As much as I love the U.S.S. Enterprise and the other
Federation starships I have to admit that the Klingon ships, especially the Bird-Of-Prey,
really kick when it comes to design, function and overall look in the Star Trek
Universe.
Stripped down, no frills and armed to the teeth this bad boy
of spaceships is the ultimate predator of intergalactic space travel.
Try to imagine being aboard a spaceship and all of a sudden
a deep green silhouette starts to
materialize out of nowhere. Suddenly the
strange ship begins to light up in a deadly array of red lights signifying
weapons activation and as the ship swings around its massive ‘wings’ fold up or
down, depending on the situation, and energy beams lance out as the last thing
you see is sudden flash of light and then oblivion.
The Klingons sure know how to make and entrance!
In Klingon Bird-Of Prey: I.K.S. Rotarran (B’rel-class Owner’s
Workshop Manual, written and designed by Rick Sternback and Ben Robinson and published
by Gallery Books, readers get to enjoy a different type of Haynes Manual.
Inside complete schematics and specs look at the infamous
Klingon spacecraft from stem to stern. Weapons,
shields, engines, deflectors, the bridge and every other nook and cranny of the
Bird-of-Prey is examined complemented by full-color photos, computer generated images
and spiced up with historical and technical text.
All other classes of Klingon ships are given their due along
with key characters, technology and the Klingon code of honor and history.
This is more than just a book about a particular spaceship,
this is about the Klingon Empire itself which places battle and honor above all
else.