[Headcanon] Ships of the Star Fleet ca. Stardate 8000.5

[Vagabond Elf]

Howdy! In this thread, I’m going to natter on about my vision of how Star Fleet is put together and what ships exist in it, as a series of posts made by an in-universe writer whose data is good up to Stardate 8000.5. This is headcanon. I’m not making any attempt to explain what we see on screen, nor am I attempting to conform to it outside of fuzzy personal boundaries.

I'm planning on using separate posts for separate subjects. Hopefully this doesn't cross the forum's "spamming a thread" boundaries. If I'm over the line, please just say so - I'm very comfortable with taking correction as long as it's stated clearly and plainly.

Discussion is of course welcome. Art craves an audience, and while this certainly isn’t “high art,” it is a sort of story and definitely creative work. All I ask is you be conscious of your phrasing. Don’t tell me I’m wrong because something here is inconsistent with an on-screen detail. I probably know that, and chose to ignore it. Instead, make an observation about how my choice is different from what’s shown on-screen, or comment about how you might make a different choice, or if you’re actually curious, ask about the logic behind my decisions. Phrase things positively, as opinions and observations, and give me credit for making deliberate choices, and this can be a lovely place to have a chat!

Most of the details should, I hope, emerge from the posts, but a few background things need to be noted (since they’re things the author is assuming the audience knows.)

First, the meaning of “Starship.” In My Star Trek Universe (IMSTU), “starship” is a technical term, and means “a faster-than-light vessel suitable for long-term occupation that has been designed and built specifically for the United Star Fleet.” The term was in fact coined to describe the first ship built specifically for Star Fleet, rather than being transferred from a member nation’s fleets, and to highlight that this was something new and special.

Other kinds of warp-powered ships are “Warpships,” and “warpship” is the most common generic term in everyday speech. “Spacewarp ship” is old-fashioned. “Starship” is just barely starting to displace “warpship” in day-to-day conversation but it hasn’t happened yet. Star Fleet was formed using ships built and operated by the founding nation’s fleets, and these were designated Warpship Type 1 through Warpship Type 8. Since then, Star Fleet has often found the civilian shipbuilding industry already has a design that’s suitable for their needs - especially auxiliary craft like transports - and as these “not designed for Star Fleet” vessels get adopted, they’re labeled Warpships.

This explains why the Constitution-class cruisers are only the ninth mark of starship. As of SD8000.5, Star Fleet is up to the Mark XV Starship, and the Type 17 Warpship.

(As an aside, I’ve since been persuaded that the “Mark IX” label on that diagram of a phaser battery was meant to refer to the phaser, not the starship, but I’ve got too much invested in this system to abandon it now.)

Second, how Stardates work. IMSTU, the “1000 Stardate Units equals 1 year” structure was part of the system from the very beginning. The reason the numbers are so low in TOS is because it’s new. So when Enterprise encounters the galactic rim on Stardate 1312, that’s something happening a mere 1.3 years after the Stardate system was adopted. In this headcanon, that’s because the first century of the Federation isn’t very unified, and there aren’t a lot of common structures, so it takes them over 100 years to agree on a common calendar.

This means that dates before SD0001.0 were recorded in a bunch of different methods. By the time the posts are written, though, academia at least has settled on “Antestardates” or AD. These are just counting backwards, so they’re negative numbers – meaning just like 1000 BCE happened after 2000 BCE, so did Antestardate 1234.5 happen after AD 3456.7; in other words, the bigger the AD number, the further into the past it took place.

Third, nomenclature. As the United Star Fleet was being created, the Federation was eager to avoid any suggestion that this was a military force. Therefore, Star Fleet avoids the use of “aggressive” terms like “destroyer” or “battlecruiser.” Initially, Star Fleet ships were placed in one of four categories:
– Explorers engaged in medium to long-duration missions both venturing into new territory, and in doing detailed surveys of specific worlds and systems. That latter mission is often split out by SD8000.5, with some ships being designated as “Surveyors” rather than “Explorers.”
– Transports moved people, cargo, or data across the Federation. (The last tasking has largely disappeared with the construction of the subspace relay network, but in the early days the fastest way to send information to the border areas was to put it on a ship.) Most Star Fleet ships are in fact some form of Transport. Specialist labels have emerged: a Courier moves a small amount of cargo or passengers at high speed; an Underway Replenishment Ship is equipped with shuttles, gantries, pumps, docking clamps, and so on to allow ships to be refuelled, restocked, and resupplied while deployed; and a Tug is a ship with minimal internal transport capacity, but able to haul standard transport pods or sublight-only ships based on the transport pod profile.
– Frigates are ships focused on the use of force and emergency response. They are used for both border defence and internal security patrols. (Not everyone in the Federation, as an individual, fully aligns with the Federation’s ideals, which are after all more aspirational than obligatory. Also, there are a huge number of systems that are surrounded by the Federation but not actually part of it, and sometimes these get frisky. Still, internal patrols are more focused on law enforcement and search-and-rescue, rather than military deterrence.) Small frigates that dropped firepower and combat resiliency in exchange for fast response times and wide area coverage (similar to how many real-life cities have a large number of paramedics in SUVs and smaller number of actual ambulances) have become known as Cutters. A very new category is the Responder, which is a high speed ship with a deep capability to deal with medical or environmental emergencies; they react to both ships in distress and colonies in crisis.
– Cruisers are maids of all work. They are expected to be fully capable of performing any mission Star Fleet might be called upon to do as well or better than any specialised ship. (Except for Transport tasks, though even there a Cruiser is expected to be able to make do.) They are also expected to stay deployed for years at a time. The very first starship (Starship Mark I) was the first ship designated a “Cruiser,” and by SD8000.5 there have been five types of Cruiser (the Mark I, Mark III, Mark VI, Mark IX, and Mark XI) in service, with a brand new concept (the Mark XV) under construction.

That should cover it. I’ll be building this out if and when the whim strikes me, focusing on a Starship Mark or a Warpship Type that I feel like playing with.

The images that follow, unless otherwise noted, were created using Captain_Mojo’s STLs, converted to OBJ and rendered in DAZ|Studio, then assembled in a very old copy of Photoshop Elements 2.

The STLs can be downloaded from Cults, here:

https://cults3d.com/en/users/Captain_Mojo/3d-models

 

[Vagabond Elf]

STARSHIP MARK IX (Cruiser)
The Fourth Generation Starship Commission was formed on AD 18462.4, tasked with creating a coherent strategy for the replacement of the Mark V Frigates and Mark VI Cruisers before those ships began reaching the end of their useful life. (Both Star Fleet and the Federation Council were eager to avoid a repeat of the Type 7 debacle.) The resulting report, delivered on AD 17753.8, described a “High-Medium-Low” system where a relative handful of very capable cruisers would be supported by a larger number of more specialised, less capable, but also far less expensive frigates and explorers. Star Fleet had done this by accident with the Mark III, Mark V, and Mark VI; the commission now proposed to do so on purpose and with better planning.

