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Crew Complement of Starships

Discussion in ' General Trek Discussion ' started by Shamrock Holmes , Mar 20, 2018 .

Shamrock Holmes

Shamrock Holmes Commodore Commodore

There have been several discussions in the past about viable crew complements of various ships and whether they are realistic. I've got a slightly different question regarding crew complements. Why do starships have such a wide range of standard crew versus maximum (sometimes referred to as the evacuation capacity)? Examples: Galaxy -class: 1013 (standard), 15,000 (evacuation). 6.75% Intrepid -class: 150 (approximate), 350-400 (evacuation*). 37.5 to 42.9% Consitution -class: 203-433 (standard), 547+ (diplomatic). 37.5 to 79% Defiant -class: 40-50 (standard), 150 (evacuation). 26.7 to 33.3% Saber -class: 40 (standard), 200 (evacuation). 20% * based on accommodating over 200 Klingons in "Prophecy". The Galaxy class appears to be the exception to the rule, however the est 7,000 crew of the Battleship Enterprise from "Yesterday's Enterprise" bumps it up to 47% which seems more reasonable (though the regular counterpart would carry diplomats, medical and supply personnel and maybe dual-use "cultural liaison teams" (think US Green Berets) rather than marines or army infantry). Any thoughts?  

Timo

Timo Fleet Admiral Admiral

Well, crew is not a "capacity" - it's a liability. A ship tries to make do with as few personnel as possible, but sometimes the automation just isn't up to the job and Starfleet is forced to assign a crewman or two aboard, and provide them with those expensive and cumbersome means of survival and sustenance. Evacuation in turn is very much a "capacity", and should have very little to do with crew size. Sure, it may consume the same life support resources, but then again, perhaps not. Evacuees are just self-loading cargo, and for all we know there's a life support container added per every thousand evacuees. The ships with the smallest crews might be the ones with the greatest potential for evacuees or other passengers, what with the crew not getting in their way. We've seen starships fly under the control of a single person, or three starships fly under the control of four people in one of them. Now, keeping them flying probably takes more people. But most of Kirk's 430 people may still well be passengers, that is, mission specialists. And most of Pike's 207 may be that, too. The design of the ship is unlikely to set much in the way of limits... Kirk could just as well have hosted 800 people, by shipping a couple of those booster containers and skimping on comforts. etc. Timo Saloniemi  

MAGolding

MAGolding Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

Timo said: ↑ Well, crew is not a "capacity" - it's a liability. A ship tries to make do with as few personnel as possible, but sometimes the automation just isn't up to the job and Starfleet is forced to assign a crewman or two aboard, and provide them with those expensive and cumbersome means of survival and sustenance. Evacuation in turn is very much a "capacity", and should have very little to do with crew size. Sure, it may consume the same life support resources, but then again, perhaps not. Evacuees are just self-loading cargo, and for all we know there's a life support container added per every thousand evacuees. The ships with the smallest crews might be the ones with the greatest potential for evacuees or other passengers, what with the crew not getting in their way. We've seen starships fly under the control of a single person, or three starships fly under the control of four people in one of them. Now, keeping them flying probably takes more people. But most of Kirk's 430 people may still well be passengers, that is, mission specialists. And most of Pike's 207 may be that, too. The design of the ship is unlikely to set much in the way of limits... Kirk could just as well have hosted 800 people, by shipping a couple of those booster containers and skimping on comforts. etc. Timo Saloniemi Click to expand...
Hmm, good question. It depends chiefly on whether I want to believe in a "standard complement" as a concept or not. If the ship has "design specs" for a given number of crew, then this number is what Pike would be quoting largely regardless of who many people happen to be aboard at the time - and this would then basically have to be 203+skipper, from which we need to deduce the casualties. But if the ship is built more on the lines of needing, say, 70-90 people to operate efficiently, and then has capacity for varying numbers of two-legged payload, then there would be no "fallback" number for Pike to quote, and he would basically have to go for the current complement, this being the 203+skipper after the casualties and thus 207 before the casualties. I'm more in the latter camp, as we a) already learn from the Enterprise example that the crew count can vary by several hundred percent within a decade or so and b) recently have had extra incentive from DSC to think that the actual operating crew of a large starship is actually very small, perhaps significantly less than a hundred. Hence, and quite incidentally and insignificantly, 206 rather than 199 in addition to Pike - that specific day, and probably subject to changes within the week. Timo Saloniemi  

Bry_Sinclair

Bry_Sinclair Vice Admiral Admiral

Evacuation limit would be for short-term transport during emergencies, which would put the ships environmental and life support systems to their maximum output (same with replicator matter and emergency supplies).  
I'm not sure if there is any basis for this, but I've always assumed the around 200 quoted by Pike was basically the 'core crew' (flight ops, engineering, admin, and minimal medical and scientific staff (Spock in The Cage could have been the Science Officer because he was the only one aside from crewman to chief ranked leab techs), while the 430-odd of the Kirk-era including additional medical and scientific teams (including several non-essential mission specialists) for the 'Five Year Mission'. It's suggestive at best, but the episode "The 37s" suggests that 75 personnel is insufficient to operate Voyager long-term (although the Maquis remaining circa "Repression" seemed to believe that they were up to the job - despite having a lot less than that), and that a minimum of 100 would be required.  

JirinPanthosa

JirinPanthosa Admiral Admiral

Galaxy class starships are designed to be mobile communities capable of long term, distant deployment, so they're designed for capacity. Other classes of starships are optimized for either research, transport, combat, or some other purpose. For questions of minimum crew required to operate a ship, I suspect most of the estimations we get are the long term estimation. The amount of crew you need in order to just keep the lights on and perform basic operations is probably very small. But when you factor in long term maintenance, the need for sleep and stress relief, and so on, the number becomes much larger.  
JirinPanthosa said: ↑ Galaxy class starships are designed to be mobile communities capable of long term, distant deployment, so they're designed for capacity. Click to expand...

C.E. Evans

C.E. Evans Admiral Admiral

I've always looked at most Federation starships being built around the philosophy that it's better to have the extra space and not regularly need it, than to one day need the extra space and not have it. I also think the standard complement for a starship can vary from ship, even within the same class.  

Markonian

Markonian Fleet Admiral Moderator

The Excelsior class ship from that Vulcan sniper (DS9) had 1400 casualties*, didn’t it? * Not all of them may have been standard crew.  
EZRI: Science Officer Chu'lak. Age ninety seven. Assigned to Deep Space Nine three months ago. Before that, he served aboard the USS Grissom. JORAN: Why was he transferred? EZRI: The Grissom was destroyed by the Jem'Hadar in the battle of Ricktor Prime. He was one of only six crewmen to survive. JORAN: Six survivors out of a crew of twelve hundred and fifty . The Star Trek Encyclopaedia mostly identifies the second Grissom as being an Oberth -class, same as it's predecessor, however I think the crew complement in "Field of Fire" makes this unlikely. I also think it's unlikely that an Excelsior would have a regular crew larger than a Galaxy . However, Chu'lak's familiarity with the specialist and experimental TR-116 rifle suggests to me that it might have been Special Operations Vessel tasked with supporting defense/combat engineer units like the one on AR-554 and had a few on board?  

Tenacity

Tenacity Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

Markonian said: ↑ The Excelsior class ship from that Vulcan sniper (DS9) had 1400 casualties*, didn’t it? * Not all of them may have been standard crew. Click to expand...

Levi

Levi Commander Red Shirt

There are many jobs and duties in Starfleet and on a Starship that could be automated, but simply are not. People need jobs and things to do. While the technology exists to allow the computer to fully pilot a Starship, what would happen to all the people with the desire to pilot ships? Or if Scientific Surveys were left to computers, what would all the Scientists with a passion for exploring and discovery do instead? A ships compliment (Especially in the Star Trek setting) is full of people who want to work and are passionate about what they are doing. With a species as large as the Human population, people need things to do instead of sitting around being lazy. Perhaps it would be different if we were not as plentiful. But look at the numbers in Starfleet, and still how many Billions of people are NOT in Starfleet. This explains why there are such large number of crew on starships in the first place. As for the extra room onboard that is not filled with active crew. Crew onboard ships fluctuate commonly depending on missions and such. While a ship may have a fixed number to operate normally, it may take on several more crew and officers with specialty training to complete specific missions, such as a Planetary Survey or Diplomatic Negotiations. Or perhaps they are transporting an Engineering group somewhere. Most Starships are equipped to allow for Emergency Operations such as Evacuations, or Rescues. And of course, sometimes Crew or Officers simply need to hitch a ride somewhere to their new Assignment. Also, a lot of a Starships 'Emergency' or 'Evacuation' capacity is simply empty storage room such as Cargo Bays that can be used to store extra Materials or Cargo, OR can be converted to house evacuees. The max compliment number does not mean that there are that many full rooms with beds onboard. This is simply how many people or transport a ship may take on at a time, and is not the same as the full crew compliment.  
Levi said: ↑ The max compliment number does not mean that there are that many full rooms with beds onboard. This is simply how many people or transport a ship may take on at a time, and is not the same as the full crew compliment. Click to expand...
I'm sort of thinking that Kirk's ship was an exceptionally lean and mean type. And that this is the very thing that made her special, in the very limited sense we witness in TOS. A hundred operating crew could probably make any starship sail from A to B and carry a payload of whatever can fit aboard - scientists, troops, cargo, ordnance. On the ships of Lorca or Robau or Sulu, there would be room for lots of payload, in addition to the usual "fixed" things such as a certain basic level of firepower, the ability to construct probes or flintlocks at will in certain decisive numbers, a suite of sensors. But on Kirk's ship, there would be virtually no room, and putting more than four shuttlecraft aboard would be a squeeze, say. Giving Kirk a team of 430 for a rare deep space sortie would then indeed mean "packing them tight", as Dax comments when visiting the past. Giving the same team to Robau would not raise any eyebrows or bruise any elbows, though. Which again makes Kirk special, for enduring hardship compared to the past explorers of wastelands even though their contemporaries lived and traveled in relative luxury. Shamrock Holmes said: ↑ If the evacuation limit is 'do nothing other than get them where the evacuees where they are going' level, what do we think the maximum operating complement would be (example the crew complement of CVN-65 was 3,000, but adding the 1,800 strong Air Wing added to operational capabilities rather than comprimising them, so it's operating complement could be regarded as 5,800), for an Excelsior or a Galaxy ? My guess would be 2,400 to 4,000 for the Excelsior and 3,750 to 6,000 for the Galaxy ? Depending on whether diplomatic, colony, evac, or troops of course. Click to expand...

Forbin

Forbin Admiral Admiral

Admiral: "Captian, what is your crew compliment?" Captain: "Usually, I just tell them they're doing a good job, sir."  

1001001

1001001 Serial Canon Violator Moderator

Forbin said: ↑ Admiral: "Captian, what is your crew compliment?" Captain: "Usually, I just tell them they're doing a good job, sir." Click to expand...
Timo said: ↑ Would the mass deploying of such probes, or fightercraft or somesuch, require the embarking of extra crew? Or would such missions invariably take precedence so that the crew would actually shrink, with nonessentials left ashore in greater numbers than the incoming pilots? Dedicating a starship to serving as a carrier would seem to limit her freedom of operations quite a lot. Click to expand...
...Apropos, why should civilians be offloaded for a military operation? Supposedly Starfleet is at war 100% of the time (or 923% or whatever, as they are fighting on multiple fronts). Every season of every series, the heroes encounter adventures in which these wars threaten their lives, directly or indirectly. Engaging in a dedicated military operation should only increase the survival odds of the onboard civilians, as for a rare once their ship would be prepared for the inevitable! I mean, these folks are onboard for a reason, in a Starfleet always at war. Supposedly Starfleet benefits from having them. Being "civilians" would mean Starfleet might lack to means to directly force them to stay aboard during military ops, but surely Starfleet would still try its best to bribe them into staying? After all, it's the meek researchers (even if they often are in uniform) who ultimately save the day in Starfleet's many military campaigns. And conversely, if it's the duty of Starfleet to protect the civilians, then keeping them maximally safe aboard the mighty warships sounds like a must. Timo Saloniemi  
Timo said: ↑ After all, it's the meek researchers (even if they often are in uniform) who ultimately save the day in Starfleet's many military campaigns. Click to expand...
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Take a virtual tour of Star Trek ’s Enterprise-D

The official complement of Star Trek: The Next Generation ’s U.S.S. Enterprise-D is a massive 1,014 people including crew and their families. While the series had a big budget for its time and made a game effort to feature a variety of spaces within the ship (and its efforts to do so are arguably part of why the Enterprise-D is so beloved), no television show could reasonably depict that scope. That’s why it’s always been up to dedicated fans to read the ship’s official technical blueprints and imagine what the aquatics lab might have looked like, or how Captain Picard decorated his Captain’s Yacht .

Enter the Enterprise 3-D Project , a scale recreation of the ship created in Unreal Engine 4 being built by one supremely dedicated fan. Designer Jason B. recently offered users a brief video tour of his work in progress, a virtual walkthrough of the ship from the massive Shuttlebay 01 (only briefly glimpsed in the series due to budget constraints) through the Ten Forward lounge to the bridge, and to other spaces never shown on the television show.

While the video below only covers a small section of the ship, the designer intends to replicate the whole thing from stem-to-stern, optimized for virtual reality through the Oculus Rift. For anyone whose ever dreamed of roaming the decks of the Enterprise , that’s an irresistible proposition. Follow the creator’s progress on his blog .

Constitution class

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USS Defiant (NCC-1764) schematic

A schematic of the starship USS Defiant (NCC-1764)

The Constitution-class starships , which were also known as Starship-class or Class I Heavy Cruisers , were the premier front-line Starfleet vessels in the latter half of the 23rd century. They were designed for long duration missions with minimal outside support and are best known for their celebrated missions of galactic exploration and diplomacy which typically lasted up to five years.

  • 1.1 Refit history
  • 2.1 Physical arrangement
  • 2.2 Command and control systems
  • 2.3 Upgrades
  • 2.4 Propulsion systems
  • 2.5 Main engineering
  • 2.6 Tactical systems
  • 2.7 Transporter systems
  • 2.8 Airlocks
  • 2.9 Landing bay and cargo facilities
  • 2.10.1 Medical systems
  • 2.10.2 Crew quarters
  • 2.10.3 Recreational facilities
  • 2.10.4 Officers' lounge
  • 3.1 Original configuration
  • 3.2 Refit configuration
  • 4 References

History [ ]

The Constitution-class lineage was launched some time prior to 2245, and served as Starfleet's front-line vessels for the rest of the century. The Constitution-class also served as a mighty deterrent to both the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Star Empire, several times taking part in combat actions which determined the fate of the entire Federation if not the Alpha Quadrant itself. [1]

USS Defiant in Tholian drydock, 2155

The Defiant in a Tholian drydock facility

In 2267, there were around twelve Constitution-class starships in the fleet. [2] These included the NCC-1700, the USS Constellation , the USS Defiant , the USS Enterprise , the USS Excalibur , the USS Exeter , the USS Hood , the USS Intrepid , USS Lexington , and the USS Potemkin .

The most famous Constitution-class starship was the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), launched under the command of Captain Robert April in 2245. The Enterprise gained its reputation during its historic five year mission (2265-2270) under the command of Captain James T. Kirk. [3]

In an alternate reality, the Enterprise was launched under the command of Christopher Pike in 2258, [4] while Captain Kirk's five-year mission began in 2261. [5]

In 2266, on stardate 1709, the Enterprise was instrumental in preventing a war between the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire. When a Romulan Bird-of-Prey crossed the Romulan Neutral Zone and destroyed several Earth Outpost Stations, Captain Kirk barely managed to outwit the enemy commander and stop his vessel from returning to Romulus and reporting on the Federation's weakness. [6]

In late 2268, Excalibur , Hood , Lexington , and Potemkin took part in the disastrous testing of the M-5 computer, which had been placed in control of the Enterprise . The Excalibur was severely damaged, with all hands lost. The Lexington also was brutally assaulted by the M-5 computer when the unit became unstable. [7]

Enterprise bridge 2265

USS Enterprise - bridge module in 2265

Later that year, Defiant responded to a distress call from an unexplored sector of space, claimed by the Tholian Assembly. Shortly upon entering the region, the Defiant crew began experiencing sensory distortion, and insanity quickly spread throughout the ship. The ship's surgeon was unable to determine what was happening, and eventually the insanity induced by the phenomenon lead the crew to kill each other. Three weeks later, Starfleet ordered the Enterprise to mount a search mission to locate the Defiant . On stardate 5693.2, the Enterprise located her adrift, lost between universes in a space warp. As a result of a later phaser exchange between the Enterprise and several Tholian vessels, a hole was created through the spatial interphase, pushing the Defiant into the mirror universe. [8]

Unknown to history in the "prime" universe, the Defiant emerged in the 22nd century mirror universe, where the Tholians of that universe had created the interphase rift by detonating a tricobalt warhead within the gravity well of a dead star. [9] The Defiant would seemingly go on to play a major role in Empress Sato's rule over the Earth. [10]

Constellation was lost when the Enterprise crew used the Constellation to destroy the Doomsday Machine in S2.E6. [11]

Refit history [ ]

From 2254, or earlier, to 2265 Constitution-class vessels featured a large deflector dish, a large bridge dome of semi-spherical shape, and an antenna spike protruding from the Bussard collector cap on each warp nacelle. The impulse drive had two exhaust vents in 2254, and as many as eight smaller vents in 2265. [12] [13]

Enterprise impulse drive 2265

USS Enterprise - impulse and warp drive in 2265

Sometime between 2265 and 2266, the old deflector dish was replaced by a significantly smaller model, the spikes on the Bussard collectors were removed, a smaller bridge dome of flatter curvature was installed, the aft caps on the warp nacelles were each equipped with a spherical attachment, and the impulse drive now had only two large exhausts. [14]

The interior passageways, main bridge interior and briefing room were already redesigned sometime between 2254 and 2265, and new intercoms were installed.

