Bravo Fleet
Difference between pages "Nova Class" and "Vesta Class"

Difference between pages "Nova Class" and "Vesta Class"

From Bravo Fleet
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{{Specifications
{{Specifications
| image = [[Image:Novaclass.png|275px]]
| image = [[Image:Vestaclass.jpg|275px]]
| name = Nova
| name = Vesta
| affiliation = Starfleet
| affiliation = Starfleet
| role = Surveyor
| role = Explorer
| dateEntered = 2370
| dateEntered = 2388
| expectedLife = 60 Years
| expectedLife = 100 Years
| expectedRefit = 10 Years
| expectedRefit = 10 Years
| timeResupply = 1 Year
| timeResupply = 5 Years
| crewComplement = 80
| crewComplement = 750
| emergencyCap = 200
| emergencyCap = 1,500
| length = 165 meters
| length = 672 meters
| width = 62 meters
| width = 192 meters
| height = 34 meters
| height = 87 meters
| decks = 8
| decks = 19
| propulsionSystem = Matter/Antimatter powered warp drive
| propulsionSystem = Matter/Antimatter powered warp drive
| cruiseSpeed = Warp 6
| cruiseSpeed = Warp 8
| maxSpeed = Warp 8
| maxSpeed = Warp 9
| emergencySpeed = Warp 8.5 (12 hours)
| emergencySpeed = Warp 9.985
| energyWeapons =*11x Type-X Phaser Arrays
| energyWeapons =*8x Type-XII Phaser Arrays
*2x Type-XII Pulse Phase Cannons
| torpLaunchers =*2 forward
| torpLaunchers =*2 forward
| torpPayload =*50 Photon Torpedoes
* 1 aft
| torpPayload =*300 Photon Torpedoes
*200 Quantum Torpedoes
| shields =Multi-Layered Shielding System  
| shields =Multi-Layered Shielding System  
| shuttleBays =1
| shuttleBays =1
| shuttles =2
| shuttles =10
| runabouts =1
| runabouts =2
}}
}}


== Class Overview ==
== Class Overview ==
The ''Nova''-class surveyor is one of the most common science vessels in Starfleet, with several hundred having been built since the class was introduced in the 2370s. Efficient and well-equipped, her primary purpose is to perform in-depth surveys of planetary systems and especially of M-class planets for possible colonization.
The ''Vesta''-class is currently the fastest ship in Starfleet, and serves as a bleeding-edge technological testbed for some of the most advanced spaceborne systems ever developed. Rare and extremely prized by their captains, these ships are reserved almost solely for prestigious exploratory missions and are rarely seen in the Federation’s core.


==== Exploration and Science ====
=== Science and Exploration ===
The ''Nova''-class is one of the most capable scientific platforms in Starfleet for short-duration exploratory missions. The ''Nova''’s primary mission profile is in-depth surveys of star systems and planetary bodies. While larger ships might visit dozens if not hundreds of star systems in years-long indefinite missions, ships of this class are often sent to a single star system where they will linger for six months or more and perform a comprehensive assessment based on initial scans by an explorer-type vessel. The ''Nova''-class has scientific facilities specifically geared towards exploring M-class planets and evaluating them for colonization and resource exploitation, including eleven science labs of varying types, an extensive set of sensor arrays, and a large complement of probes. One key feature of this class is a project control center located forward of the main bridge which allows the science department to coordinate its effort across all of its labs and any away teams.  
While no vessel can beat a ''Century''-class when it comes to comprehensive scientific capabilities or overall capabilities as an explorer, the ''Vesta'' is built for even longer range missions with a more narrow scope: a ''Century'' surveys a wide area of space, while the ''Vesta'' hits areas of special interest like an arrow, thanks to her incredible top speed. Much more of the space aboard the ''Vesta'' is devoted to navigational and engineering support systems, which limits the number of labs it can have total, but the trade off for this is being able to get to its exploratory zones faster. So, in this sense, a ''Vesta'' might be sent to explore a very specific, far-off star system or nebula and then return samples or intelligence back home, while a ''Century'' would be better able to examine entire sectors of space independently, with the lab space onboard to handle the vast majority of the discoveries it makes. Unlike a ''Galaxy'' or ''Century''-class ship, the majority of the labs aboard a ''Vesta'' are allocated to the primary mission of the day, rather than independent side missions.


