Intro
I caught a video by Venom Geek Media the other day, discussing Starfleet doctrine. Putting aside whether or not people like that channel, it brought up a question I've seen frequently discussed:
What if Starfleet was organized and built in a sensible manner?
The gist of the video is that Starfleet is not organized sensibly, and would not have defeated the Dominion in a stand-up fight.
Why?
-Starfleet is a cruiser force. Almost all ships are cruisers. There are few battleship and few escorts. In combat, some barely-organized cruisers, relying on individal panache, engage the enemy.
When cruisers are lost, and they will be in each engagement, every engagement becomes painful.
-You need battleships to form battle groups and confront the enemy. This is what real-life navies did with peer competitors. They did not send a lone battleship to show the flag, as in the U.S.S. Odyssey.
-The Klingon B'Rel and other similar vessels are excellent for getting in amongst the enemy. They also can escort larger ships. They can be organically attached and detached from formations in a more fluid manner than full-sized cruisers.
-Basically, the cruiser-orientation of Starfleet is blunt and inflexible, offering fewer tactical options than a more mixed and balanced fleet.
-Small frigates could handle many of the tasks that 'large cruisers' are assigned throughout TNG and DS9.
-Ships should never be sent alone on exploration missions. They require a small flotilla, or at least pairs. There could be a dedicated diplomacy/exploration vessel, and a warship ("escort") to protect it. Several TNG episode "problems" would have been solved if multiple starships were present.
So, the question was brought up, either in the video or the comments: How would you sensibly organize Starfleet?
A scenario was suggested:
It is 2350. The Cardassian border wars have involved intense combat. These encounters have placed existing Starfleet doctrine in question.
The hostilities have brought into prominence a political faction that demands the reorganization of Starfleet. So the "Golden Era" people are no longer in charge. Although they remain a powerful faction that has to be placated.
You are given the task of reorganizing Starfleet to rectify the problems uncovered during the Border Conflict. You must also prepare to face the emerging threat from the Romulans, who are rumoured to be embarking on a massive military buildup.
Starship Designs
Given the discussion in the video, it seems like the following categories of Starship are needed:
1. Battleship. A vessel with maximum armour and firepower. Designed to confront the large vessels of the enemy, and form the core of battlegroups.
2. Exploration ship. A ship with the exploratory capability of the Galaxy-class is still needed. At least in terms of what was actually used in the series. This might be combined with the GCS diplomatic and medical facilities, or they might have specialized vessels as well.
3. Cruiser. It is unlikely that this category would disappear from Starfleet, but it needs to be re-conceptualized somewhat.
4. Frigate. A small frigate is necessary to scout areas, ferry people around, and deliver vital supplies to colonies. Somehow, the Enterprise, Nebula-class ships, and Excelsiors are seen doing this in TNG.
5. Attack ship. This is actually a very important category discussed in the video. This ship needs to be affordable, attritable, and capable of working in a variety of formations. It needs to keep enemy attack ships away, while swarming enemy capital ships.
Reorganization
If we're talking 2357-2358, mid Border-War, then it may be too late to stop the fleet we see in S1 TNG. The Galaxy and Nebula programs are probably underway, and most of the "Golden Era" frigate and cruisers may be entering construction / service.
But in 2350, when maybe the Border War has started to heat up unacceptably, it is possible to conceptualize and build a different TNG fleet.
We have to assume that the budget is largely the same, as more resources cannot magically appear. Maybe the "rationalists" are able to obtain a 10-20% budget increase in the years leading up to TNG. There are dangers, but nothing looming like the Borg or the Dominion. [This is 10-20% above the original timeline.]
Ship Categorizations
So what do to about the ships? Going by the categories above:
Battleship
1. If the re-organization is happening mid Border-War, circa 2357, then we may be stuck with the Galaxy and Nebula-class. That's a whole other discussion.
But in 2350, there is time to design a battleship.
It has to be produced in numbers. It should use the underlying technology base of what became the Galaxy-class program, and low-risk innovations if we want to see them arriving during TNG.
Starfleet would probably be limited to the reactor and weapons used on the Galaxy-class. But the actual design of the ship is up for grabs. The GCS's combat capability could probably be used comfortably from a ship not much larger than the Excelsior.
It would probably need long-range and high-speed, in order to escort exploration missions, and pursue Romulans.
Explorer
2. Exploration is still an important mission for Starfleet, even with a 'rationalized' navy.
You would want something with the mission capabilities seen on screen during TNG. It's been said that such capabilities could largely fit in a ship the size of Intrepid or Excelsior.
