Design starships from Enterprise onwards, dealing with production capabilities and internal layouts to meet the demands of Starfleet as Earth takes the galactic stage. With art!
The Starship Design Bureau has a problem: they've been too damn good at their jobs. The Excelsior-class was a once-in-a-century design, integrating advanced propulsion, science, and tactical systems into a spaceframe so robust and serviceable it borders on perfection. Initially it was meant to be the ship that broke the transwarp barrier, but the failure of the Great Experiment didn't stop it becoming the backbone of Starfleet. While the impulse engine and deflector enhancements in the Enterprise-B subclass proved too expensive and maintenance intensive to justify rolling out to the rest of the fleet, it nonetheless established that the ships could be easily retrofit with more advanced technology.
So 40 years later, whenever Starfleet Headquarters wants to provide coverage across the expanding Federation, the question is not what specifications they want in a new design but whether newer systems can be installed in the latest tranche of Excelsior-class starships coming out of the yards. It's logical, prudent, even eminently reasonable. It's a proven design, relatively inexpensive, and provides incredible value for resource expenditure. It's just…seeing "Block F" attached to the latest internal documents borders on the depressing for a designer.
So the order for a new class of Starship with a capital S is greeted with great enthusiasm. Not a cargo hauler, not a short-range supply ship, not a bulk transport. No, an honest-to-god Starship to fly the Federation flag across known space.
Of course it isn't that simple. Starfleet Command wants a ship that demonstrates the Federation's technological capabilities and pushes the boundaries of science. The Federation Council wants a ship that can act as a vehicle of state and host entire diplomatic conferences. Daystrom Institute wants their new isolinear processors tested, Yoyodyne is pushing their latest impulse engines and compact warp nacelles, and Starfleet Tactical wants to finally put their new phaser arrays through a trial by fire.
Still, some requests are more urgent than others. There are also a lot of competing interests, which means that you haven't been handed specific ratings to meet other than those needed to conform to the mission profile of the resulting starship. As a result you have been asked to draw up the designs for…
[ ] A replacement for the ageing Miranda-class, able to conduct missions safely in the Federation interior. (Frigate)
[ ] A replacement for the Constellation-class, which acts in an exploratory and anti-piracy role. (Light Cruiser)
[ ] A new flagship vessel for exploration and diplomacy. (Capital)
Order -> Spaceframe -> Warp Core/Nacelles -> Tactical -> Scientific -> Internals -> Prototyping -> Certification -> Final Review
Order -> Spaceframe -> Warp Core/Nacelles -> Tactical -> Scientific -> Internals -> Prototyping -> Certification -> Final Review
[X] A replacement for the Constellation-class, which acts in an exploratory and anti-piracy role. (Light Cruiser)
The Constellation was thrown together in a hurry, and it shows. Four-fifths of the primary hull used the same components as the Miranda-class, meaning it could be constructed with minimal changes to existing production facilities. The torpedo launchers were reclaimed from Constitution-class starships undergoing decommissioning, and the phaser banks were the first fielding of the type-8 phaser bank that would be used in the Excelsior-class. The primary innovation was the use of four nacelles, which allow the ship to travel at Warp 9 in short bursts and provide a very respectable cruise speed of Warp 6.
Unfortunately it was hamstrung by its other issues. It used the same warp core as the Miranda-class, but it simply wasn't up to the task of providing power to all its systems simultaneously. Most infamous was that captains could elect to travel at Warp 7 or have shields, but not both. The Type-8 phasers were an upgrade from the Type-7 on the Miranda, to be sure, but the high power demands meant that power-flow irregularities could shut the weapon banks down entirely. The four-nacelle configuration was also sensitive to upsets or misalignment, which put them in drydock twice as often as standard duel-nacelle designs for warp coil replacements. The crew quarters were also cramped in the pursuit of more cargo space, which left the captain bunking like a lieutenant.