==== Diplomacy ====
The ''Vesta''-class has a dedicated runabout pad on the stern of the ship, which supports a complement of scout vessels and runabouts that is significantly greater than other ships of her size. These vessels are used during exploratory missions to speed up scientific surveys, with these auxiliary craft serving as an extremely effective force multiplier.  
While this class does have one set of VIP quarters and two briefing rooms that could be used for negotiations, it is not suited for diplomatic duties. Its low top speed also limits its utility as a diplomatic courier.  


==== Engineering ====
Computer systems aboard the ''Vesta'' are the most advanced version of bio-neural circuitry currently in production, making her one of the most effective spaceborne computing platforms in service. In practice, a significant amount of this computing power is devoted to her advanced navigational sensors, which help the ship perform effectively at her extremely high top speeds. Starfleet’s goal with this system, however, has been to eventually solve the computational imitations that have prevented the full development of slipstream technology. These systems are extremely maintenance intensive, both in terms of person-hours spent on calibrations and diagnostics, but also in specialized components that are either energy-intensive to replicate or which must be sourced from production facilities in the Federation’s core, which limits this ship’s endurance significantly.
Based on one of the rejected designs for the ''Defiant''-class, the ''Nova''-class has a compact, angular hull that is in a clear design lineage with her larger sister: the ''Intrepid''. Spanning just eight decks, ''Nova'' has a roughly-triangular primary hull with a cut-out in the bow for an over-sized secondary deflector, which is also part of the ship’s long-range sensors systems. A single impulse engine at the aft end of the saucer provides sublight power, above a door connected to one of the cargo holds. The engineering hull is small and roughly cylindrical, and the small warp nacelles are mounted on angled pylons.


While the design was initially intended to be a tactical vessel capable of extremely high warp speeds, the modified ''Nova-''class design replaced her powerplant with something much more mainstream that is both incredibly reliable and easy to maintain, but which limits the ship’s top speed to Warp 8. This is more than sufficient for the majority of her missions.
=== Diplomacy ===
Like all explorers, the ''Vesta'' is intended to engage in first contact missions. As such, she has a comfortable suite of diplomatic quarters and facilities, capable of adaptation to any K, L, or M-class environment. With her high top speed, she makes a very effective diplomatic courier, but she is rarely assigned to such duties, given her utility as an explorer. These ships rarely host multiparty talks, but they do have sufficient accommodations to perform approximately as effectively as the tactically-oriented ''Sovereign'' can, lagging behind the ''Galaxy'' and quite far behind the ''Odyssey'' in this regard.


The ''Nova''-class is capable of landing on planetary surfaces with a set of four landing legs. There is a ramp in the stern that extends to allow the crew direct access to a planet’s surface. This feature is often used to study planets with difficult atmospheres or to serve as a temporary research base near especially interesting objects.
In many respects, Starfleet would prefer to keep the ''Vesta'' away from most diplomatic situations, to avoid giving potential threat powers further opportunities to examine this very advanced vessel up close, given that close to 80% of her systems are highly classified. On the same token, however, they are often deployed on domestic diplomatic missions during their rare visits home to Federation space, where they serve as an example of just how advanced Federation shipbuilding has become. A visit from one of these vessels is often seen as a sign of great respect from Starfleet and the Federation to even founding members like the Vulcans and Andorians.


