A Federation travel pod was a small shuttlecraft in use by the United Federation of Planets in the late 23rd century. The vessel, which measured about four meters in length, could hold up to eight people, including a pilot and passengers.
Specifics[]
Travel pods featured a hatch at the rear of a vessel with a docking ring that allowed the pod to easily dock with a facility or vessel; facilities and vessels were equipped with ports capable of docking such vessels at several different points on the ship. On a refit Constitution-class ship, there was a port on Deck 1, the port and starboard sides of the photon torpedo bay, and on the port and starboard sides of the secondary hull.
The travel pod was originally designed to allow for the rapid movement of personnel to and from a drydock or other facility to a starship without needing the vessel to enter the shuttle bay, which would require the depressurization and re-pressurization of the bay. After it was built, because of the large window at the front, the travel pod also became a popular inspection car in drydock facilities for engineers. Starships such as the USS Enterprise carried two travel pods on a regular basis. (TOS reference: Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise)
The model MK-II-B orbital travel pod was originally conceived as a zero gravity utility vehicle and transport. Its miniaturized grav-plate produced a 1 G environment, and it was constructed with varying interior configurations. (TOS reference: The Motion Picture Blueprints)
History[]
In the early 2270s, a squadron of Mark II-B pods was in formation, saluting the final flight of the last remaining Class F shuttlecraft, the Galileo II. Pods 02, 04, 05, and 07 were members of this formation. (2006 Ships of the Line calendar; Ships of the Line)
In 2273, a travel pod ferried Admiral James T. Kirk from Earth's Orbital office complex to the recently refitted Enterprise as the transporter systems on the ship were not functional. (TOS movie: Star Trek: The Motion Picture) Using a travel pod, Kirk sent a supply of dilithium as an act of mercy to the captain of a stranded Klingon cruiser, who destroyed the pod rather than accept aid. (TOS comic: "Dilithium Dilemma") Kirk launched empty travel pods from each side of the Enterprise’s dorsal section to divert a Klingon captain’s attention from an escaping refugee ship. (TOS comic: "Double Bluff")
Also that year, Lt. Cmdr. Hikaru Sulu piloted a travel pod from the Enterprise to the surface of Abaris. (TOS comic: "Aberration on Abaris")
In 2285, a travel pod was used to ferry Admiral Kirk and Commanders Hikaru Sulu, Leonard McCoy, and Nyota Uhura to the Enterprise prior to the ship's departure on a training voyage. One year later, a travel pod ferried the recently demoted Captain James T. Kirk and his senior staff to the USS Enterprise-A. (TOS movies: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)
Travel pods were still in use in 2300 when Captain Sulu, Commander Darius Miller, and Lieutenant Elias Vaughn used a travel pod to travel to the Excelsior from spacedock prior to the vessel departing to investigate the Da'Kel bombing. (TOS novel: Cast No Shadow)
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Connections[]
| Starfleet shuttlecraft and auxiliary spacecraft classes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federation, Starfleet | named classes | Aeroshuttle • Danube • Epoch • Flyer • Greyhound • McCall • Mercury (warpshuttle) • Pulsar • Sphinx • Tesla • Valkyrie • Venture (scout) • Waverider • Wraith • Yellowstone • Zodiac (warp shuttle) | alphanumeric designations | 2 • A • C • F • G • H • R10 • S3 • S4 • S5 • S6 • S7 • S10 • S11 • S12 • S20 • SC22 • SW7 • SW21 |  
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| type designations | type-1 • type-3 • type-4 • type-5 • type-6 • type-6A • type-6C • type-7 • type-8 • type-8 cargo • type-9 • type-9A • type-10 • type-11 • type-15 • type-15A • type-16 • type-17 • type-18 • type-18H • Zhang Sui | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| others | mark II • captain's skiff • captain's yacht • Academy trainer craft • unnamed Federation shuttlecraft classes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Federation, Starfleet (Kelvin timeline) |
military shuttle • passenger shuttle • Starfleet shuttle (2230s) |  
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
External Link[]
- Federation travel pod article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.