As one commander put it: "the Constellation has the tactical systems of a larger ship, the engineering systems of a smaller ship, and the disadvantages of both." It was the result of a conscious effort by the Design Bureau to draw on the materials being otherwise scrapped in decommissioning of older starships and using similar components now that the Constitution-class was being taken out of service, and with it the Federation's main cruiser-weight patrol ship.
You can do better. The design project is opened under the temporary codename "Centaur", and your team gets to work. The first step in any design process is to decide on the spaceframe, which in this case will primarily consist of the saucer section. The saucer section will contain the ship's crew quarters and main phaser banks, as well as most of its internal space for later allocation.
You have two choices: the first is to tap into the ready supply and manufacturing of the Excelsior-class. The internal systems are well understood and economies of scale will substantially decrease both cost and complexity. It also has a powerful impulse engine attached, which is one less thing to manage later down the line. The disadvantage is that much of the Excelsior's scientific payloads and cargo spaces are outside the saucer section, which will need to be accounted for in the Centaur's bespoke secondary hull.
The second option is to build a new saucer section from scratch. While using many of the same components as the Excelsior it will nonetheless require some new manufacturing to be spun up to accommodate its unique requirements. This would make it easier to integrate new technology, but it has the risk of introducing unforeseen problems into the ship in the Prototyping Phase, solutions to which may involve making the ship more difficult to maintain or expensive to produce.
[ ] Excelsior Saucer Section (Ease of Manufacture: A)
[ ] Bespoke Saucer Section (Ease of Manufacture: C-B)
Project Centaur
Goal: Produce a medium-range cruiser with robust tactical systems and a high warp sprint factor. Design must be capable of basic collection and analysis of scientific samples.
Minimum Tactical Score: B
Minimum Scientific Score: C
Constellation-class Light Cruiser [2282]
Ease of Maintenance: C
Ease of Manufacture: A
Tactical Score: B
Scientific Score: D
Comfort Score: D
Final Score: 44/100 [Marginal]
[One Production Run of Twelve Ships - San Francisco Fleet Yards, 2282-2287]
Excelsior-class Heavy Cruiser [2285]
Ease of Maintenance: A
Ease of Manufacture: B
Tactical Score: S
Scientific Score: A
Comfort Score: B
Final Score: 76/100 [Excellent]
[Nine Production Runs - All Fleet Yards, 2290-2335+]
Order -> Spaceframe -> Warp Core/Nacelles -> Tactical -> Scientific -> Internals -> Prototyping -> Certification -> Final Review
[X] Excelsior Saucer Section (Ease of Manufacture: A)
Deciding to use the Excelsior saucer section has its advantages, not least of which is the powerful impulse thrusters attached to the assembly. Given the Centaur is likely to mass less than half that of the Excelsior, those engines will provide stellar maneuverability at impulse. It will make putting any non-Excelsior technology into the saucer section a bit of a hassle, given that everything from the power distribution system to the size of the rooms has already been optimised, but it certainly won't be an impossible obstacle given enough enthusiasm and caution. You may end up eating your words later, of course, but you're confident that even the worse case scenario there won't torpedo the whole design.
Which just leaves the secondary hull to plan, which will depend entirely on the warp propulsion systems. Ideally you will have room for the warp core, main deflector, torpedoes, and some basic auxiliary functions like a shuttle bay. But how much room you have for the other systems after the core/deflector pair will depend very much on the nacelle configuration you choose and its attendant warp core. So far there are three competing possibilities for you to choose from.
While the Constellation had her flaws and the four-nacelle design is more finicky to manage, the advantages are hard to dismiss. With modern advancements the Centaur could manage a solid Warp 7 cruise with a comparatively underpowered warp core, leaving plenty of room for secondary systems. The tight power budget would mean no weapon upgrades, but the Excelsior's standard armament is more than sufficient to meet project goals.
