoefs9543]

This would make most sense to have one or two large yards building the basic ship, as since they are all the same they could build them quickly. And then have smaller yards building the modules and moving them to the main yards to be mated to their host vessel. But don't worry about changing modules. The time it would take to move the ship to a yard to swap modules and also having those modules just sitting around waiting to be picked up is just not, in my opinion, good planning.

[@kelirsteel4358]

Cough Cough #askEck, where’s is our dogo chad?An that man’s playing Gallaga, Pappy didn’t think we’d notice but we did.

[@HunterDrone]

the drive module of this thing looks very similar to the rebel Nebulon B's drive module... what if the Nebulon A, AKA the Imperial Nebulon, was an earlier model of the same series that was scrapped in favor of these? it would explain why the rebellion is able to use their version as carriers, hospital ships, and heavy cruisers seemingly interchangeably.

[@andrewm3210]

Speaking of janky-looking, what's up with that weird Corellian-looking ship directly to the left of the Modular Taskforce Cruiser at 2:15?

[@admiralcasperr]

When books described Rocinante to look like an Anvil I imagined something like this.

[@slothfulcobra]

There were a ton of smaller cargo-train ships like the FSCV in the X-Wing games, especially Alliance

[@toobin8r]

You know, every time I look at it, the back of the ship makes me think of an updated, larger version of a Nebulon-B

[@multikings20]

While a good idea for standardization, we recently learned how difficult a ship with interchangeable modules with the Freedom and Independence class littoral combat vessels

[@appo9357]

Take a shot every time he says Modular Taskforce Cruiser.

[@DerricsRevenge]

THE MTC!!!! I fucking love that ship and along side the Victory 2 should have been the main stays of the imperial fleet

[@Gigas0101]

What's odd to me is the thruster heavy back end with the impractical narrow spots make it look more like a rebel design. Still a great design and I like seeing it in Thrawn's Revenge!

[@LaneCorbett]

Legends continues to prove it's superiority. Cannon needs to get to work and expand the Imperial fleet from 5 capital ships.

[@kevinbryer2425]

As a glorified propulsion module with a long tube protruding out of the bow, to which modules would be attached, real measure of the vessel is the level of support it provides for it's mission modules. In this case it appears to be little more than a glorified shoebox, and while that might be economical in the construction phase, if you can't deploy it without sizeable escort, it becomes an operational liability. I'd like to see a similar concept born out of a more capable spaceframe. What is, for example, a Venator, but a propulsion unit with a long tube protruding out of the bow, to which modules would be attached? In the case of a stock Venator, foreword of the side docking bays, those modules are numerous hangers, all encased in a neat triangular hull that adds the needed armor and defensive armaments to operate as a mainline carrier/battleship. But strip all that away, and you could theoretically bolt anything to that central corridor, including any number or type of modular containers. It seems like that would be less wasteful than scrapping the ships altogether.

[@bman3794]

I first saw it in forces of corruption thrawns revenge. It looks even better here.

[@alexanderfrank9880]

What game is this that u have simulated space battles in

[@sumukhvmrsat6347]

My Variants Carrier variant (Snape: oOBviously) Dockyard variant Weapons platform Those Fast fleet auxiliaries from Lost fleet series by Jack campbell sensor platforms,dark mode

[@jasonrosato9768]

I’ve been using the word janky so much recently and this just popped up in my notifications 😭😭

[@Qbertqueso]

I didnt even need specs or lore, the design alone made it on my favorite list.

[@piperdude82]

The real world Litoral Combat Ship (US Navy) was designed with a very similar modular philosophy, and it was a disaster, for many of the same reasons you mention in your video.

[@bowling007us]

also reminds me of the Strike Cruiser - modular design

[@ironbatman9689]

how many times did Han hide the falcon by landing on the outside hull of a star destroyer?

[@oatlord]

Is the dude in the thumbnail from 40k painting? Looks familiar.

[@kennethferland5579]

Is that block hanging below the engine the module? Or is it elsewhere?

[@ExiledPiasa]

Could be like ST Nebula class with different pods/modules (weapons, ECM/ECCM, survey, medical, hangers), just a few hours in home port *poof* new mission profile.

[@drxtale9446]

Janky? That task force cruiser looks amazing! Well not amazing but does look cool, it being Able to modify a ship to your needs is great thinking. I gotta say I would put it in my top 5 ships! And my favorite would be the Mandator dreadnought. Mainly the design in Fall of the Republic mod for EAW.

[@TheWingland]

Fleet battle between Grand admiral Thrawn vs. Ender Wiggin Each one has an equal sized fleet with equally capable subordinates, and since Ender is from a different universe each has equal understanding of the technology they’re using. They are in command of Star Wars vessels. Pick a famous fleet of your choosing I’d suggest death squadron

[@mcdguy427]

dam you’re dedicated

[@Namewriter]

I too wish to see this fight

[@Namewriter]

Make sure Ender has Bean and Thrawn has Palleon

[@Namewriter]

In fact, let's make it interesting and give both of them each other's books too

[@TheWingland]

@@Namewriter not the books. I imagine this as they have no knowledge of each other and no prep time. Kinda like how deathbattle does it.

[@philtkaswahl2124]

I've always thought that thing looks like someone sand-blasted a star destroyer, pierced it through a frisbee, and then stuck a box onto its ass.

[@TheWingland]

Fleet battle Rebel fleet at Endor vs. Cole’s fleet at Cole’s last stand. With each being commanded by their respective admirals.

[@danielkennedy5602]

It would almost make sense to have a fleet of these vessels that serve as a mobile ship yard.

[@dlombana161]

Ahh my favorite victim in Thrawn´s Revenge. Nothing like having the AI desperately throw dozens of them them at an Empire off the Hand fleet 1/3 of the size and watch their shields get sniped in preparation for a full barrage.

[@michielkudova3887]

Why did you ditch them in your run of the dark empire campaign for thrones revenge?

[@kurtploszczyniec1403]

Maybe late, but, who's the janky dude in the title? Looks soooo familiar!

[@thestalwartinefromstalwart4126]

I had honestly clicked on this expecting it to be a canon ship.

[@jackstecker5796]

What was it called? Carrick class strike strike cruiser? Same idea.

[@rebelappliance771]

Pierz will be most pleased.

[@rebelappliance771]

A user on the EcksToo discord who really likes the ship.

[@shyneguy]

It's a great concept but the reality is modular ships are incredibly complicated and very expensive as evident from the US Navy's Littoral Combat Ships. The design was retired almost immediately after the first ships were commissioned (possibly even before they went into full service, can't remember)

[@jeffreycarman2185]

The Imperial Navy would make so much more sense if it weren’t entirely populated with gigantic Star Destroyers.

[@AmaraHammerhead]

A favourite of mine is the Lancer class frigate