Bravo Fleet
Difference between pages "Sovereign Class" and "Category:Starfleet Facilities"

Difference between pages "Sovereign Class" and "Category:Starfleet Facilities"

From Bravo Fleet
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{{icons|bfc}}{{Specifications
{{workinprogress}}'''Starfleet facilities''' come in a number of forms, ranging from the massive spacedocks that orbit major worlds to deep space outposts to minor planetary facilities. This category includes all manner of Starfleet facilities, and this guide explains in broad strokes what different types of bases are for.  
| image = [[Image:Sovereign1.png|275px]]
| name = Sovereign
| affiliation = Starfleet
| role = Explorer
| dateEntered = 2369
| expectedLife = 100 Years
| expectedRefit = 10 Years
| timeResupply = 5 Years
| crewComplement = 820
| emergencyCap = 4,500
| length = 685.2 meters
| width = 243 meters
| height = 87 meters
| decks = 24
| propulsionSystem = Matter/Antimatter powered warp drive
| cruiseSpeed = Warp 8
| maxSpeed = Warp 9.5
| emergencySpeed = Warp 9.95 (36 hours)
| energyWeapons =*16x Type-XII Phaser Arrays
| torpLaunchers =*1 forward turret
* 3 forward
*5 aft
| torpPayload =*300 Photon Torpedoes
*150 Quantum Torpedoes
| shields =Multi-Layered Shielding System
| shuttleBays =2
| shuttles =10
| runabouts =4
}}


== Class Overview ==
== Types of Starfleet Facilities ==
Created to replace the Galaxy-class starship and fight the Borg, the Sovereign-class has proven to be a bold, powerful battleship and versatile explorer that nonetheless fails to fully match the exploratory, scientific, and diplomatic capabilities of her older cousin. Even with that in mind, Sovereign commands and service berths are among the most prestigious and sought-after in all of Starfleet, and the ships have earned acclaim for their service in both war and peace. Service aboard a Sovereign is seen almost universally as a point of honor and pride for an officer or crewman.
While this is not an all-inclusive list, Starfleet Facilities are broadly categorized in the ways listed here, referring to their importance, their size, and their position in the chain of command.  


==== Exploration and Science ====
=== Starbase ===
While the Sovereign’s exploration and science facilities are state-of-the-art, they lag a bit behind the older Galaxy-class ship in effectiveness due to having less space devoted to them – a necessary outcome of the Sovereign’s smaller volume and substantially greater tactical capability. There simply isn’t room for the Galaxy’s cavernous lab spaces, enormous sensor arrays, and huge stores of equipment in the Sovereign spaceframe. The Sovereign drastically outperforms any ship smaller than a heavy explorer in an exploration role, but does not match the capabilities of the Galaxy, Odyssey, or especially the Century in that role.
[[File:Starbase11Remastered.jpg|thumb|Starbase 11, an example of a starbase with a major surface presence, but only a the basic orbital infrastructure needed to repair starships.]]
A starbase is the largest level of facility command in Starfleet, referring to the senior command in a sector or a section of a very major sector.


That said, the Sovereign’s main sensor array can penetrate most nebulae and perform micrometer-scale orbital scans, and has proven to be more than a match for most older cloaking devices. The ship carries the most recent specialized probes, allowing it to conduct high-quality surveys and remote studies, and its forward torpedo turret, while primarily designed for tactical use, has the added benefit of being able to flood an area of space with probes remarkably quickly, creating a powerful sensor network. The shipboard labs, while smaller than those of the Galaxy (to the point that some who have served aboard the older explorers find them a little cramped), are well-equipped to handle even very complicated, delicate scientific questions.
A starbase is the central hub for command and control for a large area of space, and so it is based either from a surface installation or a major space station. Often, starbases have both ground and orbital facilities, with total crews in the hundreds of thousands. [[ma:Starbase 375|Starbase 375]] is an example of a starbase that is only located on one station, [[ma:Starbase 11|Starbase 11]] is predominantly ground-based with only a handful of minor orbital stations, and [[Starbase Bravo]] is an example of a starbase that has both major orbital and ground facilities. Starships not assigned to a particular task force take orders from the starbase in their sector.


One area where the Sovereign exceeds the Galaxy is in major crew amenities. While its recreation hall is significantly smaller and the crew lounge about the same size, it has three main holodecks and five smaller holosuites, all using substantially more advanced emitter controls and computers, allowing much more immersive experiences. Added safety features have led to far fewer holodeck mishaps aboard Sovereign-class ships than aboard their older cousins as well, allowing for substantially greater crew comfort on long journeys.
NB: The term 'starbase' also refers to a large space station. A starbase-type station is almost always the anchor of this facility type, but certain other types like the deep space station or shipyard might also include this type of station, while not actually being a numbered starbase.


==== Diplomacy ====
'''Starbases In-Play'''
The Sovereign’s diplomatic capabilities are a similar story – the very best technology, but with less space and attention devoted to it than is given with the other heavy explorers. Sovereign VIP quarters are spacious and luxurious, but there are fewer of them than aboard a Galaxy, and they are located less conveniently to the forward lounge and holodecks.


