Spoilers Starship Design in Star Trek: Picard

[Ithekro]

There were a bunch of Galaxy-class starships at Earth when USS Voyager returned home. Like nine or so of them. Though that was about 25 years before the last scenes in Picard.

Geordi's been working on the Enterprise-D for twenty years, which isn't that long after Riker took command of the Titan. La Forge was maybe a commander at the time, unless Starfleet gave him a burst of promotions following the events of Nemesis. It may have been an on and off project while he took on other assignments, the Enterprise-D being something he did between them. So, he might have commanded the USS Challenger for a time. Maybe to study its frames so he could better tackle rebuilding Enterprise. USS Challenger might even have been, like her space shuttle namesake, a starship built from Galaxy-class parts. And that project was LaForge working out how to rebuild Enterprise. We only see it in the alternate timeline if 2290 where the Delta Flyer makes it home, but Voyager does not. But eleven years before the Enterprise-D returns would fit with Geordi using USS Challenger as a test project to rebuild Enterprise.

Or maybe he was in charge of the remaining Galaxy-class starships as they returned from missions. Some may have been refit to Ross-class specification. Perhaps in this project they found the USS Syracuse's saucer was too far gone or had been used to rebuild another ship years earlier in the Dominion War, and the damaged stardrive had been sitting around, just in case. With all the other Galaxy-class starships upgraded to Ross-class specs, they didn't have a need for this old stardrive and LaForge takes it in hand for the Museum and Enterprise.

 

[Racefuel]

Since "The Search" happened immediately after "The Jem'Hadar", then yes, Starfleet would be on a war-footing at this point. It had gone hot and you can't put the shit back in the horse once first blood is spilled. Sure, there was a short cool-down period when the two powers were sizing each other up and moving their pieces on the board, but the die was fully cast at that juncture.

As for when the war officially started, was there ever a formal declaration of war between the two powers? Such a political maneuver usually happens after a kinetic military engagement where lives are lost. From Memory Alpha:
I personally draw the line in the sand at the first kinetic engagement and loss of life when it comes to the exact point when a war starts. The United States entered into a state of war with Japan upon the attack at Pearl Harbor on Dec 7 1941. However, by the logic you stated, the official "war" didn't begin until its declaration by Congress a day later on Dec 8, even though we were forced into a hot war footing only 24 hours before. Did the lives of those lost at Pearl somehow mean less than those who died after war was declared? And since no other war since WWII was officially declared by Congress, does this mean that Korea, Vietnam, Gulf Wars I & II, Afghanistan, etc., didn't exist either? Not important enough? The hundreds of thousands who died in all those conflicts are irrelevant because those weren't "real wars" by conventional definition?

Sorry, but this gets into a realm of pedantry that is desperately (and weakly) grasping at defending the original premise to support the (objectively incorrect) fact that no Galaxy-class ships were destroyed on-screen during the war. Such a position simplistically and blatantly ignores the dynamics involved in the conditions of international armed conflict.

So we saw one Galaxy class outright destroyed by the Dominion during a conflict that was outside of what was accepted as the set beginning and end point of the Dominion War.

However we did not see any Galaxy class destroyed in action during the actual state of war between the attack on DS9 and the surrender after the invasion of Cardassia Prime.

The fact of the matter is is we didn't see any Galaxy class destroyed during the Operation Return or ChinToka 1 & 2 Battles, nor during the invasion of Cardassia battles. The only time we saw one even being damaged was Galaxy herself at ChinToka 1.

I don't have an angle on this, it's simply stating that we didn't see any Galaxy class lost like we did Excelsior, Miranda and Akira classes.

 

[137th Gebirg]

Again, you're splitting very fine hairs here.

Let's just agree to disagree. Neither of us are clearly going to budge.

 

[Sci]

Yeah they wanted something ‘familiar’ to audiences.

It's my understanding that Berman actually initially just wanted to use the Akira class with no modifications on the rationale that most audiences wouldn't recognize it. Drexler had to talk him into letting him re-design it into the NX class.

The main argument for retiring them is that the original mission profile no longer existed. Perhaps Starfleet decided that lengthy exploration missions with a large complement of civilians was no longer a good use of resources.

Once you take that away, does the Galaxy class still have a place in a peacetime fleet? There are presumably more modern and efficient ways to do all the things we saw during TNG - patrolling the neutral zone, ferrying ambassadors, arbitrating disputes.

Perhaps the Galaxy isn't a B-52 or an aircraft carrier, it's Concorde. Taken out of service due to high operating costs and small returns, and some high profile disasters.