In 2266, the interior passageways were again modified, the briefing room was completely redesigned, and the overhauled main bridge featured an enlarged main viewscreen and upgrades to the control interfaces and station arrangement, but the overall appearance of the bridge remained relatively unchanged as compared to 2265. [14]

USS Enterprise-A refit, profile view

Constitution-refit configuration since 2270s

The crew quarters of the 2254 configuration had the capability of carrying slightly more than 200 crewmembers. [12] In the 2266 configuration, crew quarters could hold a crew complement of over 400. [15]

In the late 2260s to early 2270s, the Constitution-class starships underwent their final major refit program. The actual refitting took eighteen months of work and essentially a new vessel was built onto the bones of the old, replacing virtually every major system. Thus, the Constitution-class continued in service for a further twenty years.

Essential upgrades were made to the Constitution-class' warp systems; the old cylindrical nacelles were replaced with new angular ones and the warp nacelle struts were connected to the engineering hull much closer to the neck than before. The engineering hull roughly retained its original shape – while the original hull was essentially a conical cylinder, the refit was much more rounded.

800px-USS Enterprise refit, aft

Constitution-refit configuration aft view

The deflector dish was upgraded, doing away with the "satellite" dish architecture. As for the interior of the hull, the most obvious upgrades were the enlargement of the shuttle deck and landing bay, as well as the addition of a horizontal matter-antimatter reaction assembly and a vertical intermix chamber.

New also was the installment of the double photon torpedo launcher with its rectangular housing in the neck of the vessel. Also, the phaser configuration was changed to channel energy though the warp core. Furthermore, the saucer section was considerably extended (almost 20 meters), while the rest of the surface remained about the same.

Major changes were made to the interior of the Constitution-class starships; many new systems were added and existing ones upgraded. Summarizing, only the internal structure of the saucer and very little of the engineering hull and neck may have survived the 2270s refit. [16]

Some refit configurations had the warp nacelles rotated 90 degrees and included additional hatches along both sides of the saucer. [17]

Technical data [ ]

Physical arrangement [ ].

The Constitution-class featured the saucer section-engineering section-warp nacelle layout common to most Starfleet vessels. [12] [16]

Various science labs, numbering fourteen in all, [18] were located in the primary hull in the class' original configuration. An officer's lounge and dining area would be located in the aft superstructure beneath the bridge after the 2270s refit. [16]

The modular design of the Constitution-class allowed for component separation in times of crisis. The primary and secondary hulls could separate where the connecting "neck" joined the saucer, allowing either section to serve as a lifeboat if the other was too badly damaged. If an emergency was confined to the warp engine nacelles, it was theoretically possible to disengage and jettison them while keeping the bulk of the vessel intact. Any hull separation was considered a dangerous procedure and not always an option. [19]

Though not an aerodynamic craft, in emergencies, Constitution-class vessels were able to break orbit and enter a Class M planet's upper atmosphere (and maintain attitude control while passing through it) for a limited period of time, conditional on the ship's ability to re-achieve escape velocity. [2]

Front view of the primary hull

Command and control systems [ ]

The Constitution-class's primary command center, the main bridge, was located on top of the vessel's primary hull, on Deck 1. From here, the commanding officer supervised the entire starship's operation.

The command chair was located in the recessed area at the center of the room, in a direct line with the main viewer. This position was equidistant from all the control consoles that operated specific areas of the ship. Consequently, the captain could be immediately updated on the condition of the vessel or its crew during missions, and orders could be given clearly with a minimum of effort.

The chair was mounted on a circular pillar, attached to a rectangular footplate that was directly anchored to the deck, giving it considerable support during an attack. It was designed to swivel on the support so that the captain could turn to any member of the bridge crew.

Piloting and navigation functions were carried out at the helm console, located in the center of the room, positioned in front of the command chair. This panel consisted of three main sections.

On the left was a compartment which opened automatically to permit operation of the targeting scanner. Next to this was the main control panel, which operated maneuvering thrusters, impulse engines, and fired the ship's weapons. Directly below this panel was a row of eight flip-switches provided to set warp flight speeds.

The central section of the conn panel was fitted with a number of sensor monitor lights, and was dominated by two main features: the alert indicator and the astrogator, which was used for long-range course plotting.

The navigator's station had a control panel for entering course and heading data and the flight path indicator, and supplied information on any deviations or course corrections in progress. It also had controls for the weapons systems.

Other stations on the bridge were provided for communications, engineering, weapons control, gravity control, damage control, environmental engineering, science and library computer, and internal security. All stations were normally manned at all times.

Mounted into the room's forward bulkhead was the main viewscreen. Visual sensor pickups located at various points on the Constitution-class' outer hull were capable of image magnification and allowed a varied choice of viewing angles.

The computer systems aboard the Constitution-class starship were duotronic based. [2] [20]

Main bridge of the USS Enterprise (2254)

Upgrades [ ]

Only one turbolift serviced the bridge of the original configuration Constitution-class ship. In the late 2260s, some were refit with a second lift on the port forward section of the bridge. [21] After the major refit in the early 2270s, the bridge aboard Constitution-class vessels would continue to utilize two turbolifts, but both would be located behind the command chair. [16]

The bridge of the Constitution-class starships were subject to many minor and major cosmetic changes over their many years of service. In particular, the main bridge of the USS Enterprise seems to have undergone considerable changes in appearance. In the late 2260s, along with the added turbolift, the bridge design changed from a segmented flat-panel peripheral station configuration to a completely circular design, including curved overhead view screens, and railings and steps which matched the arc of the circumference. At the same time, an automatic bridge defense system was also installed that obscured the translucent overhead dome, which would not return until the Galaxy class bridge. [21] This marked the beginning of major changes to come which would utilize the updated substructure, most notably, its systems were fully upgraded along with the refit of the early 2270s. [16]

The bridge underwent only a few minor modifications from that point until the destruction of the ship in 2285. The bridge of the USS Enterprise -A, commissioned one year later (in 2286), had mainly cosmetic differences at launch, but, by 2287, it had been drastically upgraded to reflect the advances made in computer control technology.

The bridge module had again been replaced by 2293. The lighter color scheme of the original Enterprise -A bridges had made room for a darker, more militaristic look. [22] [23] [24] [25]

Main bridge of the USS Enterprise (2269)

Propulsion systems [ ]

800px-USS Enterprise inside space amoeba

Aft view of an original configuration vessel

The Constitution-class of starships has been fitted with both lithium and dilithium reactor circuits in the warp drive assembly over its service lifetime. The vessel's standard cruising speed was warp 6, while its maximum cruising speed was warp 8. Warp 9 was also possible for this class of starship, although it was highly discouraged because it was an unsafe velocity.

The USS Enterprise was twice modified to achieve a speed of warp 11. The probe Nomad increased the ship's engine efficiency by 57% in 2267, allowing the ship to reach warp 11, but Kirk persuaded Nomad to reverse its "repairs" because the ship's structure could not stand the stress of that much power, and would eventually destroy the ship. [26]

More extensive modifications made to the ship by the Kelvans in 2268, who were able to produce velocities that were far beyond the reach of Federation science, allowing the Enterprise to safely maintain a cruising speed of warp 11 while traveling through the intergalactic void. [27]

Constitution class refit impulsedrive

A close-up of the refit configuration impulse drive

The maximum warp speed recorded for this class by itself was warp 14.1, achieved by the Enterprise due to sabotage to the vessel's warp drive system. While the ship itself was not structured to take that speed for any length of time, the Enterprise was able to maintain that velocity for nearly 15 minutes. <refRichards, M. (story); Lucas, J. (teleplay); Wallerstein, H. (director) (1969). " That Which Survives ". Star Trek: The Original Series. Season 3. Episode 17. NBC .</ref>

The Enterprise also maintained stability at warp 22, while tractored to a ship going warp 32. [28]

Following the 2270s refit of the class, the Constitution was equipped with a linear dilithium-controlled MARA (Matter/Antimatter Reactor Assembly), and a pulse dilithium-controlled assembly was installed by the mid 2290s aboard the USS Enterprise . [22] [25]

The Constitution-class' impulse drive system was a twin-port fusion reactor engine, capable of velocities at least 0.8c. [16] A fusion explosion equivalent to at least 97.835 megatons would result if the impulse engines were overloaded. [29]

Main engineering [ ]

Main engineering was from where the ship's warp was controlled. All thrust and power systems were primarily controlled from this site, and it is also where the main dilithium crystal reactor was located. Life support was controlled separately from Deck 6. [7] [14] [30] [31] [32] [33]

During the 2270s Constitution-class refit, the interior design of the engineering section was drastically upgraded, featuring the vertical warp core and the horizontal intermix area.

Main engineering was lodged on Decks 14 and 15. Deck 14 was the uppermost level of the engineering hull, and was the anchoring framework for the connecting dorsal and the warp nacelle pylons.

On the forward end of the deck was the engineering computer monitoring room, which encircled the cortical intermix shaft and opens, to the rear, into the engineering computer bay.

Deck 15 housed the main engineering room. Located in the center of the room, and extending for many levels both above and below the deck, was the vertical linear intermix chamber. This complex, radically new design in intermix technology, provided operational power for the impulse drive system and furnished enough additional energy to power all other shipboard systems.

Both matter and antimatter for this chamber were contained in a series of magnetic bottles, which were housed in pods at the base of the intermix shaft. [16]

Engineering in 2266

Tactical systems [ ]

800px-USS Enterprise firing phasers

Forward phasers of the USS Enterprise

During the early 2250s, Constitution-class heavy cruisers were armed with a complement of directed energy weapons, that possessed enough power to destroy half a continent in a concentrated bombardment. In addition, these vessels carried on board laser cannons, capable of operating on energy fed remotely from the ship. [12] [34] [35]

By 2266, phaser banks were standard complement aboard this class of ship. A bank actually consisted of a single emitter and its power supply, though it was common practice to fire two banks at a time and refer to it as a single firing. [14] [29] [36]

USS Defiant (NCC-1764) firing aft phasers

Original configuration Constitution-class USS Defiant firing its secondary hull aft phasers

Ship-mounted phaser banks had a range of approximately 90,000 kilometers, and like hand phasers, were capable of being adjusted to stun, heat, or disintegrate visible targets, including objects or beings in space or on a planet's surface at a focus ranging from narrow to wide beam. When only motion sensor readings are available, ships' phasers could be set for proximity blast and bracket the approximate coordinates of the target. [6] [37] [38] [36] [8]

In the original configuration, a battery of four to eight forward phaser banks were located on the lower part of the ventral side of the saucer section. Aft firing banks were located above the shuttlebay on the secondary hull. There were also port, starboard and midship phasers. [10] [6] [36] [39] [40]

Constitution class refit configuration phasers

A refit Constitution vessel fires its forward phasers

The diversion of all but emergency maintenance power to the shields had the adverse affect of reducing phaser power by fifty percent. [8]

The Constitution-class originally mounted at least six torpedo launchers, one tube covering the aft firing arc. Forward tubes were located in the same area as the forward phaser banks. The aft tube fired from the end of the secondary hull. This combined arsenal was powerful enough to destroy the entire surface of a planet. [39] [41] [42] [43] [10]

Constitution class refit torpedo

Torpedo bay (refit configuration)

After the refit of the 2270s, Constitution-class ships mounted three dual-emitter phaser banks on the ventral and three on dorsal faces of the saucer. They covered the forward, port and starboard flanks. Two single emitter aft banks are above the shuttlebay and four midship single emitter banks are located on the ventral surface of the engineering hull.

Phaser power was increased by drawing energy directly from the warp drive. This increase in firepower had a drawback in that the phasers would be cut off if the main reactor was off line. This problem hampered the USS Enterprise on at least two occasions, one in 2272 and again in 2283.

The post-refit vessels had two forward firing torpedo launchers, though each tube could fire at least two torpedoes before reloading. [16] [22] [44]

Transporter systems [ ]

Extravehicular transporter to and from the ship was accomplished by a number of transporter systems, which allowed personnel or equipment to be transported over large ranges. The transporter platform featured six pads, which were numbered clockwise, beginning with the right front. A redesigned field generator matrix was mounted into the rear wall of the chamber aboard the refit configuration Constitution-class starships.

Aboard the refitted Constitution-class vessels, the transporter operator stood within an enclosed control pod, which had a floor-to-ceiling transparent aluminum panel through which he or she could view the transport platform. This panel served to shield the operator from the effects of any cumulative radiations emitted by the new transporter machinery, a side effect of the more powerful system.

A door in the standard transporter room wall led to a staging area where landing parties prepared for transporter.

Transporter in 2266

Airlocks [ ]

800px-Constitution class refit airlock

Airlock staging area in 2272

Refit Constitution-class starships possessed a number of airlocks permitting direct physical access to the ship. One was located at the aft of Deck 1 on top of the saucer section. Two more were located in the lower saucer section, port and starboard, concealed by sliding hull plates.

These lower two are accessed through staging areas. Four spacesuit lockers line one wall; each containing one suit, providing enough to clothe a standard party of four. A small, locked arms cabinet held phasers; communicators, tricorders, translators, and outerwear were contained in a separate cabinet on another wall. [16]

The next set of airlocks were located on the port and starboard sides of the torpedo bays. The final set were located on the port and starboard sides of the secondary hull at the midline. [16] [22] These airlocks opened into the ship's main cargo bay. There was also a "gangway"-style airlock on the port edge of the saucer section.

Located on the upper surface of the saucer section of the refitted Enterprise were numerous small hatches used for entrance/egress during extra-vehicular activities. (Kirk, Spock, Decker, McCoy, and the Ilia probe use one of these hatches to leave the ship when they arrive at V'Ger's "core".) [16]

Landing bay and cargo facilities [ ]

Deck 17 was the main access level of the engineering hull. The aft landing bay provided personnel in small craft with a means of entering or exiting the vessel, as did the docking port on either side of the level.

The original configuration of the Constitution-class carried a standard complement of 4 shuttlecraft, some of which were Class F. [45]

The refit configuration Constitution-class starship featured a new landing bay design. A wide range of Starfleet and Federation craft could utilize this state-of-the-art landing facility.

Alcoves on either side of the landing bay provided storage for up to six standard Work Bees, and furnished all necessary recharging and refueling equipment. Additional space was available for the storage of non-ship shuttlecraft.

Just within the landing bay doors was a force field generator unit, which was built into the main bulkheads on either side of the entry area. This field allowed craft to enter the ship, while at the same time retaining the atmosphere and temperature within the landing bay.

Deck 18, the refit configuration shuttlecraft hanger bay, was situated at the widest point of the engineering hull. Much of the deck consisted of open space, as it was the mid-level of the cargo facility; thirty-two cargo pod modules could be stored in the alcoves lining the forward, port, and starboard sides of the bay.

The shuttle hangar had sufficient room for the storage of four craft at any given time. During normal storage situations, these shuttlecraft faced aft.

This deck also housed the vessel's lifeboat facilities. These one-man craft, which escaped through blow-away panels in the side of the secondary hull, were provided for those persons were unable to reach the primary hull in case of an emergency. [16]

Original configuration, external view

Crew support systems [ ]

Medical systems [ ].