Computer systems aboard the ''Nova'' are state-of-the-art to handle the vast amounts of data coming from her oversized sensor arrays. While not initially designed with bioneural circuitry, it was later installed once the technology had been proven aboard ''Intrepid''. Later units include full-ship holographic projectors.
=== Engineering ===
Nearly everything onboard the ''Vesta'' is still highly experimental by 2399, which means that it’s an extremely maintenance-intensive ship. Engineering crews here are kept busy making sure that the bleeding-edge technology at work here is kept in running order. This is especially true of her advanced Class-10 warp drive system, as she is the first vessel to employ it outside of testbed scenarios. The warp core spans the height of the ship, powering two massive warp nacelles, which gives the ship the highest top speed in the fleet.  


==== Tactical ====
The ship is quite long at 672 meters long, though comparatively narrow at just 192 meters wide, giving her a very slender appearance, especially on profile. This narrow forward profile is necessary to maintain very high speeds. While it does have distinct primary and secondary hulls, these two structures are joined completely, as with the ''Intrepid''-class. The main and secondary deflector dishes are both oversized compared to peer classes, and the vessel manages to look like it’s going fast even when it’s standing still.  
One of the major flaws of the ''Oberth''-class design was that it was entirely unsuited to combat. This led to many ships of the class being picked off by raiders or pirates during their long service history. Thanks to having been based on a warship design, the ''Nova''-class is much more capable of defending itself with two torpedo launchers on the bow and numerous Type-X phaser arrays providing 360-degree coverage around the ship. In addition, the bridge is more shielded than other starship designs, thanks to being located in the center of a larger-than-usual deck one.  


Though slow for a Starfleet ship in terms of absolute top warp speed, the ''Nova'' is nonetheless highly maneuverable and speedy at sublight and is significantly faster than most civilian or pirate vessels at warp. Typical tactics for ships of this class are to literally fly circles around threat vessels, lob a few torpedoes at them, and then jump to warp. When that is not possible, they are capable of dogfighting in the hands of a talented helmsman.  
=== Tactical ===
Given that they are often weeks, months, or even ''years'' beyond reinforcements, the ''Vesta'' was defined with the teeth to be able to protect itself from nearly any threat, rivaling the ''Sovereign''-class in this regard. All-around Type-XII phaser coverage is provided, along with two forward and two aft burst-fire torpedo launchers. Rather unusually for a large starship, she is also equipped with two forward-firing pulse phaser cannons, which can be used to great effect against clumsier vessels during combat. Considering that they are often so far from support, a ''Vesta''-class ship must often be prepared not just to wound an enemy and then escape but to inflict sufficient damage to discourage further pursuit, though when she ''does'' manage to escape, there are nearly no threat vessels that could catch her.


The Nova is not fitted with aft-firing torpedo launchers due to size constraints, but the crew of the starship ''Equinox'' was able to jerry-rig a launcher system in the lower cargo hold during their exile in the Delta Quadrant.
Unlike a ''Sovereign'', a ''Vesta'' is not meant to lead a column of starships into battle; her tactical abilities are geared towards self-defense and long-term sustainability, and so these vessels are rarely deployed in fleet engagements. As such, they have few to no command and control systems, apart from those necessary to control her small fleet of runabouts for exploratory missions. As such, she is still primarily an explorer, rather than a deep space tactical vessel, despite her armaments.


==== Auxiliary Craft Facilities ====
=== Shipboard Life ===
Located on the stern, the main shuttle bay is capable of carrying two small shuttlecraft, typically Type-8 or Type-9. It is not suited for runabouts except on a visiting basis. The ''Nova''-class is, however, equipped with a docking cradle for a ''Waverider''-class atmospheric shuttle, which is one of the fastest atmospheric craft in Starfleet. There are two variants of this craft built on a similar chassis, one with sublight-only capabilities and another with warp drive. Roughly similar to a Type-11 shuttle, this craft is capable of extended operations away from the mothership and is typically used to scout out planets.
Assignment to a ''Vesta''-class ship is something highly sought by ambitious officers, as it is only granted to the absolute best in every area. While their missions might be shorter, these ships are sent to areas which Starfleet is interested in examining quickly and effectively with little external support, so they have to be prepared for anything. As such, this leads to a sense among ''Vesta'' crews that they are elite units, leading to both positive displays of comradeship as well as sometimes exclusionary and cliquish practices which make it difficult for new crewmembers to integrate, especially if a crew has already been deployed in the field.


