Centaur II Class

Centaur II-class science vessel
Information
Affiliation	United Federation of Planets
Status	Active
Type	Science Vessel
Role	Exploration
Lineage
Preceding Class	Centaur-class
Succeeding Class	Reliant-class
Service
Operator	Starfleet
Entered Service	2380
Production Ended	2389
Endurance
Expected Design Life	50 Years
Expected Refit Cycle	5 Years
Expected Resupply Cycle	2 Year
Crew Capacity
Standard Complement	100
Emergency Capacity	300
Dimensions
Length	210 meters
Width	150 meters
Height	50 meters
Decks	10
Propulsion
Propulsion System	Matter/Antimatter powered warp drive
Cruise Speed	Warp 6
Maximum Speed	Warp 8
Emergency Speed	Warp 9.6
Armaments
Energy Weapons	9x Type-X Phaser Banks
Torpedo Launchers	2 forward single-fire launchers 2 aft single-fire launchers
Torpedo Payload	50 Photon Torpedoes
Shields	Graviton Shields
Small Craft
Shuttle Bays	1
Shuttles	6
Template:Specification

The Centaur II-class science vessel is a small exploration starship developed as an update to the Centaur-class scout in the 2380s. Also known as the Resolute Class for the first member of the Centaur Class, to be updated, this sub-class has completely replaced the original in Starfleet service. As their systems are now twenty years behind the times and their original spaceframes are over a hundred years old, Starfleet has considered retiring the class for a final time. In production terms, they were succeeded by the well-rounded Reliant-class frigates in 2389. In 2401, the Fourth Fleet requisitioned several dozen of these starships in response to the Lost Fleet Crisis to get more crews into space when faced with a shortage of operational starships, so their future is secure for at least the next few years.

Science and Exploration

Centaur II-class vessels have a large planetary sensor dome on the ventral surface of their saucer section, an enhanced version of the one found on stock Excelsior-class heavy cruisers, but not quite as sophisticated as the model found on the newer Excelsior II variant. This makes these vessels adept at surveying new worlds, and they have more onboard lab facilities than the original Centaur. Less specialized to analyzing complex ecosystems than Nova-class surveyors, they are often chosen for surveys of worlds with low biodiversity.

Unlike the original Centaur, the Centaur II has an over-sized main deflector dish that contains several long-range sensor clusters. This provides the Centaur II with much greater capabilities to analyze interstellar phenomena and to operate in areas with lots of debris—such as asteroid fields and stellar nurseries. While inferior to the brand-new Grissom-class surveyors for stellar mapping tasks, the Centaur II is a capable second-string sensor platform.

As science vessels, Centaur II-class starships carry a wide variety of scientific specialists, with a mix of discipline-specific and mission-configurable lab facilities. Typically, a ship of this class would need additional equipment and a specialist team tailored to handle intensive missions beyond simple planetary surveys or interstellar observations. For instance, if it were being sent on an archaeological dig, its labs would be configured for xenoanthropology and it would embark additional archeologists. This is unlike an Olympic or Sutherland-class research cruiser which would already have full departments in almost every specialist area. Compared to Springfield-class science vessels, the Centaur II has a smaller crew and fewer facilities, so it is less versatile; on the Centaur II, there may only be one representative in some specialities like xenobotany, but on a Springfield there would be at least a small section with two or three officers in most scientific fields.

Diplomacy

Though designated as science vessels, Centaur II-class starships are capable diplomatic couriers. They have a large conference room aft of the bridge, as well as provisions for guest quarters to hold a diplomat and their staff. This functionality was added to the class to increase its utility in supporting frontier starbases and science posts, as it can be used in a pinch to transport ambassadors on the last leg of their journey from the interior of the Federation to talks with worlds on the borders. They are edged out in this capability by Challenger-class scouts in their own size category, and far surpassed by the new Duderstadt-class light cruisers in the size range above. Given the nature of their missions, Centaur II captains must be prepared to deal with first contact scenarios, but Starfleet generally prefers for these ships to leave that duty to more powerful vessels.

Engineering

The primary hull and nacelles of the Centaur II are derived from those of the Excelsior, though at a smaller scale. With her two underslung nacelles, the Centaur resembles the Miranda and Reliant, though her proportions are longer and wider without actually being larger in volume. While the original Centaur had a warp reactor located near the impulse engines, the Centaur II designers moved the warp core into a fully-fledged secondary hull that replaced the torpedo pod on the original. The warp core on the Centaur II is very compact, using lessons learned in the construction of the cores aboard Defiant-class escorts. Rather than the matter and antimatter injectors being on opposite ends of the ship, they are both above main engineering. Twin matter constrictor sections are connected to the deuterium tanks and feed into the reaction chamber at a 90 degree angle to one another which gives it a unique V-shaped appearance. The antimatter injectors are connected directly vertically with a smaller constrictor segment.

The warp core aboard a Centaur II-class starship, showing the unusual arrangement of the matter and antimatter injectors.