On the original Constitution-class starships, a sickbay facility was located on Deck 6, which featured an examination room, a nursery, the chief medical officer's office and a medical lab. At least one other medical lab was located elsewhere on the vessel, and was used for biopsy, among other things. Sickbay was considered the safest place to be on the ship during combat. [30] [46]

With the class refit of the 2270s, the medical facilities of the Constitution-class starship were considerably updated. New micro-diagnostic tables were capable of fully analyzing the humanoid body at the sub-cellular level, offering the physician a total understanding of the patient's status.

Another new addition was a medical stasis unit, in which patients whose conditions were considered immediately life-threatening could be placed into suspended animation until the proper cure or surgical procedure could be established. [16]

Biobeds in sickbay

Crew quarters [ ]

800px-Enterprise quarters, original

Crew quarters in the 2260s

Crew quarters were located throughout the saucer section – keeping with Starfleet tradition, Deck 5 housed the senior officers' quarters. On the refit configuration vessels, these staterooms were quite similar to the VIP units on Deck 4, with only a few differences.

Jonathan Archer (mirror) in dress uniform

Senior officers' quarters on an original Constitution

On starships of the original configuration, the officers' quarters featured two areas, separated partly by a wall fragment. One area was allocated as sleeping area, featuring a comfortable bed, and another as work area, including a desk and computer terminal. Entrance to a bathroom was provided through the quarter's sleeping area. Both areas could be configured to personal preference. [10] [31]

800px-Constitution class refit officers quarters

Officers' quarters on a refit configuration Constitution

On Constitution-class vessels of the staterooms of the senior officers were composed of two areas which were separated by a retractable, transparent aluminum partition. The room's entrance opened into the living area. A library computer terminal and work desk were provided here. The room's corner circular nook, normally occupied by a dining booth, could be modified at the officer's request.

The other half of the stateroom was a sleeping area, which held a single large bed that could double as sofa during off-duty relaxation. A transparent door led into the bathroom area. By the 2290s, crew space was at a premium, and the size of officers' quarters was reduced to one large room and crewmen were housed in dormitories with bunk beds. [16] [25]

Recreational facilities [ ]

Constitution class refit recreation

Recreation room (refit configuration, 2270s)

Aboard the original Constitution-class starships, there were at least six recreation rooms, which included three-dimensional chess and card game tables. There was also a holographic rec room, which was the predecessor of the holodeck. Also aboard were an arboretum, gymnasium, a bowling alley, a theater, and a chapel. [15] [32] [16]

800px-Constitution class original recreation

A typical recreation room (2260s)

On the refitted Constitution-class vessels, recreational facilities were further expanded. One large room in the aft section of the starship's saucer section furnished off-duty personnel with a wide variety of recreational games and entertainment.

At the front of the room was an immense, wall-mounted viewing screen. Beneath this was an information display alcove; five small screens exhibited, upon request, a choice of pictorial histories. A raised platform in the center of the lower level floor featured a diversity of electronic entertainment. [16]

Officers' lounge [ ]

Constitution class refit lounge

Officers' lounge privacy area on a Constitution-class vessel of the refit lineage

Located at the stern of Deck 2 aboard the refit configuration Constitution-class starship was the officers' lounge. Here, four huge view ports afforded a spectacular view of the ship's warp nacelles and space beyond.

To the sides, small plant areas held flora from several worlds and a small pool featured freshwater tropical fish. Just forward of this section of the lounge were two privacy areas. In each privacy area, a view screen was mounted into the wall, providing a full exterior tour of the vessel. [16]

Specifications [ ]

Original configuration [ ].

800px-USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), remastered

Affiliation: Federation Starfleet, Terran Empire

Type: Class I Heavy Cruiser

Active: 2240s - 2270s

Length: 289 meters

Mass: almost one million gross tons

Crew complement: 430

Speed: Warp 6 (maximum safe speed)

Armament: ~12 phaser banks and at least 6 photon torpedo launchers

Defenses: Deflector shields

Refit configuration [ ]

800px-USS Enterprise-A quarter

Affiliation: Federation Starfleet

Type: Heavy cruiser

Active: 2270s - ?

Crew complement: 432 (in 2272); 300 (in 2293)

Armament: 18 phaser emitters, 2 photon torpedo launchers

Defenses: Deflector shields and defense fields

References [ ]

  • ↑ Okuda, M.; Okuda, D; (1999, third edition) The Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide to the Future . United States: Pocket Books.
  • ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Fontana, D. (writer); O'Herlihy, M. (director) (1967). " Tomorrow is Yesterday ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 1. Episode 19. NBC .
  • ↑ Biller, K. (story); Doherty, R. (story); Burton, L. (director) (2001). " Q2 ". Star Trek: Voyager . Season 7. Episode 19. UPN .
  • ↑ Abrams, J. (director); Orci, R.; Kurtzman, A. (writers) (2009). Star Trek . Bad Robot .
  • ↑ Abrams, J. (director); Orci, R.; Kurtzman, A.; Lindelof, D. (writers) (2013). Star Trek Into Darkness . Bad Robot .
  • ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Schneider, P. (writer); McEveety, V. (director) (1966). " Balance of Terror ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 1. Episode 14. NBC .
  • ↑ 7.0 7.1 Wolfe, L. (story); Fontana, D. (teleplay); Lucas, J. (director) (1968). " The Ultimate Computer ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 2. Episode 24. NBC .
  • ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Burns, J.; Richards, C. (writers); Wallerstein, H. (director) (1968). " The Tholian Web ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 3. Episode 9. NBC .
  • ↑ Sussman, M. (writer); Conway, J. (director) (2005). " In a Mirror, Darkly ". Star Trek: Enterprise . Season 4. Episode 18. UPN .
  • ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Coto, M. (story); Sussman, M. (teleplay); Rush, M. (director) (2005). " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II ". Star Trek: Enterprise . Season 4. Episode 19. UPN .
  • ↑ IMDB; Star Trek S2.E6 aired Oct 20, 1967
  • ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Roddenberry, G. (writer); Butler, R. (director) (1988; broadcast) (1964; filmed). The Cage . Unaired Star Trek pilot; later aired in its original and remastered form in syndication.
  • ↑ Peeples, S. (writer); Goldstone, J. (director) (1966). " Where No Man Has Gone Before ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 1. Episode 3. NBC .
  • ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Sohl, J. (writer); Sargent, J. (director) (1966). " The Corbomite Maneuver ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 1. Episode 10. NBC .
  • ↑ 15.0 15.1 Roddenberry, G. (story); Fontana, D. (teleplay); Dobkin, L. (director) (1966). " Charlie X ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 1. Episode 2. NBC .
  • ↑ 16.00 16.01 16.02 16.03 16.04 16.05 16.06 16.07 16.08 16.09 16.10 16.11 16.12 16.13 16.14 16.15 16.16 Wise, R. (director); Foster, A. (story); Livingston, H. (screenplay) (1979). Star Trek: The Motion Picture . Paramount Pictures .
  • ↑ Roman, R. (story/teleplay); Wagner, M. (story); Piller, M.; Danus, R. (teleplay); Beaumont, G. (director) (1989). " Booby Trap ". Star Trek: The Next Generation . Season 3. Episode 6. Syndication.
  • ↑ Carabatsos, S. (writer); Daugherty, H. (director) (1967). " Operation -- Annihilate! ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 1. Episode 29. NBC .
  • ↑ Ehrlich, M. (story/teleplay); Coon, G. (teleplay); Pevney, J. (director) (1967). " The Apple ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 2. Episode 5. NBC .
  • ↑ Behr, I.; Beimler, H.; Wolfe, R. (story); Moore, R.; Echevarria, R. (teleplay); West, J. (director) (1996). " Trials and Tribble-ations ". Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Season 5. Episode 6. Syndication.
  • ↑ 21.0 21.1 Peeples, S. (writer); Sutherland, H. (director) (1973). " Beyond the Farthest Star ". Star Trek: The Animated Series . Season 1. Episode 1. NBC .
  • ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 Meyer, N. (director); Sowards, J. (story/screenplay); Bennett, H. (story) (1982). Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . Paramount Pictures .
  • ↑ Nimoy, L. (director/story by); Bennett, H. (story/screenplay); Meerson, S.; Krikes, P.; Meyer, N. (screenplay) (1986). Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home . Paramount Pictures .
  • ↑ Shatner, W. (director/story by); Loughery, D. (story/screenplay); Bennett, H. (story) (1989). Star Trek V: The Final Frontier . Paramount Pictures .
  • ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Meyer, N. (director/screenplay); Nimoy, L.; Konner, L.; Rosenthal, M. (story); Flinn, D. (screenplay) (1991). Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . Paramount Pictures .
  • ↑ Lucas, J. (writer); Daniels, M. (director) (1967). " The Changeling ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 2. Episode 3. NBC .
  • ↑ Bixby, J. (story/teleplay); Fontana, D. (teleplay); Daniels, M. (director) (1968). " By Any Other Name ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 2. Episode 22. NBC .
  • ↑ Culver, J. (writer); Reed, B. (director) (1974). " The Counter-Clock Incident ". Star Trek: The Animated Series . Season 2. Episode 6. NBC .
  • ↑ 29.0 29.1 Spinrad, N. (writer); Daniels, M. (director) (1967). " The Doomsday Machine ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 2. Episode 6. NBC .
  • ↑ 30.0 30.1 Black, J. (writer); Daniels, M. (director) (1966). " The Naked Time ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 1. Episode 4. NBC .
  • ↑ 31.0 31.1 Matheson, R. (writer); Penn, L. (director) (1966). " The Enemy Within ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 1. Episode 5. NBC .
  • ↑ 32.0 32.1 Trivers, B. (writer); Oswald, G. (director) (1966). " The Conscience of the King ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 1. Episode 13. NBC .
  • ↑ Bixby, J. (writer); Chomsky, M. (director) (1968). " Day of the Dove ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 3. Episode 7. NBC .
  • ↑ Roddenberry, G. (writer); Daniels, M. (director) (1966). " The Menagerie, Part I ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 1. Episode 11. NBC .
  • ↑ Roddenberry, G. (writer); Daniels, M. (director) (1966). " The Menagerie, Part II ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 1. Episode 12. NBC .
  • ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 Armen, M. (writer); Taylor, J. (director) (1968). " The Paradise Syndrome ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 3. Episode 3. NBC .
  • ↑ Harmon, D. (story/teleplay); Coon, G. (teleplay); Komack, J. (director) (1968). " A Piece of the Action ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 2. Episode 17. NBC .
  • ↑ Ralston, G. (writer); Daniels, M. (director) (1967). " Who Mourns for Adonais? ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 2. Episode 2. NBC .
  • ↑ 39.0 39.1 Brown, F. (story); Coon, G. (teleplay); Pevney, J. (director) (1967). " Arena ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 1. Episode 18. NBC .
  • ↑ Fontana, D. (writer); Pevney, J. (director) (1967). " Friday's Child ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 2. Episode 11. NBC .
  • ↑ Hammer, R. (story/teleplay); Coon, G. (teleplay); Pevney, J. (director) (1967). " A Taste of Armageddon ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 1. Episode 23. NBC .
  • ↑ Fontana, D. (writer); Pevney, J. (director) (1967). " Journey to Babel ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 2. Episode 10. NBC .
  • ↑ Gerrold, D. (writer); Sutherland, H. (director) (1973). " More Tribbles, More Troubles ". Star Trek: The Animated Series . Season 1. Episode 5. NBC .
  • ↑ Nimoy, L. (director); Bennett, H. (writer) (1984). Star Trek III: The Search for Spock . Paramount Pictures .
  • ↑ Roddenberry, G. (writer); McEveety, V. (director) (1968). " The Omega Glory ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 2. Episode 23. NBC .
  • ↑ Lucas, J. (writer/director) (1968). " Elaan of Troyius ". Star Trek: The Original Series . Season 3. Episode 13. NBC .
  • 1 Constitution class
  • 2 Nexus the Jupiter Incident
  • 3 INSS MacArthur

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star trek crew complement

Playable Starships in Star Trek Online are as much a part of a player's avatar as their Captain .

Players are granted ships by their faction as they progress in rank . At each new rank between Level 10 and Level 40 , players are given a free starship token for the respective tier . The last token they get, at Level 61 , is for a Tier 5 ship which can be made Tier 5-U .

Refined dilithium icon.png

The abilities and stats of a starship are determined by the starship's tier, type, the equipment loadout, traits , bridge officers and power system management .

  • 2.3 Bridge Officer Stations
  • 2.4 Subsystems
  • 2.5 Starship Mastery
  • 3.1 Tiers 1-4
  • 4.1 Summary
  • 4.2 Detailed table
  • 4.3 Type notes
  • 5.1 Free starships
  • 5.2 Dilithium and Zen
  • 5.3 Fleet Credits
  • 5.4 Lock and Promotional Boxes
  • 5.6 Exchange
  • 6.1 Material Types
  • 6.2 Visual Slots
  • 8 External links

star trek crew complement

The operation of a starship covers various key mechanics. Notably, the innate stats of your starship, your subsystem power allocation and your loadout.

The following basic stats outline the innate combat strength of a starship:

  • Hull: This is the overall health of your starship, and refers to the actual body of the ship itself. Once the shields have been drained from a certain area, any damage to that area results in damage to the hull. Most shields have a "Bleedthrough" percentage, which is the amount of damage from any enemy's weapons that cause damage to the hull instead of the shields.
  • Fore/Rear/Right/Left Shields: These are the first line of defense for your starship. Shields are energy barriers placed around your ship to repel enemy fire and take the brunt of the damage initially. Once your shields are down around a certain area, any damage there will directly affect the Hull. Shields also have a "Bleedthrough" rating; if the Bleedthrough rate is 10%, then 100 Phaser Damage to your shields will result in 10 Phaser Damage directly to your Hull.
  • Crit Chance: This is the chance that each shot you take has of critically damaging the target. The modifier for Crit Chance is [CrtH].
  • Crit Severity: This is the amount of damage that a Crit shot does. If the Crit Chance is 5% and Crit Severity is 75%, then you have a 5% chance, with each shot, of doing 175% total damage to the enemy vessel. The modifier for Crit Severity is [CrtD]. It should be noted that this damage bonus applies at the same time as other bonuses, which may lead to you not seeing the full increase noted.
  • Inertia: This is a number that determines how sluggish your ship is to respond, for example, while turning. The lower your Inertia rating, the slower your ship is while turning. Cruisers , for example, have low Inertia ratings, which make for low turn rates, and low maneuverability. Escorts on the other hand, have high Inertia ratings, making for high turn rates and maneuverability. Science Vessels typically fall somewhere in the middle.
  • Resist: Your starship has a number of resistance types, which indicates how resistant it is to certain types of damage (e.g. Physical, Kinetic, Phaser, Tetryon).

The following stats were removed in 2015:

  • Crew Complement: This is the maximum number of crewmembers (non-Bridge Officers) that can serve aboard your vessel. Your Crew count affects hull and subsystem repair rate, as well as the effectiveness of boarding parties, the engineering team and crew-based skills your captain may have. Certain types of damage will temporarily injure Crew. Your current Crew count is indicated by a row of white figures below your Shields/Hull UI (injured crew are yellow-orange, disabled crew are grey).
  • Crew Recovery Rate: This is the number of Crew that will recover per second.
  • Alive Crew: This is the number of Crew members that are currently alive.

star trek crew complement

Similar to Bridge Officer stations, different ships have varying room for special modifications that can be added to the ship to increase its effectiveness. Similar to slotted gems in other games, mods provide small passive bonuses that affect game play and can be interchanged at will.

The differentiation isn't just between the Escort/Cruiser/Science categories; each individual configuration offers disparate settings for players to choose between.

  • Fore Weapons - These weapons fire from the front, usually within a certain arc width. For example, 45°-arc fore weapons fire in a 45-degree cone area in front of your ship. All Ship Weapons other than mines can be placed here. Turrets were originally excluded, but are now allowed to be placed in the fore weapons slots.
  • Deflector - Ship Deflector Dishes can be inserted here.
  • Secondary Deflector - Most Science vessels (those that have both Sensor Analysis and Subsystem Targeting) can install a Secondary Deflector ; other ship types do not have this slot.
  • Shields - Ship Shields go here.
  • Warp Core - a Warp Core (on Federation or Klingon Ships) or Singularity Core (on Warbirds) goes here.
  • Impulse - Any one of a number of Impulse Engines can go here.
  • Aft Weapons - These weapons fire from the aft, or rear, of your starship. Any weapon other than cannons and dual beam banks can be placed here.
  • Experimental Weapons - Experimental Weapons are available to Tier 5-6 Raiders and those with a Tactical Commander seat, 7 weapons, and 1 or fewer Hangar Bays.
  • Devices - Any Ship Devices can be inserted here. To use them, drag them to your shortcut bar while in space.
  • Engineering Consoles - Engineering Consoles go here.
  • Science Consoles - Science Consoles go here.
  • Tactical Consoles - Tactical Consoles go here.
  • Hangar Bay - Hangar pets go here.

