What would an improved Atlantis-style city ship need?
Short answerIt would need production lines for its small craft and weapons, plus shipyards able to build replacement warships.
NotesA city ship designed to cross space should carry the means to sustain its own military force. The critique of Atlantis asks why such a vast vessel lacks production lines for Puddle Jumpers, weapons and replacement craft. Shipyards would let the city build destroyer-sized vessels rather than depend entirely on whatever survived the voyage. The fictional example makes a real logistical point: mobility without repair and production capacity leaves a force unable to replace losses. Its combat power depends on industrial support as much as the city ship itself.