Docking the Defiant

[Enola Straight]

When the Defiant docks with DS9 it does so through her Deflector Dish.



Aside from the warp nacelles, the deflector dish pulls massive amounts of power from the Warp Core. Also, Starfleet ships generally place the ship's main sensor array directly behind the dish, to "see through" the deflector beam in order to minimize sensor distortion.

How the hell do you put an airlock there?!?

[El Moose Monstero]

Isnt the Defiant nose at an angle, with the deflector dish slanted as an underside? I always assumed the airlock was ontop of the dish and sensor package, you just never had occassion to look for it.

[Howedar]

I figured it was in the little gray box below the deflector but in the inset, personally.

But even then, the nose goes in far enough that the airlock could be on the side of the nose. I think.

[Sarevok]

Isnt the Defiant nose at an angle, with the deflector dish slanted as an underside? I always assumed the airlock was ontop of the dish and sensor package, you just never had occassion to look for it.

Yes the Defiants nose is slanted at an angle. And the deflector dish is very small compared to other Fed ships

[BenRG]

I always thought that the axial ridge that runs along the top of the Defiant's deflector assembly might contain a 'pop-up' airlock compatible with the DS9 main locks.

Please note that, as far as I know, the only docks on the station's ports are the cicular ones in between the docking clamps. The clamps seem to take up too much room for there to be 'access arms' that could fold over from the side.

[Sarevok]

Could there be another airlock on the dorsal side where the circular bridge like structure is located ? It looks like a hatch sometimes.