==== Shipboard Life ====
Recreational facilities aboard a ''Vesta'' are quite comprehensive, though the ship’s size and shape keep her from having quite the luxury of a ''Galaxy'' or ''Odyssey''-class ship. Holodecks, holosuites, and recreational lounges are plentiful and most crew members have their own quarters.
With a crew of only eighty, life on board a ''Nova''-class ship means knowing everyone on the ship. There is often less of a divide between officers and enlisted personnel than on larger ships, simply because there are fewer communal spaces to allow for such a separation. This is also due to mission parameters that often require extensive collaboration between departments and laboratories–when they spend up to a year studying a planet, the crew often starts to develop an attachment to it and they take great pride in talking about the day’s discoveries.


Senior officers have individual quarters with a combination living area and bedroom along with a private head. The captain and the executive officer have slightly larger quarters on Deck 1, giving them easy access to the bridge, but these are roughly the same as other officers’ quarters due to the size of the ship. Other officers share quarters with private bedrooms, and enlisted crewmembers have bunk beds in suites housing up to eight people.
Department head roles aboard this class are often seen as direct stepping stones towards the command track on other explorers, with a tour on one of these ships being enough to catapult many officers up to executive officer positions. On that token, however, these assignments are so popular that crews will often stay together for many years.
 
There are two observation lounges, two mess halls, a gymnasium, and a recreation area, along with two small holodecks.
 
There is a modest three-bed sickbay located on Deck 2, with an attached medlab. There is an additional biobed in a secondary medlab which can also be used for surgery or as an isolation room.  


== Class History ==
== Class History ==
By the 2360’s, the ''Oberth''-class had been Starfleet’s primary surveyor design for nearly a century and was beginning to reach the end of its useful lifespan due to a number of factors, chief among them being its low overall top speed, fragility, and cramped quarters. Starfleet charged the ADSB to develop a new class of surveyor that would improve upon these flaws and be better suited towards exploration in the increasingly dangerous galaxy. The ''Springfield'' which had come online in the 2340s ostensibly to replace the ''Oberth'' never saw production in large numbers and never struck the right balance between cost, speed, and capability that Starfleet was looking for, and the smaller ''Raven''-class surveyors launched in the 2350s were simply not large enough to replace the ''Oberth'' as a fully-staffed research vessel for in-depth planetary surveys.
The ''Vesta''-class starship development began with the return of the starship ''Voyager'' in 2378, with the goal of using the advances that ship had discovered to create a new, purpose-built explorer that could break all previous speed records. The long-term goal was to develop a vessel capable of implementing the failed slipstream drive project started by Seven of Nine and B’Elanna Torres during ''Voyager''’s journey home, though the engineering requirements for this were still well beyond what Starfleet was capable of in the late 2370s.
 
Several design studies were completed during the mid-2360s, but the project was not given a high priority, given the sheer number of ''Oberth''-class ships still in service and other shipbuilding needs across the fleet, especially after first contact with the Borg in 2365 triggered a massive building project involving a host of new starship classes optimized to fight them. This fleet modernization unexpectedly benefited the Nova-class project, however, when a rejected design study for the ''Defiant''-class escort was made available. Initially billed as a high-warp torpedo boat, the design was stripped of all but two of its torpedo launchers and fitted with powerful sensor arrays and science laboratories in their place.
 
Final design work and construction on the two prototypes, ''Nova'' and ''Equinox'' continued through 2370, when they were launched for their space trials and final fitting out. The project suffered a significant setback when Equinox was lost in 2370, pulled into the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker. Construction on the remaining 8 ships in the initial order was suspended until an inquiry proved that the loss was not a fault of the design itself, but the outbreak of the Dominion War in 2373 put a hold on those units until the cessation of hostilities. This left the USS Nova herself in the unique position of being the only operational ship of her class–at least until it was revealed in 2376 that the Equinox had not been destroyed in 2370, but had managed to survive for 6 years alone in the Delta Quadrant in the harshest of conditions–for over seven years.
 