On the other hand, adopting the tried and true double nacelle design is unlikely to cause problems down the line. The larger warp core needed to maintain the expanded warp field would unfortunately mean displacing the deflector dish from the secondary hull to the forward saucer, which would reduce the space available for other systems. But the Centaur could maintain Warp 6 cruise just like her predecessor.
The final option is the most untested of the lot, and consists of mounting nacelles above and below the main body. The latest Yoyodyne designs use substantially thicker casings with bulky warp coils that they promise can maintain high warp speeds without substantially increasing power consumption. If the design documents pan out, they can maintain Warp 7 without upgrading the warp core. But as with all prototype technology you don't know if the specs on paper will match reality.
[ ] Four Nacelle Design (Decreased Ease of Maintenance, Increased Hull Space)
[ ] Two Nacelle Standard (Decreased Hull Space)
[ ] Two Nacelle Vertical (Prototype Technology)
Project Centaur
Goal: Produce a medium-range cruiser with robust tactical systems and high warp sprint factor. Design must be capable of basic collection and analysis of scientific samples.
Minimum Tactical Score: B
Minimum Scientific Score: C
Constellation-class Light Cruiser [2282]
Ease of Maintenance: C
Ease of Manufacture: A
Tactical Score: B
Scientific Score: D
Comfort Score: D
Final Score: 44/100 [Marginal]
[One Production Run of Twelve Ships - San Francisco Fleet Yards, 2282-2287]
Excelsior-class Heavy Cruiser [2285]
Ease of Maintenance: A
Ease of Manufacture: B
Tactical Score: S
Scientific Score: A
Comfort Score: B
Final Score: 76/100 [Excellent]
[Nine Production Runs - All Fleet Yards, 2290-2335+]
Order -> Spaceframe -> Warp Core/Nacelles -> Tactical -> Scientific -> Internals -> Prototyping -> Certification -> Final Review
[X] Two Nacelle Vertical (Prototype Technology)
Using the new prototype nacelle design has some advantages, but the sight of them actually undergoing manufacturing for mounting next year is rather intimidating. The new nacelles are colossal by any metric, cramming the mass of an Excelsior's warp coils into a much shorter and bulkier space. The theory goes that a smaller warp bubble with a stronger field gradient will be able to extract greater performance at a lower power cost. The only catch is that the warp plasma is going to be that much hotter, so the warp transfer conduit will need substantially more coolant support and the thought of that much heat having nowhere to go if the coils quench makes you a little nauseous. But dealing with terrifying forces and putting them towards useful ends is part and parcel of being a starship designer, so you need to move on.
The secondary hull is taking shape as well, and keeping the warp core at a manageable size has meant serious mass savings. It only takes a quarter of the material compared to the engineering section of an Excelsior, so if you can send it out with close-or-equivalent firepower you'll count that as a major win. Which is the next on the books, since the dock workers are going to need to know what the EPS conduit layout is going to look like not too long from now, and the tactical systems are the prime determinant of just that.
The first option is just to use the Excelsior-standard layout. Ten banks of dual Type-8 phaser emitters, five on the dorsal surface and five on the ventral. Even nearly half a century after their roll-out, they still represent a substantial threat to other starships. Unlike the old Constitution-class which only had one bank serving each quadrant, an Excelsior's layout allows even minor trajectory changes to bring another emitter into its firing arc with minimal delay. It will certainly meet your design goals.
Of course, there's always room for improvement. Starfleet Tactical insists their Type-9 phaser system is the future. It's not a big increase in actual firepower, but the staggered emitter system allows the integrated 'strip' to hand charge from emitter-to-emitter, then release it from a single point. They promise there will be no loss of firing arc, as well as a minor increase in damage-on-target. It's your choice, but it will require a more robust EPS network since you'll effectively be servicing over a dozen emitters per array rather than just two.
Whatever you decide for phasers, space limits your choice of torpedo armament. As it stands the only real option is a single rear launcher and dual forward tubes. But the ship is neither designed nor expected to fight warships in one-on-one confrontations, and has the Excelsior's powerful engines to shake an attacker trying to stay in its rear arc to boot, so this doesn't seem a major issue.