The Sovereign’s tactical capabilities make for an occasionally uncomfortable fit with her diplomatic role. The presence of a Sovereign-class starship in a system is an indication that Starfleet takes it seriously, and there is no vessel as sought-after for VIP transport in potentially hostile space, but her status as the nearest thing the Federation builts to a battleship can occasionally make the class’s presence feel like an implicit threat.
* As a command, starbases are best understood in the way they were presented in Star Trek: The Original Series. They're where the [[ma:Stone (Commodore)|commodore]] lives. Wherever the ''Enterprise'' was, it seemed to be responsible to the commodore of the closest starbase, with Starbase 11 being a great example of this.  
** For Bravo Fleet, this is a little different as your ship is going to be taking its orders from your [[Task Force Commanding Officer]]; you're part of a mobile unit not tied to a specific area. With that being said, you're going to run into local forces as well: the bread-and-butter ships that ply the space lanes around the Federation. A sector is 20 light-years by 20 light-years by 20 light-years, and it might have dozens of ships other than yours handling the quotidian stuff while you have awesome adventures.
** Not every starbase commander is going to be pleased to see a Fourth Fleet starship in their sector, as you're not an element they can control. You might find yourself a mere pawn in a game of [[ma:three-dimensional chess|three-dimensional chess]] between admirals that you're unaware of. It's Federation, not the Romulan Free State, though, so you're not going to find yourself faced with an outwardly hostile local commander very often, but you might still have to find ways of greasing bureaucratic wheels to get your mission accomplished.
* Even the smallest starbases are hubs for either a whole sector or a large chunk of one, so they're almost always going to be relatively busy. They present a welcome change of base from independent exploration by giving you access to a wide variety of both Starfleet and civilian characters to interact with.
* Large Starfleet bases like Starbase Bravo or Starbase 72 are not exciting places to be, like Deep Space 9. There is no seedy underbelly to a gleaming city in space in a post-scarcity society, after all. If you want that kind of atmosphere, you'll have to go to the borders.
* There are three starbases associated with the Fourth Fleet: [[Starbase Bravo]], [[Starbase 72]], and [[Starbase 86]]. Each of these settings are available for use in your story, regardless of what Task Force you are in, once you have your avatar ship and are free to move around the galaxy.
* Given that even the smallest starbases would have crews of over a thousand and exercise control over the surrounding space, almost every starbase would be commanded by at least a commodore or rear admiral. The largest and most important starbases, such as Starbase 1 might even be commanded by a vice admiral or admiral. In some cases, there might be a Sector Commander separate from the Starbase Commanding Officer, who might then be as low-ranked as commander, but it would be very unusual for this type of facility not to have a flag officer present.
* A starbase's number is not indicative of its age. Starbase 72 is newer than Starbase 74, for instance, as its number refers to the task force that is based out of it. Starbase 4 is home to the 4th Fleet. Starbases may also be numbered based on the sector they are in.


==== Engineering ====
=== Outpost ===
The Sovereign is one of the most advanced ships in Starfleet, and that shows in both its capabilities and the engineering problems it presents. Its warp drive matches those of the Intrepid and Prometheus for top speed, though its size and hull geometry give it a slower cruising speed and shorter sprint time than those smaller ships, and its impulse engines are unmatched for raw ability to accelerate and turn a massive starship. This leads to Sovereign being deceptively agile in combat. Each of the ship’s impulse engines has its own fusion reactor to provide power directly.
[[File:Romulan Neutral Zone map.jpg|thumb|A map of outposts Zulu I through Zulu VII, which were located along the Romulan Neutral Zone in the 23rd century.]]
Outposts are smaller commands located near the borders of Federation space, where they serve to monitor and defend a section of space.  Customs enforcement duties are a common task for outposts. Outposts can be based in space or in ground facilities.


This advanced warp and impulse system requires some of Starfleet’s best engineers to keep it operating at peak performance, and it rewards skilled handling. While the Sovereign has a smaller crew than the Galaxy, the skill premium in the engine room makes properly crewing these ships an occasionally difficult proposal.
The Sierra Outposts are an example of this type of command; they were established shortly after the Earth-Romulan War and focus entirely on surveilling and defending the Federation-Romulan border. The [[ma:Sierra VI|Sierra Outposts]] report to [[ma:Starbase 39-Sierra|Starbase 39-Sierra]], the anchor of the [[ma:Kaleb sector|Kaleb sector]] defenses, the name of the starbase and outposts referring to the Earth Starfleet code-name for that section of the border. Some outposts have mission profiles other than defense: [[Ma:Outpost Seran T-1|Outpost Seran T-1]] is a research station where the dilithium crystal chamber for the USS ''Enterprise''-D was designed. In this case, that outpost reported directly to the [[Advanced Starship Design Bureau]] rather than a sector's starbase. It was designated an outpost both because of its remote location and to conceal the nature of its mission. [[ma:Ajilon Prime|Ajilon Prime]] is an example of a colony which also had a Starfleet outpost, though this one appeared to be entirely surface-based. Outpost is also an informal term in general for colonies or other territorial possessions of the Federation.


