The Runabouts

Runabout: Generic term for small Federation starships used for relatively sho rt-range interstellar travel. Resembling an enlarged shuttlecraft, runabouts had a cockpit that incorporated a short-range two-person transporter, as well as seating for four people, including a two-person flight crew. The runabout's aft section contained living accommodations, and the midsection was a detachable module that could be replaced for different mission profiles. The Enterprise -D off-loaded three runabouts at station Deep Space 9 in 2369. ("Emissary" [DS9]). Starfleet commissioned the first run a bouts in 2368. ("Paradise" [DS9]). Aft of the pilots' compartment, the craft contained a small living area, with bunks and a replicator for food processing. This area made the craft comfortable for extended travel. ("Timescape" [TNG]). A runabout's exteri or shell is made from duranium composites. ("Q-Less" [DS9]). Runabouts were first seen in "Emissary" [DS9], although the U.S.S. Jenolan (Scotty's Sydney -class transport in "Relics" [TNG]) may also have been an early runabout. The aft section of the runabo ut was first seen in "Timescape" (TNG). The Danube -class runabouts seen in Deep Space 9 are traditionally named after great rivers. The runabout was designed by Rick Sternbach and Jim Martin., and the interior cockpit set was designed by Joseph Hodges, a l l under the direction of Herman Zimmerman. The aft compartment was designed by Richard James. The miniature was built by Tony Meininger. Although runabouts are primarily used in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Picard and company took a trip in an unnamed runa bout in "Timescape" [TNG]), which was the only time to date that the aft compartment has been seen.

Rio Grande, U.S.S.:

Starfleet Danube -class runabout, registry number NCC-72452, one of three runabouts originally assigned to station Deep Space 9. ("Emis sary" [DS9]. It was also seen throughout the run of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Members of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine art department, noticing that the Rio Grande seems to be the longest-lived (and therefore the safest) of any of the runabouts assigned to the station, strongly recommend that if you must travel by runabout, you should choose the Rio Grande. (Just a suggestion...)

Rubicon, U.S.S.:

Runabout, Danube class, Starfleet registry number NCC-72936. Assigned to station Deep Space 9 in 2371. The ship was named by Commander Benjamin Sisko. ("Family Business" [DS9]). Doctor Bashir and Chief O'Brien used the Rubicon to conduct a bio-survey of Merik III just prior to stardate 49066.5. Shortly thereafter, the Rubicon was forced to make an emergency l a nding on planet Bopak III after a group of Jem'Hadar hit the runabout with a subspace magneton pulse. After being held prisoners by a group of Jem'Hadar led by Goran'Agar, Bashir and O'Brien returned to station Deep Space 9 aboard the Rubicon. ("Hippocrat ic Oath" [DS9]). The Rubicon replaced the Mekong, lost in "The Die Is Cast" (DS9). The Rubicon was named after the river in Italy that was of strategic importance to Caesar in 49 B.C.

Ganges, U.S.S.

Starfleet Danube -class runabout, registry number NCC-7 2454, one of three runabouts assigned to station Deep Space 9. ("Past Prologue." [DS9]). The Ganges was first seen in "Past Prologue" (DS9). In that episode, it sported a "roll bar" that contained sensor equipment. From a visual-effects standpoint, the pu r pose of the roll bar was to make it easier to tell the Ganges from the Yangtzee Kiang in that episode's chase sequence. The Ganges was also seen in "Q-Less" (DS9),"Vortex" (DS9) and "The Siege" (DS9). The Ganges was destroyed by a T'Lani munitions cruiser in 2370. ("Armageddon Game" [DS9]). The ship was named after the river in northern India and eastern Pakistan that flows 1560 miles from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal.

Mekong, U.S.S.:

Danube-class runabout, Starfleet registry number NCC 72617, assig ned to station Deep Space 9. ("Playing God" [DS9], "Whispers" [DS9], "The Maquis, Part II" [DS9], "The Jem'Hadar" [DS9], "Heart of Stone" [DS9]). The Mekong was destroyed in the aftermath of the disastrous Cardassian-Romulan attack on the Founders' homewo rld in 2371. ("The Die is Cast" [DS9]). The Mekong replaced the Ganges and was first seen in "Playing God." It was named after the river in southeast Asia that flows south to the China Sea.

Orinoco, U.S.S.:

Starfleet runabout attached to station Deep Space 9; registry number NCC-72905. ("The Siege" [DS9]). The Orinoco was destroyed in 2372 when a Cardassian separatist group calling themselves The True Way sabotaged the runabout's warp core. ("Our Man Bashir" [DS9]). The Orinoco was first seen in "The Siege" (DS9). It was also seen in "Invasive Procedures" (DS9), "Shadowplay" (DS9), "Paradise" (DS9), "The Maquis, Part II" (DS9), and "The Jem'Hadar" (DS9). The Orinoco was named after the 1700-mile-long river in Venezuela.

Yangtzee Kiang, U.S.S.:

Starfleet Danube -class runabout, registry number NCC-72453, one of three runabouts assigned to station Deep Space 9. ("Emissary" [DS9], "Past Prologue" [DS9]). The Yangtzee Kiang was destroyed in a crash on a penal-colony moon in the Gamma Quadrant. Bajoran religiou s leader Kai Opaka was killed in the crash, although artificial microbes in the moon's environment later restored her to life, for as long as she remained there. ("Battle Lines" [DS9]). The Yangtzee Kiang was replaced on Deep Space 9 by the U.S.S. Orinoco. ("The Siege" [DS9]).

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