It's going to need excellent sensors, communications, transporters, shuttlebays. Probably diplomatic facilities. Likely medical facilities, unless there is a separate vessel.
It does not have to be heavily-armed. In fact, that goes against mission. Nor does it have to be extremely fast. But it needs good cruising capabilities, and it has to keep up with modern ships.
So probably something Excelsior-sized. No saucer-separation. The lavish 'explorer-facilities' seen during TNG.
Cruiser
3. I don't know what to say about cruisers. The Freedom and Niagara-class cruisers may be in production, with Akira in the design or prototyping phase. Concentrate on the Akira for now.
The assumption going forward is that cruisers will operate in groups of 3-4, wherever possible.
Frigate
4. The New Orleans seems to be a good frigate for the era. Already in-service by 2360. Maybe even the 2340s. It would be good to standardize on it, until something more modern is available.
Forget the Springfield-class. The Cheyenne seems cool. A limited run would be fine, if they are already in production.
Otherwise, the emphasis on these heavier frigates should be standardization and numbers. Stop producing a wide-range of frigates, and have more New Orleans / Cheyenne in service by 2364.
What about the next-generation Frigate, though?
You want a ship that can do unglamorous missions, cheaply. Relieve the burden on larger ships.
It should be able to evacuate the crew of a damaged starship in an emergency.
To make it affordable, perhaps it carries inflatable life-pods for damaged ships and stations. It can deploy these expanding pods in a disaster area. A larger ship can evacuate those personnel later.
It is lightly-armed, but can accept mission pods with weapons. Or medical facilities. Or cargo pods. You get the idea.
Probably about Constellation-sized, maybe Intrepid. Could be smaller, if the pod concept is taken to the extreme.
For maximum affordability/modularity, you could take a page from the best of the Oberth-class. Not the stupid inaccessibility of the lower pod. But a 'common frigate chassis' that is just the essentials, plus a large pod or pods it connects to. So this common chassis could be all over the place, as well as the pods. So it's also a science vessel, buoy tender, and so on.
The problem would be, you might not have the pod you need when confronting a crisis.
Attack Ship
5. The category of Attack Ship is very important. This is what the Federation is missing, up until near the end of the Dominion War.
The Defiant is too artisanal and expensive. Very few were made over the course of an existential war. They probably can't be fully serviced at most Starfleet facilities. And the technology does not exist in 2350.
We're talking something in the size range of a BOP. It would be like the smaller estimates of the Defiant's size. Where it does not look like there is a shuttlebay. It doesn't need a shuttlebay for its main mission.
The ship will be designed to accept one streamlined pod that attaches to the hull. In regular service, it has no pod. This is where a small shuttlebay or limited scientific facilities could be attached.
It is designed for maximum sublight speed and maneuverability. It has the range to operate usefully from starbases and motherships. But it is not going on long-range exploration missions, unless supported externally. Quarters are extremely spartan.
Defiant-style pulse-phasers are probably not an option yet. But it could have something adapted from the 'megaphasers' seen on Miranda-classes. Something with limited firing arcs, but more powerful than regular phasers. It probably should have forward and aft torpedoes.
Phaser coils that burn out can be rapidly-replaced, and affordably-manufactured.
The Attack Ship is obviously a departure for the Starfleet of this era. It would likely be called an "escort." That way, it could be attached to exploration missions, if necessary.
Doctrine
Starfleet is no longer a 'cruiser force.' Going forward, it has specialized ships offering flexibility in confronting problems.
-The battleships will protect the borders, and escort exploration missions. They can be sent to confront enemy battlegroups.
-The frigates will carry out mundane missions, freeing up battleships and explorers for other missions. They can scout ahead of battlegroups, patrol, and carry out pickets.
-It seems as if cruisers will continue to be necessary for trade protection, colony support, independent scouting, battleship screening, and raiding missions during wartime. They should probably be designed on that basis.
-The Attack Ships are very important in this new doctrine. They will escort larger ships during battle, harrass enemy capital ships, engage enemy attack ships, and engage in raiding.
The video did not discuss much the support and auxillary vessels. So I did not describe science, medical, and engineering vessels.
It might be useful to have mothership vessels to support exploration flotillas. It depends on how lavishly-equipped the exploration ships are, and how utilitarian the warships. Similarly, motherships could support Attack Ship formations on long-range missions, and provide mission pods for frigates.
Perhaps science vessels could be part of their own little flotillas, together with frigates. Something like the Nova-class might be developed early, although not as sophisticated.
I suppose the rest of the budget 2350-64 would be used to keep the existing vessels updated. They constitute the bulk of the fleet. Changes are possible here, as well.