Tier 5, Tier 6 and many Zen Store Tier 1-4 ships come with a unique Universal Console (which can be put in any console slot). These consoles can sometimes be used on any ship, or often only ships of the same type. Typically, consoles from similar ships have synergies granting bonuses when the player slots them together.

Bridge Officer Stations

star trek crew complement

All starships have a number of bridge officer stations permitting each officer to use 1 to 4 of their abilities. The higher tier starships offer more seats with higher ranking abilities than lower tier starships. The starship has access to the space traits of any bridge officer who is slotted, regardless of how many slots they have.

Tier 1-5 starships have seats classified as Engineering, Science, Tactical and Universal; the latter being a seat that can sit an officer of any of the main three careers . Tier 6 starships have access to specializations : namely that some seats on each ship will be combined of one of the four main options listed above and a specialization such as Intelligence Officer and Miracle Worker. An Engineer/Intelligence Bridge Officer Seat can seat an Engineer, but if that officer has been trained in the Intelligence specialization then they may use Intelligence powers in place of some or all of their standard Engineering powers.

Subsystems for a starship are split into four sections: Weapons, Engines, Shields and Auxiliary. These subsystems share an overall basic amount of 200 subsystem power that all starships have, and increasing the power level of one subsystem will reduce it in another. Players are able to use presets to quickly reconfigure the ships power levels to focus on specific areas or balance power between more than one subsystem, even whilst in combat.

The highest a player can manually set any of their subsystems is 100. The lowest a player can set these systems is 15. The exception to this rule is running at Full Impulse which will lower all systems except engines to 5.

Starship Mastery

star trek crew complement

Each Tier 5-U or Tier 6 starship has its own "levels", called Mastery. Starship Mastery progresses as a character earns skill points while using a specific ship in combat (end-of-mission rewards do not apply). Levels 1 through 4 each unlock a passive bonus which is only active while flying that specific ship. The bonuses are specific for each ship type, e.g., Science Vessels , Warbirds , Birds-of-Prey . Tier 6 non-fleet ships also have a 5th mastery level which unlocks a Starship Trait . Different ships unlock different traits, of which 4 to 5 can be used at any one time by the player, regardless of the ship they are flying.

star trek crew complement

A ship's capabilities are largely defined by its tier, which determines the number of bridge officer stations, the rank of those stations, the number of console slots, and other factors. Except for Tier 6, that can be played from tutorial through to endgame, specific tiers are intended to be played at a particular rank and cease to become competitive beyond it.

star trek crew complement

The current highest tier in the game, Tier 6 ships are a moderate improvement over Tier 5 starships, featuring additional console slots, bridge officer abilities, and scaling hull strength. They also come with a unique ship costume, a unique Universal Console , and can be played from level 1 (with its capabilities scaling up as the player increases in rank).

Compared to a Tier 5-U version of the same hull, the Tier 6 version will have the same hull strength and other hull-related stats, and console slots, but one more bridge officer ability, one or more bridge officer specialization seatings, and a Starship Trait as its fifth Starship Mastery level. Like T5-U ships, T6 ships can be upgraded to T6-X with an [ Experimental Ship Upgrade Token ] , which grants them the same additional benefits.

Each faction has unique types of ships that favor different styles of gameplay. Generally, there is one type of ship for each type of career, but a player character can captain any type of vessel, regardless of their career choice. Below is a list of each type of ship, and their (endgame) capabilities, though there are a few ships that don't follow this template exactly. A ship's type also dictates its Starship Mastery package . Many ship designs come in different versions. While their outward appearance might be mostly identical, they may vary substantially in combat strength according to their Tier.

  • Cruisers have a Commander Engineering Bridge Officer slot, access to Cruiser Commands , and are generally more durable and less maneuverable than other types of ship. Endgame Cruisers can equip eight weapons, most often evenly distributed between Fore and Aft.
  • Escorts and Raptors have a Commander Tactical Bridge Officer slot, the ability to use Dual Cannons , and are generally more fragile but the most maneuverable vessels available to you. Endgame Escorts can equip seven weapons, more Fore than Aft, and can also equip an Experimental Weapon .
  • Science Vessels have a Commander Science Bridge Officer slot, the ability to equip a Secondary Deflector , and access to Sensor Analysis and some built-in Subsystem Targeting abilities to help provide support. Endgame Science Vessels can equip six weapons, most often evenly distributed between Fore and Aft.
  • Carriers are exclusively available at the endgame level, and have two hangar bays from which they may launch fighters, shuttles, runabouts or even frigates to combat their enemies. These large and slow vessels can come in Engineering, Tactical or Science Varieties, which determine their Commander Bridge Officer slot and weapon hardpoints.
  • Dreadnoughts are also exclusively available at the endgame level, and have a hangar bay (or two). Like Carriers, they tend to be larger and slower and come in different varieties; see below for specific examples.
  • Warbirds They equip Singularity Cores instead of matter-antimatter warp cores, and all have access to Singularity Core abilities . All warbirds may equip dual cannons.

While there are are many varieties of the above classes available at the endgame, there are also several variations on these basic ship classifications, some available more early on:

  • Battle Cruisers , which lose the ability to Attract Fire and often a device slot in exchange for the ability to equip Dual Cannons.
  • Dreadnought Cruisers , which have both a hangar bay and the ability to equip Dual Cannons, but again only two Cruiser Commands.
  • Flight Deck Carriers , Cruiser-Carrier hybrids with two hangar bays, but only two Cruiser Commands.
  • Heavy Dreadnought Cruisers , a variant of Dreadnought Cruisers with a second hangar bay, bringing them up to Carrier-tier capabilities.
  • Frigate , an Engineering-focused variant of the Raider.
  • Strike Wing Escorts and Flight Deck Raptors , which are enhanced with a hangar bay.
  • Destroyers , which are more durable and gain an extra device slot in exchange for the loss of some maneuverability.
  • Warships , a subset of Destroyers which exchange the Experimental Weapon slot for an eighth standard weapon.
  • Juggernauts also have eight standard weapons, and are even more bulky and durable while sacrificing much maneuverability.
  • Raiders , which exchange a weapon—bringing them down to six—for Raider Flanking , the ability to deal more damage to enemies along their rear shield facing. They also have mostly (or all) Universal Bridge Officer seating, allowing extreme flexibility. Raiders are maneuverable but fragile vessels that require experienced pilots to be effective.
  • Multi-Mission Science Vessels , which are enhanced with a hangar bay.
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Detailed table

  • Power bonuses vary considerably. For a given type of ship, every single member may have a different power configuration, such as with Warships and Multi-Mission Science Explorers. There are too many to enumerate here. See individual ship type pages and ship pages to compare them.

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  • Federation Raiders are known as "Light Escorts", such as the T6 Shran Light Pilot Escort and its fleet variant .

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  • Starfleet Tutorial Starships may equip dual cannons despite being Cruisers, though they lack the corresponding cruiser commands . This is likely to simplify the initial experience.
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  • The T6 Eclipse Intel Cruiser and its fleet variant are Battlecruisers , despite their names.
  • The T6 Hur'q Vedcrid Hive Dreadnought Carrier has all the characteristics of a Dreadnought Carrier except its Commander bridge officer seat is Engineering instead of Tacical
  • The T6 Sphere Builder Edoulg Science Vessel is a Multi-Mission Science Vessel rather than a standard Science Vessel.
  • The T5 Fek'Ihri Kar'Fi Battle Carrier and Gok'tad Carrier have 7 weapon slots, one more than other Science Carriers.
  • The T5 Patrol Escort Refit has a fourth rear weapon slot with a fused weapon in lieu of an Experimental Weapon slot.
  • The T6 Science Star Cruiser , Gorkon Science Battlecruiser and Tal Shiar Khlinae Adapted Battlecruiser possess the Sensor Analysis ability innately despite not being Science Vessels, but have neither subsystem targeting nor a secondary deflector.
  • Likewise, the T6 Ketha Recon Raptor and its Fleet variant are Raptors, but with the Starship Mastery package of a Destroyer.
  • Likewise, the T5 and T6 variants of the Guramba Siege Destroyer gain a hangar bay and loses a device slot compared to other Destroyers.
  • The Federation and Klingon Empire T6 Command Battlecruisers (eg. Concorde Command Battlecruiser ) have the cruiser commands, device slots, weapon layout and ability to equip dual cannons of Flight Deck Carriers , but only a single hangar bay and the Starship Mastery package of a Battlecruiser. Thus, they could be considered a separate hybrid "Flight Deck Battlecruiser" type.

Purchasing Starships

Starships can be purchased with a number of different currencies, and several ships can be obtained for free. Extra ship and Dry Dock slots can be bought in the Zen Store. A single character can have a maximum of 50 ships but many more dry dock slots are obtainable.

Free starships

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Characters are assigned a tier 1 ship to command after completing the tutorial mission. At levels 20, 30 and 40 (players gain one rank for every ten character levels) players receive a token for a free ship of successively increasing tier, up to Tier 5.

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Dilithium and Zen

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Fleet Credits

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Lock and Promotional Boxes

Lock Boxes , Promotion! - Research & Development Packs and Phoenix Prize Packs all contain a chance to win a free starship. However it is important to understand the low chances of success when buying these packs and keys with Zen or Dilithium.

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Many ships mentioned above which are no bind-on-pickup can be found on the Exchange for varying prices in Energy Credits.

Customization

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They are highly customizable, both cosmetically and functionally. Visiting shipyards will allow players to change all aspects of their ships. Each ship tier includes multiple classes of ships. Players can choose different parts (saucer, hull, nacelles etc.) of each class making a custom model, or stick with a set design. Along with the model the player can also adjust the color, windows, decals, registry number and prefix, which gives the player a custom feel to his/her ship.

Each time a player acquires a new ship they are allowed to edit aspects of the ship once for free. Each subsequent change will cost Energy Credits, depending on the change made. This includes exterior appearance, bridge and corridors.

To make changes to their ship, players must visit a shipyard. There are multiple shipyards in-game and they are found at all the major hubs such as Qo'noS for the Klingon Defense Force and the Earth Spacedock for Starfleet . A common list of items that can be edited on a ship are:

For certain starships, if the character owns a different version of a similar starship then they can use parts of both when customizing a ship. For example, if the player owned the Scimitar Dreadnought Warbird (T5) and the Shamshir Operations Dreadnought Warbird (T6) , then they could use some or all of the parts from the Scimitar in customizing the look of the Shamshir.

Material Types

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Visual Slots

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Certain starship equipment, such as shields or impulse engines, can alter the appearance of a starship. Aside from equipping them in the usual slots, they can also be put into visual slots to override any visuals from the standard equipment. Alternatively, the visuals of slotted equipment can be disabled from the right click menu of that equipment.

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Ex Astris Scientia

Daedalus Class Problems

A miniature of an obviously historical starship with a spherical main hull appears in Keiko's classroom and in Sisko's office on Deep Space 9. The design is depicted alongside definitely canon ships in the Star Trek Encyclopedia I and is identified as Daedalus class (which was verbally known from TNG: "Power Play"). A clear photo of the model in The Art of Star Trek shows the label "USS Horizon NCC-176". Yet, we could never see such a starship in space in a live-action episode.

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The most common questions about the Daedalus class are:

  • Is the design with the ball-shaped main hull canon at all? After all we could only see the miniature in live-action Trek, never the real thing. Sisko may have built the model as a kid, and like the many fan-made ship designs of the 20th/21st century it may not be based on an actual Starfleet class.
  • If Sisko's model depicts the real historical USS Horizon correctly, the ship that gained an odd kind of fame in TOS: "A Piece of the Action", it is still debatable whether this particular vessel belonged to the Daedalus class. The Horizon and hence Sisko's model might be any other class.
  • If the design is merely 105m long, with much less internal space than Enterprise NX-01 (complement: 80), a crew of 229 on a Daedalus class is hard to maintain. The figure of 229 being solid canonical evidence, there may be something wrong about the ship's purported size.
  • Looking at the photos of Sisko's ship, it does not look at all like it could have been built in the same era as Enterprise NX-01. It is just too primitive with its simplistic "tin can" engineering hull and nacelles. Is it possible that young Sisko has simplified a few things and that it is not an accurate depiction of the real ship class?
  • We only know of two Starfleet ship types with a ball as the main hull. Many fans surmise that the Daedalus class and the Olympic class are related in some fashion.

These issues are discussed in the following.

History of Spherical Main Hulls

Some of Matt Jefferies's early sketches of the USS Enterprise are depicted in The Art of Star Trek and Star Trek: The Magazine . The design variants with a spherical main hull were later discarded in favor of the now familiar disk-shaped main section.

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No Starfleet ship design with a spherical main hull would appear until the mid-1990s. At that time two models were created as homages to Matt Jefferies and appeared on screen:

Daedalus class A desktop model built by Greg Jein can be seen in Sisko's ready room in various DS9 episodes. It is closely follows the lines of one of Matt Jefferies's early designs for the original USS Enterprise with a spherical main hull. The only difference is that Jein turned the ship upside down, complying with the orientation of the original Enterprise. Jein's model has a comparably coarse finish. It is intentionally laid out to look outdated. The miniature depicts the USS Horizon, which could have been the vessel mentioned in TOS: "A Piece of the Action" to have disappeared 100 years prior to the episode. In the Star Trek Encyclopedia I there are small photos of the model labeled as "USS Essex" (on the sphere) and as "NCC-176" (on the sides) to illustrate the entries of the three supposed Daedalus-class vessels. Olympic class This class is occasionally referred to as "Hope class" (as indicated on the dedication plaque) but is called Olympic class in official publications. The full-scale filming miniature was built by Bill George as an homage to the early sketches of the original Enterprise by Matt Jefferies. Unlike the Daedalus class it is a free-style interpretation of this original idea and retains just the spherical main hull. The rest of the vessel is laid out to look quite "modern". The ship appeared in TNG: "All Good Things" as the 24th century hospital ship USS Pasteur, under the command of Beverly Picard in a parallel timeline. Many years later, the Olympic class also shows up as the USS Quito in Mariner's flashback in LOW: "Cupid's Errant Arrow", thereby establishing that the design exists in the main timeline just as well and corroborating its canon status (although Lower Decks itself has a lower weight than a live-action series).

For TOS Remastered another ship with a spherical main hull was built as a CGI:

Medusan vessel This vessel can be seen at the end of TOS-R: "Is There in Truth No Beauty?", replacing an original shot that had no other starship in it at all. The basic design is similar to the Daedalus class style-wise, although the hull proportions of the Medusan vessel are different. Mike Okuda: "The basic idea was Dave Rossi's suggestion. He thought that because the Medusans were non-corporeal and might not have developed technology as we know it, they might use Federation hardware, so their ships could have a distinct Federation style." The same design as in TOS-R: "Is There in Truth No Beauty?" also appears in a flashback in PRO: "Preludes" as the ship that brings the Medusans to the Delta Quadrant (where Zero is captured by the Kazon). This episode is set over a hundred years later.

Many long-time fans had hoped to see a real Daedalus-class ship in Star Trek Enterprise. The mid-22nd century would have been the era when the USS Essex or USS Horizon were in service or were just about to be commissioned. Actually, as Doug Drexler tells us, if it had been for the Star Trek Art Department, the NX class would have looked like the Daedalus class! But the producers decided in favor of a "sexier" Akira-class derivate .

Canon Status

Authenticity of the design.

As already mentioned, we can never see the "real" Daedalus class in space in live-action Trek, but only the model on DS9. It can be seen in Sisko's office on various occasions. So if we are very critical we could suspect that young Sisko (assuming that he is the builder and rather not Jake who was never much interested in starships) did not base this model on a real Starfleet ship class. Not unlike the Star Trek fans of the 20th/21st century he may have designed a starship as it could have existed about 200 years before his time. He labeled the ship as "USS Horizon", but it does not have to be the very same ship that was mentioned in TOS: "A Piece of the Action".

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On the other hand, we almost customarily surmise that desktop models are authentic, perhaps with the sole exception of the odd Constitution class with missing window insets . And over the course of his seven years on Deep Space 9 Sisko has three more models in his office that have to be considered realistic: the Saratoga and Proto-Nebula #3 as well as the ISS (albeit in a configuration never actually built). Moreover, there is an even better rationale why the model should depict a real ship: On one occasion, in DS9: "The Nagus", we can see it in Keiko's classroom, along with the model of the Saratoga and a chart of historical Earth and Starfleet vessels. Keiko obviously borrowed the models from him as perfect additions to a lesson on spaceflight history.