While the Sovereign requires a great deal of very skilled work to keep operating at peak effectiveness, it is capable of continuing to fly after suffering truly massive damage. The starships Sovereign, Enterprise, and Majestic – the three class leaders – have all limped home with crew mostly intact after taking damage that would have crippled or destroyed any other Federation spaceframe, and other ships in the class having shown that durability as well. Majestic, in particular, managed to return to Starbase 16 after losing the entire primary hull, suffering a collapsed shuttlebay, and having the port warp nacelle torn off near the pylon root in a hard fight against Tzenkethi raiders, and was spaceworthy once more in less than five months.
'''Outposts In-Play'''


The Sovereign is capable of saucer separation, but it is considered an emergency-only maneuver as doing so will leave both halves of the ship without vital systems. The secondary hull has no main impulse engine, while the primary lacks warp and torpedo launch capabilities. Only in situations of either unrecoverable damage to the primary hull or imminent loss of the warp core should a Sovereign be separated, and the maneuver has only been performed outside testing a very few times.
* Outposts are smaller than starbases. These are the kinds of commands that monitor a very small chunk of a border, to either confirm the identity of an ally, perform customs enforcement services, or dispatch defensive units against an enemy. In ''Star Trek'' a small number of other types of facilities were referred to as 'outposts' including small science posts and things of that nature.
* An outpost is more likely to need your help than a starbase would. Given that these bases are often just a sensor station with a few defenses, it's not like they can send a fleet or even a single starship out to meet threats. They have to hold out until they get help from a passing ship or from their sector's starbase. This is especially true of backwater outposts that don't receive the same attention and upgrades ones along major borders (such as the Romulan border) do.
* Outposts vary in size, but they're only capable of limited refueling and repair services for starships. You might be able to limp back to one to get patched up for the journey to a proper starbase.
* Outpost commanding officers range from Lieutenants assigned to lead small garrisons on minor planetary outposts to commanders or captains leading larger outposts. Generally speaking, an outpost does not warrant a flag officer. Watching ships pass along the border isn't particularly exciting most of the time, so an outpost commander is likely happy to see any visitors, such as a ship like yours from the Fourth Fleet!
* Naming schemes for outposts differ based on where they are located. The Romulan and Klingon borders have had a combination letter-number scheme since the days of the Earth Starfleet, while other outposts might just be named for the planet they orbit.


==== Tactical ====
=== Deep Space Station ===
The Sovereign is, simply put, the premier Starfleet ship of the line. Its tactical systems are top-notch and given plenty of space on the hull, making Sovereign Starfleet’s most powerful, reliable forward combat ship.
[[File:Deep Space Station K-7.jpg|thumb|Deep Space Station K-7, one of the K-class stations built along the Klingon Border in the 23rd century. ]]
Deep Space Stations (the most famous example being Deep Space 9) come in two forms: stations outside of Federation space (such as Deep Space 9 itself, when first established) and space stations positioned outside of planetary systems (such as Deep Space Station K-7). Deep Space Stations are almost always space stations, but there are exceptions.  


While the Sovereign’s phaser compliment is quite powerful – advanced Mark XII phaser emitters, with long arrays located both dorsal and ventral on the saucer – they cannot match the power of the massive main dorsal array of the Galaxy. It is the Sovereign’s torpedo launch capability that gives it its tactical edge.
They range in purpose depending on their location, but are often used as staging points for Starfleet's exploratory vessels. Many deep space stations serve in an advanced warning capacity, functioning similarly to outposts in that regard, but they are generally larger and more independent than outposts. The current [[Starbase 38]] was originally designated Deep Space 38 until [[Barzan II]] became a member of the Federation, while Deep Space 9 retained its original designation due to the high degree of name recognition with that designation earned during the Dominion War.  


Eight standard launchers – three mounted forward, five aft – are an impressive armament already, but it is the forward rapid-fire turret armed with quantum torpedoes that is the focus of the Sovereign’s weapons suite. This turret is capable of variable-geometry fire, giving it a wide target arc, and of firing torpedoes quickly enough to turn the entire forward arc of the ship into a kill zone. Nothing of the Sovereign’s general size range can withstand more than a few seconds of concentrated fire from the turret, and even much larger dedicated warships like the Romulan Scimitar, Son’a dreadnought, and Breen Rezearth dreadnoughts will struggle to do so. The ship’s maneuverability is also well-known, with the sleek spaceframe sometimes seeming almost to dance in its efforts to engage multiple enemies with the forward-mounted weapons and avoid exposing its less well-protected flanks.
'''Deep Space Stations In-Play'''


A Sovereign-Class firing quantum torpedoes.
* Deep space stations aren't as clearly defined by their missions as the previous two categories: a large, important base might be a deep space station, or a tiny trade facility might be to. What's key is where they are: either in literal deep space (not in a planetary system) or in a system that is not within Federation space. We saw this with the two examples of deep space stations on screen: K-7 and DS9.
* Most deep space stations are not actually ''that'' far away from Federation space, given the difficulties of keeping a base of any size supplied, rather they're more likely to be the last major facility a starship encounters on its way out on an exploratory mission.
* Deep space stations generally consist of the widest variety of classes of any of these categories.
* Larger Deep Space Stations are generally known as Deep Space #, while smaller ones are known as Deep Space Station #.
* Commanding officers of deep space stations run the gamut from commanders to admirals, depending on the station's location, mission, and importance.