Project Centaur
Goal: Produce a medium-range cruiser with robust tactical systems and high warp sprint factor. Design must be capable of basic collection and analysis of scientific samples.
Minimum Tactical Score: B
Minimum Scientific Score: C
Constellation-class Light Cruiser [2282]
Ease of Maintenance: C
Ease of Manufacture: A
Tactical Score: B
Scientific Score: D
Comfort Score: D
Final Score: 44/100 [Marginal]
[One Production Run of Twelve Ships - San Francisco Fleet Yards, 2282-2287]
Excelsior-class Heavy Cruiser [2285]
Ease of Maintenance: A
Ease of Manufacture: B
Tactical Score: S
Scientific Score: A
Comfort Score: B
Final Score: 76/100 [Excellent]
[Nine Production Runs - All Fleet Yards, 2290-2335+]
Order -> Spaceframe -> Warp Core/Nacelles -> Tactical -> Scientific -> Internals -> Prototyping -> Certification -> Final Review
[X] 10 Type-8 Phaser Banks
Sticking with what is tried and true rather than reinventing the wheel may well be the sensible choice here, but there are a lot of glum faces over in Starfleet Tactical. But given the ship will already be testing a new propulsion system it can hardly be said that the whole design is conservative. What's more, you already know the Type-8 phaser banks are more than capable of packing the kind of punch any Captain would be pleased to have at their disposal, and the Excelsior saucer section has decades of happy running with the power conduits that those particular weapons need.
Just about the only element of the tactical systems you aren't happy with is having to put the forward torpedo launcher so low in the secondary hull, rendering it potentially vulnerable to hits from the ventral axis as well as forward. But that's the price you pay for cutting out the traditional 'neck' structure that joins the primary and secondary hulls on most Federation starships. The Constellation didn't even have that excuse! They mounted the Miranda torpedo assembly up on the nacelle strut. So you sign off on the tactical systems and move on to the scientific instruments.
As a general rule, scientific facilities on starships can be divided into two categories: gathering and analysis. To meet your design goals the Centaur will have to either gather a great deal of novel data by scanner or be equipped with a decent set of onboard laboratories to deal with the physical sciences. Fortunately there is still some room in the secondary hull which will make room for a science lab.
But that alone won't be enough. Here is where the suggestion of transitioning to isolinear computing comes in. The proposal suggests that given the massive increase in computing speed provided by a main computer based on isolinear chips that the Centaur will be able to both process scan data in larger quantities and conduct substantially more tests on time-sensitive samples.
On the other hand, relying on unproven technology might not be the way forward. The saucer section has plenty of room that could be used for a proper array of multidisciplinary science labs. That does mean less space for cargo or other amenities later down the line, of course, but with limited space and unlimited options you have to make tradeoffs at some point.
[ ] Install an Isolinear Chip Computer Core (Prototype)
[ ] Set aside space in the saucer section for science labs.
Project Centaur
Goal: Produce a medium-range cruiser with robust tactical systems and high warp sprint factor. Design must be capable of basic collection and analysis of scientific samples.
