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Revision as of 05:43, 26 April 2023
The Sagan-class light explorer is a cutting-edge exploratory vessel designed for missions outside of Federation space. Originally developed as an extended-range variant of the Echelon-class light cruiser, the Sagan became her own class after substantial modifications to her internal systems with Borg-derived enhancements.
Science and Exploration
The Sagan is intended for missions in excess of five years outside of Federation space and far from support. Her small craft capabilities support a small fleet of runabouts and scouts that magnify her exploratory capabilities. She is also capable of manufacturing bespoke probes, thanks to onboard industrial replicators. This also allows her to support science vessels and smaller cruisers in a similar but more limited fashion than the Odyssey.
These ships have well-stocked science labs in both generalist and specialist configurations equal to the labs found aboard larger explorers, other than her lack of ability to take on large numbers of visiting scientists performing independent research. Borg enhancements to her sensors make the Sagan adept at mapping large areas of space with far more precision than other ships, except for the Grissom-class surveyor built expressly for this purpose.
Diplomacy
Sagan-class starships regularly conduct first-contact missions, due to the nature of their long-distance missions. Compared to an Obena or Odyssey-class ship, their diplomatic facilities are adequate but not luxurious. These ships are equipped with the latest standard of universal translator, which uses advanced bioneural processing to make quick work of new languages.
In their standard configuration, the main conference room is directly adjacent to the bridge, so secondary conference rooms with more privacy are often preferred for sensitive negotiations. There are a limited number of guest quarters available, but they can be configured to any M, L, or K-class environment.
Engineering
Sagan-class ships are among the most advanced in Starfleet, as they are the first in the fleet to deploy a number of Borg-derived systems. Because of this, their internal workings are quite complex. Dual warp cores feed four nacelles in a system which can either be separated so that one core powers one pair of nacelles or integrated to allow for maximal power flow. The ship’s four warp field governors allow for sustained cruises at incredibly high speeds. Enhancements in shield technology allow the ship to have a relatively small deflector but improved performance over older models.
As with the Constellation-class heavy cruiser to which a direct lineage can be traced from the Sagan, the ship’s primary and secondary hulls are integrated together and cannot be separated. The secondary hull is devoted primarily to cargo and shuttle facilities, other than the space taken up by the actual engine systems. Three aft hanger bags are interconnected with a forward hanger just behind the bridge. This allows for a much larger small craft complement than other starships of this size, as well for the quick launch and retrieval of multiple craft simultaneously.
Tactical
Sagan-class starships are well-armed to survive long-range independent missions but are not dedicated tactical vessels. Using the latest Type-XIV phasers, comprehensive coverage is achieved with ten arrays. Four forward and four aft torpedo launchers are located in pods on the engine pylons, similar to the arrangement on the Constellation. These launchers share magazines for each fore-aft pair. While inferior to the armaments aboard an Inquiry-class ship, the Sagan can go toe-to-toe with most similar-sized vessels of other powers. Metaphasic shielding is standard, which provides extreme shield resilience.
Optimized for long flights at high warp, the Sagan’s sublight maneuverability is adequate but not spectacular. They must rely on targeting threats and engaging them at extreme range, to ensure that their more comprehensive forward weapons are kept trained on their targets.
Shipboard Life
As with other starships of its generation, the Sagan is a sleek, highly advanced starship inside and out. Its corridors are clad in polished metal rather than the carpet of older ships. Crew quarters are more compact and have fewer windows than the explorers built in earlier decades. This is meant to optimize the ablative armor on the hull. Most of the crew does have their own room, at the expense of only the most senior officers having the expansive apartment-style quarters found on older ships. While fewer individual crew quarters have windows, there are many large lounges, nine on the deck at the edge of the saucer alone. Holodeck facilities are also state-of-the-art, which provide a good standard of living and recreational opportunities, even with smaller quarters.
Medical facilities are comprehensive but compact—large enough to take care of their crews for long periods, but without extensive secondary wards that might go unused for months or years at a time. When these ships do have to handle humanitarian needs, their cargo bays, shuttle bays, and holodecks are capable of being converted for medical service.
Sagan-class starships are brand new, and, thus a coveted opportunity. These are still elite units, and so there is a strong sense of exclusivity and pride among their crews. Given the increased reliance on common spaces for recreation and meals, this atmosphere is enhanced by the fact that the crew see more of each other for more of their day.
Sagan-class History
Design on the Echelon and Sagan classes began in the early 2390s at the San Francisco Fleet Yards. As part of a general trend in Starfleet shipbuilding towards the aesthetics of the 2290s—clean lines, fewer windows, and fewer curves—this project was originally envisioned as just one class with both two and four-nacelled units to serve as close and long-range versions of the same basic mid-sized cruiser design. As this process progressed, though, Starfleet chose the four-nacelled design to become not just another heavy cruiser design, but a long-range explorer and the testbed for many Borg-inspired systems developed from extensive research into Voyager’s systems and work on the so-called Artifact. Thus, the Echelon entered service in 2397, while the first Sagan-class ship to leave drydock—the USS Stargazer—did not do so until 2401.
Edging out the class leader by just a few weeks, the Stargazer carried on the legacy of the famed ship captained by Jean-Luc Picard for several decades in the 24th century. By the first quarter of the year, several additional Sagan-class ships have also left the yards and Starfleet has approved full production for the class.
The Sagan Class In-Play
- Sagan-class starships are rare and advanced. Using bleeding-edge technology, they’re meant to handle long-distance missions outside of Federation space. Compared to the Constitution III, they have fiddlier systems, though, and so are more maintenance intensive. They’re also a little slower, but have greater range and endurance. They serve a 25th-century role held by the Intrepid and Luna in the 24th century.
- Just a handful of these ships exist, so only the ones in the registry and the Stargazer are out there in the universe.
- As seen on Star Trek: Picard, the interiors of these ships are much less luxurious than those from the TNG and VOY eras. Quarters are smaller. There’s no carpet. There are fewer windows. We’re extrapolating that this is because a move to more communal recreation facilities.