Type: Tactical Explorer
Commissioned: 2370-PRES
Production: 6 per year
Design and Production Facility: Utopia Planitia Yards, Earth
Cochrane Yards, Alpha Centauri
Unit Run: [USS Galaxy]
USS Iris

Mass: 4,960,000 tons
Crew: 1,100+ including family members
Propulsion: One cochrane warp core feeding three warp nacelles; three subatomic unified energy impulse engines
Armament: 12 x Type X Phaser arrays
3 x type 3 burst fire photon torpedo tubes + 275 torpedoes
Antimatter spread emitter,
1 Dorsal Type XV Phaser Cannon
Defense Systems: Shield system
Standard Duranium/Tritanium double hull plus 9.0 cm High Density armor.
Standard level Structural Integrity Field
Warp Capabilities: Normal Cruise : Warp Factor 9
Maximum Cruise : Warp Factor 9.8
Maximum Rated : Warp Factor 9.9 for twelve hours
Expected Hull Life: 100 years
Refit Cycle: Minor : 1 year
Standard : 5 years
Major : 20 years
Dimensions: Length : 641 m
Beam : 470 m
Height : 155 m
Decks : 44
Shuttle Compliment: shuttle bays: 3
shuttles: 2 Type-9 Personal Shuttles, 2 Type-10 Shuttles, 4 Type-11 Personal Shuttles,
runabouts: 1 Danube Class Runabout, 1 Delta Flyer Runabout


Class History: The uprated Galaxy class has been fielded by Starfleet in order to increase the combat capability of the class for service in the Dominion war. The improvements include an extra pair of phaser arrays mounted on the nacelles, an increase in the maximum speed to Warp 9.9, and various other enhancements. As with the Nebula class, Starfleet refuses to comment on which Galaxies are enhanced and which are not.

The Galaxy class Heavy Explorer was an attempt by Starfleet to design the perfect starship. They wanted a flagship vessel that could carry out a long duration exploration mission, function as a host for diplomatic functions, be rapid response vessel in times of crisis and hold its own in a battle. To accomplish this, the Starfleet commissioned the Advances Starship Design Board to use data going all the way back to the CONSTITUTION class starships. Commander Orfil Quinteros was supervisor of the Galaxy-class Starship Development Project. Dr. Leah Brahms was one of the chief designers of the warp propulsion system.
The Galaxy-class Starship Development Project was approved in 2343. Pursuant to Starfleet Exploration Directive 902.3, the following objectives were established for the Galaxy Class Starship Development Project: (1) To provide a mobile platform for a wide range of ongoing scientific and cultural research projects; (2) Replace aging Ambassador- and Oberth-class starships as primary instruments of Starfleet's exploration programs; (3) Provide autonomous capability for full execution of Federation policy in outlying areas; (4) Incorporate recent advancements in warp power plant technology and improved science instrumentation.

This was a period of relative peace for the Federation. The Klingons were becoming allies, the Romulans had not crossed the Neutral Zone in years and only the - mostly - low scale conflicts with the Tholians, Tzenkethi, Talarians and Cardassian inspired Maquis threatened the tranquility. In this atmosphere the decision to make the Galaxy class primarily an exploration vessel, one carrying many civilian scientists and families, was an easy one to take. In hindsight it was very nearly a disaster.

The GALAXY class starship were designed and constructed at Utopia Planitia Shipyards, Mars, as a replacement for the venerable and aging AMBASSADOR Class. Having been procured in an era of political tension, the Ambassador's configuration more closely resembles that of a battleship, with over 17% of total internal volume dedicated to Combat systems, whereas the Galaxy class ships were designed from the start to be luxurious, stately "Do It All" Research-Diplomatic vessels with 20% Internal volume dedicated to Crew habitat and research spaces, and only 5% combat Systems and subsystems allotment. However, the Galaxy ships are far from unarmed; they have three photon torpedo tubes and a full spherical array of phaser banks.