The Mark IX cruiser was intended to be the high-capability ship in this plan. As with all Star Fleet cruisers, the Mark IX was meant to be fully capable of performing border defence, long-range exploration, high-detail survey, distress call response, and colony medical and logistical assistance missions. (The Fourth Generation Commission is also where Star Fleet’s policy that a cruiser should be capable of deterring a peer adversary’s primary warship in a one-on-one confrontation without resorting to actual combat was first formally articulated, though it had been understood internally for decades.)

There is no debating that the Mark IX succeeded in these goals. The ship built on the success of the Mark VI, maintaining the same general configuration but being just a little larger, a little more efficient, a little more mature in every respect. Today, the ships are still seen as the baseline for evaluating other craft with starships past, present, and proposed constantly being compared to the iconic Mark IX Block 2 Constitution-class.


The Mark IX has been built in four official production blocks, plus two pre-production ships. There are several transitional ships, with some elements of the older or newer being retained or installed early as production shifted from one Block to another. The most recent, Block 4 ships are usually considered “Fifth Generation” starships, though the label is unofficial.

As of Star Date 8000.5, 29 Mark IX Starships have been built, and two more are under construction. This makes the Mark IX the third most built starship so far, behind the Mark VII and of course the ubiquitous Mark III. It has also suffered the most casualties, by proportion, of any Starship mark. Of the 29 built, 18 remain in active service (if one includes U.S.S. Hood, serving as a training ship with Starfleet Academy). Only two ships, U.S.S. Fraternity and U.S.S. Freedom, were paid off and retired to Reserve. (Fraternity has since been decommissioned entirely.) The other nine (Starships Liberty, Equality, Intrepid, Enterprise, Exeter, Kumari, Defiant, Yorktown, and Challenger) were either lost in action or paid off and scrapped. This is a casualty rate of 31 percent, a figure not normally seen outside of wartime, and one that highlights just how dangerous deep space exploration is.

 

[Vagabond Elf]

Pre-Production, Liberty-Class
U.S.S. Liberty NX-1650, U.S.S. Equality NX-1651

These ships were laid down in Antestardate 14500.0 and 14250.0 and completed in AD 12256.0 and 12024.5, respectively.

One of the driving motivations for creating the Fourth Generation Starships was the Mark VI Cruiser’s vulnerability to certain forms of external damage and operational wear. These problems had their root in the Mark VI being an enhanced Mark IV, which in turn was conceived of as a self-propelled research station rather than as a true ship.

As a result, the two pre-production Mark IX starships, often informally (though incorrectly) referred to as the “Block 0” ships, were somewhat overengineered. This included a number of structural frames and members that proved superfluous. These frames gave the ships a unique internal layout and deck configuration. Externally, they are easily identified by the life-support radiator structures mounted on the dorsal surface of the saucer. As built, both ships also had armoured shrouds over the impulse exhaust vents, and lacked the Matter/Anti-Matter Reactor (MAMR) radiators on the interior surfaces of the nacelle pylons, again as a reaction to the Mark VI’s vulnerabilities.

These last two features had a greater impact on acceleration and manoeuvrability than had been anticipated. The MAMR could not be run a full capacity for very long without risking serious overheating, and the impulse shrouds restricted impulse thrust substantially. Though the ships were still operable as-is, this was not really a desirable situation.

Both these features would be changed for series production, with the Mark VII Frigate U.S.S. Defender serving as the test-bed for the new approach. The pre-production cruisers were retrofitted over time to the Block 1 standard (in different order for the two ships, and at different times, so imagery of pretty much every possible combination can be found). Replacing the life-support radiators would have called for a complete rebuild of the saucer, however, and so the external radiators were retained. While it had been determined they were unnecessary and were deleted from the production ships, they presented only a minor vulnerability and the ships were quite operable with these features.

Beyond this, the pre-production Mark IXs have the tall bridge structure, large deflector dish, spiked Bussard collectors and vented nacelle endcaps broadly associated with the production Liberty-class and indeed all early Fourth Generation starships.

U.S.S. Liberty was lost in action on AD 2324.8 after striking a mine while patrolling the Talarian border. U.S.S. Equality suffered serious damage to her spaceframe following a Warp Factor 8 sprint in response to a distress call on Stardate 3010.0; deemed not worth the cost of repair, she was paid off and scrapped on SD 3255.5.

 

[Vagabond Elf]

Block 1, Liberty-Class.
U.S.S. Fraternity NCC-1652, U.S.S. Freedom NCC-1653, U.S.S. Intrepid NCC-1654

These three ships define the Block 1 standard. They were laid down one per year starting on Antestar Date 10750.5 and each completed one and a half years later.

The extra structural components found in the pre-production ships are removed, and the “traditional” deck configuration created. Externally, the life support radiator system is now under the hull and not visible to an outside observer. The MAMR radiators on the interior surfaces of the warp nacelle pylons are first introduced here, as is the more open impulse exhaust vent, a compromise between protection and efficiency. Finally, these three ships were built with the tall bridge structure, large deflector dish, spiked Bussard collectors and smooth, vented nacelle endcaps that typify the Liberty-class, although Intrepid would have her endcaps retrofitted to include the deflector balls found on Mark IX Block 2 starships as part of a general refit, completed on Star Date 2950.5.

U.S.S. Fraternity was paid off and placed in Reserve on Star Date 2013.4; a routine inspection on SD 5231.0 found ionization effects had rendered her dilithium chambre housing extremely brittle, and she was scrapped on SD 5501.5. U.S.S. Freedom was paid off and placed in Reserve on SD 3217.4, where she remains - the only Mark IX starship in the Primary Reserve. U.S.S. Intrepid was lost in action on SD 4307.1 after an encounter with a negative energy entity caused her antimatter containment fields to fail.

U.S.S. Excalibur NCC-1655

The last of the Block 1 ships, laid down on AD 7750.5 and completed AD 6247.0, Excalibur differs slightly in that she was built with the newer PBN-27/4 deflector system, and thus has the smaller deflector dish associated with the Mark IX Block 2.

As of Star Date 8000.5, Excalibur remains in commission. On SD7750.0, she was attached to the Coreward Downspin Fleet, which patrols the Tzenkethi, Talarian, and First Federation borders. While CoreDown is considered the lowest intensity border posting in Star Fleet, it is still noteworthy that this fourteen year old ship that is at least two technology generations behind the state of the art is considered suitable for a front-line mission.

This is a simple comparison image, showing the subtle variations in Pre-production and Block 1 ships.

 

[Vagabond Elf]

Block 2, Constitution-class
(Initial Production)

U.S.S. Constitution NCC-1700, U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701

These two ships were laid down on AD 6100.0 and completed on AD 5231.5 and AD 5155.0, respectively. This initial pair was not actually built to the classic Block 2 standard - production chokepoints resulted in these ships being built with the older,vented nacelle endcaps associated with the Block 1 Liberty-class ships. Enterprise would later have the endcaps altered in a general refit, but Constitution never did.

