Star Trek: 10 Secrets Of The Danube-class Runabout

According to the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual by Herman Zimmerman, Rick Sternbach, and Doug Drexler, the Danube-class runabout was designed at the Utopia Planitia Shipyards in 2365 (or around the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation), intended to "perform rapid-response scientific expedition transportation" and act as temporary bases of operation (either in space or landed on a planet) for scientific missions.

This role was aided by the runabout's modular design which consisted of several structural components including a main structural spine running along the top of the ship which contained the warp core and power transfer conduits, two standard warp nacelles, two impulse modules, and three "underslung body components" consisting of the cockpit, removable cargo module, and the ever elusive aft living compartment.

Another modular component was the removable roll bar sensor pod which first appeared in the season one episode "Past Prologue". While this nifty attachment helped sell the idea of runabouts as versatile and modular vehicles, the sensor pod was designed by Deep Space Nine's art department to help the audience clearly distinguish the Ganges from the Yangtzee Kiang during the episode's runabout chase sequence.

Unfortunately, stock footage of the runabout in its two different configurations was accidentally mixed up for its one and only appearance in Star Trek: Voyager's "Non Sequitur." In that episode, the experimental Yosemite-class runabout (identical tobut different from the Danube-class) is depicted with a sensor rollbar in a single reused shot from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, while all other shots showed the runabout without the pod... oops.