As an diplomatic ship, the Galaxy class has a large internal habitat volume to host foreign delegations and to assist in emergency evacuations. This design feature coupled with advances in computer technology allows a previously unheard of situation -- the families of the crew members are allowed to live on-ship. This proved so successful, that civilians accommodations have been 'retrofitted' to some other classes of ships, notably those with the volume to handle them. PROMETHEUS and other 'Project Archangel' inspired ships lack this 'touch.' Since crew workload is light, the number of required duty stations is greatly reduced, thus a GALAXY can be manned by fewer crew than her size may indicate. With civilians on board, the ship was designed so that the saucer section could detach itself from the star drive section to remove them from harm's way in the event of an emergency. This feature saved the entire crew of USS Enterprise-D when it was core breached above Veridian III. Unfortunately, the USS Yamoto did not fare so well, losing 30% of her crew and civilian complement when her warp core breached in 2365 and she was unable to separate the sections.

By the time USS Galaxy was commissioned, many of the components used had already seen extensive service with other classes, most notably the NEBULA class. Whilst the Nebula relied on its interchangeable mission modules for its versatility, the Galaxy was intended to be able to do it all with one basic design. As an example, the bridge module on the prototype USS Galaxy NCC-70637 was a self-containable, replaceable 'module, designed with advanced life support functions and separable in case of problems during the shake-down runs. This feature was not duplicated into the remainder of the Galaxy ships. Their bridges were 'lift out and replace' modules.

Six Galaxy class starships were constructed and built. The first was the U.S.S. Galaxy NX-70637 prototype commissioned in 2357, and the second was the U.S.S. Yamato NCC-71801 commissioned in 2362. The U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D launched and officially commissioned in October 2363, the third Galaxy-class starship built. The U.S.S. Odyssey NCC-71832 and the U.S.S. Venture NCC-71854 soon followed. A further six space frames under construction in the yards were broken back down into pieces and moved to depots around the Federation for re-assembly if needed. This extraordinary measure was taken because of the suddenly very real possibility of a Federation Loss in the Dominion War. The Fleet decided that keeping the Galaxy platform out of the hands of a Threat Force, was their no. 1 priority. The need for the ships arose sooner than expected due to the losses from the Borg Invasions and the Dominion War.

Due to the great expense and complexity of the Galaxy class to build, the class's future is in doubt. It is uncertain whether more Galaxy class starships will be constructed or whether a newer and less intricate class starship will be procured in its place. Even though the Galaxy class is only twenty years old, and has a 100 year operational lifespan, it no longer represents the pinnacle of technology, and Starfleet may opt for an altogether different platform for its next flagship class, SOVEREIGN class being a strong contender.

In 2372, the Enterprise-D was destroyed at Veridian III. A Klingon warbird, commanded by the renegade Klingons Lursa and B'Etor of the Duras family, found the Enterprise's shield modulation and hit the ship with modulated photon torpedoes. The Enterprise destroyed the Klingon ship, but the damage was not repairable. The crew was evacuated to the saucer section and the ship separated. The damage caused the warp core to breach and the resulting explosion caused the saucer section to crash on Veridian III. The ship was not salvageable and the new Sovereign-class starship U.S.S. Enterprise registry NCC-1701-E was launched in 2372.

After crash-landing on Veridian III, the saucer section of the GALAXY class USS Enterprise-D was to be broken down and removed from the surface of the planet in accordance with Prime Directive regulations. It was deemed a total structural loss, and could not be returned to service. Upon closer inspection, however, a group of designers from Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards realized that the damage to the space frame was not as severe as originally thought. The saucer could be removed from the surface mostly intact as a relatively new hull capable of at least serving as a test article.