This often surprises the casual starship fan. Enterprise is probably the most famous starship to ever serve, due mostly to a series of holodrama features and one ongoing series, and even casual viewers think they know what she looks like based on these shows. And indeed, the majority of external shots of the ship in the holos are images of actual Mark IX starships. But none of them are actually the Enterprise. The original feature used U.S.S. Freedom, a Block 1 cruiser, as a stand-in; the follow-up feature recycles some of that imagery but also shot new images of U.S.S. Liberty over two days as she was preparing to enter spacedock to have the impulse shrouds removed. The ongoing series was able to spend a week with U.S.S. Hood, building a library of imagery, and later spent a few days with U.S.S. Yorktown. Both were standard production Mark IX Block 2 ships. Despite having become the poster child of Star Fleet, the actual U.S.S. Enterprise has never appeared on the silver screen.

Other than the nacelle endcaps, these initial Block 2 ships have all the hallmarks of a mid-period Fourth Generation starship: the bridge superstructure has been reduced, with the bridge itself sunk deeper into the hull; the deflector dish is the “small” version, and the Bussard collectors no longer have spikes. Indeed, other than the endcaps the Warp Nacelles are entirely Block 2 technology.

U.S.S. Constitution is still in commission, though no longer in active service - she was handed over to the Star Fleet Museum on Star Date 4921.4. U.S.S. Enterprise was destroyed by Klingon cruisers on SD 5963.3 as part of the so-called “Genesis Incident,” which is the subject of a highly fictionalised holodrama.

(Standard Production)

U.S.S. Exeter NCC-1702, U.S.S. Hood NCC-1703, U.S.S. Defiant NCC-1704, U.S.S. Potempkin NCC-1705, U.S.S. Kumari NCC-1706, U.S.S. Yorktown NCC-1707, U.S.S. Phindra NCC-1708

These ships were laid down in pairs and a triplet, on AD 5050.5 (Exeter and Hood), AD 4000.0 (Defiant and Potempkin) and AD 3100.5 (Kumari, Yorktown and Phindra), and each was completed just over a year later, with production time steadily decreasing throughout.

These are the true, classic Mark IX Block 2 Starships, the design that everyone recognises and associates with the term “Starship.” Often argued as the epitome of the Star Fleet Cruiser concept, these ships are marked by their sunken bridges, smaller deflector dishes, uncapped Bussard collectors, and “ball” style nacelle endcaps.

The goal when building any cruiser is a ship that can do anything, and do it well. The Constitutions fully meet that goal, and remain a very viable spacecraft despite being two technological generations out of date. This is perhaps best illustrated by the way most ships’ capabilities are currently described by comparing them to the Mark IX/02s.

U.S.S. Exeter encountered an extreme pathogen while exploring Omega II on Star Date 4521.4 which incapacitated most of the crew, and drifted into the upper atmosphere of the planet before rescue ships arrived. After a survey, she was deemed not repairable, paid off, and scrapped. U.S.S. Hood is in active commission as a training ship with Star Fleet Academy. U.S.S. Defiant was lost in action during a border dispute with the Tholian Assembly on SD 5693.2. U.S.S. Potempkin is still in active service, serving with the Coreward Downspin Fleet as of SD 7995.0. U.S.S. Kumari collided with a “dark” asteroid during a severe ion storm on Antestar Date 0023.5 and was paid off and scrapped. U.S.S. Yorktown was lost in action after suffering a severe auxiliary reactor failure during a First Contact scenario on SD 3390.0; the crew evacuated in the saucer section but the engineering section was unrecoverable. U.S.S. Phindra remains in active commission, serving with the Home Sectors Fleet as of SD 7899.5.

(Late Production)

U.S.S. Lexington NCC-1709, U.S.S. Saratoga NCC-1710, U.S.S. Tikopia NCC-1711

These three ships are sometimes referred to as the “Lexington-class” cruisers, though officially they remain Block 2 Constitution-class ships. They were laid down on AD 2250.5 and completed just under a year later.

These ships are generally seen as a transitional design to the later Block 3 cruisers. They also reflect a shift to a more martial design emphasis in starships in general, as tensions with the Klingon Empire rise. Internally, volume previously devoted to cruising endurance and crew comfort is repurposed for even greater systems redundancy and combat resilience. Externally, these final Block 2 cruisers can be identified by the additional phaser emitters mounted on the ventral surface of the engineering hull, and the twin turbolift alcoves abaft the bridge.

All three ships remain in commission as of Star Date 8000.5. Lexington serves with the Coreward Treaty Zone Fleet, conducting interior survey and security tasks and supporting the Coreward Upspin and Downspin border fleets. Saratoga is with the Rimward Upspin Fleet patrolling the Klingon border areas, and Tikopia is with the Coreward Upspin Fleet patrolling the Gorn, Tholian, and Cardassian borders.

 

[Vagabond Elf]

Block 3, Endeavour-class

Initially, these ships were intended to be another tranche of three Mark IX Block 2 cruisers, with the incremental improvement of replacing the PBN-27/4 deflector system with the new PBN-29/1. Before construction began, however, the Monoceros project proved the viability of the MCOM warp nacelles, and the decision was made to slow production in order to incorporate this advance in propulsion technology. At the same time, the ships were formally redesignated Block 3.

It is perhaps worth noting that the names of the resulting Endeavour-class are mildly controversial. As with all Mark IX cruisers, these ships are named for earlier cruisers and explorers. Block 1 and Block 2 ships were named for various Mark I and Mark III Starships. The Block 3s, however, were all named for Type 4 Warpships - explorer vessels that, though key contributors to the early Federation, were all originally built by the United Earth. Indeed, the ship the Block 3 class as a whole is named after - U.F.S. Endeavour NAC-029 - was handed over to Star Fleet so late in her career she only served as a training ship for the then brand new Star Fleet Academy. This meant that the newest and best ships in Star Fleet have a very Terran-centric feel to them. Political pushback on this has not been excessive, but it has been noticeable.

U.S.S. Endeavour NCC-1750

The first cruiser to incorporate the new MCOM warp nacelles, Endeavour is clearly a transitional design. Beyond the warp nacelles, the only external difference with the final three Block 2 ships is the PBN-29/1 deflector system and its recessed dish. The internal layout of the dorsal and saucer is the same as the Saratoga, and the engineering hull changes only enough to accommodate the new deflector.

Laid down on AD 0950.0, she was completed on SD 0675.3. As of SD 7950.0, she was in service with the Coreward Downspin Fleet.

U.S.S. Columbia NCC-1751

The second Block 3 is still a transitional design. The saucer’s internal layout is entirely unique, although the engineering hull is the same as the other Block 3 ships. Externally, Columbia is recognisable by having the redesigned superstructure found on later Block 3 and Block 4 cruisers over a standard dorsal. This causes some to confuse her with a standard Block 3; however, the new torpedoes had not been adopted when she was laid down, and so she relies entirely on the older, saucer-mounted 50cm torpedo tubes.