I caught a video by Venom Geek Media the other day, discussing Starfleet doctrine. Putting aside whether or not people like that channel, it brought up a question I've seen frequently discussed:
What if Starfleet was organized and built in a sensible manner?
The gist of the video is that Starfleet is not organized sensibly, and would not have defeated the Dominion in a stand-up fight.
Why?
-Starfleet is a cruiser force. Almost all ships are cruisers. There are few battleship and few escorts. In combat, some barely-organized cruisers, relying on individal panache, engage the enemy.
When cruisers are lost, and they will be in each engagement, every engagement becomes painful.
-You need battleships to form battle groups and confront the enemy. This is what real-life navies did with peer competitors. They did not send a lone battleship to show the flag, as in the U.S.S. Odyssey.
-The Klingon B'Rel and other similar vessels are excellent for getting in amongst the enemy. They also can escort larger ships. They can be organically attached and detached from formations in a more fluid manner than full-sized cruisers.
-Basically, the cruiser-orientation of Starfleet is blunt and inflexible, offering fewer tactical options than a more mixed and balanced fleet.
-Small frigates could handle many of the tasks that 'large cruisers' are assigned throughout TNG and DS9.
-Ships should never be sent alone on exploration missions. They require a small flotilla, or at least pairs. There could be a dedicated diplomacy/exploration vessel, and a warship ("escort") to protect it. Several TNG episode "problems" would have been solved if multiple starships were present.
So, the question was brought up, either in the video or the comments: How would you sensibly organize Starfleet?
A scenario was suggested:
It is 2350. The Cardassian border wars have involved intense combat. These encounters have placed existing Starfleet doctrine in question.
The hostilities have brought into prominence a political faction that demands the reorganization of Starfleet. So the "Golden Era" people are no longer in charge. Although they remain a powerful faction that has to be placated.
You are given the task of reorganizing Starfleet to rectify the problems uncovered during the Border Conflict. You must also prepare to face the emerging threat from the Romulans, who are rumoured to be embarking on a massive military buildup.
Starship Designs
Given the discussion in the video, it seems like the following categories of Starship are needed:
1. Battleship. A vessel with maximum armour and firepower. Designed to confront the large vessels of the enemy, and form the core of battlegroups.
2. Exploration ship. A ship with the exploratory capability of the Galaxy-class is still needed. At least in terms of what was actually used in the series. This might be combined with the GCS diplomatic and medical facilities, or they might have specialized vessels as well.
3. Cruiser. It is unlikely that this category would disappear from Starfleet, but it needs to be re-conceptualized somewhat.
4. Frigate. A small frigate is necessary to scout areas, ferry people around, and deliver vital supplies to colonies. Somehow, the Enterprise, Nebula-class ships, and Excelsiors are seen doing this in TNG.
5. Attack ship. This is actually a very important category discussed in the video. This ship needs to be affordable, attritable, and capable of working in a variety of formations. It needs to keep enemy attack ships away, while swarming enemy capital ships.
Reorganization
If we're talking 2357-2358, mid Border-War, then it may be too late to stop the fleet we see in S1 TNG. The Galaxy and Nebula programs are probably underway, and most of the "Golden Era" frigate and cruisers may be entering construction / service.
But in 2350, when maybe the Border War has started to heat up unacceptably, it is possible to conceptualize and build a different TNG fleet.
We have to assume that the budget is largely the same, as more resources cannot magically appear. Maybe the "rationalists" are able to obtain a 10-20% budget increase in the years leading up to TNG. There are dangers, but nothing looming like the Borg or the Dominion. [This is 10-20% above the original timeline.]
Ship Categorizations
So what do to about the ships? Going by the categories above:
Battleship
1. If the re-organization is happening mid Border-War, circa 2357, then we may be stuck with the Galaxy and Nebula-class. That's a whole other discussion.
But in 2350, there is time to design a battleship.
It has to be produced in numbers. It should use the underlying technology base of what became the Galaxy-class program, and low-risk innovations if we want to see them arriving during TNG.
Starfleet would probably be limited to the reactor and weapons used on the Galaxy-class. But the actual design of the ship is up for grabs. The GCS's combat capability could probably be used comfortably from a ship not much larger than the Excelsior.
It would probably need long-range and high-speed, in order to escort exploration missions, and pursue Romulans.
Explorer
2. Exploration is still an important mission for Starfleet, even with a 'rationalized' navy.
You would want something with the mission capabilities seen on screen during TNG. It's been said that such capabilities could largely fit in a ship the size of Intrepid or Excelsior.