Minimum Tactical Score: B
Minimum Scientific Score: C
Constellation-class Light Cruiser [2282]
Ease of Maintenance: C
Ease of Manufacture: A
Tactical Score: B
Scientific Score: D
Comfort Score: D
Final Score: 44/100 [Marginal]
[One Production Run of Twelve Ships - San Francisco Fleet Yards, 2282-2287]
Excelsior-class Heavy Cruiser [2285]
Ease of Maintenance: A
Ease of Manufacture: B
Tactical Score: S
Scientific Score: A
Comfort Score: B
Final Score: 76/100 [Excellent]
[Nine Production Runs - All Fleet Yards, 2290-2335+]
Order -> Spaceframe -> Warp Core/Nacelles -> Tactical -> Scientific -> Internals -> Prototyping -> Certification -> Final Review
[X] Install an Isolinear Chip Computer Core (Prototype)
Isolinear chips are an interesting concept less for the speed increase they offer over standard doutronics and more for their rapidly reprogrammable architecture. Some very clever people have created a standardised system that allows pulling the tray and inserting new chips or rearranging existing ones to alter running programs or reconfigure processing flows. The speed alone would have been more than sufficient to justify rolling the technology out, but given the advantages of the chip system you expect it will be a while before a superior system comes along to displace it. The Centaur will be the first starship trialling the technology, and there are a lot of very interested scientists over at the Daystrom Institute who will be paying careful attention.
With the bone and sinew of the starship effectively complete, the much simpler affair of managing the internal space presents itself. Savings have been made in several areas thanks to prior design decisions. The Excelsior saucer itself has ample crew spaces, of course, and keeping the standard armament rather than plugging in the new phaser array technology has preserved that advantage. The new isolinear computer core is actually slightly smaller than its doutronic counterparts, so that's a saving in addition to the science labs you didn't have to plan for. The engineering spaces were able to accommodate a standard cargo bay as well thanks to the prototype nacelles, which is one less to put into the saucer section. They always want more cargo bays.
All told, you think you freed up seven modules-worth of space. Add in that the Centaur has a predicted crew complement of 200 versus the Excelsior's 450, most of whom were quartered in the saucer section, and that's another five modules, for a total of twelve. Of course the design as it stands is merely acceptable, and that empty space can be used to improve the capabilities of the ship. Given that it's entirely possible you will have space left over after allocating the remaining areas, it seems a sensible rule to mark left-over spaces for general storage, crew recreation, and expansion for new components in a future retrofit.
To help make the decision you draw up an estimated capability chart for the ship as it stands, assuming all the prototype technology performs as promised.
Project Centaur:
Ease of Maintenance: B
Ease of Manufacture: B
Tactical Score: B
Scientific Score: C
Comfort Score: C
Modules Available: 12
Cargo Bays
Small Cargo Bay: -1 Module
Standard Cargo Bay: -2 Modules
Large Cargo Bay: -4 Modules
Crew Lodgings
Officer Small Rooms: +2 Modules
Enlisted Bunks: Standard
Enlisted Communal Rooms: -4 Modules
Enlisted Personal Rooms: -8 Modules
Project Centaur
Goal: Produce a medium-range cruiser with robust tactical systems and high warp sprint factor. Design must be capable of basic collection and analysis of scientific samples.
Minimum Tactical Score: B
Minimum Scientific Score: C
Constellation-class Light Cruiser [2282]
Ease of Maintenance: C
Ease of Manufacture: A
Tactical Score: B
Scientific Score: D
Comfort Score: D
Final Score: 44/100 [Marginal]
[One Production Run of Twelve Ships - San Francisco Fleet Yards, 2282-2287]
Excelsior-class Heavy Cruiser [2285]
Ease of Maintenance: A
Ease of Manufacture: B
Tactical Score: S
Scientific Score: A
Comfort Score: B
Final Score: 76/100 [Excellent]
[Nine Production Runs - All Fleet Yards, 2290-2335+]
Order -> Spaceframe -> Warp Core/Nacelles -> Tactical -> Scientific -> Internals -> Prototyping -> Certification -> Final Review
[X]Plan Space For Upgrades (10/12)
-[X] Small Cargo Bay -1 Module
-[X] Multidisciplinary Science Labs: -3 Modules
-[X] Advanced Sickbay: -2 Modules
-[X] Enlisted Communal Rooms: -4 Modules
With the space finally allocated, it's just a matter of tweaking the power conduits and computer access points to accommodate the new areas. You feel reasonably confident that your choices are such that the brass will be happy with the capabilities of the ship. As it stands they will be the final sections to be assembled, and won't be finalised until the ship is confirmed to be fully functional. While the infrastructure and components for the new warp drive are installed first they can't do anything without the main computer controlling the process, so that's the first thing you test.
