Galaxy class starship

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This Star Trek-related article or section describes an aspect of Star Trek in a primarily in-universe style.
Please rewrite this article or section to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective.
Galaxy class

The Galaxy class starship Enterprise
First appearance "Encounter at Farpoint"
Affiliation Starfleet
General Characteristics
Auxiliary craft Shuttlecraft
Runabout[citation needed]
Armaments Phasers
Photon torpedoes
Defences Deflector shields
Propulsion Warp, Impulse

The Galaxy class is a fictional class of starship in the science fiction franchise Star Trek. The most notable Galaxy-class starship is the USS Enterprise-D, the primary setting of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry stated that only six Galaxy-class starships had been constructed,[1] and the USS Yamato is the only other Galaxy-class vessel to appear in The Next Generation. Several additional Galaxy-class ships appear in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager.

Contents

[edit] Design

Design and construction of the Galaxy-class began in the 2340s, with the first ships being commissioned in the 2360s.[2] According to dialog in the Next Generation episodes "11001001"[3] and "Booby Trap"[4], designers of the USS Enterprise-D included Orfil Quinteros and Leah Brahms.[1]

The ship's design features a saucer section connected via a vertical pylon to the stardrive section. Affixed to the rear of the stardrive section are two pylons, and atop each is a warp nacelle.

In real life, the Galaxy-class was designed by Andrew Probert for Star Trek: The Next Generation.[1] Interiors were designed by Probert and Herman Zimmerman during the first season.[1] Richard D. James designed and rebuilt the sets for the remaining six years, while Zimmerman returned for Star Trek Generations.[1]

[edit] Technical details and capabilities

[edit] Saucer separation

The Galaxy-class Enterprise is capable of saucer separation and subsequent re-docking, used sometimes for leaving the civilian population behind when the stardrive section goes into combat,[2] as seen in the The Next Generation episodes "Encounter at Farpoint",[5] and "The Arsenal of Freedom",[6] for the additional combat advantage of having two separate vessels instead of one, as seen in "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II",[7] or as a lifeboat[2] as seen in the film Star Trek Generations.[8] The Enterprise is the only Galaxy-class starship seen in any of the television series to perform saucer separation.

[edit] Command

The main bridge of the Galaxy-class Enterprise is located on deck 1. Three distinct Galaxy-class bridge variants have been seen: the Enterprise bridge in The Next Generation (which undergoes a redesign in the first two seasons), the Enterprise bridge in Star Trek Generations,[8] and the USS Odyssey bridge in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Jem'Hadar".[9] The Galaxy-class Enterprise also has a secondary battle bridge on deck eight of the secondary hull for use when the ship has undergone a saucer separation. It is first seen in the TNG episode "Encounter at Farpoint" and again in "The Arsenal of Freedom", with an updated version appearing in "The Best of Both Worlds".

[edit] Science and research

The Galaxy-class Enterprise supports an array of scientific disciplines, with laboratories and departments devoted to stellar cartography, exobiology, cetology, astrophysics, cybernetics, archaeology, cultural anthropology, botany, hydroponics, and planetary geosciences.[2]

[edit] Tactical

The Galaxy-class Enterprise is armed with twelve Type X phaser arrays and three photon torpedo launchers, each capable of firing ten individual torpedoes at a time.[2] One phaser array is mounted on the "cobra head" of the secondary hull while a photon torpedo launcher is mounted on the ventral aft of the saucer; both are inoperative while the saucer and stardrive sections are docked.[2] The ship also has a high capacity shield grid[2] and, according to dialog in the Next Generation episode "Conundrum"[10], at least 275 photon torpedoes.

[edit] Transportation

The Galaxy-class Enterprise has at least six transporter rooms and twenty transporter systems.[2] The ship has one large main shuttlebay in the saucer section, supported by two smaller bays in the stardrive section.[2] The ship carries a variety of shuttlecraft and a captain's yacht.[2]

[edit] Medical and life support systems

The Galaxy-class Enterprise includes a sickbay and a number of labs and other medical facilities.[2] The shuttlebays, cargo bays, and other areas of the ship can be converted into triage wards[2]; such conversion of a cargo bay appears in the TNG episode "Ethics"[11]. Other areas, such as Ten-Forward, can serve as emergency shelters.[2] Such use of Ten-Forward occurs in the Next Generation episode "Disaster".[12]

[edit] Crew support

Various Next Generation episodes show that the Galaxy-class Enterprise has amenities such as holodecks,[5] an arboretum, a school,[13] a gymnasium,[14] amphitheaters,[15] and a bar.[16] According to "Encounter at Farpoint"[5], several Enterprise crewmembers' civilian family members (including children) are aboard despite the fact that the Enterprise routinely faces situations that could easily end with the complete destruction of the ship with all hands. Some civilians work aboard the ship, such as the bartender Ben in "Lower Decks"[17] and botanist Keiko O'Brien in "Rascals"[18] and other episodes.