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Overall, there is sufficient reason to believe that the starship class with the spherical main hull actually existed, probably in the 22nd century. But is this design the canonical Daedalus class?

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Correspondence of design and class name

We know from TNG: "Power Play" that there used to be a Daedalus class of starships, to which the USS Essex NCC-173 belonged, with a crew complement of 229. The class was decommissioned by 2196. But this information is only verbal and is not linked to a particular design in the TNG episode.

The Star Trek Encyclopedia I is the first publication to mention the Daedalus class. The book lists three canon ships from TOS and TNG as belonging to this class:

It becomes clear that the Archon and the Horizon from TOS were retroactively classified as Daedalus class in the Star Trek Encyclopedia I . None of the three ships was ever seen as a "real" vessel in space. The registry of the Archon was never shown or mentioned, whereas the NCC-173 of the Essex was stated in the episode and the NCC-176 of the Horizon is visible on Sisko's model.

The Star Trek Encyclopedia II adds another individual Daedalus-class vessel that was still listed as "unknown class" in the previous edition:

The Carolina's appearance in the year 2268 is in conflict with the canon statement that the class has already been retired by 2196 from "Power Play". The ship was made up by the Klingons as a ruse anyway, but we should assume that their forgery would be realistic enough to deceive a Starfleet crew. It was not a good idea to list the ship as another Daedalus class in the second edition of the book. I think we can ignore this one ship as a possible member of the Daedalus class.

Had Sisko labeled his model ship "USS Essex NCC-173", we would have definite proof that this is the actual look of the historical Daedalus class and not of another ship class of the 22nd century. But since his Horizon bears the registry NCC-176, it is quite plausible that this ship belongs to the Daedalus class too. And it is only a small leap of faith to accept the little bit of retconning that was done in the Star Trek Encyclopedia pertaining to the Archon, although it is not strictly canon.

Design-Related Questions

Model design evolution.

Greg Jein's model of the Daedalus is in the same tradition as his Valiant and the 22nd century Romulan ship that he built for the Star Trek Chronology . The two latter vessels have to be rated as non-canon. We have to keep in mind that all these models were not intended to ever appear on screen but only as depictions of some 5cm in a book. Yet, while following the lines of Jefferies's sketch Jein made the ship look like a reasonable step between contemporary spacecrafts (note the "ribbing" on the nacelles just as on the booster rockets of the space shuttle) and the Constitution class. The details on the Daedalus model may not hold up to a close examination though. One frequently posed question is where the impulse engines could be located on the Daedalus, my best guess being that it is the ring of small holes at the aft end.

As already mentioned, Greg Jein's model of the Daedalus class bore the name "USS Essex" on the sphere, and the registry "NCC-176" (of the Horizon) on the engineering hull when it was shot for the Star Trek Encyclopedia I . When the model was prepared to be displayed as the Horizon in Sisko's office, the name on the ship may have been accordingly modified. This seems to explain why there are two differently labeled versions of the model on the available photos.

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In addition, however, the Horizon in Sisko's office looks a bit crude with its raised hull lines compared to Jein's original Essex. The reason is that there used to be two distinct models.

Mike Okuda explains: "There were at least two models of the Horizon/Essex. The first was the one that Greg built for the Chronology . I later asked Greg to make a casting of that model, so we could use it as set dressing in Sisko's office. I believe he made another casting for display at Star Trek: The Experience. I may still have the original model somewhere, although I seem to recall it was damaged in an earthquake some years ago... The 'painted over stripes' were present on the cast resin copies. The original stripes were fairly thick graphic tape, so they showed up as ridges on the cast copies. Doug [Drexler] and I did the taping after Greg delivered the finished model. We also applied tape over the ridges on the copy in Sisko's office, at least partially, but I don't think we ever got a chance to tape the copy made for The Experience."

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Size of the ship

The length of the Daedalus class is given as 105m in the Star Trek Encyclopedia I in a size comparison with other Starfleet ships, but there is no screen evidence or other reliable scaling reference. The scale may have been quickly made up in an attempt to make the Daedalus appear much less powerful than the later ships in the Star Trek Encyclopedia I . The crew complement of 229 (which most likely includes scientists) given in TNG: "Power Play" casts doubt on the size figure.

At 105m the Daedalus class has about twice the internal volume of a present-day Seawolf-class submarine . The crew complement of the Seawolf class is 140, so having twice as many on the starship (with berths being shared among the crewman) would be physically possible, provided that the percentage of inhabitable volume is about the same. However, for starships we generally expect considerably more space for the crew (or for machinery, control rooms, labs, fuel and supplies). 100 years later the 289m long Constitution class would support a crew of as many as 430, but with roughly five times the internal volume of the 105m Daedalus class. And only a few years prior to the Daedalus class the NX class is operated by a crew of as few as 80, with a volume not much smaller than the Constitution. In other words, the Daedalus would have to be considerably longer than 105m to be plausible with a crew of 229.

Not only the crew count but also the design itself bears evidence that the ship has to be larger. At 105m the Daedalus class could have at most 12 decks, and these would have an average height of merely 2.5m. The depiction of the Daedalus class in various publications such as the Star Trek Fact Files reproduces the deck structure (visible as window rows) with sufficient accuracy for our purposes. There are, however, some extraneous windows on the diagrams that do not exist on the real model. I have removed these windows on my Daedalus side view.

When I try to subdivide the useful height of the ship into 12 roughly equally spaced decks, there are several problems. First of all, the bridge would have to be submerged, and still its width would be at most 7m, more likely even one meter less considering that the walls should be reinforced and also full of circuitry. The neck would measure just 5m across. This is problematic especially since the warp pylons would run straight through the only inhabitable deck in the thin neck. Furthermore, several windows would have to be close to the bottom of the respective deck, and with only 12 decks altogether of an average height of 2.5m there would just not be enough flexibility in the internal structure to have exceptionally tall decks, or two decks combined to one. Overall, the external arrangement does not support a very short ship of 105m.

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The visible window arrangement works out much better if there are 18 decks altogether. If these decks have a reasonable average height of 3m, we end up at a length of the ship of 180m. At this length the Daedalus class would almost rival the Constitution class volume-wise, despite being much shorter. It would be no problem at all to accommodate the crew of 229 with all supplies, fuel and shuttles. Still, it doesn't feel right that a ship almost as large as a Constitution class should have much smaller nacelles.

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Maybe, while the overall proportions are correct, Sisko didn't get the window spacings quite right when he built the model? At least, that is what we could pretend in order to allow the ship to be composed of 15 decks of 2.8m each, giving us an overall length of 140m. This is just a compromise, but it keeps the ship reasonably small compared to the Constitution class, while it alleviates all the problems of the 105m Daedalus. The size comparison with the NX class and the Constitution class demonstrates that the Daedalus class works well at a length of 140m.

Model accuracy

The remaining question about the design is how it could fit into the post-Enterprise design lineage now that we have a contemporary NX class, whose structure is a lot more complex than the primitive looking "tin can" engineering hull and nacelles of the Daedalus. Looking at the finish of the model and at the window placements, we are probably allowed to presuppose that Sisko's model is meant to depict the historical Daedalus class but is not quite accurate in all details. But are we allowed to go one step further and pretend that Sisko (or whoever built the model in-universe) took some more liberties and simplified the overall structure of his model?

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It is certainly a matter of preference how much we would like the Daedalus-class to be retconned, but the real ship should certainly be more detailed than what we see in Sisko's office. A conjectural Daedalus redesign by M. Christopher Freeman is intriguing because its overall proportions are the same as those of Sisko's model, while it includes all the typical details of the NX class. It is well imaginable that young Sisko saw depictions of this "true" Daedalus class and tried to build his model as accurately as possible. But using traditional tools and perhaps even material such as a real plastic bottle for the secondary hull he didn't get the shapes quite right, and he didn't care so much about the many details.

Since we don't have any evidence that the true Daedalus really looks any different, Sisko's model will continue to represent this ship class at EAS though, but only as some sort of placeholder.

Design lineage

The Olympic class customarily shows up as a successor of the Daedalus in fan-made family trees. The obvious reason is that these two are the only known Starfleet ships with a ball-shaped main hull. But are the two ship designs really related?

I think the superficial similarity of the classes has to be a coincidence. For all we know the Daedalus class must have been a type of explorer of the 22nd century, much like the Constitution in the 23rd and the Galaxy in the 24th century. All three Daedalus-class vessels that we know of were lost in remote regions of space and discovered one or even two centuries later. The Horizon and Archon were even explicitly on missions that involved making first contact with alien civilizations. In contrast, the Pasteur is a medical support vessel or hospital ship. It is fast, but is apparently not equipped for scientific missions and it is only lightly armed.

There are a couple of design generations between the Daedalus and the Pasteur, and while there may be a certain tradition to build some ships with a spherical main hull, rather than saucers, there is no reason to believe that the Pasteur evolved from the Daedalus in any fashion. Likewise, as the technology must have changed a lot in the course of 200 years, there is no reason to assume that the Akira class may have descended from the NX class, although the similarities of these two vessels are even much more obvious. Perhaps the reason to choose a spherical main hull for the Olympic-class medical vessel was the optimized accessibility of all rooms through a central turbolift cluster.

Although definite proof in live action is missing, there is sufficient reason to believe that Sisko's model depicts the historical USS Horizon, and that the Horizon, like the Essex and the Archon, belonged to the canon Daedalus class. The small retconning done by the Okudas for the Star Trek Encyclopedia I absolutely makes sense.

Regarding the size and the exact design of the vessel, we are probably allowed to assume that the "real" Daedalus class is more detailed than the model in Sisko's office and that the window arrangement is slightly different. The vessel is definitely longer than the 105m given in the Encyclopedia , while it should be shorter than 180m in order not to rival the Constitution class. A Daedalus class of 140m is just a compromise, but in a size comparison with the NX class and the Constitution class it works out quite nicely.

Finally, there is no good reason to assume that the explorer of the Daedalus class and the 200 years younger hospital ship of the Olympic class should be in any way related just because they both have a ball-shaped main hull.

This article wouldn't have been possible without the support of Andrew Reynolds , who provided measurements and comparisons and who suggested to care about this topic in the first place. Thanks also to Doug Drexler and Maurice Molyneaux for some of the photos, to Jörg for most screen caps, to Masao Okazaki for the Daedalus-class side view, to Paul Cargile for the comparison with the Seawolf and to Richard Shepherd, Chris Boucher and C. Todd Forthman for additional ideas. Special thanks to M. Christopher Freeman for his great redesign of the Daedalus. Find more of his work in the historical section of the JoAT .

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Last modified: 18 Oct 2023

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Constitution-class crew complement

Moderator: Vympel

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Post by Stofsk » Thu Dec 24, 2009 7:50 am

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Re: Constitution-class crew complement

Post by Bounty » Thu Dec 24, 2009 8:44 am

What about being undersupplied with crew? (I doubt this would be the case though)

Post by Stofsk » Thu Dec 24, 2009 9:53 am

Bounty wrote: A refit definitely occurred. The series Enterprise has different engine details and a completely redesigned bridge superstructure, along with a few dozen extra detail changes; there was 80+ hours of work in the redesign before the second pilot started filming.
A shakedown cruise doesn't seem likely considering the time frame. The ship was launched in 2245 and The Cage takes place nearly ten years after; also, if it's a deep-space shakedown cruise, you'd expect more people to be on-board for contingencies, not less.
It could be a few factors adding up. Maybe Starfleet underestimated losses in the field - in the pilot, the ship just lost a few men on a mission gone bad, and Pike's reaction suggests it wasn't the first time. Maybe she was on a less exploration-oriented patrol and didn't carry a large science staff. Maybe she offloaded non-critical personnel to restaff another ship. If you want to get really depressing, remember the lines from the TMP novelisation about how 94 crewmen died on the Enterprise and that this was considered a pretty good result for a five-year cruise. 200 lost on a patrol may be par for the course in Pike's time.

Post by Bounty » Thu Dec 24, 2009 10:04 am

I gather that. However, the two bridges don't look completely different. They had a different colour screen and the consoles looked like they were modified, but IIRC all the stations remained the same (navigation and helm were where they're supposed to be, Spock's station is still to the Captain's right, comms is still behind him, etc).
Was the 'launched in 2245' established in TOS or in TNG/some other source? Because I don't remember any line in TOS in particular. Pike was referred to as having completed two 5 year missions though.

Post by Stofsk » Thu Dec 24, 2009 10:14 am

Bounty wrote: It's not just the interior, the shape and size of the model's superstructure changed quite a bit - unless, of course, this has since been fixed in the remastered episodes.
It was set by Roddenberry, used in the Chronology, and appeared on-screen in Enterprise. You can argue that it isn't quite as hard canon as some other facts but for all intents and purposes it's the official, accepted date.

Post by Bounty » Thu Dec 24, 2009 11:01 am

I'm more interested in what "The Cage" implies.

Post by Bounty » Thu Dec 24, 2009 11:08 am

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Post by AMT » Thu Dec 24, 2009 1:17 pm

Post by Bounty » Thu Dec 24, 2009 2:23 pm

Didn't Pike also recently have that issue on Rigel?

Post by Stofsk » Thu Dec 24, 2009 3:10 pm

Bounty wrote: Pilot version: Tall bridge dome, no skylight visible, dark-red Bussard collectors with spikes, large deflector dish. Series version: Flat bridge dome, swirly-light nacelles without spikes, different markings, small deflector. The back end of the nacelles was also redesigned. It's not that big a change, but there's enough here to suggest she spent some time getting upgraded between missions.
(Completely random aside: I was browsing the The Cage article at Memory Alpha; one of the actors in that episode was one of nine Star Trek cast members born in the nineteenth century . How odd is it that you can be born in the year Jesse James and Charles Darwin died, and end up playing a guy on a show about a spaceship and rayguns?

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Post by tim31 » Fri Dec 25, 2009 6:13 pm

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Post by Themightytom » Sat Dec 26, 2009 11:51 pm

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Post by Batman » Sun Dec 27, 2009 1:54 am

Post by Themightytom » Sun Dec 27, 2009 7:57 am

Batman wrote: Given that modern day aircraft carriers house some 6000 people on a ship that likely has less internal volume than the saucer section of a Connie I seriously doubt lack of space was the reason for the smaller crew complement.
Deck Plans 0-1-2-3-4-5 (Top Side Views) as follows: Deck 0: Upper Sensor Platform Deck 1: Bridge (with enlarged detail) Deck 2: Science Laboratories – High Energy, Geology, Ion Study, Chemistry, Biology, Science Officer's Office, Physics [Upper Level] Deck 3: Science Laboratories – Botany, Communications, Special Studies, Cosmology, Physics [Lower Level]; Photon Torpedo Banks Deck 4: Junior Officers' Quarters; Fresh Water Tanks & Pumping Machinery Deck 5: Officers' Quarters; Saucer Section Emergency Battery Rooms; Upper Phaser Bank Rooms [edit] Sheet 7Deck 6 Plan - Crew's Quarters and Engineering/Impulse Engines Power Units – Upper Section

Post by The Dark » Wed Dec 30, 2009 6:20 am

Bounty wrote: Didn't Pike also recently have that issue on Rigel?
Stanley Hauerwas wrote: [W]hy is it that no one is angry at the inequality of income in this country? I mean, the inequality of income is unbelievable. Unbelievable. Why isn’t that ever an issue of politics? Because you don’t live in a democracy. You live in a plutocracy. Money rules.

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Post by Skylon » Wed Dec 30, 2009 3:51 pm

The Dark wrote: And heck, it is possible that a high rate of death was accepted and expected - Kirk lost 12 crew in "Where No Man Has Gone Before" alone, which is roughly 3% of the crew, and that was a relatively minor incident.

Post by Sidewinder » Thu Dec 31, 2009 11:36 pm

Post by montypython » Sat Jan 09, 2010 5:39 am

Sidewinder wrote: My guess is the Constitution class was originally designed around a crew of approximately 200, but able to support twice this number in case it's necessary, e.g., to support a Marine Expeditionary Force, to evacuate refugees from a FUBAR planet or space station, etc. As for why the crew was initially small, Starfleet probably intended to shrink starship crews by employing lots and lots of automated systems, only to learn these systems DO NOT WORK, forcing them to reverse this decision. (The US Navy had similar intentions for the Zumwalt class destroyer , and ran into similar problems.)