The weapons layout of the Sovereign force a captain and tactical officer to be bold in combat. The ship rewards this boldness – keeping the forward arc toward the enemy and maintaining hard, steady fire is key to effectively using the Sovereign in combat. Having so much of the ship’s weapons compliment mounted forward makes a fighting retreat difficult and dangerous, so care must be taken before deciding to commit to combat – once combat is joined, the Sovereign is likely committed for the duration. The reputation for recklessness enjoyed by Sovereign captains as a group is, thus, much more the result of style than of substance – successful Sovereign captains consider carefully whether to initiate combat, but once engaged they commit fully and boldly.
=== Science Station / Research Station ===
[[File:Regula1.jpg|thumb|Regula 1, an archetypical science station.]]
Science and research stations are located all over the Federation, conducting research that is too dangerous to be conducted in populated areas or which requires specific microgravity conditions. These tend to be smaller facilities, often with entirely civilian crews even if they report in some way to Starfleet. They are often disconnected from their local sector's command structure. An example is Research Station Tango-Sierra, which is in the Sierra system but does not report to Starbase 39-Sierra, but instead directly to Starfleet Medical. Regula I itself is an example of a station under civilian leadership, even though the station itself was built, maintained, and supplied by Starfleet. Jupiter Station in the Sol system is an example of a station under Starfleet control which also has civilian scientists aboard. Science stations report to Starfleet Science and the relevant branch, such as Starfleet Biology or Starfleet Physics. Stand-alone hospital stations would also fall under this category, reporting to Starfleet Medical.


While the first-run Sovereign-class ships had offices for a full Strategic Operations staff, most later ships cut that in favor of an extra science lab, and the Strategic Operations office was removed from Enterprise during her first major refit. Those that retain a Strategic Operations center often use a command protocol pioneered aboard the USS Sovereign during the Valoris Crisis, stationing a junior officer from Strategic Operations on the bridge with an earpiece and their own console to relay tactical analysis directly to the captain. This protocol served well during both Operation Clean Sweep and the Battle of Starbase 72, but many captains who have attempted it have found that it floods the bridge with too much cross-talk during red alert.
'''Science Stations In-Play'''


==== Shipboard Life ====
* The far-off base conducting dangerous scientific research is a major trope in science fiction. Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn relied heavily on Regula 1's isolation and the danger of the Genesis Device to develop a sense of peril in the film. It makes sense, too: if you're building something that could potentially destroy a planet, you don't want to do it in the middle of a populated system. It's the same with certain kinds of biological research, too, as seen in many ''Star Trek'' episodes: you don't want to risk unleashing a plague.
While a Sovereign-class ship is not as spacious as a Galaxy, Century, or Odyssey, it is, as far as service in space goes, a very comfortable posting. While individual execuitive officerss occasionally shake things up, the usual arrangement of quarters is that crewmen use six-person, three-room suites, NCOs and ensigns use the numerous four-person two-room suites, lieutenants have two-person, two-bedroom quarters, and senior officers have solo quarters, with the particularly spacious Captain’s and Executive Officer’s suites on Deck 2 with immediate access to the bridge priority turbolift. Individual touches in one’s living space are encouraged, and an officer’s quarters will often speak eloquently to who that officer is and where they are from.
* Science stations might not be doing anything dangerous, they may simply be in orbit of something that's interesting enough to study but not interesting enough to send a large starship to sit in orbit for several years. A planet might have an interesting ecology, a novel mineral might be floating in the rings of a gas giant, or a lost civilization might have ruins in a particular system that need studying.
* These tend to be the smallest of bases, with crews of less than a hundred. The ''Jupiter'' is a notable example, being a class that can house many more scientists in certain configurations, so it's more likely to be in a populated system.
* Science stations often are unarmed or lightly armed, so they're another good candidate for rescue missions.
* A science station wouldn't be able to help you much in terms of repair or resupply, but they'd at least be on a freighter route, so it's better than nothing!
* Science stations would run the gamut in terms of commanding officers, ranging from civilians to commanders or captains.


The shipboard amenities are also quite thorough, with multiple holodecks and holosuites providing immersive entertainment, two recreation halls – the larger in the primary hull, the smaller not far from main engineering – offering spaces for large gatherings and group sporting events, and a number of spaces in which to eat and socialize. The Deck 4 officers’ mess is surprisingly well-furnished, with a full kitchen and kitchen staff in addition to a wide bank of replicators, and the crew messes spread throughout the ship are smaller but still comfortable spaces with full replicator access. Outside emergency situations, replicators are unrationed, allowing unlimited use for food, drink, and small personal items.
=== Shipyard/Fleet Yard ===
[[File:Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards.jpg|thumb|Before its destruction in 2385, Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards was the most important starship construction facility in the Federation. The ''Galaxy''-class ships were built here, along with the ''Defiant'' and ''Voyager.'']]
A shipyard or fleet yard (fleet yards are generally larger, but the nomenclature is not always used precisely) is a command that focuses entirely on constructing, maintaining, refitting, and dismantling starships. These commands typically contain multiple space stations, drydocks, and/or planetary facilities. They are well-defended because of their strategic importance; especially after the attack on Mars in 2385, unidentified vessels approaching Starfleet shipyards will be treated with hostility. While any starbase is capable of constructing starships of ''some'' size, distributed production has its limits for supply chain and quality assurance reasons, which means that the Federations major shipyards are some of its most important assets. Some shipyards specialize in a specific task: [[Devron Fleet Yards]], for example, was built to maintain ships for [[ma:Wallenberg class|Admiral Jean-Luc Picard's rescue armada]]. Surplus depots are a kind of shipyard that specializes in storing unused starships (and even space stations) and/or stripping them down for parts, an example being [[ma:Surplus Depot Z15|Surplus Depot Z15]] over [[ma:Qualor II|Qualor II]], which is operated by the [[ma:Zakdorn|Zakdorn]] on behalf of Starfleet.  