It's going to need excellent sensors, communications, transporters, shuttlebays. Probably diplomatic facilities. Likely medical facilities, unless there is a separate vessel.
It does not have to be heavily-armed. In fact, that goes against mission. Nor does it have to be extremely fast. But it needs good cruising capabilities, and it has to keep up with modern ships.
So probably something Excelsior-sized. No saucer-separation. The lavish 'explorer-facilities' seen during TNG.
Cruiser
3. I don't know what to say about cruisers. The Freedom and Niagara-class cruisers may be in production, with Akira in the design or prototyping phase. Concentrate on the Akira for now.
The assumption going forward is that cruisers will operate in groups of 3-4, wherever possible.
Frigate
4. The New Orleans seems to be a good frigate for the era. Already in-service by 2360. Maybe even the 2340s. It would be good to standardize on it, until something more modern is available.
Forget the Springfield-class. The Cheyenne seems cool. A limited run would be fine, if they are already in production.
Otherwise, the emphasis on these heavier frigates should be standardization and numbers. Stop producing a wide-range of frigates, and have more New Orleans / Cheyenne in service by 2364.
What about the next-generation Frigate, though?
You want a ship that can do unglamorous missions, cheaply. Relieve the burden on larger ships.
It should be able to evacuate the crew of a damaged starship in an emergency.
To make it affordable, perhaps it carries inflatable life-pods for damaged ships and stations. It can deploy these expanding pods in a disaster area. A larger ship can evacuate those personnel later.
It is lightly-armed, but can accept mission pods with weapons. Or medical facilities. Or cargo pods. You get the idea.
Probably about Constellation-sized, maybe Intrepid. Could be smaller, if the pod concept is taken to the extreme.
For maximum affordability/modularity, you could take a page from the best of the Oberth-class. Not the stupid inaccessibility of the lower pod. But a 'common frigate chassis' that is just the essentials, plus a large pod or pods it connects to. So this common chassis could be all over the place, as well as the pods. So it's also a science vessel, buoy tender, and so on.
The problem would be, you might not have the pod you need when confronting a crisis.
Attack Ship
5. The category of Attack Ship is very important. This is what the Federation is missing, up until near the end of the Dominion War.
The Defiant is too artisanal and expensive. Very few were made over the course of an existential war. They probably can't be fully serviced at most Starfleet facilities. And the technology does not exist in 2350.
We're talking something in the size range of a BOP. It would be like the smaller estimates of the Defiant's size. Where it does not look like there is a shuttlebay. It doesn't need a shuttlebay for its main mission.
The ship will be designed to accept one streamlined pod that attaches to the hull. In regular service, it has no pod. This is where a small shuttlebay or limited scientific facilities could be attached.
It is designed for maximum sublight speed and maneuverability. It has the range to operate usefully from starbases and motherships. But it is not going on long-range exploration missions, unless supported externally. Quarters are extremely spartan.
Defiant-style pulse-phasers are probably not an option yet. But it could have something adapted from the 'megaphasers' seen on Miranda-classes. Something with limited firing arcs, but more powerful than regular phasers. It probably should have forward and aft torpedoes.
Phaser coils that burn out can be rapidly-replaced, and affordably-manufactured.
The Attack Ship is obviously a departure for the Starfleet of this era. It would likely be called an "escort." That way, it could be attached to exploration missions, if necessary.
Doctrine
Starfleet is no longer a 'cruiser force.' Going forward, it has specialized ships offering flexibility in confronting problems.
-The battleships will protect the borders, and escort exploration missions. They can be sent to confront enemy battlegroups.
-The frigates will carry out mundane missions, freeing up battleships and explorers for other missions. They can scout ahead of battlegroups, patrol, and carry out pickets.
-It seems as if cruisers will continue to be necessary for trade protection, colony support, independent scouting, battleship screening, and raiding missions during wartime. They should probably be designed on that basis.
-The Attack Ships are very important in this new doctrine. They will escort larger ships during battle, harrass enemy capital ships, engage enemy attack ships, and engage in raiding.
The video did not discuss much the support and auxillary vessels. So I did not describe science, medical, and engineering vessels.
It might be useful to have mothership vessels to support exploration flotillas. It depends on how lavishly-equipped the exploration ships are, and how utilitarian the warships. Similarly, motherships could support Attack Ship formations on long-range missions, and provide mission pods for frigates.
Perhaps science vessels could be part of their own little flotillas, together with frigates. Something like the Nova-class might be developed early, although not as sophisticated.
I suppose the rest of the budget 2350-64 would be used to keep the existing vessels updated. They constitute the bulk of the fleet. Changes are possible here, as well.