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7 best Star Trek parodies, ranked

Joe Allen

For more than 50 years, Star Trek   has been an institution, especially among the nerds of America. The original Star Trek series has spawned various movies and additional shows in the years since it aired, and those shows have been met with various levels of acclaim and criticism.

7. Star Trek: Lower Decks

  • 6. The Muppet Show – Pigs in Space

5. Animaniacs: Star Truck

4. the orville, 3. futurama: where no fan has gone before, 2. black mirror: uss callister, 1. galaxy quest (1999).

Alongside all of these more faithful series, though, there have also been a number of parodies of  Star Trek , its tropes, and the world it’s set in. We’ve gathered seven of the very best of those parodies for this list, which range from TV episodes to entire movies.

Why not kick this list off with a show that allows  Star Trek  to make fun of itself? Lower Decks  follows the support crew on a fairly unimportant interspace vessel as they try to manage their personal lives, even as they deal with all sorts of sci-fi invaders.

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As this list proves,  Star Trek  has become such an institution that it can be effectively parodied from dozens of different directions, but this show, which plays with the series’ tropes while offering a new perspective on the action, is a delight from minute one, and is still going strong after its fourth season.

6. The Muppet Show – Pigs in Space

The Muppets may not be as widely beloved today as they once were, but Pigs in Space was once a regular segment on The Muppet Show.  The segment was flexible enough that it could parody any beloved sci-fi property, but  Star Trek  was undoubtedly a mainstay.

This was underlined by the fact that Captain Link Hogthrob seemed to be a pretty overt Captain Kirk riff, and Miss Piggy’s ship was called Swinetrek. Still, Pigs in Space was not particularly biting. Instead, it was the kind of sweet, earnest parody that the Muppets were so often great at.

When the Animaniacs got a chance to invade their favorite TV show, they didn’t miss an opportunity to cause plenty of havoc. Star Truck follows the rascals at the show’s center as they meet characters like Dr. Squat and Captain Kork while also delivering the kind of jokes that only hardcore fans of both shows would fully understand.

If you’re a  Trek  fan, you probably loved this episode, which also gave Maurice Lamarche the chance to do pretty impeccable impressions of William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and DeForest Kelly.

When Seth MacFarlane set out to create his own version of Star Trek , many people were alarmed by how genuine and sincere it seemed. The Family Guy   creator has long been a megafan of the series, and while  The Orville  has elements of parody, it also seems to be a loving tribute to the show that spawned it.

The show featured notable guest stars from various  Star Trek  shows, and also captured the spirit of the planet-of-the-week adventures that made the original  Star Trek  so widely beloved. While it’s certainly jokier than the original series,  The Orville  is ultimately a loving tribute to what made  Trek  great.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this Futurama  episode  is that the show manages to reunite almost every member of the original cast to deliver voice performances. The episode imagines that the crew of the Planet Express stumble upon a planet where the entire original cast of the series is alive and well, having been revived hundreds of years after the show’s original run.

The notion of giving these actors a chance to live in a far different future than the one their show imagined was brilliant enough, but all of the actors brought their A-game to these versions of their actual personalities.

Not every Black Mirror  episode  is as sharp and compelling as  USS Callister , which is both a parody and a critique of the entire  Star Trek  ethos. The episode follows the crew of a  Star Trek -esque ship as they’re tortured by their captain. Eventually, we begin to realize that this entire world is a virtual reality, and the entire crew are avatars for co-workers of a single isolated man.

USS Callister  is specific in its references to the original  Star Trek , but it’s also a pointed critique of the misogyny that could underlie much of what that original show tried to achieve, and more crucially, of the show’s many fans who totally misinterpret its message.

One of the great parody movies of any kind ever made,  Galaxy Quest  is set in a universe where a show like  Star Trek  was a phenomenon when it first aired. Now, the cast assembles for reunions, but have grown to hate one another. When real aliens recruit them based on the belief that they are actually the characters they played on the show, they’re forced to prove that they have what it takes to be real heroes.

Thanks to a great ensemble cast that includes Alan Rickman and Sam Rockwell in standout performances,  Galaxy Quest is genuinely funny. What has helped it endure, though, is that it’s also one of the more earnest movies on this list, and it manages to balance those tones beautifully.

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When it comes to an iconic show like Friends, it’s tough to break out which seasons are the best. Every season has memorable episodes, moments, plot points, guest characters, and phrases that have become part of pop culture, from “We were on a break!” to “Pivot!” It might have taken Friends some time to hit its stride, but once it did, the sitcom solidified its position in pop culture history as one of the best to ever grace the small screen.

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Such predictable plot twists don't necessarily ruin the story, but if the filmmaker's goal was to trick everyone watching and blow them all away, these eight movies didn't exactly fool their audience.

Fifty years ago, Steven Spielberg directed his first theatrical film, The Sugarland Express. Since then, Spielberg has established himself as one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation, with a long list of blockbusters and critically acclaimed movies to his name including Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, and many more.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Spielberg's first film, we're looking back at the seven best Steven Spielberg sci-fi movies. For someone who broke into the industry with genre flicks, there aren't a lot of science fiction films in Spielberg's filmography. But the ones here rank among the greatest sci-fi movies of all time. 7. Ready Player One (2018)

Memory Alpha

Klingon Bird-of-Prey

  • View history

The Klingon Bird-of-Prey was a type of warship utilized by the Klingon Empire , serving the Klingon Defense Forces from the late 23rd century into the late 24th century .

This type of craft, possibly descended from its counterpart from a century earlier , was one of the most versatile warships employed by the Empire, serving a variety of mission roles, including that of a scout , raider , patrol ship , and cruiser .

  • 1 Designations
  • 3.1 Physical arrangement
  • 3.2 Tactical systems
  • 3.3 Cloaking device
  • 3.4 Propulsion systems
  • 3.5 Additional systems
  • 4.1 Overview
  • 4.2.1 23rd century designs
  • 4.2.2 24th century designs
  • 4.3 Medical facilities
  • 4.4 Cargo bay
  • 4.5 Engineering
  • 4.6 Transporter area
  • 4.7 Mess hall
  • 4.8 Captain's ready room
  • 4.9 Quarters
  • 4.10.1 Computer room
  • 4.11.1 Neck corridor
  • 4.12 Escape pods
  • 5 Ships of the class
  • 6.1 Appearances
  • 6.2 Related links
  • 6.3.1 Original concept
  • 6.3.2 Exterior design
  • 6.3.3 Designing the interior
  • 6.3.4 Model
  • 6.3.5 Miscellaneous
  • 6.3.6 Technical Manual
  • 6.4 Resources
  • 6.5 External links

Designations [ ]

The Klingons applied several class designations to the different types of their Bird-of-Prey design, including the K'vort -class , B'rel -class , D12 class , and Class 5 .

The D12 class was retired from service by the 2350s due to faulty plasma coils , which were components of the cloaking systems. This could be exploited as a means of remotely disabling the ship's shields. A low level ionic pulse could cause the plasma coil to reset, which would activate the ship's cloaking device, thus lowering their shields. ( Star Trek Generations )

By the 2360s , it was not uncommon to find a B'rel -class Bird-of-Prey stripped and relegated to a surplus yard. Ferengi DaiMon Lurin acquired two of these vessels, complete with cloaking devices, and managed to make them space worthy once again, after a few repairs and the addition of some weapons. ( TNG : " Rascals ")

In an alternate timeline , the K'Vort -class was referred to as a " battle cruiser ." While slower than the Galaxy -class battleships of the era, in a three-to-one confrontation, a Galaxy -class was not able to last long. ( TNG : " Yesterday's Enterprise ")

The K'Vort -class, including the IKS Koraga , had remained in service well into the 2370s . ( DS9 : " Penumbra ")

By the 2380s , the Class 5 Bird-of-Prey was placed into service. ( PRO : " Terror Firma ", " Supernova, Part 1 ")

History [ ]

For nearly a century, the Bird-of-Prey proved to be a rugged, sturdy design that saw continuous use, in that they were much like their Federation counterparts the Excelsior - and Miranda -class starships , whose usefulness out-lived contemporaries such as the Constitution II -class cruiser. ( TNG ; DS9 )

Starfleet possessed knowledge of the Bird-of-Prey during the 2280s . Hikaru Sulu was among those familiar with the class at that time, and was capable of visually identifying a Bird-of-Prey, as well as being familiar with its crew complement. ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock )

A well-publicized encounter with a Bird-of-Prey occurred in 2285 , when a Bird-of-Prey commanded by Kruge conducted a mission to uncover the secrets of Project Genesis . After acquiring the information, the ship destroyed the Merchantman , and later the USS Grissom , before facing off against the USS Enterprise in orbit of the Genesis Planet .

Kruge ultimately lost the battle, and his ship, allowing James T. Kirk the privilege of Starfleet capturing its first Klingon Bird-of-Prey. ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock )

This event was well documented in the events leading up to the court martial of Admiral Kirk, and the ship was thereafter utilized for time traveling back to Earth's 20th century . ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

A few years later, the first Bird-of-Prey to ever breach the Great Barrier was commanded by Captain Klaa in 2287 . ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

In 2293 , one prototype Bird-of-Prey possessed the unique ability to fire torpedoes when its cloaking device was engaged. This vessel was commanded by General Chang and used to assassinate Chancellor Gorkon of the Klingon Empire while implicating the Enterprise crew of the crime. This Bird-of-Prey was destroyed at the first Khitomer conference by the USS Enterprise and USS Excelsior . ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country )

The first Klingon Bird-of-Prey to ever be captured by Cardassia was commandeered in 2372 by Gul Dukat . ( DS9 : " Return to Grace ")

Despite the age of the Bird-of-Prey design by the 2370s , the ships fought valiantly during the Dominion War and featured in every battle of the conflict. Though the Bird-of-Prey design had been in service for nearly one hundred years, constant upgrades ensured that the ships were still a powerful and capable front-line warship.

In the hands of a seasoned and aggressive commander, a Bird-of-Prey could engage multiple Dominion fighters and expect to come out victorious. They were considered much more agile than K't'inga -class cruisers, allowing them to be better suited for some tasks. ( DS9 : " Call to Arms ", " Once More Unto the Breach ")

In 2384 , a fleet of upgraded Birds-of-Prey, led by Captain Trij , flew into battle near Gamma Serpentis to rescue Starfleet vessels from destroying themselves due to software corruption from the Living Construct . The Klingon ships used their shields to block weapons fire and proceeded to beam out survivors from Federation ships. ( PRO : " Supernova, Part 1 ")

In the mirror universe , the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance used the Bird-of-Prey in their fleet. ( DS9 : " Shattered Mirror ")

Technical data [ ]

Physical arrangement [ ].

Pagh graphic remastered

Design overview

Comparable in design to its 22nd century predecessor, the exterior design of the Bird-of-Prey utilized the same basic avian design, including vaguely feather-like hull plating on its wings.

The bulk of the ship's overall mass was incorporated in the aft section of the ship. The bridge module was located on a bulbous forward section, which was separated from the aft section by a relatively thin connective section that attached to and flared into the aft portion, which swept from the main body, forming wings. The wing-design was characterized by its multi-positioning for various flight modes.

Located on the caudal section of the ship were the ship's cargo bay , impulse engine , and warp nacelle . The nacelle was positioned diagonally along the aft section of the ship, above the cargo bay, and perpendicular to the impulse engine. ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , etc.)

Tactical systems [ ]

The Bird-of-Prey of the mid-24th century was said to be equipped with the Klingon Empire's "best weapons " and "finest warriors ". While typically designated for peaceful missions, they were always "prepared to go into battle instantly." ( TNG : " A Matter Of Honor ")

The typical offensive arsenal of the Bird-of-Prey included two forward-firing wing-mounted disruptor cannons , two photon torpedo launchers – positioned fore and aft – and deflector shields . ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock ; DS9 : " Blood Oath ", " The Way of the Warrior ") By the 24th century , at least one ship of the class was armed with phasers , rather than disruptors, and possessed a weapons range that exceeded 40,000 kilometers . ( TNG : " A Matter Of Honor ") This Class 5 featured additional disruptors at the base of the wings and an additional aft-facing ventral torpedo launcher. ( PRO : " Kobayashi ", " Supernova, Part 1 ", " Supernova, Part 2 ")

Firing forward torpedo

In general, the firepower of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey varied by ship and era. During the 2280s , a Bird-of-Prey was said to be "out-gunned, ten to one" by a Constitution II -class battle cruiser . ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock ) The Bird-of-Prey was considered to be "no match" for the Federation's Galaxy -class during the latter 24th century; the Bird-of-Prey was also significantly inferior to the Federation's Defiant -class as well. ( TNG : " A Matter Of Honor "; Star Trek Generations ; DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ")

Despite these design liabilities, the Bird-of-Prey proved more than a match for several other contemporary vessels, including the Empire's very own Vor'cha -class cruiser, as was demonstrated at the outbreak of the Klingon Civil War , when two Birds-of-Prey were nearly successful in defeating a Vor'cha -class in an ambush attack, before being repelled by a third Bird-of-Prey. ( TNG : " Redemption ")

IKS Rotarran fires on third Jem'Hadar attack ship

Engaging a Jem'Hadar fighter

The Bird-of-Prey also proved to be very successful against the Dominion 's Jem'Hadar fighters . On more than one occasion during the Klingon-Cardassian War and Dominion War , Bird-of-Prey commanders successfully engaged and defeated Jem'Hadar fighters. ( DS9 : " Soldiers of the Empire ", " Call to Arms ", " Sons and Daughters ", " Favor the Bold ", etc.) However, during one Klingon-Cardassian War encounter, a Bird-of-Prey was ambushed by three Jem'Hadar ships – this three-to-one engagement was considered to be "long odds," and the fact that the ship was able to successfully escape in one piece was good fortune. ( DS9 : " Soldiers of the Empire ") However, with an experienced crew, a single Bird-of-Prey could engage and defeat at least three Jem'Hadar fighters while sustaining only moderate damage. ( DS9 : " Sons and Daughters ") As seen many times throughout the Dominion War, the twin primary disruptor canons on the wings of the vessel were extremely effective against Jem'Hadar fighters, and could destroy one in as few as three shots. It was also during this conflict that a single Bird-of-Prey was successfully able to overwhelm the Cardassian outpost on Korma , disabling the planetary defense systems and destroying every building. ( DS9 : " Return to Grace ")

The most vulnerable spot on a Klingon Bird-of-Prey was located the underside of the ship's hull . While weak, this section was able to withstand sustained phaser fire from a Cardassian Groumall -type freighter with the shields down. This area was, however, unable to withstand a shot from a system-5 disruptor , which was capable of breaching the hull within two shots. ( DS9 : " Return to Grace ") The Bird-of-Prey's neck was one of the more resistant sections of the ship, capable of withstanding the change in pressure caused by a hull breach . ( TNG : " A Matter Of Honor ")

The Bird-of-Prey was additionally utilized by the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance in the mirror universe , where they were described by Intendant Kira Nerys as being "quick and powerful". These vessels, however, were not without their weaknesses; specifically, their targeting systems could be easily fooled. ( DS9 : " Shattered Mirror ")

Cloaking device [ ]

Chang's Bird-of-Prey

Bird-of-Prey firing under cloak

Birds-of-Prey were typically outfitted with a cloaking device – the key to the ship's success in battle. The first 23rd-century models' cloak could permit the use of communications and/or the ship's transporters, but its operation could not be maintained while the ship used its weapons systems and shields. Additionally, the cloak left an "energy surge" that could be picked up on close-range sensor scans as a "distortion", tipping off an observant opponent to the vessel's presence. ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock ; Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ) There was approximately two seconds of vulnerability from the time a Bird-of-Prey's cloak began to engage or disengage and the raising or dropping of the ship's shields. ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock ; Star Trek Generations )

In the mid 2290s , an advanced Bird-of-Prey prototype was developed that could fire weapons while cloaked and did not display the characteristic "energy surge". However, that model's cloak could not mask "neutron radiation" or high-energy plasma, such as the exhaust from the ship's impulse engines . ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country )

The defective plasma coils used on D12-class Birds-of-Prey were a component of their cloaking device. This made them susceptible when exposed to a low-level ionic pulse , which caused the coils to reset, causing the vessel's cloak to engage and thus its shields to drop. ( Star Trek Generations )

Propulsion systems [ ]

Under normal conditions, a Bird-of-Prey was capable of making at least warp 8 . ( DS9 : " Once More Unto the Breach ") Under ideal circumstances, a Bird-of-Prey could reach warp 9.8 while initiating the slingshot effect . ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

During the 23rd century, the Klingon Bird-of-Prey utilized a dilithium sequencer that was considered "primitive" by Federation standards. ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

The primary impulse injector aboard a Bird-of-Prey was located on Deck 5. ( DS9 : " Sons and Daughters ")

To create a graviton burst , it was necessary for a Bird-of-Prey to divert warp power to the main deflector . ( DS9 : " Once More Unto the Breach ")

In the case of a Bird-of-Prey experiencing a containment problem in the warp core , an adjustment could be made to the tritium intermix to compensate. ( DS9 : " When It Rains... ")

Additional systems [ ]

At least two tractor beam emitters were located on the ventral sections of the Bird-of-Prey, specifically on the "head", behind and below the torpedo launcher, and between the wings, below and in front of the impulse engines. ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ", " Return to Grace ") In 2375 , the IKS Rotarran emitted an EM pulse from a location near the latter tractor emitter. ( DS9 : " Shadows and Symbols ").