The centerpiece of shipboard social life is the forward lounge. While the lounges on Galaxy-class starships were usually referred to by the official name of the space in which they were located (Ten Forward), those aboard Sovereign-class ships are often given colorful, personal names handed down from the ship’s original crew to those who would follow. The atmosphere of the Collingswood Arms on the USS Sovereign has been a thing of Starfleet legend since the ship’s first voyage, the legend deepened by the recently-departed lead bartender, an old, wounded Klingon warrior named K’Valk. The Star of S’harien aboard the Majestic holds a display showing the ship’s service – her discoveries, diplomatic breakthroughs, and victories in combat.
These facilities range in size from a few drydocks to hundreds of berths for starships. Many shipyards are larger than starbases and even count starbase-type stations among their facilities. Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards had no fewer than six ''Presidium''-class stations alongside dozens of drydocks and extensive ground facilities on Mars before its destruction. All shipyards report to Starfleet Shipyard Operations, a division of Starfleet Engineering.


As a large explorer, the crew of a Sovereign is large enough and sees enough turnover that, outside senior staff and a few very long-term NCOs, it does not tend to develop the family-like sort of camaraderie that crews on smaller ships hold. Instead, it is very much like a small town in space, with a rumor mill capable of running even faster than the FTL computer core and a sense that everyone knows who everyone else is but does not necessarily know them personally. Most experienced Sovereign captains have long since given up on chasing or shutting down the rumor mills on their ships, and simply try to embrace the bonding it can encourage while cutting off rumors that damage crew cohesion at the knees. The combination of crew size, controlled but present intimacy, and tendency to find their way into combat and hazard situations has led to the Sovereign having the dubious distinction of being the ship class that averages the most marriages per crew, though Starfleet culture keeps those numbers limited even here.
'''Shipyards In-Play'''


== Class History ==
* Bravo Fleet's primary shipyard is Avalon Fleet Yards. Devron Fleet Yards is a secondary facility, more devoted to maintenance and repair than to building new ships, which also serves as the headquarters of Task Force 93. As with the starbases mentioned above, these settings are free to use in your stories regardless of which task force you are in, once you have your avatar ship.
The Sovereign Class starship was born out the necessity for more combat oriented starships to help combat the Borg Collective, yet keep host to a wide variety of exploratory and diplomatic missions during peacetime. Originally three starship designs were fielded to combat the Borg: Project Sovereign, Project Defiant and Project Nova. Both the Defiant and Nova projects were considered entirely too small to field what was needed; however they were later rebuilt into separate starship designs. For the mainstay of what the project called for, the Sovereign design was chosen to essentially replace the Galaxy Class as the flagship design of the Federation.
* Shipyards are few and far between, most often located near the core of the Federation. You're most often going to end up at a standard starbase for repairs, but if your ship is very badly damaged or needs a refit, you might go to a shipyard instead. Keep in mind, though, that if your ship is being laid up in a drydock, it's not there for the short haul.
* Other than surplus depots, shipyards are very major commands, almost always with a flag officer commanding them, especially given that the construction of individual starships is often supervised by a commander or captain.


Implementation of the design of the starship and construction began in 2367. Construction moved along quickly and integrating some of the newest Federation technologies into the ship design was proving to be surprisingly easy. The integration of the bio-neural gel pack with the already conventional isolinear chip system proved to have few complications. Other new systems included the field testing of the quantum torpedo turret system, enhanced regenerative shielding system, energy-dispersive ablative hull armor, redesigned warp drive and the previously classified “Type-X+” phaser systems. The Type-X+ would be later reclassified as the Type-XII.
== Starfleet Facilities In-Play ==


The USS Sovereign was finally completed in 2369 and began its shakedown cruise along the Romulan Neutral Zone. Many aspects of the Sovereign proved to be well above expectations during testing. After eight months of shakedown in open space, the Sovereign was returned to dry dock for finalization and commission.
* The Federation is huge, covering hundreds of sectors and thousands of planets, when you factor in every single minor colony and outpost. This leaves a lot of room to imagine different kinds of bases in your writing to suit the needs of your story, whether you need a bustling border trade station like K-7 or a sleepy research base that hasn't seen visitors in years. Go where you need to go and where your story takes you. That doesn't mean that any base you visit automatically becomes fleet canon and needs a dot on the map, but if you have an exciting adventure with a base during your ship's travels, consider submitting it as fleet canon!
 
* Generally speaking, your ship's 'home' is your task force's headquarters, whatever that may be, even if you're all the way across the galaxy.
The Sovereign proved to be a well-founded design in terms of its combat abilities. However, it lacked the high maneuverability of ships similar to its size or the ability to achieve the higher warp speeds seen in the Intrepid and Prometheus Classes. That being said, the ship more than made up for itself in terms of phaser power, torpedo compliment, and torpedo tube placement, which supplemented the forward quantum turret.
* There is only one station in the Gamma Quadrant and there are none in the Delta Quadrant, so make sure you pack a lunch when going through either wormhole.
 