Once construction resumed, the class quickly proved to be popular among both the admiralty and the officers manning them, due to their modern facilities and reliable nature. Construction was increased to ten units per year starting in 2379, and then fifteen a year in 2383.
 
Following the return of ''Voyager'' in 2378 and after extensive analysis of her logs and the logs of the ''Equinox'' a companion class was developed that would be designed for long-distance exploration and patrol missions, rather than short-duration survey missions, but the Nova-class continued to be constructed as designed in parallel with this new class.


Because of her enhanced tactical systems, the ''Nova'' remains Starfleet’s first choice for performing surveys in areas of space that are not completely secure both within and outside of Federation space, but she has been supplemented for missions in safer areas of space by the cheaper, less well-defended ''Dumont''-class surveyor since the late 2380s.
The design process continued apace, though resources were diverted to other projects in the mid-2380s during the Federation’s attempted evacuation of Romulus, so it wasn’t until 2393 that the ''Vesta'' finally left spacedock. Following a year-long shakedown operation close to home, she was sent on her first long-range mission while her sisters were under construction. Performance was rated extremely highly, but the maintenance demands meant that this class could never be built in large numbers, so as of 2399 they remain a rare and highly advanced vessel in Starfleet.


== In Play ==
== In Play ==


* To differentiate between this ship and the Rhode Island, think of this as an economy car or a minivan and the Rhode Island as a sports car; the Nova is meant to linger in planetary systems and perform all of the scientific experiments it can think of, while a Rhode Island is meant to go out and explore on its own.
* While all of the ‘big three’ explorers (Sovereign, Century, and Odyssey) are very advanced, the Vesta is a whole step out in front of them in terms of the advanced technologies built into her spaceframe. She’s one of the most complicated vessels in Starfleet history, which means she needs a highly trained engineering team, but she makes up for that by being a full third faster than even the Century at all out sprint speeds. She is currently the rarest of the explorer-type vessels, and is only sent on the most urgent and important long-range exploratory missions.
* Ever wonder what happens when the Enterprise completes its first pass through a new system? A ship like this is sent in to study every rock, tree, and being there to catalog it for the Federation’s records. Planetary surveyors are looking for places for new colonies, for archaeological artifacts, and for interesting new things about the universe.
* This is an incredibly desirable command for nearly any captain, especially given how few of these vessels there are currently in service. In 2399, the main way an officer would be assigned to command a ship like this would have been to be in command of a lesser vessel, or executive officer of an explorer for an extended period of time.
* Nova-class ships are very common, and due to their small crews they often have relatively junior captains. Commanding a science vessel like this is often a stepping stone to a large explorer for science officers who have moved into the command track.
* Encountering this vessel as an NPC would be extremely unusual; this isn’t a vessel you’d see as a ‘ship of the week’ with any sort of regularity, given that they’re designed to spend years out of contact.  


[[Category:Federation starship classes]]
[[Category:Federation starship classes]]
[[Category:Surveyors]]
[[Category:Explorers]]

Revision as of 11:41, 22 February 2021

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Vestaclass.jpg
Vesta
Information
Affiliation

Starfleet

Role

Explorer

Date Entered Service

2388

Expected Refit Cycle

10 Years

Time Between Resupply

5 Years

Crew Capacity
Standard Complement

750

Emergency Capacity

1,500

Dimensions
Length

672 meters

Width

192 meters

Height

87 meters

Decks

19

Propulsion
Propulsion System

Matter/Antimatter powered warp drive

Cruising Speed

Warp 8

Maximum Speed

Warp 9

Emergency Speed

Warp 9.985

Armaments
Energy Weapons
  • 8x Type-XII Phaser Arrays
  • 2x Type-XII Pulse Phase Cannons
Torpedo Launchers
  • 2 forward
  • 1 aft
Torpedo Payload
  • 300 Photon Torpedoes
  • 200 Quantum Torpedoes
Shields

Multi-Layered Shielding System

Auxiliary Craft
Shuttle Bays

1

Shuttles

10

Runabouts

2

Template:Specifications


Class Overview

The Vesta-class is currently the fastest ship in Starfleet, and serves as a bleeding-edge technological testbed for some of the most advanced spaceborne systems ever developed. Rare and extremely prized by their captains, these ships are reserved almost solely for prestigious exploratory missions and are rarely seen in the Federation’s core.

