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Kazon Ship Sizes
by Bernd Schneider and Jörg Hillebrand

Kazon ships of several types and sizes were featured in the first three seasons of Star Trek: Voyager, and even more names for them: shuttle, fighter, patrol vessel, raider, frigate, carrier vessel and Predator class. Yet, only three Kazon (or Trabe) ship miniatures were used altogether, and only two of them more than just one time.

Carrier and Torpedo

Kazon carrier The carrier is also called mothership type, a massive starship of about 1800m length. The ship being just huge, its size is largely consistent throughout the series. Carriers are featured in "Caretaker II", "Initiations", "Alliances", "Investigations" and "Basics I". The depiction from the Star Trek Encyclopedia II (left) is inaccurate. Our revision (right) takes into account that the front section is larger, that the engines are orange and other discrepancies from the actual model.

Inaccurate Kazon carrier schematic (Star Trek Encyclopedia II)

Corrected Kazon carrier schematic (revised by Bernd)

Kazon torpedo This is a small shuttle with a reinforced, arrowhead-like front, but a completely different design than the usual Kazon raider, fighter or shuttle. The torpedo's length is about 8m, based on the Fact Files schematic and comparison with persons standing beside it when it has penetrated Voyager's hull in VOY: "Maneuvers". The Kazon torpedo didn't show up again.

Kazon torpedo
(Star Trek Fact Files)

Raider and Fighter

Studio miniature variants The Kazon raider of Maje Culluh must be a ship with many decks, whereas the fighter or shuttle is a small vessel carried in the shuttlebay of a raider. We previously believed that there was only one miniature representing both ships, and that except for the customarily different lighting the raider and the fighter were absolutely identical on screen. There are subtle differences, however.

Kazon raider publicity photo  (image by Star Trek in Sound and Vision)

The larger Kazon raider with its characteristic two-deck bridge is the variant we can see on all known publicity photos of the ship model, on all clear depictions and diagrams in the Star Trek Fact Files, and in the form of the Revell/Monogram model kit. Yet, there must be a previously unknown version of the shooting model, using a cockpit module instead of the bridge. The difference between the two ships becomes clear only on DVD caps, as will be demonstrated below. The possible existence of an interchangeable bridge module to turn a large raider into a single-seated fighter and back was confirmed by Rick Sternbach, and now we have visual proof.

Kazon miniature without wings  (image by Model Citizen Reference Guide)

Kazon miniature with cardboard wings  (image by Model Citizen Reference Guide)

There is one photo of the raider/fighter model without several of the "wings" and other hull extensions, but with a large window-like structure in the place of the bridge/cockpit module. This may be the said cockpit window of the fighter variant. Yet, here it looks a bit different, just like neither module is present. The model never appeared like this in any episode, it is obviously a preliminary design stage before the various additional features were added, so the cockpit module may not have been final either. Nevertheless, apparently under the assumption it was shown on screen, Galoob created a Micromachine of the wingless type.

Raider/fighter appearances In "Caretaker" two small Kazon ships can be seen landed on the Ocampa planet, and it is probably these two fighters that attack Voyager near the Caretaker Array before the mothership arrives. The maneuverable ships circle around Voyager, and they are definitely less than 20m long. Clearly they are meant to be fighters. On the screen cap from the latter scene we can notice that there is neither a distinguishable bridge module on the fighter, nor a cockpit window. Most likely the fitting module was not yet finished at the time the pilot episode was shot.

Kazon fighter landed in "Caretaker" (screen capture by Jörg)

Kazon fighter attacking in "Caretaker" (screen capture by Jörg)

The "Making of" on the DVD confirms the impression that the miniature is just not yet completed. The upper bow surface of the Kazon ship model is flush, no module of any type is present. Instead of a module there is some kind of blind apparently covering the openings for the lighting and possible connectors for the module(s). A thin seam runs across this part of the surface just where we would expect the later bridge module of the raider to be attached. Something interesting to observe is that the framework below the cockpit (or below what should be the cockpit) is filled with what looks like solid black. This is not so on the finished raider, but seems to be the case in all fighter appearances. Apparently the black color suggests another (albeit unlit) window.

Kazon fighter in "Making of 'Caretaker'" (screen capture by Jörg)

A raider supposedly appears in "State of Flux". The spacious sets would make no sense if this were a small fighter.

It can be assumed that the young Kazon's ship that is destroyed by Chakotay in "Initiations" is a small fighter. The screen caps from this episode reveal the fighter cockpit module for the first time. It is obvious that the windows are not like openings in the flush upper bow surface, but that a raised module is put on the model.

Kazon fighter in "Initiations" (screen capture by Jörg)

Kazon fighter in "Initiations" (screen capture by Jörg)

Another Kazon ship appearance is in "Persistence of Vision", although only in an illusion created by the Bothans. The scenes show a fighter with the proper cockpit module. Only in one take there is no module, obviously because it is re-used from "Caretaker".