Birds-of-Prey were capable of atmospheric operations as well as landing on most planetary surfaces as they were equipped with landing struts (a feature later installed on Starfleet runabouts and Intrepid -class starships). Birds-of-Prey also came equipped with a retractable loading ramp in the rear just behind the tractor emitter for crew members to enter or exit while the ship was landed, or to load or unload cargo. However, they were not able to operate on or below the surface of a body of water ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock ; Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ; DS9 : " Once More Unto the Breach ")

Forward-positioned emitter

Interior design [ ]

Overview [ ].

On average, a Bird-of-Prey had a crew complement that varied from "about a dozen officers and men," up to a crew of thirty-six. ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock ; DS9 : " Return to Grace ") A skeleton crew of a half-dozen could adequately operate a Bird-of-Prey, and even take it successfully into battle. ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ; DS9 : " Once More Unto the Breach ")

The interior design of the Bird-of-Prey had limited space available for the very fact that it was designed as "a military ship, not a pleasure craft," according to Klingon captain K'Vada . ( TNG : " Unification I ") Jadzia Dax described life on board a Bird-of-Prey as "cramped and uncomfortable," even when compared to the spartan Defiant -class starship. ( DS9 : " Soldiers of the Empire ")

Main bridge [ ]

Klingon Bird-of-Prey, forward section

The forward section of the ship was the home to the bridge

Due to their age and variety of configurations, the main bridge design for Birds-of-Prey included numerous variations. Most bridges incorporated a viewscreen that was octagonal and was built into the room's forward bulkhead. ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock ; Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , et al.)

23rd century designs [ ]

Klingon Bird-of-Prey bridge, 2285

Bird-of-Prey bridge in 2285

The Bird-of-Prey encountered by the USS Enterprise in 2285 over the Genesis Planet had a bridge that was of a mostly light blue and pink color scheme. The room featured the captain's chair on a raised, circular platform, providing the commanding officer with visual access to the main viewscreen on eye level. This screen was considerably smaller and more rectangular than the majority of its later counterparts.

From his position, the captain could visually monitor all stations located in front of him, including the helm, navigation and gunner's consoles, located in a recessed "pit" in a half-circle to the fore of the command chair. Although this series of connected stations was typically manned by five officers, it included only three monitors. A set of steps was located on either side of the raised platform, allowing access between the platform and the lower pit, and a pair of metallic handrails could be found above each of the two sets of steps.

Two more stations were located aft of the command chair, to either side of the commanding officer's regular position. Each of these two stations had a small data port, for recording incoming transmissions, and a lower monitor that could not only display such transmissions, including playback of data that had been recorded upon reception, but could also detect, track, and identify vessels in proximity of the Bird-of-Prey. The command chair could swivel to face either of the aft stations and each of its arms bore a thin panel of controls.

An oval access point at the rear of the bridge allowed ingress and egress from the room and had a pair of curved double-doors that slid open or closed. These doors led to the rest of the ship and opened directly into a red-lit, smoky area. ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock )

Klingon Bird-of-Prey bridge, 2286

Bird-of-Prey bridge in 2286

HMS Bounty bridge (forward)

The forward section of a Bird-of-Prey bridge in 2286

HMS Bounty evacuation

Emergency escape hatch from exterior of bridge in 2286

From 2286 onward, most bridges of Klingon Birds-of-Prey were of a primarily bronze color scheme with red highlights – such as red-lit screens, consoles and small lights in the bulkheads – and had a floor level that was relatively flat. Three months after the Enterprise encountered a Bird-of-Prey in proximity of Genesis, the same Klingon ship featured an all-different bridge, with no variations in the floor level and now sporting the new color scheme, as Admiral Kirk and his crew steered the vessel to Earth .

As before, the command chair was positioned in the center of the bridge and a pair of double doors could be found at the aft of the room. In front of the command chair was now located only two stations, however, and both functioned for the ship's course control. Both of these stations included a single console, connected to the other via a central instrumented pedestal. To the right of this pair of stations, a circular hatch was built into the ceiling; this could be used as a means of evacuation in emergency circumstances, although it was normally closed, and a short ladder could be found under the hatch.

There were two other main stations on the bridge: aft to the captain's right was located the communications console, while aft to the captain's left was located a station that served engineering and scientific monitoring purposes. The aft consoles surrounded their operator on three sides, with the fourth enabling maneuverability to and from the rest of the bridge. Displays were built into the bulkheads at each station, above the surrounding consoles, so that the forward console was the only one without higher displays, allowing the station's operator to view the rest of the room. Control buttons were a common feature of the consoles in this bridge design and the frame of the main viewscreen was slightly more well-defined than those of other Bird-of-Prey viewscreens. ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

Klingon Bird-of-Prey bridge blueprint

An official blueprint of this bridge

Klingon Bird-of-Prey bridge, 2287

Bird-of-Prey bridge in 2287

One year later, the USS Enterprise -A confronted a Bird-of-Prey, under the command of Captain Klaa , whose bridge was of yet another layout. One difference was that this bridge design provided the commanding officer with a direct link to the starship's weapons systems by means of a scope that could be lowered into position or raised for storage, to a position just below the ceiling, as and when required. This method did not replace the main viewscreen, however, and the commanding officer's view of the screen was unobstructed whenever the scope was in its raised storage position, as the bridge included no consoles directly in front of the command chair.

The bridge still featured two aft stations. These each consisted of a forward, physically interlinked pair of consoles that were each surrounded on two sides by other consoles, along the aft and side bulkheads. Both pairs of forward consoles included a pair of hooded monitors, on either side of a thin control pad. The controls on this bridge were touch sensitive, unlike with the preceding bridge design.

Another difference from the past two bridges was that the room's aft doorway was considerably larger and was permanently open, leading into the vessel's neck corridor beyond. ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

Klingon Bird-of-Prey bridge, 2293

Bird-of-Prey bridge in 2293

Chang's Bird-of-Prey bridge (forward)

The forward section of a Bird-of-Prey bridge in 2293

Chang's Bird-of-Prey bridge (aft)

Aft of this bridge, including the unusual helm station

In 2293 , General Chang commanded a prototype Bird-of-Prey that had the ability to fire its weapons while it was cloaked . Its bridge was extremely similar to that of Klaa's Bird-of-Prey, with the same style of aft twin consoles and viewscreen.

This bridge was also lit with a harsh green light that emanated from widely-spaced, small squares of light in the bulkheads, near the ceiling. Unlike the similar green glow aboard Klaa's ship, the green illumination on Chang's Bird-of-Prey was constant and did not pulsate.

An unusual style of helm station was positioned behind the command chair, at the entrance of the open doorway. This station incorporated a large wheel for directional control, rather than conventional console-based controls.

Another difference was the absence of a scope, although a small console ahead of the command chair had a display that was reminiscent of equivalent graphics as seen through a scope and served a similar targeting purpose. This console was supplemented by a firing button – amid several raised controls, located elsewhere on the bridge – that could launch photon torpedoes from the Bird-of-Prey and glowed red when pressed.

Another station could be found to the left of the command chair. Unlike at all other stations on the bridge, the operator of this station typically sat on a chair while on duty. Ahead of both this station and the command chair was a slanted support strut on either side of the viewscreen. ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country )

24th century designs [ ]

Klingon Bird-of-Prey bridge (2371)

Bird-of-Prey bridge of the mid-24th century, in use in 2371

Bridges of the D12-class Birds-of-Prey, in use until about 2350, included a scope that could be raised or lowered and supplemented the main viewscreen, in common with the bridge of Klaa's Bird-of-Prey. The similarities did not end there; two aft stations on the bridge of the D12-class Bird-of-Prey were identical to those on the bridges of both Klaa's ship and Chang's prototype Bird-of-Prey, including two hooded monitors at each aft station.

However, the scope and operator's chair below it were positioned between the two aft stations, with a second, more padded command chair situated ahead of these stations. Two thick support struts could be found on either side of each of the two command chairs, although the struts near the scope operator's chair were located just behind it. Similar to the bridge layout of Chang's Bird-of-Prey, a lower station was located at sitting level, to the fore of one of the forward struts and left of the forward command chair. An open doorway to the right of the aft port station led to a metallic door that was hidden from sight behind the port bulkhead and enabled passage between this bridge and the rest of the ship.

A bridge of this style was used aboard a Bird-of-Prey under the command of the Duras sisters, Lursa and B'Etor , in 2371 , even though ships of this class and, by extension, bridges of this layout had officially been retired from service about twenty years beforehand. ( Star Trek Generations )

IKS Pagh bridge

Bird-of-Prey bridge in 2365

In 2365 , the bridge of the IKS Pagh also included a pair of sturdy support struts on either side of the command chair, which was positioned on a slightly elevated platform. On each side of these struts was a station that was located under a red, glowing hexagon and faced towards the bulkhead, away from the rest of the bridge. A third, smaller console was present behind the command site, as were additional displays that lined the aft bulkhead. Two narrow sets of double-doors were located on either side of this aft area.

The main viewscreen was akin to a larger version of the viewscreen aboard Kruge's ship, as they were both more rectangular than the usual octagonal screens of Birds-of-Prey. Additional screens could be found to either side of the Pagh 's viewscreen, between this main screen and the two side stations. The room was dark, red-lit and included a large, circular grille in the center of the ceiling. ( TNG : " A Matter Of Honor ")

The bridge of the IKS Hegh'ta in 2368 was of a more conventional Bird-of-Prey bridge design, featuring the usual two aft stations on either side of the command chair. Two more chairs were positioned near the command chair; relative to the captain, one of the additional chairs was directly to the right while the other was ahead and to the right. A long, thin cylindrical beam could be found at either side of the open doorway at the aft of the room and both of these beams, positioned inside the doorway, were completely vertical. Similar beams were located at various intervals beside the bulkheads. This bridge was notably well lit, in contrast with its darkly illuminated precursors. ( TNG : " Redemption II ")

A dimmer version of the bridge aboard the Hegh'ta could be found aboard a particular Bird-of-Prey under the command of Captain K'Vada , later in 2368. ( TNG : " Unification I ", " Unification II ")

Kang's Bird-of-Prey bridge

Bird-of-Prey bridge in 2370

In 2370 , the bridge of a Bird-of-Prey commanded by Kang had another unusual layout. Kang's command chair, in front of a bulkhead that included a variety of small lighting features, faced a table and vertical wall-mounted display, on both of which could be presented various unmoving schematics. To the left of the command chair were located a console, above which were two animated display screens, and, further in the same direction, a door. A second access point could be found on the opposite side of the room. This bridge apparently featured no viewscreen nor any additional consoles. ( DS9 : " Blood Oath ")

Duras sisters' Bird-of-Prey bridge

Another Bird-of-Prey bridge in 2370

Shortly after in that year, the Duras sisters confronted the USS Enterprise -D aboard their own Bird-of-Prey, which included a bridge of yet another design. This arrangement featured two large wall-mounted red hexagons, similar to those aboard the IKS Pagh , and a pair of display screens below these. A podium was positioned before the screens and a chair sat before the podium, with both items of furniture facing the room's viewscreen. To the right of the podium was a brown wall panel that featured many vertical grooves. The front of the podium was emblazoned with the emblem of the Klingon Empire. ( TNG : " Firstborn ")

In 2372 , the IKS M'Char included a dimly lit bridge that was more featureless than most bridges of its ilk, with a red light shining directly down on the captain's position. ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ")

Dukat's Bird-of-Prey bridge

Bird-of-Prey bridge in 2372

Later that year, a Bird-of-Prey that was captured by the Cardassian Dukat included a bridge that was essentially typical of its kind, with the twin aft stations that each had two hooded monitors. However, these stations were situated extremely close together, in tight formation with the command chair, leaving inadequate space for personnel passage at the room's center. Instead, there were wider gaps than usual between the consoles lining the bulkheads and the two aft stations.

A large opening, allowing access to and from the bridge, was located on either side of the room and both of these access points were separated from the outer consoles by vertical partitions that also placed the forward outer consoles in small alcoves adjacent to the main viewscreen. Similar partitions could be found at various other points between the outer consoles. Thick, slanted support struts could be found on either side of the command chair and just before the aft doorway, which featured a set of double doors.

Dukat's Bird-of-Prey bridge (aft)

Bird-of-Prey bridge in 2373

This bridge layout remained unchanged until at least the beginning of the following year , while the ship remained under Dukat's command. ( DS9 : " Return to Grace ", " Apocalypse Rising ")

IKS Rotarran bridge

A bridge that was extremely similar to that of Dukat's Bird-of-Prey could be found on board the IKS Rotarran in 2373 , although the latter bridge had a dustier environment. ( DS9 : " Soldiers of the Empire ") In addition, the pair of thick support beams had been moved from beside the command chair, where a small console on a pedestal had replaced the starboard beam, to a position just aft of both of the foremost outer stations but forward of the side access points, on both sides of the room. ( DS9 : " Soldiers of the Empire ") These support struts had again been moved by 2374 , at which time they were situated slightly aft of the side access points and slanted up to the ceiling above the command chair, which was relocated to a place slightly further ahead of the pair of aft stations even though the two stations remained compacted together. ( DS9 : " Sons and Daughters ") By 2375 , the structural beams had been changed back to the same position they had been in aboard Dukat's Bird-of-Prey, sloping down toward the command chair. ( DS9 : " Shadows and Symbols ")

Later that same year, the IKS Ch'Tang featured a virtually identical bridge. The pair of forward support beams on this bridge sloped up to the ceiling, much like in the 2374 configuration of the IKS Rotarran 's bridge, and the command chair was again situated in front of a sizable gap between the chair and the aft stations. ( DS9 : " Once More Unto the Breach ")

In 2384 , Captain Trij's Bird-of-Prey had a slightly wider viewscreen and gaps between the seats. ( PRO : " Supernova, Part 1 ")

Medical facilities [ ]

Spock and Leonard McCoy in Klingon sickbay

A Klingon sickbay aboard a Bird-of-Prey

When compared to Starfleet sickbays , the medical ward of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey was extremely small and cramped. The room was dully illuminated and featured a dark bed beside a wall that included a red-lit screen, among several small decorative motifs. The Bird-of-Prey that was under the command of Kruge in 2285 featured this type of sickbay. ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock )

Cargo bay [ ]

HMS Bounty cargo bay

A cargo bay of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey

A Klingon Bird-of-Prey had a cargo bay that was approximately sixty feet in length. This room featured a long walkway between two wider storage areas, one situated on each side of the ship. A short horizontal barrier separated the walkway from the storage areas and many structural supports extended vertically from this barrier, placed between the barrier and the room's overhead.

The room's foremost bulkhead included an open doorway, on the port side, and led into a recessed corridor on the starboard side. The doorway opened straight ahead, into the vessel's engine room, while the corridor was entirely angled straight starboard, leading to a small transporter bay nearby.

The cargo bay had an automated set of large double-doors that allowed exit of the Bird-of-Prey and, if the door was powerless, an explosive override in the room could force it open. This override system was essentially a lever on a bulkhead and was pulled down to open the door. At least one of the bulkheads in the cargo bay, located adjacent to the opening of the recessed corridor, could also be opened to allow large-scale passage into the craft from above its hull.

George and Grace in aquarium

Whales George and Gracie in the cargo bay

A cargo bay of this type could be found aboard the HMS Bounty and was, in that particular case, converted into an enclosed whale tank. Incorporating sheets of plexiglass as walls, the tank withstood the weight of about forty tons per each whale and four hundred tons in total. ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

Engineering [ ]

Aboard a Klingon Bird-of-Prey, the engine room was located fore of the cargo bay and included an open doorway that enabled passage between these two adjacent areas. Another door, on the opposite side of the engine room from the open doorway, led towards the bridge. A third door was built into a bulkhead that was between the two other access points, next to a small trapezoidal slot, in the bulkhead, through which a sub-room – the dilithium chamber, containing the ship's dilithium crystals – could be seen.