Laid down on Star Date 0550.0, she completed on SD 1676.4. As of SD 7950.0, she was in service with the Rimward Treaty Zone fleet, which conducts survey and security missions in the interior of the Federation (but outside the Home Sectors) and supports the Rimward Upspin and Downspin border fleets.

U.S.S. Challenger NCC-1752, U.S.S. Atlantis NCC-1753, U.S.S. Buran NCC-1754

These three ships represent the actual, formal Block 3 standard. The internal layout was finalised and standardised, and they have all the conventional hallmarks of a Block 3: the twin turbolift alcoves on Deck 1, the larger Deck 2-3 superstructure with the two-level crew lounge aft, the recessed deflector dish, the ventral phaser emitters, the MCOM warp nacelles, and of course the single 80cm torpedo tube mounted at the base of the dorsal. They do retain the saucer mounted 50 cm tubes, but magazine space is substantially reduced.

Laid down on SD 1500.0, 2000.5, and 2500.5, each ship completed in just over a year. Three more planned Mark IX Block 3 cruisers were cancelled before they were laid down, when the Fifth Generation Warp Drive Project had its remarkable success and triggered a radical new approach to starship design that would lead to the Block 4s.

On SD 3987.2, U.S.S. Challenger struck a nuclear mine leftover from the Earth-Romulan War. Though casualties were light, the damage was substantial and she was paid off and scrapped. As of SD7950.0, U.S.S. Atlantis serves with the Rimward Downspin Theatre Fleet, patrolling the Romulan and R’Ongovian borders, and U.S.S. Buran serves with the Home Sectors Fleet.

Another comparison image, showing the variations in the Starship Mark IX Block 3 ships.

 

[Vagabond Elf]

Out-of-character comment: if this doesn’t generate replies, I suspect nothing will. Here we go!

A comparison of the different Block 4 build patterns.

Block 4, Enterprise-Class
The Starship Mark IX Block 4 is, it would seem, the most controversial starship design ever built by Star Fleet. Questions surround its design, its designation, and even its name.

On the one hand, Block 4s (along with their cousins, the Mark XI Block 3 Miranda-class cruisers) are the vanguards of the Fifth Generation of starships. They are designed to take advantage of radical new developments in materials design and warp engine technology. This is not unreasonable; Star Fleet has a long tradition of retiring older craft to make way for cutting edge systems. It is generally agreed that cancelling the construction of the last three Mark IX Block 3 ships in favour of the new technology was a wise move.

However, the Block 4s are also the most powerful warships ever built by Star Fleet. To an extent, this should be expected. Star Fleet policy is that a cruiser should be powerful enough to deter a single near-peer adversary, so it is only logical that the most advanced cruiser in the Fleet would also be the most powerful. But the Block 4s also devote a much greater percentage of their volume and tonnage to combat systems. Critics argue that the Block 4 is not a true cruiser, balanced between the many roles Star Fleet is expected to perform, but rather a military craft with scientific capability added as an afterthought.

This claim is, most probably, hyperbole, and proponents of the Block 4 point out that their scientific research capabilities are also greater than any other vessel in Star Fleet service, including the dedicated Explorer and Surveyor ships. The critics respond that the cruisers’ research capabilities could be even higher if Star Fleet didn’t put so many phasers on the ship.

More concerning is the designation as the Starship Mark IX Block 4, rather than as a new Starship Mark. While Star Fleet defends this decision by pointing out the near identical configuration, size, and crew of the Block 4 and the Block 3, critics note that the technology difference between a Starship Mark VI Block 3 and a Starship Mark IX Block 1, which also share a common configuration (although the Mark IX is notably larger), is far less than that between the Block 3 and Block 4. It is argued that these ships (as well as the Miranda-class) were positioned as extensions and “overhauls” of existing Marks rather than as brand new designs in order to lessen oversight. Several members of the Federation Council have admitted that they gave the proposal for an enhanced Mark IX much less attention than they would have given a totally new design, and the most vocal critics suggest the ships would never have been authorised if Star Fleet had been more forthcoming about their true nature.

Finally, the class name of “Enterprise” is seen by some as jingoistic, the waving of a bloody shirt to inspire public empathy and outrage. It is, perhaps, worth reviewing how this name came to be; while these events are the subject of popular holodramas, those productions are heavily fictionalised and are themselves often decried as militaristic propaganda.

The “Genesis Incident’

On Star Date 3142.0, the U.S.S. Enterprise encountered the sleeper ship S.S. Botany Bay, which turned out to be crewed by roughly 35 “Augments,” genetically enhanced Human “supermen” who had fled into space preserved in cryo-stasis at the end of Earth’s Eugenics Wars. Led by Kahn Noonien Singh, these Augments attempted to seize control of the Enterprise with an avowed purpose of using her to establish a new empire. When Captain J.T. Kirk and his crew recovered control of the Enterprise, the Augments, whose legal status was debatable and whose presence in the heart of the Federation seemed to be high risk, were put ashore on the habitable but uncolonised world of Ceti Alpha V.

On Star Date 5949.5, the U.S.S. Reliant, an older Mark III cruiser that had been recommissioned as an Explorer, was captured by Singh while conducting a follow-up mission to Ceti Alpha V. In order to evade the Star Fleet ships that responded to Reliant’s distress call, Singh took the ship into Klingon space where they were engaged and boarded by the destroyer I.K.V. M’Char. Using their enhancements and the element of surprise, Singh and his followers were able to counter-board the M’Char and gain control of a relatively modern warship.

Crossing back into Federation territory, Singh was engaged by the frigate U.S.S. Dancer. Though the Dancer was disabled, this action delayed Singh long enough to be intercepted and destroyed by the Enterprise in the Genesis system on Star Date 5962.2. Enterprise took significant damage in the encounter, however, and was subsequently destroyed by a pair of Klingon cruisers who had witnessed the fight with the M’Char and drawn the obvious (if wrong) conclusion. These ships then withdrew in the face of a Star Fleet squadron, which rescued Captain Kirk and the other survivors from the hulk of the Enterprise, which ultimately crashed into the system’s Class-M planet, Genesis III.

One can see how this story has inspired the holodramas, but also just how far those fictional versions have diverged from the true events. Unfortunately, one element the dramas get correct is the serious increase in Federation-Klingon tensions following the “Genesis Incident.”

Naming Controversy

The initial Mark IX Block 4, U.S.S. Andor NX-1775, was just finishing up several months of trials and evaluations. She had not yet formally entered service, and Star Fleet was quick to rename her U.S.S. Enterprise and properly commission her, putting Captain Kirk back in command. (Officially she is NCC-1775, although in various media, including many official releases, she is often depicted as NCC-1701-A, a callback to the Constitution-class ship.) Star Fleet then altered the names of the other planned Block 4 ships, originally honouring founding worlds of the Federation, to be those of other Mark IX ships lost in action.