* These categories are not all-inclusive, so don't interpret them as keeping you from coming up with a type of station we didn't list here. It's just meant to be a guide on what your ''character'' would understand a starbase to be versus an outpost, etc.
Several more of the class were put into production and even the USS Enterprise, the flagship of the Federation, was readmitted into service as a Sovereign class. The first real test for the Sovereign Class was during the Battle of Sector 001 in which the Enterprise arrived in time to help destroy the Borg vessel in conjunction with the rest of the fleet. Later, during the Dominion War, the Sovereign and Enterprise saw combat while the other ships were slowed in their production in favor of the smaller, more powerful and quicker to build Defiant Class. Near the end of the war, six more of the class were completed and two helped with the Jem’Hadar clean up across the quadrant.
 
Following the war, the Sovereign class was re-tasked with front line exploration of open space along with its fellow exploration-driven starships. In the decade following the close of the Dominion War, the Sovereign class starships have served in a variety of roles as flagships, command and control centers, diplomatic envoys, first contact headquarters, front line defensive vessels, exploratory starships, scientific couriers and troop transports. The versatility and endless abilities of the Sovereign have proven it to be a worthwhile design, and it will continue being, for many decades, the mainstay of the Federation fleet.
 
== In Play ==
 
* The Sovereign remains Starfleet's premier ship of the line, and the arrival of a Sovereign-class ship in a system is a statement on the part of Starfleet Command that whatever is happening there has the attention of the Federation. There is no spaceframe in the Federation armada that can match the tactical capabilities of the Sovereign, and indeed there are few in any Alpha or Beta quadrant fleet.
* Sovereign-class starships have exceptional strategic operations capabilities, with the ability to provide logistical and strategic support for major fleet operations.
* The Sovereign also has top-tier diplomatic facilities, though this is a trait they share with other large explorers like the Century and Galaxy-classes. Their combination of tactical and diplomatic capabilities makes the Sovereign a good choice for transporting VIPs, especially those who face personal or political threats to their safety.
* The tactical and strategic capabilities of the Sovereign-class come at a significant cost in terms of scientific and exploration prowess, and the simple fact that it is such a threat renders it unsuitable for some forms of diplomatic work. While the ship remains a versatile platform, this weakness is significant enough to require the presence of the complementary Century-class ship.
* The Sovereign-class ships are all commands of high prestige, and therefore almost always given to experienced captains, especially experienced combat captains. While there are always exceptions, the vast bulk of Sovereign-class starships are their captain's second or third command in an already-lengthy, impressive career.
* A sim or fiction set aboard a Sovereign-class starship will most likely be crewed by the best and brightest of their generations, and be given the most important and prestigious jobs to do, with a slant toward missions where the tactical and strategic capabilities of the Sovereign are a significant asset. This does not necessarily mean combat - a Sovereign-class ship's presence will often force a situation to deescalate, and a common duty of these ships is to simply show the flag.
* NPC Sovereign-class starships should rarely be seen, and, when they are, be a sign that things are serious and the Federation sees them as such. When one becomes involved in a situation, standard practice is that its captain take operational command of the situation as a whole.
 
[[Category:Federation starship classes]]
[[Category:Explorers]]

Revision as of 02:07, 14 May 2021

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Starfleet facilities come in a number of forms, ranging from the massive spacedocks that orbit major worlds to deep space outposts to minor planetary facilities. This category includes all manner of Starfleet facilities, and this guide explains in broad strokes what different types of bases are for.

Types of Starfleet Facilities

While this is not an all-inclusive list, Starfleet Facilities are broadly categorized in the ways listed here, referring to their importance, their size, and their position in the chain of command.

Starbase

Starbase 11, an example of a starbase with a major surface presence, but only a the basic orbital infrastructure needed to repair starships.

A starbase is the largest level of facility command in Starfleet, referring to the senior command in a sector or a section of a very major sector.

A starbase is the central hub for command and control for a large area of space, and so it is based either from a surface installation or a major space station. Often, starbases have both ground and orbital facilities, with total crews in the hundreds of thousands. Starbase 375 is an example of a starbase that is only located on one station, Starbase 11 is predominantly ground-based with only a handful of minor orbital stations, and Starbase Bravo is an example of a starbase that has both major orbital and ground facilities. Starships not assigned to a particular task force take orders from the starbase in their sector.

NB: The term 'starbase' also refers to a large space station. A starbase-type station is almost always the anchor of this facility type, but certain other types like the deep space station or shipyard might also include this type of station, while not actually being a numbered starbase.