Or, maybe the reason we didn't see any Galaxy-class ships in Earth orbit is that the advent of the Sovereign, Odyssey, and Inquiry classes meant that the Galaxy classes were finally free to be deployed on their original mission profiles: long-term long-range extra-Federation deployments in deep into unexplored space.

Maybe there are still a shit-ton of Galaxy-class ships out there, but they're all so far out from Federation space that it wasn't possible to recall them for the Frontier Day ceremony. Like, maybe there's a fleet of protostar-drive-equipped Galaxy-class ships that are all out exploring the Delta and Gamma Quadrants these days.

 

[Macintosh]

It's my understanding that Berman actually initially just wanted to use the Akira class with no modifications on the rationale that most audiences wouldn't recognize it. Drexler had to talk him into letting him re-design it into the NX class.

It wasn't Berman, it was Berman's bosses.

 

[137th Gebirg]

I love how little regard the "suits" had for fan intelligence making decisions like that, when they were really the ones whose intellect should have been in question.

 

[USS Artorius]

I would also try to argue that the Galaxy Class is still in service, put purely because I want to see more of the Galaxy Class. I wouldn't embarrass myself grasping at straws and making presumptions to justify that in my own 'head-canon' that there are a dozen of them charting unknown space as of the early 2400s. If that were true then it would have at least been mentioned once by Geordi or any other member of the E-D crew. The simple and unfortunate fact is that most of them were probably dismantled and the resources were recycled to manufacture newer starship classes.

I think the Galaxy class just wasn't new enough to be 'networked' like the more contemporary ships seen in seasons 2 & 3. The oldest ships we see still in active service are the Akira and Defiant classes (and a Steamrunner & a Nova are mentioned), all of which most likely came after the Galaxy class production-wise.

That's the most likely argument for their decommissioning. The original hardware was simply too out of date for Starfleet to refit them with the networking tech.

The main argument for retiring them is that the original mission profile no longer existed. Perhaps Starfleet decided that lengthy exploration missions with a large complement of civilians was no longer a good use of resources.

Once you take that away, does the Galaxy class still have a place in a peacetime fleet? There are presumably more modern and efficient ways to do all the things we saw during TNG - patrolling the neutral zone, ferrying ambassadors, arbitrating disputes.

Perhaps the Galaxy isn't a B-52 or an aircraft carrier, it's Concorde. Taken out of service due to high operating costs and small returns, and some high profile disasters.

Another likely reason for the Galaxy class' early demise. Starfleet changed after the Borg and the Dominion war. No more families in ships and resources would be better spent on defense instead of deep space exploration with your kids tagging along. No one wants to see a 4 year old being assimilated or blown out into space.

Lets be honest with ourselves for a moment then. The Galaxy class probably isn't still widely commissioned or at all as of the early 2400s. Maybe it lasted into the 2380s at a push - we don't have any canon evidence yet. Despite saying all this I really do want to see more of the Galaxy Class, it's my faviourite design! Hopefully we will see a rendition of it in Lower Decks or maybe even Prodigy. As for another live action iteration of the ship, I think it deserves to go out with some dignity like it's crew. Bon Voyage Galaxy Class, you were a hefty SOB.

Now its time to meet it's cooler, hipper, younger brother the Ross Class. Personally I think it's trying too hard to impress the Soveriegn Class...

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Now its time to meet it's cooler, hipper, younger brother the Ross Class. Personally I think it's trying too hard to impress the Soveriegn Class...

I think the Ross Class is a hybrid of the Galaxy & Sovereign class.

Spoiler: Certifiably InGame - 2 Warp Cores and AI Crew; The Ross Class Starship

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The Ross class is kind of like a semi-'throw back' to the Ambassador class in shape & size, but with much newer technology & knowledge from the Galaxy & Sovereign.

 

[USS Artorius]

While the Ross is definitively a canon design as of Picard Season 2, STO still isn't canon and any background the devs came up with for this design should not be taken as canon either. No double warp core, and we don't know if the Sovereign came first or not. Granted I never thought about it being a spiritual successor to the Ambassador class, thats certainly interesting. In TNG the E-D ended up doing a lot of ambassador ferrying and such, they should have renamed the Galaxy class to the Ambassador II

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

While the Ross is definitively a canon design as of Picard Season 2, STO still isn't canon and any background the devs came up with for this design should not be taken as canon either. No double warp core, and we don't know if the Sovereign came first or not. Granted I never thought about it being a spiritual successor to the Ambassador class, thats certainly interesting. In TNG the E-D ended up doing a lot of ambassador ferrying and such, they should have renamed the Galaxy class to the Ambassador II

The Ambassador II should've been a Proto-Type name for the Ross-class before it became the Ross-class.

