Memory Alpha
Register
Advertisement
Memory Alpha
Malosian cargo shuttle schematic

Malosian cargo shuttle schematic

The Malosian cargo shuttle was a cargo shuttle, supposedly of Malosian origin, used by the crew of Enterprise NX-01 to trick Degra into revealing information regarding the Xindi primary weapon. (ENT: "Stratagem") The shuttle was similar in size, if slightly smaller, to a shuttlepod from Enterprise. (ENT: "Stratagem", et al.)

The crew's strategy involved convincing Degra that Earth had been destroyed – after which the Insectoids had turned on and conquered the other Xindi species – and that he and Archer had been placed in the same cell in a prison camp for over three years. Archer told Degra that only through stealing the Malosian cargo shuttle had he and Degra been able to escape; the Malosians were supplying the penal colony a few times a month. The simulated ship could travel at warp speeds and had no weaponry. To fight off a simulated attack from other simulated ships, Archer pretended to drop warp plasma into their intake manifolds.

Malosian cargo shuttle interior

Interior of the cargo shuttle

The actual ship had been designed by Enterprise's crew, with various officers commenting on the difficulty of creating not only a physical style of the ship but also a language and ship interfaces. However, the whole simulator was constructed in less than three days and the "Malosian shuttle" was placed in a cargo bay on Enterprise, with various systems adding to the simulation deception. Anything that was happening in the interior were watched and recorded by the crew, whereas entries in the ship's console, such as frequencies and coordinates were also captured. That way, the location of Azati Prime was intercepted, while Degra tried to "program" the shuttle.

To simulate attacks on the shuttle and other hazards, the hull was placed on a hydraulic lift, allowing for mild tremors through to wild jolts. At one point, the crew planned on shaking the shuttle so violently that they felt the need to warn Archer.

While the shuttle did have a window, a large screen was placed over its field of vision that depicted various "attacks" by other ships or the stars streaming past while traveling at warp. When Enterprise was under attack, Degra momentarily noticed one of these screens flickering. This, combined with other factors, allowed him to see through the simulation. (ENT: "Stratagem")

It is not known whether the design of the shuttle was based on any pre-existing shuttle type, or if indeed there is a race named "Malosian".
In the final draft script of "Stratagem", the Malosian cargo shuttle was initially described as "a nondescript, warp-capable shuttlecraft." The script went on to detail the craft as having a "cramped cockpit area" and "a small viewport on the side of the compartment." A bracketed note then stated, "The control panels and graphics on the shuttle should be of an unfamiliar alien design."
From the Star Trek Encyclopedia (4th ed., vol. 2, p. 15), which described the Malosian shuttle as a "a motion-based flight simulator built in the form of the cockpit of a nonexistent spacecraft", "The Malosian shuttle interior was a modified version of the Voyager "speedboat" shuttle first seen in "Threshold". The exterior of the Malosian simulator was the actual exterior of the cockpit set, which never had a finished exterior skin. In Star Trek: Voyager, that shuttle's exterior was only seen as a visual effect, as a full-sized exterior was not needed."
Advertisement