"(...) Yes the notch in the front is a forward launch bay. And yes the name Yeager is after Chuck Yeager as is the NCC # 6-1947... the year he broke the sound barrier. Also there was another design that was not used in the film that was given the USS Yeager name, so I wanted to make sure that at least the name made it through. The unused design was posted on John's blog, it was the 1st design in that post. [1] The textures are from the Galaxy-class Enterprise, it was a quick way to show that even though it was a 'new' design, it was of the older era ships compared to the then new Enterprise-E. The # of new ship designs in Star Trek: First Contact was actually only 4, the Sabre, Steamrunner, Norway and of course the Akira. The goal with all of those ships was to make them look completely different from the Enterprise as we were introducing the E in that film and they didn't want people going, 'wait, which one's the Enterprise?' Therefore the very radical layouts on those 4 ships, but still keeping true to the basics of starship design, such as the deflector dish and Nacelle Bussard collectors must have a clear view to open space in the front view etc... [2]^(X)

"(...) Actually ILM was using Electric Image for animation and Form-Z for the models of these ships back then. I don't recall the actual size numbers, I just remember saying it was about the size of the Enterprise's Saucer section. Interesting note I just found that there was second version of the Sabre with a 3rd Nacelle on top called the U.S.S. Saratoga, it also has a wider lower hull for a larger deflector dish and the 3rd nacelle was one from the D Enterprise. I had forgotten about that one! Also in the original sketch I did, the escape pods were lined up along the 'secondary hull' on either side of the red stripe, but when I modeled it something changed and I put them back on the 'saucer' section. [3]^(X)

"(...) A couple more notes about this ship, as some of you have mentioned it's very compact. I basically approached it from the stand point of getting rid of all the struts and necks as possible and still maintain the 2 hull look. So there is still the flat horizontal 'saucer' section and the vertical (although more triangular) secondary hull. The only 'struts' are the stubs holding the nacelles off the saucer edges. I figured I could get away with this compactness since the Defiant had been introduced by the time FC came around. The impulse engines should not be glowing all over, you are correct that they only glow at the opening in the back. And as far as the CG model's life, these were VERY low res models, especially the Norway-class, so it's no surprise to me that they've been remodeled several times. Although now that I'm a better 3D modeler I'd like to take a crack at a redesign." [4]^(X)