From Space Quest Omnipedia

Aluminum Mallard
Type/class:	Snark-class Speedster
Captain:	Roger Wilco
Origin:	Unknown
Games seen or mentioned in:	SQ3 SQ4 SQ4.5 VSB
Locations seen or mentioned in:	Most of SQ3 Found on the Garbage Freighter Magmetheus Radon
Defenses:	Limited Frontal and Rear shields
Weapons:	Frontal phasers
Max speed:	Light speed
Price	Unknown

[edit] History

The Aluminum Mallard was found in an unusable state by Roger Wilco on a garbage freighter in Space Quest 3. Roger managed to find a warp motivator for it, and replace its auxiliary reactor with one found in the rat's lair, but the ship uses wiring of uncertain quality.

The Aluminum Mallard, as seen in the beginning of Space Quest 3.

It was captured by the Pirates of Pestulon but retrieved to again serve Roger in his transport of the Two Guys From Andromeda to Earth and his consequent journeys. It has since been seen outside the bar where Roger was captured by the Sequel Police in Space Quest 4.

On his return to Magmetheus he learned that the Mallard had been towed away for overtime parking and impounded as payment to cover his yearly pledge renewal to Patrician Broadcasting.^[1] Roger was stranded on the planet with only just enough buckazoids to buy passage back to Xenon, where he joined the StarCon Academy.

[edit] Aluminam Mallard in Fan Games

Roger Wilco returns to the Space Quest IV.5 time sector to find that his Aluminum Mallard was still in place on the planet, however he had received a ticket from the Bar's Security Guards for parking illegally, and allowing the parking meter to expire. He was lucky that the Mallard hadn't been towed away. Roger discovered the battery on hAluminum Mallard's keys were drained. Roger found a new battery and was able to enter the ship. Inside he discovered that the ship's onboard computer A3D had been activated since he had been gone and that a spark plug needed to be replaced. After replacing the spark plug he was able to leave the planet and head to Estros. After a few stops between a Monolith Burger and Planet X, Roger returned to Estros. He was forced to leave the Mallard behind when Zondra forced him to go to the Wedding planet. Roger was able to jury rig his communicator in order to call A3D to bring the Alluminum Mallard and rescue him before he was married to Zondra. Roger jumped into hyperspace, but engines malfunctioned stranding him in space. After partially fixing the engines, he made his way to StarCon Academy. Engineers at the Academy fixed the Mallard in exchange for him finding a spy. After tracking down the spy Roger decided to join StarCon. Beginning his training he left the Mallard at the Academy..

Under Roger's control, the Aluminum Mallard crashed into the ice world of Radon in Space Quest: Vohaul Strikes Back. The fate of the ship following his adventure there is currently unknown.

[edit] Technical Details

The Interior of the Aluminum Mallard, as seen in SQ3.

When landed, the ship can be accessed from the rear ramp, however a hatch is also provided on the roof in case you like playing with heights. Of course, the hatch is mainly used for docking with space stations such as Monolith Burger. The interior of the Aluminum Mallard is equipped with one pilots seat and two passenger seats. The systems of the Mallard are powered by an auxiliary reactor, which can be accessed via a panel behind the passenger seats. Opposite the passenger seats is a computer display, used for viewing the ships blueprints and diagnostic systems. To the rear of the craft is a panel with a red button marked 'Open/Close' which, strangely enough, opens and closes the rear ramp.

Light speed is powered by the warp motivator, which is accessed via a panel on the roof of the ship, and cannot be accessed from the interior. All ships systems are controlled via the computer screen in the cockpit. The main menu of the computer provides options for engines, navigation system, take off, cruise, light speed, attack speed, radar, weapons systems. The navigation system is used for scanning the sector for planets and stations, and the computer also plays a delightfully annoying little tune for you while scanning... over and over and over again! The ship has three standard speeds: cruise (painfully slow), attack speed (fast enough to shoot and dodge things, but unfortunately slow enough to get shot at!) and light speed. Flying with the radar deactivated is not recommended, and once you have turned the radar on, you cannot turn it off while in flight. The ship is equipped with limited front and rear shields (which are useful for deflecting enemy blasts and other random objects), as well as frontal phasers, however these weapons systems cannot be used while landed, and only one of the shields can be used at any one time.

Whoops, there goes the Mallard.

[edit] Blueprints

(Click for a larger image)

Interior

Side view

Top view

[edit] References