Stormtroopers try to board a Federation Starship

[Enterprise E]

Let's say that a Federation Galaxy class starship is temporarily disabled. The ship is too large to be tractored into the landing bay of a Star Destroyer so a number Stormtrooper transports, let's say enough transports to hold several hundred Stormtroopers are deployed and sent to board the starship. The Galaxy class starship is fully crewed by Starfleet officers and they are fully armed with standard Federation weapons (Type 2 phasers, and the newest Type 3 phaser rifles). They also have a few photon and plasma grenades as well. The Stormtroopers are armed with their standard weapons loadout from the movies, E-11 Blaster rifles (some may have T-21 repeating blaster rifles), as well as whatever grenades are appropriate. The captain of the Star Destroyer wants the ship captured intact. Engineers are working on fixing the warp core so they can escape. It will take a half an hour for the starship to become operational again.

Can the Stormtroopers capture the starship, or will Starfleet security be able to hold them off long enough for them to get out of there?

[AnonymousRedShirtEnsign]

How many boarding points will the Empire try to use? Because holding them off at one or two choke points should be pretty easy, especially with force fields/ containment fields.

The only way I see for the Imperials to capture the ship is to concentrate on the engineering hull, because that is were all the warp related systems are, and the distances are dozens of meters to the key objective, not hundreds. If they don't know this and attack the saucer, then even if they gain a foot hold, the ship can seperate and leave the saucer behind.

Also grenades aren't an issue. Photon genades have kiloton yields which would rip the thin interior walls apart, and I don't recall the UFP ever having or using plasma grenades. Also when the Empire ever use grenades?

Another thing to consider is the use of transporters. You don't even need to beam the stormtroopers into space, just energize and delete their patterns. Of course this advantage could be nulified by having transporters be disabled.

Assuming the stormtroopers can push through the choke point and get inside the ship, how will they know where they are going. Imperial sensors aren't good so they wouldn't have a map of were to go. I would say that they find and use a turbolift, but any decent commander wuold lock down the deck where the enemy has broken through the line, just like Picard did in First Contact.

So I think several hundred stormtroopers wouldn't be able to capture a galaxy class starship, especially not in thirty minutes or less.

[Jedi Master Spock]

One key element to consider is the psychological:

Although the Imperial captain may want the vessel intact, by threatening to destroy it outright, he may manage to achieve a partial or complete surrender, depending on the captain in command. Not all Starfleet captains have empaths on staff, and sometimes they make bad judgement calls.

If the Imperial captain simply refrains from firing and tries to take over by force via manual stormtrooper boarding, the internal force fields of the Galaxy class are going to make his job impossible to get done in any reasonable length of time.

[AFT]

One key element to consider is the psychological:

Although the Imperial captain may want the vessel intact, by threatening to destroy it outright, he may manage to achieve a partial or complete surrender, depending on the captain in command. Not all Starfleet captains have empaths on staff, and sometimes they make bad judgement calls.

I don’t think that would work, when the Bynars hijacked the Enterprise-D Picard was quite ready to destroy the ship before letting it fall in enemy hands, and actually activated the self-destruct sequence. You may think that the fact that only himself and Riker were on board made this decision somewhat easier and that with a full crew it might not be the case but during “The Defector” he clearly stated that the Enterprise-D crew was ready to give up their lives if their cause was just and honorable.

So any Starfleet Captain would undoubtedly try to avoid that but if necessary they would destroy their ships rather than surrender or allow capture.

[Darth Tanner]

Picard however often used the self-distruct as a bluff to force the issue in several episodes (the one with the blue gas life form that was experimenting on the crew for example) In reality I find it unlikely he would throw away the lives of his crew

A galaxy class dosn't carry that many security people, the Stormtrooper may have a numerical advantage. Also why only 200 of them? A Star Destroyer can carry over 10,000 infantry.

The only real problem I see is the Star Fleet ability to raise force fields at will throughout the invading forces decks, although the Stormtroopers can simply blast through them or take out the emmitters this will take up time.

One interesting idea is that Zero-G troopers would simply burn through the hull, exposing the crew to vacume and take the ship that way.

Oh and stormtroopers do have grenades, those tube things they caryy on their backs are thermal detonators, wether its a tube of seperate grenades or just one big one I don't know.

[sonofccn]

First off hello and welcome!

A galaxy class dosn't carry that many security people, the Stormtrooper may have a numerical advantage. Also why only 200 of them? A Star Destroyer can carry over 10,000 infantry.

Depends on if their at war or not. A GCS can carry IIRC 6000 soldiers during war time. As for Stormtroopers it depends on how many transport shuttles they have to move them. Which the OP state they only have enough for a few hundred at a time.

One interesting idea is that Zero-G troopers would simply burn through the hull, exposing the crew to vacume and take the ship that way.

As ST:nemise should us, an emergency forcefield could pop up preventing such a demise.

Also grenades aren't an issue. Photon genades have kiloton yields which would rip the thin interior walls apart, and I don't recall the UFP ever having or using plasma grenades. Also when the Empire ever use grenades?