Science and Exploration

While no vessel can beat a Century-class when it comes to comprehensive scientific capabilities or overall capabilities as an explorer, the Vesta is built for even longer range missions with a more narrow scope: a Century surveys a wide area of space, while the Vesta hits areas of special interest like an arrow, thanks to her incredible top speed. Much more of the space aboard the Vesta is devoted to navigational and engineering support systems, which limits the number of labs it can have total, but the trade off for this is being able to get to its exploratory zones faster. So, in this sense, a Vesta might be sent to explore a very specific, far-off star system or nebula and then return samples or intelligence back home, while a Century would be better able to examine entire sectors of space independently, with the lab space onboard to handle the vast majority of the discoveries it makes. Unlike a Galaxy or Century-class ship, the majority of the labs aboard a Vesta are allocated to the primary mission of the day, rather than independent side missions.

The Vesta-class has a dedicated runabout pad on the stern of the ship, which supports a complement of scout vessels and runabouts that is significantly greater than other ships of her size. These vessels are used during exploratory missions to speed up scientific surveys, with these auxiliary craft serving as an extremely effective force multiplier.

Computer systems aboard the Vesta are the most advanced version of bio-neural circuitry currently in production, making her one of the most effective spaceborne computing platforms in service. In practice, a significant amount of this computing power is devoted to her advanced navigational sensors, which help the ship perform effectively at her extremely high top speeds. Starfleet’s goal with this system, however, has been to eventually solve the computational imitations that have prevented the full development of slipstream technology. These systems are extremely maintenance intensive, both in terms of person-hours spent on calibrations and diagnostics, but also in specialized components that are either energy-intensive to replicate or which must be sourced from production facilities in the Federation’s core, which limits this ship’s endurance significantly.

Diplomacy

Like all explorers, the Vesta is intended to engage in first contact missions. As such, she has a comfortable suite of diplomatic quarters and facilities, capable of adaptation to any K, L, or M-class environment. With her high top speed, she makes a very effective diplomatic courier, but she is rarely assigned to such duties, given her utility as an explorer. These ships rarely host multiparty talks, but they do have sufficient accommodations to perform approximately as effectively as the tactically-oriented Sovereign can, lagging behind the Galaxy and quite far behind the Odyssey in this regard.

In many respects, Starfleet would prefer to keep the Vesta away from most diplomatic situations, to avoid giving potential threat powers further opportunities to examine this very advanced vessel up close, given that close to 80% of her systems are highly classified. On the same token, however, they are often deployed on domestic diplomatic missions during their rare visits home to Federation space, where they serve as an example of just how advanced Federation shipbuilding has become. A visit from one of these vessels is often seen as a sign of great respect from Starfleet and the Federation to even founding members like the Vulcans and Andorians.

Engineering

Nearly everything onboard the Vesta is still highly experimental by 2399, which means that it’s an extremely maintenance-intensive ship. Engineering crews here are kept busy making sure that the bleeding-edge technology at work here is kept in running order. This is especially true of her advanced Class-10 warp drive system, as she is the first vessel to employ it outside of testbed scenarios. The warp core spans the height of the ship, powering two massive warp nacelles, which gives the ship the highest top speed in the fleet.

The ship is quite long at 672 meters long, though comparatively narrow at just 192 meters wide, giving her a very slender appearance, especially on profile. This narrow forward profile is necessary to maintain very high speeds. While it does have distinct primary and secondary hulls, these two structures are joined completely, as with the Intrepid-class. The main and secondary deflector dishes are both oversized compared to peer classes, and the vessel manages to look like it’s going fast even when it’s standing still.