The results are, in a word, incredible. If anything the Daystrom Institute has vastly understated the performance of the new isolinear systems under load, and in addition to blazing through sequential calculations like a station-based supercomputer it has no problems seamlessly integrating multiple command flows. You can't help but lay reverent hands on the main computer core control panel once it has completed the battery of tests intended to push to its absolute limit. You joke with a beaming designer from Daystrom that you'll need a smaller computer core, but what the Centaur has is what it will have, her and every vessel of the design.
The new isolinear computer core has exceeded all expectations. In future the Centaur's computing resources will be called 'excessive for its size', but right now its capabilities have taken a substantial leap forward from what was predicted.
Of course with good news comes the bad. It's only a few weeks later that you're walking a circuit through main engineering with a grim-faced supervisor. "It's a miracle the field quenched rather than inverting altogether," you are told. "Half the coils cracked on the spot, and we're lucky the core didn't breach and take out half the drydock. We'd have lost a lot of people."
Yoyodyne varies between effusive in its apologies and vociferous in its insistence that the test was not conducted properly, but the reality is that the nacelles will have to be replaced either way. The inquiry takes months but eventually traces the issue back to minute variances in the magnetic interlocks feeding the warp core. Entirely within tolerance for the core, but not for the unexpectedly fussy nacelles. In the absence of a new interlock design (and a new warp core injection system, and a new warp core), alterations will have to be made to the existing system to bring the interlocks into the tighter parameters needed.
The first option is to supplement the interlock with additional equipment to bring the antimatter stream into spec, but this kind of ad hoc solution will vastly complicate the injector system. Complicating one of the most fundamentally important systems on any starship will not be popular with any engineer and the way every proposal requires just bolting new equipment onto the existing infrastructure hurts your designer's soul.
The second option is to replace the interlock with a much higher quality variant. Given the interlock is already as damn-near close to perfect as any manufacturing facility can reliably get them, to call this difficult is an understatement. You are given to understand that existing production would need to be ramped up so the statistics line up for some of the interlocks to come off the line with the excruciatingly precise tolerances that will be required.
The new nacelles are disastrously incompatible with the existing warp core. Additional systems will need to be maintained at an equal priority to the warp core itself by the crew or specialty parts must be manufactured.
[ ] Supplement the interlock with additional systems.
[ ] Require the interlock be of a higher quality.
With the warp core "fixed", the propulsion tests proceed as planned. The new nacelles do live up to the hype once they get their precisely controlled plasma flow, maintaining a comfortable Warp 7 cruise and capable of pushing up to Warp 9 in an emergency - though you refrain from attempting maximum warp and make a note to advise likewise in the specifications. While the new interlock can feed the system, it may be best not to stress it to the edge of viable settings unless it's an absolute crisis.
With that done you hand over the ship to the shipyard supervisors and auditors for a thorough review of the design. Their judgement will be the defining factor as to whether Project Centaur has met its design goals and the potential mission profiles it can take on, and whether the ship is merely another one-off design or viable for multiple production runs. Of course this will be from an engineering and practicality perspective - the legacy of a specific class will usually be down to the crews that actually run it and how it performs in service.
Project Centaur Mission Certification
The Centaur design specification requires up-to-date tactical systems and a high warp factor to respond to reports of hostile activity in Federation space. The Centaur design requires basic scientific capabilities to serve as a short range explorer in Federation territory.
It is the judgement of this report that the Centaur meets these requirements. Details follow.
The Centaur has a medium operational range at a cruise of Warp 7. As such the Centaur is certified to operate six months from the nearest refuelling depot at standard cruise. Crew lodgings are noted to be comfortable and recreational spaces allocated.