Starbases In-Play

  • As a command, starbases are best understood in the way they were presented in Star Trek: The Original Series. They're where the commodore lives. Wherever the Enterprise was, it seemed to be responsible to the commodore of the closest starbase, with Starbase 11 being a great example of this.
    • For Bravo Fleet, this is a little different as your ship is going to be taking its orders from your Task Force Commanding Officer; you're part of a mobile unit not tied to a specific area. With that being said, you're going to run into local forces as well: the bread-and-butter ships that ply the space lanes around the Federation. A sector is 20 light-years by 20 light-years by 20 light-years, and it might have dozens of ships other than yours handling the quotidian stuff while you have awesome adventures.
    • Not every starbase commander is going to be pleased to see a Fourth Fleet starship in their sector, as you're not an element they can control. You might find yourself a mere pawn in a game of three-dimensional chess between admirals that you're unaware of. It's Federation, not the Romulan Free State, though, so you're not going to find yourself faced with an outwardly hostile local commander very often, but you might still have to find ways of greasing bureaucratic wheels to get your mission accomplished.
  • Even the smallest starbases are hubs for either a whole sector or a large chunk of one, so they're almost always going to be relatively busy. They present a welcome change of base from independent exploration by giving you access to a wide variety of both Starfleet and civilian characters to interact with.
  • Large Starfleet bases like Starbase Bravo or Starbase 72 are not exciting places to be, like Deep Space 9. There is no seedy underbelly to a gleaming city in space in a post-scarcity society, after all. If you want that kind of atmosphere, you'll have to go to the borders.
  • There are three starbases associated with the Fourth Fleet: Starbase Bravo, Starbase 72, and Starbase 86. Each of these settings are available for use in your story, regardless of what Task Force you are in, once you have your avatar ship and are free to move around the galaxy.
  • Given that even the smallest starbases would have crews of over a thousand and exercise control over the surrounding space, almost every starbase would be commanded by at least a commodore or rear admiral. The largest and most important starbases, such as Starbase 1 might even be commanded by a vice admiral or admiral. In some cases, there might be a Sector Commander separate from the Starbase Commanding Officer, who might then be as low-ranked as commander, but it would be very unusual for this type of facility not to have a flag officer present.
  • A starbase's number is not indicative of its age. Starbase 72 is newer than Starbase 74, for instance, as its number refers to the task force that is based out of it. Starbase 4 is home to the 4th Fleet. Starbases may also be numbered based on the sector they are in.

Outpost

A map of outposts Zulu I through Zulu VII, which were located along the Romulan Neutral Zone in the 23rd century.

Outposts are smaller commands located near the borders of Federation space, where they serve to monitor and defend a section of space. Customs enforcement duties are a common task for outposts. Outposts can be based in space or in ground facilities.

The Sierra Outposts are an example of this type of command; they were established shortly after the Earth-Romulan War and focus entirely on surveilling and defending the Federation-Romulan border. The Sierra Outposts report to Starbase 39-Sierra, the anchor of the Kaleb sector defenses, the name of the starbase and outposts referring to the Earth Starfleet code-name for that section of the border. Some outposts have mission profiles other than defense: Outpost Seran T-1 is a research station where the dilithium crystal chamber for the USS Enterprise-D was designed. In this case, that outpost reported directly to the Advanced Starship Design Bureau rather than a sector's starbase. It was designated an outpost both because of its remote location and to conceal the nature of its mission. Ajilon Prime is an example of a colony which also had a Starfleet outpost, though this one appeared to be entirely surface-based. Outpost is also an informal term in general for colonies or other territorial possessions of the Federation.

Outposts In-Play

  • Outposts are smaller than starbases. These are the kinds of commands that monitor a very small chunk of a border, to either confirm the identity of an ally, perform customs enforcement services, or dispatch defensive units against an enemy. In Star Trek a small number of other types of facilities were referred to as 'outposts' including small science posts and things of that nature.
  • An outpost is more likely to need your help than a starbase would. Given that these bases are often just a sensor station with a few defenses, it's not like they can send a fleet or even a single starship out to meet threats. They have to hold out until they get help from a passing ship or from their sector's starbase. This is especially true of backwater outposts that don't receive the same attention and upgrades ones along major borders (such as the Romulan border) do.
  • Outposts vary in size, but they're only capable of limited refueling and repair services for starships. You might be able to limp back to one to get patched up for the journey to a proper starbase.
  • Outpost commanding officers range from Lieutenants assigned to lead small garrisons on minor planetary outposts to commanders or captains leading larger outposts. Generally speaking, an outpost does not warrant a flag officer. Watching ships pass along the border isn't particularly exciting most of the time, so an outpost commander is likely happy to see any visitors, such as a ship like yours from the Fourth Fleet!
  • Naming schemes for outposts differ based on where they are located. The Romulan and Klingon borders have had a combination letter-number scheme since the days of the Earth Starfleet, while other outposts might just be named for the planet they orbit.

Deep Space Station

Deep Space Station K-7, one of the K-class stations built along the Klingon Border in the 23rd century.

Deep Space Stations (the most famous example being Deep Space 9) come in two forms: stations outside of Federation space (such as Deep Space 9 itself, when first established) and space stations positioned outside of planetary systems (such as Deep Space Station K-7). Deep Space Stations are almost always space stations, but there are exceptions.

They range in purpose depending on their location, but are often used as staging points for Starfleet's exploratory vessels. Many deep space stations serve in an advanced warning capacity, functioning similarly to outposts in that regard, but they are generally larger and more independent than outposts. The current Starbase 38 was originally designated Deep Space 38 until Barzan II became a member of the Federation, while Deep Space 9 retained its original designation due to the high degree of name recognition with that designation earned during the Dominion War.

Deep Space Stations In-Play

  • Deep space stations aren't as clearly defined by their missions as the previous two categories: a large, important base might be a deep space station, or a tiny trade facility might be to. What's key is where they are: either in literal deep space (not in a planetary system) or in a system that is not within Federation space. We saw this with the two examples of deep space stations on screen: K-7 and DS9.
  • Most deep space stations are not actually that far away from Federation space, given the difficulties of keeping a base of any size supplied, rather they're more likely to be the last major facility a starship encounters on its way out on an exploratory mission.
  • Deep space stations generally consist of the widest variety of classes of any of these categories.
  • Larger Deep Space Stations are generally known as Deep Space #, while smaller ones are known as Deep Space Station #.
  • Commanding officers of deep space stations run the gamut from commanders to admirals, depending on the station's location, mission, and importance.