[edit] Known Galaxy-class starships

The non-canon Star Trek Encyclopedia identifies each of the following vessels as Galaxy-class ships.[1]

In addition to these vessels, several unnamed or unidentifiable Galaxy-class ships appear in DS9's "A Time to Stand" and "Sacrifice of Angels" and in Voyager's "Endgame".

Name Registry Appearance(s) Notes
USS Challenger NCC-71099 Voyager: "Timeless" Commanded by Captain Geordi La Forge in an alternate future.
USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D Star Trek: The Next Generation, DS9: "Emissary", Star Trek Generations The primary setting of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Destroyed in Star Trek Generations by a warp core breach following damage suffered during a battle with a Klingon Bird of Prey which was able to by-pass the ships shields.
USS Galaxy NX-70637 DS9: "Tears of the Prophets" Mentioned in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual as the class pathfinder. Seen in a fleet in the DS9 episode "Tears of the Prophets" and mentioned on an Okudagram in Star Trek Nemesis.
USS Magellan unknown DS9: "Sacrifice of Angels" Participates in Operation Return.
USS Odyssey NCC-71832 DS9: "The Jem'Hadar" Under the command of Captain Keogh, and destroyed in "The Jem'Hadar".
USS Trinculo NCC-71867 DS9: "Sacrifice of Angels" Participates in Operation Return.
USS Venture NCC-71854 DS9: "The Way of the Warrior, Part II", "Sacrifice of Angels", "Tears of the Prophets" Responds to Klingon attack on Deep Space Nine and participates in the Dominion War. The model has the two extra phaser arrays on top of its nacelles like the Enterprise D in "All Good Things".
USS Yamato NCC-71807 † TNG: "Where Silence Has Lease", "Contagion" Appears as a "phantom" in "Where Silence Has Lease". Destroyed by a warp core breach in "Contagion" while under the command of Captain Donald Varley in 2365.
USS Dauntless NCC-71879 Star Trek: Bridge Commander The Dauntless plays a major role in the Kessok Incident, and is destroyed by Cardassian ships after a recovery mission by the USS Nightingale and the USS Sovereign.
USS San Francisco NCC-69480 Star Trek: Bridge Commander The San Francisco, commanded by Captain Zeiss, plays a supporting role, helping the player in some missions, albeit not as much as the Geronimo. Fate uncertain.

† In "Where Silence Has Lease", William Riker reads the phantom Yamato's registry number as "NCC-1305-E", but this conflicts with the shooting model's registry in both that episode and "Contagion". According to The Star Trek Encyclopedia, "NCC-71807" is the correct registry.[1] According to technical illustrator and modeler Rick Sternbach, the ship's name is not a deliberate reference to the Japanese anime series Space Battleship Yamato (or Star Blazers in North America); Sternbach stated at AnimeCon 1991 that the writers (who had never heard of the anime) independently coined the ship's name without his input.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Okuda, Mike; Denise, Okuda with Mirek, Debbie (1999). The Star Trek Encyclopedia. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-53609-5. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Okuda, Michael and Sternbach, Rick (1991). Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-70427-3. 
  3. ^ "11001001". Star Trek: The Next Generation.
  4. ^ "Booby Trap". Star Trek: The Next Generation.
  5. ^ a b c "Encounter at Farpoint". Star Trek: The Next Generation.
  6. ^ "The Arsenal of Freedom". Star Trek: The Next Generation.
  7. ^ "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II". Star Trek: The Next Generation. ,
  8. ^ a b Star Trek Generations, (1994)
  9. ^ "The Jem'Hadar". Star Trek: Deep Space 9.
  10. ^ "Conundrum". Star Trek: The Next Generation.
  11. ^ "Ethics". Star Trek: The Next Generation.
  12. ^ "Disaster". Star Trek: The Next Generation.
  13. ^ "The Offspring". Star Trek: The Next Generation.
  14. ^ "We'll Always Have Paris". Star Trek: The Next Generation.
  15. ^ "Sarek". Star Trek: The Next Generation.
  16. ^ "The Child". Star Trek: The Next Generation.
  17. ^ "Lower Decks". Star Trek: The Next Generation.
  18. ^ "Rascals". Star Trek: The Next Generation.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Star Trek starship classes