For some this is seen as honouring the lost. For others, it is seen as a blatant attempt to rally public outrage and justify a conflict with the Klingons. An unusual detail frequently highlighted by the critics is the choice to append a (II) to all the names, which serves to emphasise that these ships are “replacements.” Every name used on the initial production of Starship Mark IX Block 4 vessels has served Star Fleet at least once before as a Warpship Type 4, Starship Mark I, or Starship Mark III. Why, the concerned beings asked, is NCC-1775 Enterprise (II) and not Enterprise (IV)?

The official response is “paperwork.” According to Star Fleet Public Affairs, the internal notation for a starship is CODE-MARK-NAME, without reference to the Block or pennant number. Thus, the older Mark III Block 2 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-307 appears in Star Fleet internal documents as CC-III-Enterprise, which cannot be easily confused with the Warpship Type 4 U.F.S. Enterprise NAC-001, which appears as CR-4-Enterprise, nor the Mark IX Block 2 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701, which appears as CC-IX-Enterprise. But this last designation is also how a Mark IX Block 4 U.S.S. Enterprise would appear, and so she was formally named Enterprise (II).

This explanation is just unsatisfying enough to be probable. It seems very likely that there is a genuine desire to memorialise the lost Mark IX Starships - but it is also undeniable that Star Fleet’s military capabilities have been increasing, as a proportion of the overall capacity of the Fleet, during the last decade. No doubt a great many theses will be written on this by future scholars.

U.S.S. Enterprise (II) NCC-1775

This ship was laid down on Star Date 3625.0 as the U.S.S. Andor, NX-1775, and completed under that name on SD 5472.3. The lengthy build time was in large part due to her entirely new warp systems concept. Prior to this ship, all warp capable vessels (barring the technology demonstrator Diceceros) built anywhere in the Federation had self-contained warp drive systems. Whether these were contained in nacelles, rings, or faired into the hull, the drive system was a complete module, other than an external initiating power source like a MAMR reactor. With this ship, the concept of the “warp core” is introduced. Full technical details are far beyond the scope of this survey, but in brief, warp plasma is generated in an external system co-located with the main power systems, and then ducted to the drive coils in the nacelle. This has substantial benefits in energy and fuel efficiency, and allows the nacelles to be lighter (diverting tonnage to other systems) or more redundant (allowing for higher sustained top speeds).

Externally and internally, this ship has a unique configuration. Although built with the same saucer, dorsal, engineering hull and torpedo/probe system as the actual production Block 4s, Enterprise (II) has the same bridge superstructure and primary sensor array as the earlier Endeavours. She was also built with the same weapons arrangement (except for the new torpedo/probe launcher) as the Block 3s; this was upgraded to match the other Block 4s (doubling the number of phaser emitters) on SD 6112, following her post-commission refit, but imagery of her time as U.S.S. Andor will show the lighter arrangement. Her nacelle pylons are almost the same as a production Block 4, but lack the fairings on the aft base seen on those ships; these were added to the production ships based on experience with Andor’s trials. Finally, her nacelles are nearly unique, matching those of the technology demonstrator U.S.S. Diceceros and markedly different from the other Enterprise-class ships (or the Mirandas or Bakers, for that matter).

Formally commissioned on Star Date 5995.5 as U.S.S. Enterprise (II) NCC-1775, this ship has had a challenging two years. She has suffered a large number of breakdowns and mechanical failures, and has been restricted to Home Territory service since SD 7001.3. This situation is understandable and acceptable in a technology development prototype, which is what she actually is, but is unsatisfactory in a front-line cruiser, which is what Star Fleet wants her to be. As of this writing, Enterprise (II) is scheduled to enter overhaul on Star Date 8135.0, and it is generally assumed this will involve removing her entire warp system and replacing it with that found on the production Starship Mark IX Block 4s.

U.S.S. Intrepid (II) NCC-1776, U.S.S. Defiant (II), NCC-1777, U.S.S. Yorktown (II) NCC-1778

These three ships, all named for other Mark IX starships lost in the line of duty, are considered the “standard production” model of the Mark IX Block 4. The updated bridge superstructure and sensor array has been installed, as have the modernised nacelles, and the pylons have been reinforced at the base with aft fairings.

Laid down on SD 5800.5, 6150.5, and 6300.0, they completed on SD 7004.3, 7262.4, and 7350.5 respectively. Thus, none have been in service for a full year as of this writing. Still, the available information is that these ships have proven to be quite successful. The ships are alternating between exploration and border patrol duties, and to date no major difficulties have been reported. As of this writing, U.S.S. Intrepid (II) and Yorktown (II) are both serving with the Rimward Upsin Theatre Fleet on the Klingon border, with U.S.S. Defiant (II) serving on the Rimward Downspin Theatre Fleet on the Romulan border.

There are those that criticise the weapons loadout, which is a substantial increase over previous Federation ships; and others that consider reusing the names of destroyed starships instead of the original plan for founding member nations to be “an excess of hawkish patriotism.” Still, it cannot be denied that this is Star Fleet’s most impressive starship yet built.

U.S.S. Shangri-La NCC-1779, U.S.S. Kongo NCC-1780, U.S.S. La Fayette NCC-1781, U.S.S. Tal’kir, NCC-1782.

These four ships comprise the second production run of the Mark IX Block 4. However, despite this designation, they contain several features that are not consistent with the previous Block 4s. Various experts have suggested they appear to be elements intended for a proposed Block 5 variation that was rejected by the Federation Council. Collectively, they are known as the Kongo subtype, probably because U.S.S. Kongo completed first.

Shangri-La and Kongo were laid down on SD 6750.0 and completed on SD 7854.2 and SD 7792.3, respectively. La Fayette and Tal’Kir were laid down on SD 7250.0 and are expected to complete shortly after SD 8250.0, but are still under construction as of this writing (SD 8000.5).

Details of performance, outfit, and capability have not been made public, but some elements can be deduced from external features. First, and probably least significant, these ships have the same bridge module as the Mark VII Block 7 frigates, with two shuttle-pod docking points. Since this only affects the Deck 1 Airlock and not the bridge itself, it tells us nothing about the actual bridge layout, and the change is almost certainly due to making use of the existing tooling.

A new superstructure has been installed on the after portion of the saucer. The impulse engine vents are relocated and larger, and the impulse deflection chamber is relocated and smaller. Finally, several elements on this superstructure suggest the presence of a substantial auxiliary power reactor. Overall, it is very probable that these “Kongos” have significantly more non-warp power available, and have higher impulse thrust ratings, than the previous Enterprises.

While it is possible that these additional systems are contained in the superstructure, it seems more likely that they extend into Deck 6, and may even extend into Deck 7. On other Mark IX starships the affected areas are mostly crew spaces, though the exact utilization varies by Block. It seems likely then that the “Kongos” have sacrificed crew areas in exchange for a larger saucer engineering section. With crew comfort and fatigue being one of the major constraints on a long-endurance cruise, it would appear these vessels may lack the extended operational endurance that is considered a cornerstone of the Mark IX cruiser.

