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Description

Ported to OBJ from the fan-created model made for the Starfleet Command (SFC) series of video games. Based on the original design from FASA Corporation as created for its various Franchise licensed Star Trek gaming products. Preview picture posed in XNALara XPS. NO MODEL DOWNLOAD.

Derf is a uniquely FASA creation. It falls in the same category as the SFTM's Ptolemy in that it is a Class I auxiliary and not a combatant. In Derf's case it's a tender, originally just a space buoy tender per the FASA materials but later expanded on by us fans to serve in other fleet tender roles. If that seems kind of weird to some of you that Starfleet would "waste" a starship class like this on such mundane tasks, then you should delve into what's required for aquatic buoy tending, fleet tenders, repair and stores ships, and similar mundane support stuff in our time, then take into consideration how much territory and how far would one would have to go through space in the Trek multiverse to provide these services - especially if it's on the extreme edges of Federation space. Add to that the fact that you could easily come up with the starship class you need for that out of existing Class I components, then factor in the idea that you could use such a starship class as a fleet tender way out there instead of a mere buoy tender, and suddenly Derf starts making a whole lot of sense. After all and even in our time, warships old and new sometimes get retasked, rebuilt, or even redesigned under construction for things other than fighting. Just as with Ptolemy, you need a long range tender in the Class I fleet. That why I and many others have come to accept FASA's Derf ... even if we've had to retcon it somewhat (grin-and-wink).

Derf is semi-canon, since all of FASA's materials were made until a license from the Franchise at the time; however, it's one of those semi-canon Federation starship classes that pretty much gets ignored by most fans since it's an auxiliary and not a ship of the line. Nonetheless it does have its place in the TOS era Starfleet, and per the FASA materials it also gets upgraded so it can keep performing its mundane but necessary duties in the TMP era. I will deal with the TMP era Derf when the time comes.

Live long and prosper.

ASIDE - It's probably safe to say that you could get one of the various TMP era Class II starship class derivatives (that's STIII's Garneau/Oberth etc.) to take over for Derf in the space buoy tender role in the TMP era, although Derf would still be useful as a fleet tender. Whatever works for you. Remember, Trek is a multiverse now. XD

Description

Ported to OBJ from the fan-created model made for the Starfleet Command (SFC) series of video games. Based on the original design from FASA Corporation as created for its various Franchise licensed Star Trek gaming products. Preview picture posed in XNALara XPS. NO MODEL DOWNLOAD.

Derf is a uniquely FASA creation. It falls in the same category as the SFTM's Ptolemy in that it is a Class I auxiliary and not a combatant. In Derf's case it's a tender, originally just a space buoy tender per the FASA materials but later expanded on by us fans to serve in other fleet tender roles. If that seems kind of weird to some of you that Starfleet would "waste" a starship class like this on such mundane tasks, then you should delve into what's required for aquatic buoy tending, fleet tenders, repair and stores ships, and similar mundane support stuff in our time, then take into consideration how much territory and how far would one would have to go through space in the Trek multiverse to provide these services - especially if it's on the extreme edges of Federation space. Add to that the fact that you could easily come up with the starship class you need for that out of existing Class I components, then factor in the idea that you could use such a starship class as a fleet tender way out there instead of a mere buoy tender, and suddenly Derf starts making a whole lot of sense. After all and even in our time, warships old and new sometimes get retasked, rebuilt, or even redesigned under construction for things other than fighting. Just as with Ptolemy, you need a long range tender in the Class I fleet. That why I and many others have come to accept FASA's Derf ... even if we've had to retcon it somewhat (grin-and-wink).

Derf is semi-canon, since all of FASA's materials were made until a license from the Franchise at the time; however, it's one of those semi-canon Federation starship classes that pretty much gets ignored by most fans since it's an auxiliary and not a ship of the line. Nonetheless it does have its place in the TOS era Starfleet, and per the FASA materials it also gets upgraded so it can keep performing its mundane but necessary duties in the TMP era. I will deal with the TMP era Derf when the time comes.

Live long and prosper.

ASIDE - It's probably safe to say that you could get one of the various TMP era Class II starship class derivatives (that's STIII's Garneau/Oberth etc.) to take over for Derf in the space buoy tender role in the TMP era, although Derf would still be useful as a fleet tender. Whatever works for you. Remember, Trek is a multiverse now. XD