^_-

 

[Macintosh]

Granted I never thought about it being a spiritual successor to the Ambassador class, thats certainly interesting.

Isn't STO's "spiritual successor to the Ambassador-class" the Horatio, which is an ABOMINATION of a starship and one we should never speak of again?

 

[C.E. Evans]

I would also try to argue that the Galaxy Class is still in service, put purely because I want to see more of the Galaxy Class. I wouldn't embarrass myself grasping at straws and making presumptions to justify that in my own 'head-canon' that there are a dozen of them charting unknown space as of the early 2400s. If that were true then it would have at least been mentioned once by Geordi or any other member of the E-D crew. The simple and unfortunate fact is that most of them were probably dismantled and the resources were recycled to manufacture newer starship classes.

That's is indeed your own head-cannon and not a fact, by the way.

The only thing we can say for absolute certain was that there weren't any Galaxy-class starships at Frontier Day. Now why that was the case is purely up to our own speculation, but there is definitely no actual facts to support any claims that most Galaxy-ships were dismantled and recycled into newer ships. There's nothing wrong with that speculation, indeed I have my own theory that I proposed upthread, but we can't claim them as genuine facts.

 

[NCC-73515]

Isn't STO's "spiritual successor to the Ambassador-class" the Horatio, which is an ABOMINATION of a starship and one we should never speak of again?

Much better than the Ambassador we saw.
Nothing beats the Probert concept though

 

[drt]

The only thing we can say for absolute certain was that there weren't any Galaxy-class starships at Frontier Day. Now why that was the case is purely up to our own speculation, but there is definitely no actual facts to support any claims that most Galaxy-ships were dismantled and recycled into newer ships. There's nothing wrong with that speculation, indeed I have my own theory that I proposed upthread, but we can't claim them as genuine facts.

I suppose one hypothesis, semi-supported by Geordi’s ”analog” statement, is that the Galaxy Class couldn’t support the Command Navigation Program (sorry, I forgot what they called it on Picard) so likely weren’t invited to the party by the Changeling infiltrators setting things up.

 

[Macintosh]

Much better than the Ambassador we saw.

RUDE!

Nothing beats the Probert concept though

I think that just might be my favourite starship design of all time.

 

[Racefuel]

I suppose one hypothesis, semi-supported by Geordi’s ”analog” statement, is that the Galaxy Class couldn’t support the Command Navigation Program (sorry, I forgot what they called it on Picard) so likely weren’t invited to the party by the Changeling infiltrators setting things up.

Fleet Formation

 

[Macintosh]

I suppose one hypothesis, semi-supported by Geordi’s ”analog” statement, is that the Galaxy Class couldn’t support the Command Navigation Program (sorry, I forgot what they called it on Picard) so likely weren’t invited to the party by the Changeling infiltrators setting things up.

The Enterprise-D couldn't, and it had obviously been restored to a 2360s configuration. A regular Galaxy-class ship that had been in continuous service for the last thirty years and received regular routine upgrades throughout maybe could.

 

[NCC-73515]

RUDE!

FACT!
It's just too simple. Boxy right angles, circular circles, boring from all sides.

I think that just might be my favourite starship design of all time.

If EM had completely textured the engine section, I'd get that model. Maybe if I ever find a cheap one I'll get it and try to paint those missing parts... or get the decals someone made, IIRC

 

[drt]

The Enterprise-D couldn't, and it had obviously been restored to a 2360s configuration. A regular Galaxy-class ship that had been in continuous service for the last thirty years and received regular routine upgrades throughout maybe could.

Really, they should have made it contingent on the Artifact-derived Borg technology that they went out of their way to mention had been included in Stargazer - it would have added another dimension to the Borg plot, but everyone seemed to forget about it.

 

[Sci]

Another likely reason for the Galaxy class' early demise. Starfleet changed after the Borg and the Dominion war. No more families in ships and resources would be better spent on defense instead of deep space exploration with your kids tagging along.

On the other hand, it has been twenty-six years since the Dominion War ended now and sixteen years since the Mars Attack. There's an argument to be made that at some point, the Federation should return to its peacetime values and practices, including deep space exploration, which is foundational to Federation culture.

Now its time to meet it's cooler, hipper, younger brother the Ross Class. Personally I think it's trying too hard to impress the Soveriegn Class...

Personally I think the Ross class looks like a Galaxy class starship if it were a heroin addict.