The trailing edge of the interconnecting dorsal is more nearly vertical than that of the earlier Block 4 ships (including the prototype U.S.S. Enterprise). This results in marginally more internal volume in the interconnect, and significantly more area on the docking surfaces where the saucer is attached. This, in turn, should make the saucer connection much stronger, which would increase the ships’ sublight acceleration and manoeuvrability. It has also been suggested that this gives the Impulse Intermix Conduit, which rises vertically through the interconnect, more protection against impacts and weapons fire from aft. It does, however, reduce the ships’ warp field efficiency by about 5%, resulting in an increase in warp coil wear at any given speed, and a corresponding reduction in operational endurance.

Finally, at the base of the interconnect the 80cm torpedo tube housing is extended the full length of the interconnect and a single, rear-facing tube is added. This marks a significant increase in potential firepower, although no information is available regarding magazine spaces. It seems equally possible that the “Kongos’ “ magazines are 50% larger than an Enterprise’s, to supply this new tube; or that they are the same size as the older ships’ and the new tube simply increases coverage.

The overall impression is of a ship much more biased toward combat tasks, and many critics have been outspoken in decrying this decision. The third torpedo tube has become an especial focus of such comments. Several prominent experts have pointed out that this aft tube would be of minimal use against the Klingons, where even squadron actions tend to turn into a collection of one-on-one engagements, and decry the addition as “toys for boys,” suggesting there is an element in Star Fleet that is not content with peacekeeping and negotiation. Other experts have countered by observing that the Klingon Empire is not the only hostile and aggressive power on the Federation’s borders. The Cardassian Union and the Tzenkethi Hegemony are both proponents of military force, but neither is capable of building a ship that can engage even a Mark IX Block 2 cruiser on its own, never mind a modern Block 4 ship. They have responded to this reality by building much larger numbers of smaller warships. Any conflict with those powers would result in large Federation starships facing off against a “swarm” of smaller craft, and the “Kongos’ ” torpedo layout would be of great value in such a situation.

There is support for the latter argument. Historically, as a new cruiser finishes working up, she is deployed to a fleet where her modern capabilities will be of the most use. Neither Kongo nor Shangri-La have been deployed to the Klingon border. Instead, Kongo is currently with the Coreward Downspin Theatre Fleet, on the Tzenkethi border, whilst Shangri-La is in unexplored space Coreward of the Federation, attached to the Coreward TReaty Zone Fleet, and roughly equidistant to either Cardassian or Tzenkethi space.

Also noteworthy is the changes for the proposed Block 5 that are not seen on the “Kongos.” This involved a redesigned engineering hull and nacelle pylon arrangement that would have further improved sublight manoeuvrability at the cost of warp field efficiency - and also have unmasked the notorious “blind spots” on the upper aft quarters of the cruisers, where the nacelles prevent the port and starboard phaser batteries from engaging targets. As with the torpedoes, this is rarely an issue against a Klingon battlecruiser, but could be a significant weakness against a swarm of Tzenkethi torpedo boats.

It would seem, then, that there is sound reasoning behind the changes seen on the “Kongos.” And yet, their existence is troubling. All of these changes (and more) were presented to the Federation Council in the form of the proposed Block 5. The Council rejected that proposal, and instead authorised Star Fleet to continue building Block 4 cruisers. Nowhere in the Council authorisation is any mention of alterations to the dorsal, engineering, or torpedo loadouts. This strongly suggests Star Fleet has acted on its own initiative.

There is some historical precedent to this decision, with the Council’s decades long reluctance to authorise a replacement for the Warpship Type 7 frigates until the merLegh destroyed five of those ancient ships, a situation that had Star Fleet building Mark III cruisers in excessive numbers simply to use them as border patrol ships. But there is a difference - Star Fleet had brought the request to build those cruisers before the Council, and been given the go-ahead to do so.

Complicating the situation is Star Fleet’s decision to suspend construction on the Mark IX once La Fayette and Tal’kir complete. Official statements suggest this is because of the imminent completion of the prototype Mark XV Cruiser U.S.S. Excelsior, which would mirror the decision to suspend Mark IX Block 2 construction as the Mark IX Block 3 worked out the kinks. However, Star Fleet has also accelerated production of the Mark IX Block 3 starships. These ships’ more compact structure does allow for a more efficient internal layout, which benefits nearly all mission roles from survey to security to transport; but it also compresses the warp core structure, leading to higher parts wear and fuel inefficiencies. It is projected that a Mark XI’s mean-time-between-overhaul will be only about 60% of that of a Mark IX. Thus, there is an argument that prioritising the Mark XI is putting more hulls in space over the short term at the cost of long term endurance, which in turn implies Star Fleet is expecting increased losses in the near future.

While it seems quite likely that Star Fleet has the best interests of the Federation in mind, the apparent willingness of Star Fleet Command to find a “workaround” in this situation and stretch the Council authorisation to the breaking point is, unfortunately, disturbing.

 

[publiusr]

I always liked the idea that numbering conventions swapped from earliest to body styles. Connie's 17XX, Miranda's 18XX, etc.

 

[Vagabond Elf]

I always liked the idea that numbering conventions swapped from earliest to body styles. Connie's 17XX, Miranda's 18XX, etc.

I'm embracing Matt Jeffries notion of what the hull number means - including that "NCC" stands for "Federation Cruiser" and other types ships would have other prefixes; which I suppose will become obvious as soon as I get another ship type posted.

But I'm also planning to show some chaos in the system, both as Star Fleet changes the way things work and as simple mistakes happen (along the lines of SR-71 vs RS-71, or B-25 as an upgraded B-2 instead of following the proper number scheme).

 

[Vagabond Elf]

STARSHIP MARK XIV (Responder)

Block 1: Hero-class

U.S.S. Hero NRR-1900, U.S.S. Saviour NRR-1901, U.S.S. Protector NRR-1902, U.S.S. Guardian NRR-1903, U.S.S. Medic NRR-1904.

Star Fleet’s newest vessel, the Hero-class Responders are a unique vessel, combining a cutter’s high speed (and short endurance) with a transport’s small craft capacity on a hull larger than any current cruiser. While available for search-and-rescue and ship-in-distress response missions, the Heros’ primary role is rapid reaction to planetary disaster.

Statistical data shows that nearly 17% of new colonies will have a major environmental or medical disaster within their first 18 months, and another 4% will have an issue within 48 months. Even fully developed worlds may have an unpredicted ecological event, but new colonies are especially vulnerable - no matter how thorough the initial survey and how extensive the planning and preparations, there are always details that remain unknown until the colony is well under way. For the most part Federation colonies are able to react to these situations - but sometimes the problem overwhelms their resources and they need outside help.

