User:CrimsonTacit/Sandbox/Miranda Class Refit

The Miranda II-class starship was one of the most widely-produced starship designs of the 23rd and 24th century, serving as a light cruiser, frigate, science vessel, and supply vessel at various points during its long career. Prized for its balance of capabilities across all of Starfleet's main mission parameters, this class of ship was built en masse and served as the backbone of the fleet from the 2290s through the 2370s. Originally designated as a light cruiser, this class was redesignated as a frigate in the 2350s during the Federation-Cardassian War. Their numbers were decimated during the Borg and Dominion conflicts, but the spirit behind the design and her aesthetic signature lives on in the Reliant-class frigate. While the class is no longer in mainline Starfleet service, many of these vessels continue on in Starfleet Auxiliary service as transports, science vessels, and surveyors.

Exploration and Science

For decades, Miranda II-class ships were considered front-line explorers, serving alongside Excelsior-class and Constellation-class heavy cruisers. By the 2330s and 2340s, there were a sufficient number of these other classes in addition to the even larger Ambassador-class heavy cruisers to push the Miranda II to second-line surveys and scientific missions, but they remained a valuable part of the exploratory fleet into the 2360s. As a fully-equipped light cruiser, they carried comprehensive science labs and a full science department, with specialized labs for most fields found aboard. The planetary sensor dome they share with other ships of their era was a powerful tool for examining planets closely, and they had two forward-facing sensor pods, but a weakness of this class was always a lack of specialized sensor arrays.

As a frigate in the 24th century, Miranda II-class ships retained their scientific facilities but with greatly reduced scientific staff aboard. What staff remained were typically tasked with long-range monitoring of threat vessels and coordinating with Starfleet Stellar Cartography to plot optimal patrol routes.

The Miranda II-class ships now operated by Starfleet Auxiliary as surveyors and research vessels can carry scientific teams of 40 to 80, depending on the specific project. With increased automation and lacking the weapons found aboard the frigate or light cruiser versions of the ship, they are given spacious facilities that take up a great deal of the primary hull and are ideal for long-term projects where a vessel will stay in one area for a long period of time, as they are too slow for much else.

Diplomacy

Miranda II-class vessels were once used extensively for first and second-contact missions, as they have the same large recreational spaces that vessels of their era included, as well as a large officer's lounge, all of which were suitable for use in diplomatic functions. It was also considered a well-armed vessel for much of its life, so it was capable of assessing diplomatic situations from a position of strength. By the 2330s, it was no longer tasked with first contacts, and by the 2350s, its diplomatic role had ended almost entirely. Given that Starfleet Auxiliary vessels do not engage in diplomacy on behalf of the Federation, Miranda II-class vessels no longer have even the pretense of diplomatic capabilities.

Engineering

Sharing commonality in engines, hull design, and basic systems with other designs from the 2270s, the Miranda II is an extremely reliable design that has stood the test of time. The integrated warp and impulse system pulls power from a single matter/anti-matter assembly that runs through the center of the ship's raised superstructure. While its cruise speeds are now quite modest, in its day it was a fast ship. Compared to modern vessels, though, the engineering systems aboard a Miranda II require much more direct supervision and maintenance. When several of these ships were converted to supply vessels in the 2350s, enhanced automation systems were added to allow for a crew as small as in the dozens, but it wasn't considered resource effective to make these modifications fleet-wide. Those that now are in auxiliary service have some of these modifications, however, and it's now possible for a ship of this class to go many months without serious maintenance, at least in the low-stress, stripped-down roles they now find themselves in.

Small craft are handled with twin shuttle bays on the stern, which connect internally to one another and to an extensive cargo complex. This made the Miranda II well-suited to be loaded up with supplies for long missions as a light cruiser and then a very capable supply ship when it was switched to that role later on.

The Miranda II class does not have an external deflector dish, unlike most other Federation starships. Instead, the ship's standard shield grid is used at a lower power setting at warp to provide navigational deflection, and the repulsing features of the deflector are handled with the ship's standard tractor beams. This was intended to simplify construction, but it does increase wear and tear on these systems.

Tactical

In the 2270s, the Miranda II class light cruiser was actually more heavily armed than the Constitution-class heavy cruisers she served alongside, thanks to the rollbar pod with two forward and two aft torpedo launchers, as well as two forward and two aft phaser cannons, supplementing six dual phaser banks in the saucer section and two aft phasers between the shuttle bays. This allowed her to be a competent patrol ship for much of her life, going toe-to-toe with threat vessels with confidence.

Fully equipped with the rollbar pod and enhanced phasers as she was during the Dominion War, the Miranda II was effective as a frigate, as well, because of her combination of maneuverability (which was used to screen larger ships) and the ability to bring relatively significant firepower to bear on the enemy. Where it was let down, however, was its relative fragileness, having none of the ablative armor that newer ships did in the 2370s.

The remaining Miranda II-class ships in auxiliary service generally have had all weapons except one of their forward phaser banks removed. They would be easy targets for most threats by the 25th century, even fully armed.

Shipboard Life

Compared to smaller ships developed during the 24th century, such as the Saber and Defiant, Miranda II-class ships were comfortable assignments. While they lacked holodecks and other modern conveniences, they had well-equipped recreation decks, an arboretum, and even a pool. Originally envisioned for deep-space assignments of 2-3 years, they were also built with crew quarters that put no more than four crewmen in a bunk room. Two chiefs or junior officers shared a living room, while senior officers had private quarters. The crew complement of 200 allowed for there to be a sense of family and camaraderie amongst the crew, while also being large enough that the crew never felt too involved in one another's affairs.

By the 24th century, these ships were considered comfortable, but not luxurious. More and more of them were also being sent out with smaller crews, especially in supply configurations. These assignments had a much different character than those of the fully crewed Miranda IIs in their light cruiser days and were often shorter due to the loneliness and stress that could come from social isolation.

Presently, the crew complements, and crew experiences aboard the Miranda II-class ships in Starfleet Auxiliary service vary wildly, from supply ships with minimal crew complements to science vessels with large scientific contingents being transported to their research site. By the 25th century, a voyage on one of these ships is considered something a novelty, but that often wears off when crew or passengers realize that they're on a relatively slow ship with no holodecks for weeks or months at a time.