I may be mistaken, but don't photon grenaids have settins in the 24 century including stun? IIRC it was said in [TNG] legacy, but I could be remembering the wrong episode title.

[Darth Tanner]

I think Star Trek Protonic granades are just stun grenades full, i've been told that there is an epsode of Kirk Trek where he uses proton grenades against the Gorn and all they do is flash brightly, which wouldn't really effect Stormtroopers wearing full armour with lenses and sonic protection.

[sonofccn]

I think Star Trek Protonic granades are just stun grenades full, i've been told that there is an epsode of Kirk Trek where he uses proton grenades against the Gorn and all they do is flash brightly, which wouldn't really effect Stormtroopers wearing full armour with lenses and sonic protection.

More like a poorly done 60's fireball effect. We know the weapon was a little close at around a kilometer IIRC, which is odd if the device is just a flashbang. also we have Geordi from legacy saying this

Transport a couple of photon
grenades into the adjoining
chambers. At minimum intensity
it wouldn't kill anybody, just
shake them up a lot.

This implies that at higher levels grenades are lethal. So in armor or not Storm troopers would not enjoy a photon grenaid.

[Darth Tanner]

True, but that would be the case for a really powerful stun grenade aswell, but still are the Feds going to want to be putting massive holes in their own decks? This is especially a problem with the federation power distribution metod which would make using grenades severly dangerous for everyone on board.

Also why only a 30 min dead line? surely the SD can simply disable the ship again when it starts to power up.

[sonofccn]

but still are the Feds going to want to be putting massive holes in their own decks?

No, which was why I brought up settings when Redshirt said photon grenaids couldn't be empoyed because of thier yeild.

This is especially a problem with the federation power distribution metod which would make using grenades severly dangerous for everyone on board.

What's so bad?

[Darth Tanner]

I'm sure the Fed could have different types of grenades for different purposes, a conventional frag grenade would be good for corridor battles even if Stormtrooper armour would be some what resistant to it.

Well having plasma running through the walls isnt that handy when things start to explode, or even when the ship shakes, one grenade near one and BOOM! Not only is there a very big hole in the ship but the main power supply is cut. Pretty bad engineering in my opinion, whats wrong with electric wires?

[sonofccn]

Well having plasma running through the walls isnt that handy when things start to explode, or even when the ship shakes, one grenade near one and BOOM! Not only is there a very big hole in the ship but the main power supply is cut.

Would be just as bad for Stormtroopers as Redshirts. Also even when ships are being pounded I don't think I've seen or heard about plasma conduits breaching and frying. Cores yes, conduits no.

[Jedi Master Spock]

I'm sure the Fed could have different types of grenades for different purposes, a conventional frag grenade would be good for corridor battles even if Stormtrooper armour would be some what resistant to it.

Well having plasma running through the walls isnt that handy when things start to explode, or even when the ship shakes, one grenade near one and BOOM! Not only is there a very big hole in the ship but the main power supply is cut. Pretty bad engineering in my opinion, whats wrong with electric wires?

Electric wires have very limited carrying capacity.

Frankly, there are few weapons available that would produce things more destructive than warp plasma - those are some tough conduits. It may seem a strange way to carry energy, but it seems to work out in Trek.

[AnonymousRedShirtEnsign]

In this situation grenades would be almost useless, unless either side has some seriously week grenades. As for Kirks use of the photon grenade in "The Arena" (TOS) it's fired from a tube at a target 1250m away, and Kirk and company have to dive for cover to avoid the shock wave, also I'm pretty sure the big flash was several hundred meters wide. It's too bad the federation doesn't use contemporary frag grenades as they would be very effective in this situation (stormtrooper "armor" is useless for combat purposes).

It wouldn't just be the security officers with phasers, all Starfleet personnel have basic combat training, so everyone not in a crucial area of the ship or working on repairs would probably be used to defend the ship. My guess would be 150-200 security officers and 400 other starfleet personnel acting as security.

Even if the stormtroopers manage to get past the boarding point(s) and into the ship the captain could just order that all turbo lifts be taken off line. I think it would be funny if the stormtroopers get lost or stuck in the Jeffery's tubes trying to find the bridge or engineering.

[Darth Tanner]

"(stormtrooper "armor" is useless for combat purposes). "

Glares evilly

Protection from vacuum, projectiles, energy weapons (blaster bolts never burn though the armour or draw blood, just knock the guy wearing it silly (they scream when they fall)

Turning off the lifts isn’t much of a defence really though, an invading force isn’t going to use an enemy mass transport system regardless, stick to the corridors and access shafts. If they did the captain would be better off allowing them into the pods and turning off the inertia dampeners so they get splattered on the roof.

What official entry points are there on Fed ships? (Other than the storm troopers blowing holes in the hull) shuttle bays obviously, but what else? I remember the original Ent having a direct link to space dock in one of the films but what else? Transporters seem to remove the need for conventional air locks.