Historically, the Federation has relied on Star Fleet cruisers for the initial response, supported by dedicated hospital ships if an extended mission is required. For colonies in the Home Territories, there is always a cruiser in range. However, as civilian settlement spreads through the so-called Treaty Zone, more and more colonies and associate members are further and further from the cruisers’ patrol areas. Between Stardate 0001.0 and Stardate 5000.0, the closest cruiser was more than twelve hours away for nearly 60% of planetary crises outside the Home Territories. The result was suffering and even death that could have been prevented had a capable ship been on station sooner. (In all but 3% of cases, some sort of Star Fleet response was on station within three hours, but in a very large number of instances this response was a simple cutter or courier which lacked the resources to do very much.)

Long before the above-quoted study was complete, Star Fleet was aware of the need for dedicated disaster response ships. As early as Antestardate 20000.0 “Responder” squadrons formed of older Mark III cruisers were set up in the Treaty Zone fleets. By SD 1000.0, however, it was clear that these older ships simply were not fast enough nor capable enough to deal with the long distances and complex scenarios created by modern colonial proliferation. Design work on a ship that would be both fast and capable officially began on SD 1125.5.

The initial design was conceived as a contemporary to the Constitution-class cruisers. Various concept designs have appeared over the years, popularly known as the Bristol-class and the Ivanova-class - though it must be remembered that these designs never saw any sort of production nor official name. The many concepts vary in detail, but all are some variation on a Fourth Generation saucer with four warp nacelles.

None of them was ready for construction before the Diceceros Project proved the viability of the “warp core” concept. At that point, the potential advantages of the new technology made it more than worth waiting, and the ships were redesigned around the new drive systems. Though criticised at the time, this decision has proven wise, as the new Warp Core design allows much higher energy levels to be pumped into the warp fields, resulting in much higher sprint speeds.

Exact performance details of the new MPAP style warp drives remain restricted information, but when U.S.S. Hero responded to the Desmonda IV crisis on Star Date 7242.3, she made extremely good time. Her observed departure from Starbase 4 and arrival in the Desmonda System was at Warp Factor 9, but the total travel time was far too short for her to have cruised at that speed. Simple math suggests that, once out of external observation, the Hero cruised at at least Warp Factor 13. This is an extremely impressive performance, and the very rapid response time is credited with the success of the mission - not a single colonist fatality from a catastrophic atmospheric processor collapse.

To be sure, the Hero spent nearly two months in refit after the mission was over - but she was far from crippled on her arrival at Desmonda IV, manoeuvring cleanly at Warp Factor 9 and high Impulse velocities, and she stayed on station, fully operational, for three weeks, until relieved by the Mark III hospital ship U.S.S. Justice. This behaviour is exactly what was called for in the design brief - and also highlights the serious differences in operation needs between a crisis response vessel and a general purpose cruiser. In this example, the Hero made a high speed sprint to an emerging crisis, dealt with that crisis, and then underwent servicing to be ready for the next high speed sprint.

The Mark XIV’s hull is an extended saucer, but it has twice as many decks as the Mark IX/5 or Mark VII/7 saucers, which gives the ship substantially more internal volume than any other starship in service. Most of this volume is given over to small craft hangars and cargo bays filled with medical supplies, quick deployment shelters, portable power systems, and other emergency supplies. The primary, forward hanger connects directly to the cargo bays, as do the secondary aft hangars, while the four secondary hangars amidships connect to triage centres that in turn feed to the extensive sick bay. Experience has shown that many of the things that cause a colonial disaster also impair transporters, and of course many serious injuries still can not be safely beamed up, so like a purpose-built hospital ship the Heros have lots of small craft and the ability to rotate them on and off the deck very quickly.

Mark XIV Starships carry the same weapons as a Mark VII Block 7 Frigate, including a pair of 80cm torpedo tubes and six phaser batteries. This went unnoticed initially, but the current controversy over the so-called “Kongo” type Mark IX cruisers and their apparent martial focus has caused some to question why a “fast hospital ship” has all these weapons. Star Fleet Chief of Design, Admiral Harper, defended the choice on three grounds. First, it’s faster and cheaper to use pre-built subassemblies as much as possible, and the saucer subassemblies have the phaser banks in them; changing that would slow the introduction of these very useful ships. Second, the sad reality is that many colonial crises along the Klingon border areas turn out to be caused by a Klingon captain on a glory cruise, and all too many first response ships have discovered the Klingon warship lying in wait. Third, and related, the Heros are large ships with high power signatures that to Klingon or Tzenkethi eyes will likely appear to warships, and so need to be able to protect themselves.

Star Fleet has also noted that the Mark XIVs are not actually as well armed as the frigate, having neither the extensive phaser capacitor systems nor the large torpedo magazines of the latter, and that the overall design is hardly optimised for a martial role. We agree; if Star Fleet truly wished to build a four nacelle “battleship,” a variation on the Mark IX Block 3 Miranda-class cruiser would surely be a better choice than a bulky hull full of large void spaces.

Only two ships have entered service as of Star Date 8000.5, U.S.S. Hero and U.S.S. Saviour. Neither has been in commission for a full year yet, but both have already proven their value. U.S.S. Hero is attached to the Rimward Treaty Zone Fleet, based at Starbase 4 and covering the region with the greatest number of new colonies over the last five years. In addition to the Desmonda IV situation described above, Hero was also the first ship on scene when the Type 17D Cutter U.F.S. Officer collided with the passenger liner S.S. Astral Duchess, placing over two thousand lives in jeopardy. Once again, her sprint speed came to the fore - U.S.S. Hero was on station less than two standard hours after her captain received the orders to go, and that includes all the time needed to undock from the Starbase and clear the vicinity before going to warp.

U.S.S. Saviour is attached to the Rimward Upspin Theatre Fleet which covers the Klingon border area. Although there are less new colonies in this fleet area, there are several Associate Members, and the colonies in the region have somewhat higher risk than most parts of the Federation. It’s not unknown for Klingon captains on a “glory cruise” to harass a colony world in an effort to draw Star Fleet out, and frequently these colonies need disaster support when cleaning up the aftermath. Though Saviour has not yet encountered the Klingons, she did show the utility of her shuttle wing when she delivered medicine to Isthmus II - including several hundred thousand doses of androxitine, which destabilises if put through a transporter beam.

Three more Mark XIVs are under construction as of SD 7900.0 - U.S.S. Protector, U.S.S. Guardian, and U.S.S. Medic. While no official information has been released, long range public images of the spacedocks suggest these three ships are identical to the first two.

An appropriations request for five additional Mark XIVs is before the Federation Council; as of this writing, no decision had been made. As part of the request, Star Fleet has laid out their deployment plan: two ships attached to the Rimward Treaty Zone Fleet, covering that high density of colonial efforts; one ship in the Rimward Upspin Theatre; two ships in the Coreward Treaty Zone - while not as heavily colonised as the Rimward Treaty Zone, there is still substantial activity here - and two more in the Coreward Downspin Theatre Fleet. Rapid growth in trade with the First Federation is spurring a similar growth in colonization along that border, which is covered by CoreDown. The last three ships will be attached to the Home Territories Fleet - one operationally, to provide a Hero’s capabilities in the area that houses 80% of the Federation’s population, and the other two administratively as they undergo major refit or overhaul.