"Maneuvers" features Maje Culluh's ship which is definitely a large raider as indicated by the multi-deck window lighting. The fly-by of the Kazon torpedo and of Chakotay's Type-8 shuttlecraft prove Culluh's ship has several decks and a lower length limit of 80m. Moreover, there is at least one shuttlebay. In the close view it is interesting to notice that the already mentioned framework below the bridge module is hollow and the brownish hull shines through, as opposed to the black filling of the same structure on the fighter.

Kazon raider in "Maneuvers" (screen capture by Jörg)

Kazon raider in "Maneuvers" (screen capture by Jörg)

Yet, there is one small error in the episode "Maneuvers". In some takes the raider appears without the bridge module and therefore looks like a fighter. The reason is that this is actually stock footage from "Initiations".

Kazon raider with fighter cockpit in "Maneuvers" (screen capture by Jörg)

Several Kazon/Trabe ships can be seen in "Alliances", the most prominent being the small fighter that attacks the conference room, again with a length of less than 20m. Definitely another fighter type. Note the already mentioned black "extra windows" underneath the cockpit module.

Kazon fighter in "Alliances" (screen capture by Jörg)

Both types can be seen in "Investigations" when Tom steals a small Kazon shuttle which is shown just after it has been released from the much larger raider. The two types are outfitted correctly, the first with the cockpit module and without additional lighting, the latter with the bridge module and the lit window rows. We also get to see the inside of the cockpit. Although the windows don't really match their supposed outer appearance, it seems that the pilot looks out directly into space.

Kazon raider and fighter in "Investigations" (screen capture by Jörg)

Kazon fighter interior in "Investigations" (screen capture by Jörg)

In "Basics, Part I" the Kazon suicide saboteur's vessel is "not Culluh's ship, looks more like a shuttle", according to Chakotay. In other words, we are dealing with just another fighter. The story of the pilot, Tierna, implies that he must have taken the shuttle to flee from Culluh's ship. Although this is a lie, it is further evidence that Culluh's ship is a big raider and Tierna's shuttle is small enough to fit into the raider's shuttlebay.

Kazon fighter in "Basics, Part 1" (screen capture by Jörg)

"Small raider" in "Basics, Part 1" (screen capture by Jörg)

In the same episode Tuvok identifies the ships that permanently fire at the secondary command processor as "small raiders". These are much smaller than Voyager, as can be seen in some takes where they are unmistakably in front of the Federation ship, so they should actually be fighters. Nevertheless, these ships have the bridge module and are lighted as if they had several decks. Another appearance of the raider variant is at the beginning of "Basics, Part II" where the vessel is destroyed by Tom Paris. This ship is larger than the Type-9 shuttle and is identified as "Kazon patrol vessel".

"Small raider" in "Basics, Part 1" (screen capture by Jörg)

Patrol ship in "Basics, Part 2" (screen capture by Jörg)

Conclusion Except for negligible errors (the re-use of fighter shots for the raider in "Maneuvers" and the bridge and window rows on some of the fighters in "Basics, Part 1"), the difference between the two variants was consistently maintained by the VFX staff. It is evident that raiders and fighters may not be the same size and that they were designed to be different from the very beginning of the show, although secondary literature pretends that there is only one ship type. Even if there were not the small visual difference between the two variants, we would have to assume two sizes for logical reasons.

Kazon raider (reconstructed by Bernd)

Kazon fighter (reconstructed by Bernd)

Still, the question arises why the Kazon who were supposed to be frequent guests in the series were not given two more distinct ship designs. Overall, the complex shape and numerous small external features of the raider/fighter model rather suit a bigger ship which is why the raider appears as the more realistic variant. Moreover, it is impractical that a fighter which is designed to land would have an "elephant trunk".

Raider size estimation The few available VFX shots and the studio model itself can be used for a coarse size estimation of the larger raider. As already mentioned, the lower size limit from ship encounters is 80m. Except for the few windows there are no lifeboats, hatches or other external features pointing to the ship's size. A closer look, however, at the publicity shots of the Kazon raider (Revell/Monogram model kit box and Star Trek Fact Files) reveals that the window locations are not as arbitrary as they may appear. The episode "Maneuvers" shows even more lights that can be identified as windows. I have added all these windows to the inaccurate Fact Files schematic of the Kazon ship, and it works well with a deck count of 9 in the main part of the ship without the "elephant trunk". This yields a length of 160m under the assumption that the deck height is the same as on Federation starships.

Inaccurate Kazon raider schematic (Star Trek Fact Files)

Presumable Kazon raider decks (modified by Bernd)

Credits

Thanks to Rick Sternbach for his support and to Thomas Småberg of The Guardian of Forever for additional information and some pictures from "Investigations" (only in the previous version of this article). Some more photos are taken from the Model Citizen Reference Guide and Star Trek in Sound and Vision. 

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	Last modified: 12.04.07
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