The Federation Council approved the plan; they were convinced that Utopia Planitia's permanent possession of at least one half of a Galaxy class starship would allow them to better produce upgrades and refits for that expensive flagship class. Over three months, the hull was disassembled into several manageable pieces and transported to Utopia Planitia by warp courier. The saucer was reassembled once at Mars, with new structural elements to replace ones fatigued in the crash and spartan interiors with only the most vital systems installed. Most of the hull was left empty, leaving room to place new technologies and systems designed for the next generation of starships, in particular the Galaxy class. The saucer participated in a number of tests at Utopia Planitia from 2372 to 2378. Its phaser arrays were successfully upgraded to type XII, showing that even a Galaxy class ship without a warp core could use these stronger weapons. It was the first Federation starship to be equipped with shields that could resist the Breen energy dampening weapon. Using construction technology conscripted after the fall of the Cardassian Union, the saucer proved that large Federation starships, especially saucer sections, could be fitted with an embedded warp system for emergency propulsion. All these systems, plus more learnt during the PROMETHEUS and DEFIANT class design builds, as well as the SOVEREIGN class, were analyzed and considered for the next round of GALAXY class starship refits, which were a year overdue. Almost twenty years into their lifespans, and facing their first major overhaul and refit, Four of the original six Galaxy-class starships had been destroyed. Of the remaining six space frames, four of them were 'reassembled' and pressed into service during the Dominion War, after the loss of the Odyssey. Mounting really nothing more than bare bones phaser fire control systems and RCS thrusters in dummy nacelles, the "Armada Ladies" were used for decoy duties along the Cardassian border. Two were lost in skirmishing actions, the remaining two are 'mothballed' pending the Galaxy, Lexington and Challenger re-fits.

With major design enhancements due in less than five years, and ships such as the PROMETHEUS and the DEFIANT classes employing technology decades ahead of the Galaxies, the Advanced Design Bureau opted to take on an ambitious, top secret program to bring the Galaxy into the modern age. Minor damage to the prototype USS Galaxy, and the unfortunate crippling of her commander during a routine mission in 2378 gave them the perfect excuse. USS Galaxy, NCC-70637 was 'decommissioned' and her crew dispersed. The ship was towed from Starbase 212 to Stardock Two at Mars Planitia Utopia Shipyards, and work began on her in secret.

In a surprise move, Dr. Leah Brahms was NOT consulted on the 'Accelerated Refit' project, as the ASDB had selected several ideas from a classmate of hers, one Dr. Jebediah Quick. A notable eccentric in a field that seemed to produce eccentric, Dr. Quick had submitted several 'proposals' to the ASDB merely as jokes...not knowing that his 'Cheezy Poof' encrusted doodles ont he back of bar-naps would end up in the hands of the Corps of Engineers.

Changes from the original Galaxy included a third warp nacelle, improved engine efficiency, very advanced sensor arrays, a large phaser/torpedo cannon, and high-capacity shields. This class mounted the most advanced weapons and propulsion suites the Advanced Starship Design Bureau offered and was stronger than anything that had been developed before. Furthermore, to protect against any espionage of the prototype blueprints several systems and specifications were rearranged last minute. Starfleet put all its resources into the construction of these ships, in the hope that it could counter this enemy. The original U.S.S. Galaxy (NCC-70637), which had been at Utopia Planitia for its first twenty year refit was converted first, in secret. In 2379, Captain John Q. Bhrode was given her command, and the ship was re commissioned USS Galaxy NCC-70637-A.

Only two vessels of this class has been destroyed- the USS Pegasus. A lone Jem'Hadar warship made a lucky shot to the bridge, killing most of the senior staff. The Chief Helmsman, Lieutenant Berman, assumed command, but lost the vessel due to a distinct lack of command skill and tactical training.
The other, the USS Constitution, was recommissioned as the USS Bunker Hill when the original Constitution was pulled out of mothballs and refitted to Constitution III- Class.

The reemerged Borg threat, the Maquis problem, and tension with the Cardassian Empire led to the decision in 2369 that a heavier variant of the GALAXY Class starship was needed to bolster fleet strength. The most significant changes occur in the saucer section where usable internal space has been increased by nearly twenty-five (25) percent and where five (5) decks have been added to birth the ship's marine compliment, to house marine equipment, and to incorporate a fourth shuttle bay