One hopes this second appropriation proceeds smoothly; the Mark XIVs are demonstrably valuable ships, and getting widespread coverage of their abilities will be of immense benefit to the Federation’s citizens.

 

[ash's boomstick]

Have you considered making a version similar to the original ships of the fleet book?

 

[Vagabond Elf]

Have you considered making a version similar to the original ships of the fleet book?

You mean the lineart? I very much lack the skills to do that. This is me playing with STLs like Lego, then converting that to an OBJ and rendering it without any texturing because UV mapping and texturing all this is far too much work.

I certainly don't have the skills to create lineart.

 

[ash's boomstick]

More the layout, for example A4 landscape pages with individual write ups and known ships and their current condition (IE Active, Destroyed, Decommissioned etc). Line art is a pain I agree, I couldn't do that either, heck using paint and MS Publisher is about the limit of my artistic skills.

 

[Vagabond Elf]

More the layout, for example A4 landscape pages with individual write ups and known ships and their current condition (IE Active, Destroyed, Decommissioned etc). Line art is a pain I agree, I couldn't do that either, heck using paint and MS Publisher is about the limit of my artistic skills.

Ah, fair enough.

These are meant to be seen online, there's not enough dpi to print, so I don't see any value in making them some other arbitrary size. I might at some point bundle them into a PDF, which would call for some layout choices and Ships of the Fleet isn't a bad model to follow, but for now this is good enough for me.

And writeups of all the ships could get old fast. There are 63 Mark VII starships - my reinterpretation of the Saladin / Hermes / Akula "lolipops" - and trying to come up with even a brief service history for each would be pushing it. Heck, part of the reason this stalled out was because of the logistics of figuring out what happened to each of the Mark VIIs and, when relevant, when it happened.

 

[Vagabond Elf]

Editor's note: Time for some tasty lolipops!

STARSHIP MARK VII (Frigate)
(Early Marks)

The Starship Mark VII was designed to be the Low Capability component of the Fourth Generation Starship “High-Medium-Low” concept. The intent was a single hull that could be fitted out for either survey/exploration missions or security/defence missions. The ships would have limited capabilities outside of those roles, and inside their design roles were expected to be about 75% as capable as the new Mark IX cruisers. In exchange, the smaller ships would need only about half the time, materiel, labour, and energy to build as the cruisers. Thus, in theory, three-quarters of the missions needing a starship would be completed for a substantial savings in resources.

The initial builds of Mark VIIs came close to hitting the economic goal, and economy of scale and infrastructure amortization undoubtedly would have achieved this by the end of production, if not for the revolution in materials design that led to the MJFJ warp nacelle replacing the older WMJ. While substantially reducing the costs of warp travel, this also meant that the warp nacelles were a much smaller portion of a starship’s overall cost than previously, and a Mark VII became proportionately more expensive compared to a Mark IX. Even so, no Mark VII was ever more than 65% the build cost of their contemporary Mark IX.

Operationally, the Frigate element was very successful, and production of various Blocks of Mark VII Frigates continued for twenty years after the initial introduction. Though it has now been suspended in favour of the new Mark XIII Frigate, Mark VII Frigates of various Blocks remain the backbone of Star Fleet. Dozens are still in commission as of SD 8000.5, and they are still very much on active service - 11 of the 15 Frigates on the Klingon Border, for example, are Mark VIIs of one Block or another.

The Explorer element was less successful. Not so much because of a lack of capability - the Hermes-class is capable of performing about 80% of the tasks of a Liberty-class cruiser - but because of a lack of need. By the time the ships entered service, there were relatively few tasks a comparatively short-ranged survey ship could perform, and only one Block of Mark VII Explorers was ever built.

Nevertheless, the Mark VII is one of Star Fleet’s great success stories. A total of 63 Mark VII Starships of all Blocks combined were built, a number only barely outpaced by the 68 Mark III Cruisers.

 

[Vagabond Elf]

Pre-Production, Daring-Class Frigate
U.S.S. Daring, NX-500; U.S.S. Defender, NX-501

These ships were laid down on Antestardate 14000.5 and 13900.0, and completed on AD 12750.7 and AD 12724.3, respectively.

Built concurrently with the Pre-Production Mark IX Cruisers, these ships shared all of the key features of the larger ships: a prominent bridge superstructure, a large main deflector dish, life-support radiators on the saucer’s dorsal surface, spikes on the Bussard Collectors and vented nacelle endcaps, no visible Matter/Anti-Matter Reactor radiators, and of course the protective shroud on the impulse vents. They also had the extra structural frames on the interior, though this proved less superfluous on the smaller hull because of the need to support the shuttlebay’s volume.

Overall, the design clearly owes more to the Mark IV Explorer’s “self-propelled space station” concept than to the Mark V Frigate. Star Fleet returned to the single-nacelle layout as a cost saving measure - this meant 95% parts similarity between a Mark VII and Mark IX’s warp drive, with the Mark VII using literally half as many components. Since there was no secondary hull, this resulted in an acceptable level of warp field efficiency and a ship that was quite capable of sustaining Warp Factor 6.

Not having a secondary hull to work with did require the designers to get creative with mounting the main deflector and shuttlebay. There are no secondary deflectors on this hull, and both fuel storage and crew comfort were sacrificed to make room. Though later Blocks would improve this slightly, all Mark VIIs have reduced operational endurance because of the saucer-alone design; in general, they are expected to resupply and rotate crew every three standard months, and have a maximum l/s endurance of only eight months.

In trials, the ships performed well, though the MAMR heat management issues cropped up quickly. The impulse shrouds had less of an impact on the Mark VIIs than the Mark IXs simply due to the lower mass of the Frigate.

Once it became clear that something had to be done about the MAMR radiators and impulse shrouds, U.S.S. Defender was chosen to test the modifications. (It was of course recognised that the l/s radiators were not ideal, but changing that would require a near-complete rebuild of the saucer, and even with the radiators the Mark VII saucer was more durable than the Mark V - never mind the handful of ancient Type 7s still in service.) Both modifications were made at the same time, completing on AD 11265.9. Once new trials proved the changes effective, the Block 1 design for both cruiser and frigate was altered accordingly and series production began. (U.S.S. Daring would be updated to the new configuration on AD 9627.7, midway through the Block 1 run.)

Both of these ships served well, spending nearly all their careers on one border or another. Though they periodically rotated to a less dangerous border area as newer ships came online, there was always some older, less capable, and less survivable vessel that couldn’t be spared yet filling up the relatively low-risk security patrol postings and inactive reserve.

U.S.S. Daring was paid off and scrapped on Stardate 1267.3, worn out from 15 years of active service. U.S.S. Defender was retired on SD 1415.5 and handed over to the Star Fleet Museum as the first Fourth Generation Starship ever built. As of this writing, she can still be toured at the Museum, though she is no longer warp-capable.