The warp and impulse engine systems are still connected for maximum power efficiency, which means that damage to either system can impact the other. The Centaur II has four impulse engines, compared to just two on the Centaur, which makes it much faster at impulse speeds, which gives it a greater ability to maneuver in dangerous regions.

As on the original Centaur, the shuttle bay and hanger are located in the center of the ship under the bridge. The bay has been increased in size significantly to be able to carry up to six shuttles, with four parking spaces in the bay itself, which is connected via elevator down to the hanger for up to two in reserve. The bay has a dedicated cargo transporter near the lift and the hanger itself is open to a large cargo hold, which centralizes all cargo and shuttle operations into one location. These facilities make the Centaur II excellent at delivering important cargo and she can use her shuttles to enhance her exploratory abilities.

Tactical

Centaur II-class starships are equipped to defend themselves, though they are not intended for tactical missions. While their phaser armaments have been upgraded to type-X standards from the original type-VIII standard, their coverage is limited to the forward firing arcs and the individual banks are less versatile and less effective than the arrays found on other designs. They have two forward and two aft torpedo launchers, but have a relatively limited magazine.

As with the original, Centaur II-class ships should use hit-and-run tactics when possible, as their armaments are biased forwards. They should avoid being drawn into extended conflicts, as their shields wouldn't be able to repel most assaults for very long. This means that they must either withdraw or wait for reinforcements to handle anything much larger or more powerful than simple raiders.

Shipboard Life

Though much more comfortable than the original Centaur, the Centaur II is still a cramped and generally spartan assignment. The corridors are compact, with their bulkheads curving outwards to provide the optical illusion that they are wider than they really are. Quarters with windows are rare, and most everyone ensign or lower usually has at least one roommate. Since most of the internal volume is reserved for engineering or scientific systems, there are limited recreational facilities, though the Starfleet Corps of Engineers was able to add a holodeck to the original design. To help compensate for this, there is a relatively large lounge on the bow, which serves as both a mess hall and bar. There is also a gym and arboretum--though technically, the arboretum is also the botany lab. Because of the close quarters and limited facilities, these ships usually return to port often to allow for crew recreation, though some officers appreciate having fewer distractions so they can focus on their studies.

Medical facilities are quite limited, with a four-bed sickbay and medical lab located close to the shuttle bay. In a pinch, they could use their large cargo hold for triage functions, but they are not well-suited to these types of missions. Indeed, they were specialized for science tasks to allow the larger California-class utility cruisers to handle more humanitarian and engineering missions following the Dominion War, and this is still a class that they might partner with in this way.

Now quite old and "quirky," to put it generously, these ships can be polarizing. Some crew members will want to transfer to something bigger and better as soon as possible, while others grow to love them. While few officers remain who also served on the original Centaurs, most of these vessels date back to the 23rd century, and they have storied legacies, which makes their current crews even more protective over them.

Gallery

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Class History

By the 2330s, construction of Centaur-class scouts was terminated in favor of continuing to build the larger and older--but slower--Miranda-class frigates. This class never quite met Starfleet's expectations for a Miranda-class successor, but they were adequate in their designed role as scouts. They remained in service during the middle of the 24th century, though some of the older units were decomissioned in the 2350s. Starfleet was ready to mothball the class entirely until the Battle of Wolf 359 demonstrated a need for more ships, meaning that the entire class was brought back into service just in time for the Dominion War. This class suffered many losses during the war, along with their Miranda-class cousins.

While Starfleet again considered scrapping the class, the fleet was heavily depleted following the war and several damaged Centaurs were identified as being suitable for a redesign. While the Reliant-class frigate was already in development, Starfleet authorized a rebuild for the Centaur to convert them from scouts into science vessels, which would help bolster the fleet in the interim. They would supplement California-class starships on their normal scientific tasks to free the California fleet up for engineering and humanitarian relief missions which were flooding Starfleet Operations in the aftermath of the war. This was a low priority for the ADSB, so it wasn't until 2380 that the first Centaur II-class starship was completed, the newly-upgraded USS Resolute from which the class derives its informal nickname. Throughout the 2380s, most of the rest of the class was retrofit and a small order of new-build Centaur II-class ships was authorized. The design was immediately considered to be far superior to the original, though there were performance lags compared to truly modern vessels.

Production of new vessels of this class was terminated in 2389 when the Reliant entered service. The last Centaur-class vessel to be coverted to a Centaur II-class vessel was the Centaur herself in 2400. Starfleet intends to keep these vessels in service until at least the 2420s, especially thanks to their having been requisitioned in large numbers by the Fourth Fleet.

In Play

• This is the vessel that provides the setting for Star Trek: Resurgence, and the above article is tied very closely to the observed features of this vessel from that game.
• Even as refit, these are kind of odd vessels--a mix of three generations of Starship technology, and now still in service over a century after having been first built. They would be good experiences for new captains and first officers to get out there and tackle exploratory missions, but with lower stakes than sitting center seat in a larger ship.
• This class is meant to be a good starter ship for you as a writer, but for your actual characters there would be definite challenges for engineers and scientists working in limited facilities with high maintenance needs, while tactical officers might be bored, as they're not supposed to go into combat very often.