What is a Starbase?

Today i look into the confusing and inconsistent world of Starbases. these facilities can apparently take many forms from small to large space stations like K-7. to purely planet-bound facilites such a Farpoint Station. in this video i seek to understand this discrepancy and understand the role starbases play in the world of Trek.

[joshk]

Have you heard the tragedy of Container Ship 782A?

It was carrying all the Dyson model 2372 the latest and most powerful vacuum ever designed when it was ambushed by Jem'hadar Raiders and lost with all Hands and vacuums. The resulting loss of Container ship 782A left Starfleet at the mercy of billions of nano particles of space dust.

Those were dark days for Starfleet akin to the Great Tribble Plague of the Klingon Empire.

[occultatumquaestio]

So, 3 overarching tiers of Starbases: Tier 1 are planet-side or minor orbital bases used for basic resupply, research, & repair and can be independently owned & operated by civilians or even automated. Tier 2 is way-point stations that must have Starfleet personal, are decently fortified, & carry advance/restricted materials/procedures. Tier 3 are self-sufficient city-sized megastructures for fleet strategic maintenance & coordination and have an array of defenses to hold it's own against all but the most formidable foes.

[philly]

Mentioning vacuum cleaners with a picture of the dust buster phasers. Love it

[weldonwin]

3:59 No starship can possibly function without the blinky-bar-doodad. It's been a key component of starships and stations for centuries, since at least the 2160's and is clearly a much more vital device than even the warp core

[Nostripe]

Love when a series gets into the weeds and talks about general maintenance. Makes the world feel more real when you have engineers complaining about weekly realignment of navigation or how a ship class is known to get micro fractures to the ships hull due to poor design

[frankowalker]

3:55 You always need the equipment with the lights that go back and forth.

You've done a great job with this video. Very concise and well researched. :)

[Jager]

The best example C-n-C base that springs to mind is Epsilon Nine from ST: TMP. The facility served two roles, first serving as command base for the various patrol ships and other vessels on and near the Federation side of Klingon border. Second, Epsilon IX also served in the role of a long-range early warning sensor array capable of peering deep in Klingon territory and passively monitor/deter the likely used of assembly areas for any hostile activity by the KDF, slowing the advance or forcing the Klingons to cross the border in smaller less combat effective groupings while sitting far enough off said border for local Starfleet assets to respond to any hostile advance on the station.

[tullyDT]

Thanks for picking my topic.
Also you're getting really good at using music to convey messages and emotion. I love that you threw in In the Hall of the Mountain King for describing how chaotically complex star ship logistics actually are .

[avenuePad]

Man. I was literally just thinking about this two days ago while I was driving. Crazy you just released this video a couple days later. I was thinking about DS9, and if Sisko was serving in the TOS era if he would have been wearing the starburst flower insignia designating starbase duty. But then I was like, "Is DS9 a starbase or just a space station like K7?" Going by Venom's definition, Sisko would have been wearing the starburst flower insignia instead of the delta/arrowhead.

[andrwblood]

All I want in life is an hour long PowerPoint presentation on the logistics of supplying dilithium to starbases during the Dominion War.

If you know, you know...👀

[Kosh]

Hey Pal,

Here is what a starbase is: A starbase is a type of facility used by Starfleet as a support base for starships. Starbases can be comprised of both planetary installations, space stations, or a combination of both, and carry out many functions: scientific, strategic, diplomatic, service and supply, starship construction, support for exploration, colonization, and military operations.

[shanenolan]

In tng dialogue suggests over 600 star bases, although beta Canon has it over 700 ., I recall dialogue from ( undiscovered country) the dismantling of all our star bases and space stations along the neutral zone. ( admiral, are we talking about mothballed the fleet ? ) I thought k for klingon. Deep space 5 and deep space 9 were beyond territorial borders. , 5 in the direction of borg space.

[thestanleys]

1-5 I'd assume civilian/independent outposts would be used to resupply ships with commonly available materials food, medical supplies and replacement parts probably with R&R facilities.

6-8 More controlled substances like antimatter would be at least partially militarised probably at outposts designed for major repairs or refits

9-10 large outpost/starbase heavily armed would probably be able to do most of what was previous mentioned. with the additional ability of command and control for a sector of space organising fleet movement or mission objectives etc possibly under the command of an Admiral

[speciesto]

I always think of Earth Space Dock as much more than a Starbase, but also something akin to a massive and centralised customs and immigration hub to/from Earth. There would be millions of people and millions of tons of cargo going arriving and departing Earth each day, some of it is inevitably to/from non-Federation member worlds. Spacedock is like a modern mega-airport, divided into sections for domestic, international, cargo, and military (Starfleet) use. It probably includes all the same trappings, like shops, restaurants, and hotel space for those only passing through on connecting shuttles to somewhere else. It would a fascinating place, but I can see why it would be necessary to be so gigantic given the scope of what it has to do.

[RodneyGlasbergen]

While I think your system for grading out the types of bases is useful it may not be that complex to define what a starbase is.

Sector or regional command and control center with a local commander senior enough to direct operations in a local area while providing the services your structure suggests

[trevynlane]

For Sentient supplies, swap #2 and #3. People are harder to come by then leisure facilities, as anywhere there is a bar there are leisure facilities.

[DrewLSsix]

The term Starbase may refer to an entire infrastructure spread across a wide area, not a singular structure.

For every station and ground based compound we see there's likely something like a fuel depot far off screen where antimatter or deuterium is stored, manufacturing facilities, mining locations. It's likely that a station is towed in or built initially but over time more installations are built to meet demand.

[admiralcasperr]

How I like to think about ST starbases is that they have to have at least two of three things: basic long-term accommodation; basic refuelling facilities; basic technical resupply facilties; as well as at least short-term worker accommodation (ie. the people working on it can sleep and eat there in general comfort).

[beepboop]

Stellaris is the way i mindcannon answer all my Star Wars and Star Trek questions

[barrybend]

They are the equivalent of airbases or ports. Doesn't matter if it's Shoreside or offshore.