The Centaur is equipped with a Type-6 shield matrix, ten Type-8 phaser banks, one forward dual torpedo launcher, and one aft torpedo launcher. The Centaur is equipped with twin Avidyne Type-E impulse thrusters and displays high manoeuvrabilityin combat conditions. As such the Centaur-type is certified to proactively engage hostile vessels.
The Centaur is equipped with a standard navigational array and primary deflector system. Onboard facilities match current Federation design goals for a vessel of her size, augmented by an advanced isolinear computer system.
The Centaur is equipped with a standard shuttlebay and two Type-5 shuttlecraft. The design carries one standard cargo bay adjacent to the shuttlebay and one small cargo bay in the primary hull. There is also a modular space in the saucer section equivalent to a standard cargo bay that can be used in an emergency. The Centaur is therefore certified to carry out low-capacity bulk cargo deliveries.
The Centaur has advanced medical facilities installed. It is therefore certified and authorised to bring aboardclass-2 biohazards.
The success of the isolinear computer system leads this report to the recommendation that isolinear computing systems should become regulation standard. Difficulties have been noted with the manufacturing of critical warp-system components. Production should be limited until such a time as a new antimatter injector is specifically designed for the Yoyodyne Type-A nacelles.
In concordance with the findings of this review and in consultation with Starfleet Command, Supervisor Utopia Planitia authorises one (1) production run of twelve vessels, further orders to be reviewed after a performance analysis and the certification of a new warp core assembly.
It's over. It's done. You have designed a starship from start to finish. Often leaning on the proven components of the past, both for reliability and ease of production, but distilling a unique amalgamation of the old and new from the process. Project Centaur has exceeded its goals despite some last-minute setbacks, producing what appears to be a solid design that any officer would be happy to serve aboard.
But there remains one last piece of business to attend to: the name. "Centaur" was randomly assigned at the beginning of the process, when possibilities were infinite. But now those possibilities have become reality, and it needs a deliberately chosen identity. You've poured blood, sweat, and tears into this ship. The whole team needs an acknowledgement of that. As per tradition the name you choose will stand as the name for the design as a whole, as well as that of the first vessel.
This ship is the…
[ ] USS Centaur, for the name she has been known as for the last two years.
[ ] USS Apollo, in homage to the vertically nacelled Hermes-class.
[ ] USS Renaissance, an optimistic hope for a new renewal in starship design.
Project Centaur:
Ease of Maintenance: B
Ease of Manufacture: B-
Tactical Score: B
Scientific Score: B+
Comfort Score: B
Final Score: 62/100 [Acceptable]
Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
Introductory Address, USS Enterprise-D.
You never forget your first command. The USS Stargazer was a disaster of a ship - overworked, underpowered, always at the verge of flying apart at the seams. I was the helmsman, and despite looking back and recognising how unresponsive and sluggish she was, I will never forget the joy of my first shift when she began to respond to my admittedly tentative commands. When the ship came under attack when investigating an assault on an outlying colony world, the captain was killed. In the chaos I assumed command and we fought off the attackers. The ship was heavily damaged. In any other circumstance I like to think she would have been repaired and I could have had another twenty years on board that ship, the happiest man in space.
But that was not to be - instead most of the crew was transferred to the USS Vasco, a Renaissance-class cruiser that had just come out of the yards. In a fit of what I can only assume was collective insanity, Starfleet Command decided that because of my performance on the Stargazer that I should be its Captain. The Vasco shared many characteristics with the Stargazer: vertical nacelles, parts cobbled from the ship popular at the time - the Excelsior, in this case - and a profoundly temperamental warp engine. The rumour that the ship would explode at maximum warp is, I assure you, unfounded. The lack of any record of her theoretical top speed is purely a coincidence. [laughter]
Command of the Vasco stretched the crew to rise to the countless challenges we found ourselves facing. Marauding pirates, medical outbreaks, unknown phenomena that played havoc on our systems. We did archeological work, led outreach programs, and whenever we ran into something that we didn't understand we didn't doubt we had the tools at our disposal to resolve the problems we faced. I will never forget the years I spent as her captain, and she will forever have a fond place in my heart.