Tactical

Given that they are often weeks, months, or even years beyond reinforcements, the Vesta was defined with the teeth to be able to protect itself from nearly any threat, rivaling the Sovereign-class in this regard. All-around Type-XII phaser coverage is provided, along with two forward and two aft burst-fire torpedo launchers. Rather unusually for a large starship, she is also equipped with two forward-firing pulse phaser cannons, which can be used to great effect against clumsier vessels during combat. Considering that they are often so far from support, a Vesta-class ship must often be prepared not just to wound an enemy and then escape but to inflict sufficient damage to discourage further pursuit, though when she does manage to escape, there are nearly no threat vessels that could catch her.

Unlike a Sovereign, a Vesta is not meant to lead a column of starships into battle; her tactical abilities are geared towards self-defense and long-term sustainability, and so these vessels are rarely deployed in fleet engagements. As such, they have few to no command and control systems, apart from those necessary to control her small fleet of runabouts for exploratory missions. As such, she is still primarily an explorer, rather than a deep space tactical vessel, despite her armaments.

Shipboard Life

Assignment to a Vesta-class ship is something highly sought by ambitious officers, as it is only granted to the absolute best in every area. While their missions might be shorter, these ships are sent to areas which Starfleet is interested in examining quickly and effectively with little external support, so they have to be prepared for anything. As such, this leads to a sense among Vesta crews that they are elite units, leading to both positive displays of comradeship as well as sometimes exclusionary and cliquish practices which make it difficult for new crewmembers to integrate, especially if a crew has already been deployed in the field.

Recreational facilities aboard a Vesta are quite comprehensive, though the ship’s size and shape keep her from having quite the luxury of a Galaxy or Odyssey-class ship. Holodecks, holosuites, and recreational lounges are plentiful and most crew members have their own quarters.

Department head roles aboard this class are often seen as direct stepping stones towards the command track on other explorers, with a tour on one of these ships being enough to catapult many officers up to executive officer positions. On that token, however, these assignments are so popular that crews will often stay together for many years.

Class History

The Vesta-class starship development began with the return of the starship Voyager in 2378, with the goal of using the advances that ship had discovered to create a new, purpose-built explorer that could break all previous speed records. The long-term goal was to develop a vessel capable of implementing the failed slipstream drive project started by Seven of Nine and B’Elanna Torres during Voyager’s journey home, though the engineering requirements for this were still well beyond what Starfleet was capable of in the late 2370s.

The design process continued apace, though resources were diverted to other projects in the mid-2380s during the Federation’s attempted evacuation of Romulus, so it wasn’t until 2393 that the Vesta finally left spacedock. Following a year-long shakedown operation close to home, she was sent on her first long-range mission while her sisters were under construction. Performance was rated extremely highly, but the maintenance demands meant that this class could never be built in large numbers, so as of 2399 they remain a rare and highly advanced vessel in Starfleet.

In Play

  • While all of the ‘big three’ explorers (Sovereign, Century, and Odyssey) are very advanced, the Vesta is a whole step out in front of them in terms of the advanced technologies built into her spaceframe. She’s one of the most complicated vessels in Starfleet history, which means she needs a highly trained engineering team, but she makes up for that by being a full third faster than even the Century at all out sprint speeds. She is currently the rarest of the explorer-type vessels, and is only sent on the most urgent and important long-range exploratory missions.
  • This is an incredibly desirable command for nearly any captain, especially given how few of these vessels there are currently in service. In 2399, the main way an officer would be assigned to command a ship like this would have been to be in command of a lesser vessel, or executive officer of an explorer for an extended period of time.
  • Encountering this vessel as an NPC would be extremely unusual; this isn’t a vessel you’d see as a ‘ship of the week’ with any sort of regularity, given that they’re designed to spend years out of contact.
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