Watchtower Class
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The Watchtower-class station is a Federation starbase designed and deployed in the 23rd century. At the time, they were major bases of operations for Starfleet, while capable of supporting civilian endeavours such as colonisation efforts. While heavily dated by the beginning of the 25th century, their robust construction and changes in Federation borders in that time have kept a significant number still in service.
Mission Parameters
Watchtower-class stations are in service as medium-sized general purpose stations either as subsidiary starbases in large sectors or as the primary starbase in sparsely populated or otherwise unimportant sectors. They are equipped to serve trade, research, defensive, and logistics functions, including starship resupply and minor repairs. They are not equipped to build starships or perform major overhauls, however, and their internal docking bays are quite limited compared to true spacedocks.
Long-term sustainability of the Watchtower-class has been aided by progress in automation technology. Upgrading and refitting internal systems has allowed the station to reduce its standard crew complement to approximately 900, and this increase in available space allows the Watchtower to offer living and working facilities more tolerable to late-24th century officers. This is even more necessary with the Watchtower's expectation that it will support Federation civilians.
However, little about a Watchtower is cutting edge. In high-profile regions, the stations have been dismantled and replaced by more modern starbases. They have remained in operation largely in regions that have been rendered more marginal by geopolitical developments, built in places which were once key borders but are now more comfortable inner-world territories, or peaceful frontiers. They are unimpressive workhorses, able to enable Federation administration of a region or provide a Starfleet presence so long as it does not require the most advanced technologies or support for the most large and significant of starships.
Design and Layout
Approximately 500 metres in diameter, the Watchtowers have a saucer-shaped primary hull, with a central command tower that houses shuttlebays, the medical centre, offices, and the operations centre. The upper hemisphere of the saucer contains a large arboretum which has trees and parkland contained under a simulated sky, with a travel column running down the center like in Spacedock-class stations. Below this are four main docking bays, which can each hold a starship no larger than the old Constitution-class heavy cruiser, and thus only small Starfleet ships by modern standards. Above the arboretum is the conical habitation and administration section, and additional support facilities and crew quarters are found under the spacedock. Below the primary hull is the secondary hull, which contains cargo and maintenance facilities and supports the external docking wheel. Between the docking wheel and the primary hull there is a large ring-shaped module that was added to the design in the 2280s that houses a promenade, additional housing, and facilities for servicing small craft. The lower hull includes the energy reactor, while the sensor array is located at the very bottom.
Primary Hull
Habitation and Administration Module
This conical module contains station operations at the top, with offices, crew quarters, and other administrative facilities spread over 30 decks of space. The majority of the station's crew are housed here, and the station's hospital is in the very center of the module to offer it the best possible protection.
Upper Hemisphere - Arboretum
The upper hemisphere of the primary hull contains the arboretum, which offers the crew and visitors a terrestrial-like environment that helps stave off the feelings of isolation that come with service in space. Landscaped gardens, small ponds, and trees make this area calming and relaxing. There are numerous structures in the arboretum as well, including bars, restaurants, and sports courts. In the center of the arboretum is a central structural column that contains turbolift shafts. The surface of this section has 6 weapons emplacements that each hold a torpedo launcher and a pair of type-X phaser bank emplacements.
Equatorial Band
Wrapping around the entire primary hull is a band that has eight shuttlebays, 128 lifeboat ports, and the station's 4 maneuvering thrusters. There are many lounges and waiting areas in this section as well, which offer floor-to-ceiling views of space.
Lower Hemisphere - Spacedock
The lower hemisphere of the primary hull has four spacedocks which can be fully sealed and pressurized for shirt-sleeves working conditions to service starships. When they were originally built, they were intended specifically to service Constitution-class heavy cruisers and other members of that starship design family. Even then, the bay doors were barely able to close with a vessel of that length. Modern starships can be serviced here, if they are short enough to fit inside. Longer vessels can dock here if absolutely necessary, but the doors won't be able to close. These bays are generally used only for repair work, and it is preferred that docking for other reasons occurs at the docking wheel lower on the station. Beneath the spacedock are several levels of contingency crew quarters, science labs, and other support facilities. This area also contains the station's four bulk deuterium storage tanks used for starship refueling.
Secondary Hull
The interior of the secondary hull is made up almost entirely of cargo bays and maintenance facilities. These stations are often used as depots for Starfleet equipment, humanitarian supplies, and other cargos which need to be able to deploy at a moment's notice. These facilities are also used to house cargo shipments for mercantile purposes.
Promenade Ring
The promenade ring was added to this class during an overhaul of the design in the 2280s. It contains numerous shops, bars, lounges, restaurants, holodecks, additional shuttle bays, cargo facilities, and the station's four runabout pads. There are also several transporter rooms, which makes the promenade the stations's "front door." Most of the station's civilian population is housed here, and it is where visiting crews spend the majority of their time.
Docking Wheel
The docking wheel is made up of six arms which each have a docking port at the end of them. Between each of the arms is a secondary telescoping docking port, which allows the station to host up to twelve starships of various sizes. This is the preferred area for starship docking, when the secure environment of the spacedock isn't required.
Reactor Module
The station's eight main fusion reactors are housed in a spherical module on the lower end of the secondary hull. This area is almost entirely uncrewed apart from a control center near the center which serves as the equivalent of a starship's main engineering. The surface of this module has four additional phaser-torpedo emplacements.
Sensor Module
The lowest module on the station is the communications and sensor module. The station's main sensor array is housed in a large dish which can be rotated and trained on various targets for extremely high resolution scans. It resembles the deflector dish of a starship, but its functionality doesn't relate to the station's shields.
Watchtower-class Stations In-Play
- Watchtower-class stations are respectable enough facilities, if rather second-rate. There is always some reason they are still in operation and have not been dismantled or replaced; what needed a state-of-the-art Starfleet bastion a century and a half ago must be able to make-do with an old facility that is small and unsophisticated by modern standards. They have been successfully refitted with modern technologies, but are not cutting edge or particularly impressive.
- These stations are most often along what are now mid-level transport routes or stable borders. A Watchtower is enough to make pirates and raiders think twice, especially if it is backed up by support vessels, but a Watchtower on a dangerous frontier has likely been replaced.