For some of you the Enterprise may well be your Vasco - the first time you find yourself stretched and challenged in ways you did not foresee for yourself. But you are all here because you are the finest that Starfleet has to offer, and I have confidence that no matter whatever challenges wait over the horizon that you will all rise to meet it. This is my first order as commander of the Enterprise: secure for departure, and let's all of us see what's out there.
To your stations, everyone.
When one project is over, another begins. There are three requests to consider: the first a replacement for the Miranda-class, which has mostly been relegated to transport and supply missions. That would certainly test the ability of the team to fit the systems needed in such a small spaceframe. The second request is for a complement to the Oberth-class, which is restrained to short-range investigations. It's a very good science ship, but the Federation Science Council is interested in if a longer-range ship is viable.
Last is a capital ship to exceed the size and capability of the Excelsior-class, which is now being outclassed by its competitors in the Klingon Empire. The days of it being able to fight off multiple Birds of Prey are slipping away. That's Starfleet's concern, anyway. The Federation Council would quite like a new diplomatic ship that can show off the latest advancements in Federation technology.
[ ] A replacement for the ageing Miranda-class, able to conduct missions safely in the Federation interior. (Frigate)
[ ] A new science ship capable of long range exploration and intensive analysis. (Light Cruiser)
[ ] A new flagship vessel for exploration and diplomacy. (Capital)
Constellation-class Light Cruiser [2282]
Ease of Maintenance: C
Ease of Manufacture: A
Tactical Score: B
Scientific Score: D
Comfort Score: D
Final Score: 44/100
[One Production Run of Twelve Ships - San Francisco Fleet Yards, 2282-2287]
Excelsior-class Heavy Cruiser [2285]
Ease of Maintenance: A
Ease of Manufacture: B
Tactical Score: S
Scientific Score: A
Comfort Score: B
Final Score: 76/100
[Nine Production Runs - All Fleet Yards, 2290-2335+]
Renaissance-class Light Cruiser [2337]
Ease of Maintenance: B
Ease of Manufacture: B-
Tactical Score: B
Scientific Score: B+
Comfort Score: B
Final Score: 62/100
[Two Production Runs of Twelve Ships - Utopia Planitia, 2337-2347]
[X] A replacement for the ageing Miranda-class, able to conduct missions safely in the Federation interior. (Frigate)
Project Ferdinand
The ship should have sufficient tactical armament for convoy duty and responding to distress, as well as sufficient cargo space to act as a bulk hauler. It must have a crew of 100 or less.
Minimum Tactical Rating: C
Someone higher up has a sense of humour - Project Ferdinand indeed. For all the criticisms one might make of the Miranda-class, it is an extraordinarily well-designed hull. Well armed by the standards of the time, reasonably quick, plentiful cargo space, and even limited scientific facilities. But to build a small ship that can carry out the mission you've been assigned will require some intensive work, and the first decision is what to start with. The nature of the matter is that whatever saucer section you elect to begin with that will constitute the majority of the hull.
The first option is to return the Excelsior, that ever-reliable chassis. The engines are already sorted, potentially some of the weapons too, but from there you'll have to take a chisel to the spaceframe to find space for the deflector, warp core, cargo bays and so forth. Experience also means you can be more comfortable with automating well-understood systems to reduce pressure on the crew.
The second option is to create your own, trialling modern manufacturing techniques and bulkhead designs. You'll still have to take butcher's tools to whatever you create, but it would provide the option to more aggressively build up the rear in the same vein as the Miranda originally added mass to the back of the Constitution-class saucer. Still, are you sure you really want to start from scratch when you're already going to be fighting to cram every system under the sun into as small a space as possible?
[ ] Excelsior, don't fail us now.
[ ] Trial a new saucer design.