Science Station / Research Station

Regula 1, an archetypical science station.

Science and research stations are located all over the Federation, conducting research that is too dangerous to be conducted in populated areas or which requires specific microgravity conditions. These tend to be smaller facilities, often with entirely civilian crews even if they report in some way to Starfleet. They are often disconnected from their local sector's command structure. An example is Research Station Tango-Sierra, which is in the Sierra system but does not report to Starbase 39-Sierra, but instead directly to Starfleet Medical. Regula I itself is an example of a station under civilian leadership, even though the station itself was built, maintained, and supplied by Starfleet. Jupiter Station in the Sol system is an example of a station under Starfleet control which also has civilian scientists aboard. Science stations report to Starfleet Science and the relevant branch, such as Starfleet Biology or Starfleet Physics. Stand-alone hospital stations would also fall under this category, reporting to Starfleet Medical.

Science Stations In-Play

  • The far-off base conducting dangerous scientific research is a major trope in science fiction. Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn relied heavily on Regula 1's isolation and the danger of the Genesis Device to develop a sense of peril in the film. It makes sense, too: if you're building something that could potentially destroy a planet, you don't want to do it in the middle of a populated system. It's the same with certain kinds of biological research, too, as seen in many Star Trek episodes: you don't want to risk unleashing a plague.
  • Science stations might not be doing anything dangerous, they may simply be in orbit of something that's interesting enough to study but not interesting enough to send a large starship to sit in orbit for several years. A planet might have an interesting ecology, a novel mineral might be floating in the rings of a gas giant, or a lost civilization might have ruins in a particular system that need studying.
  • These tend to be the smallest of bases, with crews of less than a hundred. The Jupiter is a notable example, being a class that can house many more scientists in certain configurations, so it's more likely to be in a populated system.
  • Science stations often are unarmed or lightly armed, so they're another good candidate for rescue missions.
  • A science station wouldn't be able to help you much in terms of repair or resupply, but they'd at least be on a freighter route, so it's better than nothing!
  • Science stations would run the gamut in terms of commanding officers, ranging from civilians to commanders or captains.

Shipyard/Fleet Yard

Before its destruction in 2385, Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards was the most important starship construction facility in the Federation. The Galaxy-class ships were built here, along with the Defiant and Voyager.

A shipyard or fleet yard (fleet yards are generally larger, but the nomenclature is not always used precisely) is a command that focuses entirely on constructing, maintaining, refitting, and dismantling starships. These commands typically contain multiple space stations, drydocks, and/or planetary facilities. They are well-defended because of their strategic importance; especially after the attack on Mars in 2385, unidentified vessels approaching Starfleet shipyards will be treated with hostility. While any starbase is capable of constructing starships of some size, distributed production has its limits for supply chain and quality assurance reasons, which means that the Federations major shipyards are some of its most important assets. Some shipyards specialize in a specific task: Devron Fleet Yards, for example, was built to maintain ships for Admiral Jean-Luc Picard's rescue armada. Surplus depots are a kind of shipyard that specializes in storing unused starships (and even space stations) and/or stripping them down for parts, an example being Surplus Depot Z15 over Qualor II, which is operated by the Zakdorn on behalf of Starfleet.

These facilities range in size from a few drydocks to hundreds of berths for starships. Many shipyards are larger than starbases and even count starbase-type stations among their facilities. Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards had no fewer than six Presidium-class stations alongside dozens of drydocks and extensive ground facilities on Mars before its destruction. All shipyards report to Starfleet Shipyard Operations, a division of Starfleet Engineering.

Shipyards In-Play

  • Bravo Fleet's primary shipyard is Avalon Fleet Yards. Devron Fleet Yards is a secondary facility, more devoted to maintenance and repair than to building new ships, which also serves as the headquarters of Task Force 93. As with the starbases mentioned above, these settings are free to use in your stories regardless of which task force you are in, once you have your avatar ship.
  • Shipyards are few and far between, most often located near the core of the Federation. You're most often going to end up at a standard starbase for repairs, but if your ship is very badly damaged or needs a refit, you might go to a shipyard instead. Keep in mind, though, that if your ship is being laid up in a drydock, it's not there for the short haul.
  • Other than surplus depots, shipyards are very major commands, almost always with a flag officer commanding them, especially given that the construction of individual starships is often supervised by a commander or captain.

Starfleet Facilities In-Play

  • The Federation is huge, covering hundreds of sectors and thousands of planets, when you factor in every single minor colony and outpost. This leaves a lot of room to imagine different kinds of bases in your writing to suit the needs of your story, whether you need a bustling border trade station like K-7 or a sleepy research base that hasn't seen visitors in years. Go where you need to go and where your story takes you. That doesn't mean that any base you visit automatically becomes fleet canon and needs a dot on the map, but if you have an exciting adventure with a base during your ship's travels, consider submitting it as fleet canon!
  • Generally speaking, your ship's 'home' is your task force's headquarters, whatever that may be, even if you're all the way across the galaxy.
  • There is only one station in the Gamma Quadrant and there are none in the Delta Quadrant, so make sure you pack a lunch when going through either wormhole.
  • These categories are not all-inclusive, so don't interpret them as keeping you from coming up with a type of station we didn't list here. It's just meant to be a guide on what your character would understand a starbase to be versus an outpost, etc.
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