Two monitors could be found in this engine room; one was positioned above the trapezoidal slot and another could be found on a bulkhead to the right, on the same side of the room that featured the open doorway. The second of the two screens was built into a raised portion of the bulkhead and a red-lit panel was positioned below this monitor, on the lower section. The raised part of the bulkhead also featured several controls for the monitor and an intercom , with the latter positioned on the side of the raised portion of the bulkhead and adjacent to the frame of the open doorway. ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

This style of engine room could be found aboard the Bird-of-Prey christened the HMS Bounty in 2286. ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ) In 2365, engineering of the IKS Pagh , another Bird-of-Prey, monitored the growth of a subatomic bacteria on that ship's hull. ( TNG : " A Matter Of Honor ")

Transporter area [ ]

Various forms of transporter areas were included aboard Klingon Birds-of-Prey.

The craft that was christened the HMS Bounty in 2286 had a small transporter bay, at the end of the short, recessed corridor that extended from the cargo bay. The ship's transporter had four lower pads and a single upper pad, and was capable of beaming a mass of four hundred tons. A transporter console was positioned on a small, cylindrical pedestal at the opening of the recessed corridor and an intercom could be found on the bulkhead next to it. Unlike most other stations of the same purpose, the transporter console aboard the HMS Bounty faced away from the transporter itself, although the console was also able to be rotated, at least slightly. ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

Transporter of Klaa's Bird-of-Prey

The transporter room of Klaa's Bird-of-Prey

The Klingon Bird-of-Prey that was under the command of Captain Klaa had a larger, dedicated transporter room. This room included a console that was fixed in place, situated so that the console's operator would be facing the transporter to the right. Located on an elevated platform, the transporter had two large upper and lower pads, in front of a row of circuited wall panels. At least two monitors, with screens close to the deck, were positioned beside the transporter, on the opposite side from the transporter console. ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

Kruge's Bird-of-Prey also included a transporter room. ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock ) Transporters were utilized by Klingon Birds-of-Prey of the D12-class. ( DS9 : " Past Prologue "; Star Trek Generations )

Mess hall [ ]

IKS Pagh mess hall

The mess hall aboard the IKS Pagh

The mess hall aboard the IKS Pagh included adequate seating for about nine officers, at two long, zigzagging tables that were positioned parallel to each other. The seating arrangement in this relatively spacious room was such that some of the officers would be facing at different angles from each other, while others sat facing the same direction as one another.

Like most of the other areas aboard the Pagh , this large mess hall was dully illuminated with red-tinged light; deep red glow shone from a double set of metallic lighting grilles, shaped as hexagonal rectangles, on one of the bulkheads, which were otherwise dull metallic, as well as from two rectangular wall panels on an adjacent bulkhead. Both of these two wall panels were each intersected by an angled metallic strut in the bulkhead, the two struts forming the shape of an arrow with a third, similar strut running vertically through the same bulkhead, up to the ceiling.

The mess hall had only one door, which was located on the opposite side of the room from the lighting grilles. The room's ceiling was lined with rows of small, circular, white lights. ( TNG : " A Matter Of Honor ")

The HMS Bounty carried Klingon food packs aboard but these were removed by Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott , upon finding that they were giving him an irritable stomach . ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

  • " Soldiers of the Empire "
  • " Sons and Daughters "
  • " Once More Unto the Breach "

Captain's ready room [ ]

IKS Hegh'ta ready room

A wall of the ready room aboard the IKS Hegh'ta

IKS Hegh'ta ready room alcove

The room's denizen, Kurn , stands in an alcove of his ready room

In 2367 , the IKS Hegh'ta had a grayish captain's ready room with a single door that opened into a corridor. White light shone dully through a grille in the room's ceiling.

On the opposite side of the room from the door was a metallic desk, on which could be found two ribbed, ceramic chalices, a smooth-sided jug that looked as if it had been crafted from similar material and a broad but shallow silver bowl. On the back wall, up from the desk, was a selection of Klingon blade weapons , including a crossed pair of swords arranged above a pair of small weapons that each looked similar to a bat'leth . They are joined together by a staff to form one weapon.

The side of the room to the left of this weapons display also included an array of weapons against the back wall, as a pair of crossed gin'tak spears could be found there. Ahead of these, on the same side of the room as the spears , was a padded chair.

An alcove, in the approximate direction of the room's other side, contained a wall-mounted metallic shield, shaped like a half-globe and with a center that was embellished with a tiny, red rendition of the Klingon Empire emblem. This shield was exhibited on the side of the alcove and another small desk was below it, against the recess' middle bulkhead. Another metallic bowl sat on this desk.

Each of the weapons in this room, as well as the shield, was presented in a pool of light. The room's bulkheads were mostly gray, elaborated by a variety of straight lines, and both bowls contained a small white mound of undetermined substance. ( TNG : " Redemption ")

Dukat's Bird-of-Prey ready room

Dukat in his Bird-of-Prey ready room

The ready room of Dukat's Bird-of-Prey included two vertical, rectangular, red lighting panels, one above the other. These were to the right of a group of vertical lines – one thin red strand, surrounded by thicker black ones – that ran up the bulkhead. A viewscreen was situated before this bulkhead. ( DS9 : " By Inferno's Light ")

In the ready room of the Rotarran , consoles ran along three sides of the room, with the fourth featuring personal effects of the captain, which included a chair for the ship's commanding officer, and the opposite side of the room including space between the consoles for a wide set of double doors. The consoles were arranged in a straight line at typical approximate hand level, on a level control board that jutted out of the bulkheads on which they were arranged, on a downwards slant. Two consoles were on either side of the door, while an additional three were on each of the other bulkheads. The bulkheads to the side of the door were not angled at a straight ninety degrees from the two main console bulkheads but instead were centrally angled away from the opposite side of the room. A partition was at both corners that included the control board and both of these corners turned sharply, rather than curved.

Grilles filled with yellow light were located above the consoles. On each of the two opposite sides of the room that were both entirely lined with consoles, the grilles were consecutively arranged in the shape of a small trapezoid (near the room's corner) and two, long rectangular octagons. No yellow grilles were featured beside the double door but, in their place, two more display screens were situated to either side of the door. Similar red grilles, each shaped as a parallelogram, were below the consoles, near the deck. Two of these were on each of the two bulkheads that featured the rows of consoles and another red grille could be found below the consoles at each side of the door.

Two additional display screens were at both sides of the commanding officer's chair, at raised positions within the bulkhead. On both sides of the chair, examples of pottery were on display, exhibited on two small tables that were at either side of the chair and below both pairs of the display screens. ( DS9 : " Soldiers of the Empire ", " Sons and Daughters ")

IKS Ch'Tang's ready room

The Ch'Tang 's ready room

In 2373 , the commanding officer's chair was essentially a highly maneuverable, high-backed throne that sat behind a desk. A decorative brown wall panel, adorned with vertical Klingonese lettering, was directly behind the chair. ( DS9 : " Soldiers of the Empire ") By the following year , the room's occupant, General Martok, had installed a more conventional, padded chair and removed the ornamented wall panel, instead adding a Klingon tapestry to the bulkhead. The room was darkened and prepared for a ceremony that used many candles and signified Alexander Rozhenko 's induction into the House of Martok . ( DS9 : " Sons and Daughters ") The room was returned to its former appearance (prior to the ceremony taking place), shortly thereafter. ( DS9 : " You Are Cordially Invited ")

The IKS Ch'Tang , later under the command of Martok, had an extremely similar ready room, containing an identical tapestry and padded chair. However, there was only one table in the room: the desk in front of Martok's chair. ( DS9 : " Once More Unto the Breach ")

Quarters [ ]

Klingon Bird-of-Prey D12-class quarters

The quarters of a D12-class Bird-of-Prey, leading into a smoky corridor

Although the crew quarters aboard most Klingon Birds-of-Prey were considerably shoddy, typical quarters of a D12-class Bird-of-Prey were particularly dreary. In 2371, the quarters of the Duras sisters' outdated D12-class Bird-of-Prey was a dilapidated, dark and damp part of the ship, including numerous vertical pipes at various places and chains hung from the ceiling.

The room featured the openings of two very similar corridors that both led in the same direction, with these corridors opening at opposite ends of the same bulkhead. Only one of these was smoky and included a bulkhead that led straight from the room, the latter due to the fact that this passageway's opening was located essentially at one of the room's corners, whereas the other corridor opened only near the bulkhead on the room's opposite side and did not include it. The latter passageway led into a small sub-room, adjacent to the main room but partitioned off behind a grille.

A shelving unit was opposite the sub-room partition and another could be found between these two opposing sides of the room, next to the other unit; the top of each side of both units culminated in a bottle-shaped feature and both units were situated in front of a low portal through which, while the ship was in space, a starfield could be seen. A small console directly faced the opening of the smoky corridor, and a physical support – such as a chair or bed – was positioned roughly in the room's center, facing the side of the room that featured the two corridor openings and the sub-room partition. This item of furniture had a thick, brown harness with a metal buckle. ( Star Trek Generations )

Klingon Bird-of-Prey captain's quarters

The captain's quarters of a Bird-of-Prey

The captain's quarters of a Bird-of-Prey in 2367 were luxurious by comparison. This area included an open doorway, below a triangular light that glowed pinkish red and between a pair of shields that were each adorned with a tiny, red rendition of the emblem of the Klingon Empire. On the bulkhead to the right of this doorway, a wider access point, featuring a pair of functioning double-doors, was located at a right angle to the other door and faced a thick, vertical structural beam. A thin, horizontal strip of Klingonese lettering was on either side of each of the two doorways and a white-lit area of the ship was outside both access points. A cluster of tiny, circular, yellow lights was arranged on at least part of the ceiling opposite the wider doorway and a cream-colored lighting panel was built into the ceiling near the same doorway.

This room could be altered between two variations, with the first containing several furnishings and the second being an emptier but more functional space. In the furnished version of this area, a sheathed sword was affixed to the structural beam but could easily be removed when required. The furnishings included several fabric chairs and – approximately at the center of the room but also near the seating – a low table, over which was draped a tasseled cloth beneath a metallic bowl. Although these furnishings were absent from the area's alternative layout, two vertical stands were still present in the second arrangement. ( TNG : " Reunion ")

Klingon Bird-of-Prey quarters shelf

A shelf-bed in the crew quarters of a Bird-of-Prey

Klingon Bird-of-Prey quarters work area

The work area of the crew quarters

In typical Bird-of-Prey quarters meant for a single crewman, virtually every surface of the room was bronze-colored and hard, including a shelf that served as the room's only sleeping space (although red light was cast down on the shelf, from behind a grille above). This rest area was farthest from and opposite the room's only access point, a narrow pair of double-doors. A work area was situated between these doors and the sleeping area, with an arch separating the latter compartment and the work space. In addition to the optional inclusion of a desk with two seats and two desktop monitors in this area, the space also featured a static display touchscreen computer, showing Klingonese graphics and text. Above this screen was an illuminated hexagon, mostly glowing white but regularly spotted with many tiny, black circles. On the opposite bulkhead of this work area, a black shield, surrounded by a pool of red light, was located at an elevated position. The room also had an intercom system, which could receive audio transmissions from the ship's bridge.

In 2368, a set of quarters of this style was allocated to visiting Enterprise officers Jean-Luc Picard and Data . The Bird-of-Prey's commander, Captain K'Vada, at first described the area as possibly not matching the quality of accommodations that the Starfleet officers were used to, aboard their own vessel, but Picard reacted pleased with the Klingon quarters, describing them as "nice" and even thanking Captain K'Vada in return. The Klingon commander subsequently implied that the reason this small area was assigned to both his visitors was due to the limited availability of space aboard his Bird-of-Prey. Data later privately admitted to Picard, however, that the quarters were obviously intended to be for merely one crewman, supporting his deduction by noting that there was only one sleeping area. Implying that he agreed with Data's conclusion, Picard assumed with supposed certainty that the allocation of the small area to both himself and Data had constituted a private practical joke to the Klingons. The room was later visited by Ambassador Spock , during Data's and Picard's stay there. ( TNG : " Unification I ", " Unification II ")

Other rooms [ ]

Computer room [ ].

A room of the HMS Bounty Bird-of-Prey contained several computer banks. Two interlinked monitors lined each of two opposite sides of the room while, in a corner between these two bulkheads, smaller readouts were displayed on a wall panel, whose two main surfaces formed a reflex angle. An access point was situated on the fourth side of the room.

The monitors were built into pronounced sections of the bulkheads and slanted downwards, towards the viewer. The readouts on the wall panel were on level surfaces but the top of both sides of the panel were also slanted and numerous small, circular, white lights were arranged above the flat displays. More white lights were fixed to the base of both bulkheads that bore the higher monitors and each of these lights were rectangular, situated in indented grooves along each of the two bulkheads. A long console was positioned at or near the center of the room and a wall panel of white light could be found to the side of the room's access point.

This computer room contained data concerning the whale species of Earth, including extinct specimens. ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

Corridors [ ]

Neck corridor [ ].

A passageway located in the "neck" area of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey allowed maneuverability between the ship's bridge and the rest of the ship. This corridor, aboard the HMS Bounty , led directly to the engine room while the equivalent corridor on the Bird-of-Prey that was commanded by Captain Klaa led to the vessel's transporter room. The latter was longer and wider than the neck corridor of the HMS Bounty . Both corridors included a metallic pipe running horizontally along the length of the port bulkhead and at least two sets of double-doors, including one between this corridor and the bridge. ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ; Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

The neck corridor of the HMS Bounty

Escape pods [ ]

The design of the K'Vort -class Bird-of-Prey included at least seven escape pods , with six escape pods on the ship's starboard side and at least one on the port side. ( DS9 : " Penumbra ")

Ships of the class [ ]

  • IKS Che'Ta'
  • IKS Ch'Tang
  • IKS Hegh'ta
  • IKS Ki'tang
  • IKS Korinar
  • IKS Malpara
  • IKS Ning'tao
  • IKS Orantho
  • IKS Rotarran
  • Chang's Bird-of-Prey
  • Duras sisters' Bird-of-Prey
  • Japar's Bird-of-Prey
  • Kang's Bird-of-Prey
  • Klaa's Bird-of-Prey
  • Kruge's Bird-of-Prey
  • K'Temang's Bird-of-Prey
  • K'Vada's Bird-of-Prey
  • Lurin's Bird-of-Prey
  • Trij's Bird-of-Prey

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

  • Star Trek III: The Search for Spock ( B'rel class)
  • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ( B'rel class)
  • Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
  • Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
  • Star Trek Generations (D12 class)
  • " A Matter Of Honor "
  • " The Defector "
  • " Yesterday's Enterprise " ( alternate timeline ; K'Vort class)
  • " Sins of The Father "
  • " Reunion "
  • " The Mind's Eye "
  • " Redemption "
  • " Redemption II "
  • " Unification I "
  • " Unification II "
  • " Rascals " ( B'rel class)
  • " Firstborn "
  • " Past Prologue "
  • " Blood Oath "
  • " The Way of the Warrior "
  • " Return to Grace "
  • " Sons of Mogh "
  • " Rules of Engagement "
  • " Shattered Mirror " ( mirror universe )
  • " Apocalypse Rising "
  • " In Purgatory's Shadow "
  • " By Inferno's Light "
  • " Call to Arms "
  • " A Time to Stand "
  • " Favor the Bold "
  • " Sacrifice of Angels "
  • " You Are Cordially Invited "
  • " Tears of the Prophets "
  • " Shadows and Symbols "
  • " The Emperor's New Cloak "
  • " Penumbra " ( sensor image ; K'Vort class)
  • " Strange Bedfellows "
  • " The Changing Face of Evil "
  • " When It Rains... "
  • " Tacking Into the Wind "
  • " What You Leave Behind "
  • " Drone " ( database image ; K'vort class)
  • " Shockwave " (database image)
  • " Future Tense " (database image)
  • ST : " Ephraim and Dot " ( B'rel class)
  • " The Bounty " ( B'rel class)
  • " Võx " ( B'rel class)
  • " Temporal Edict "
  • " Crisis Point " ( holodeck simulation)
  • Season 2 opening credits
  • " wej Duj "
  • " The Inner Fight "
  • " Old Friends, New Planets "
  • " Terror Firma "
  • " Kobayashi " (holograms only)
  • " Supernova, Part 1 "
  • " Supernova, Part 2 "

Related links [ ]

  • Klingon starship classes
  • Klingon starships

Background information [ ]

Original concept [ ].

Romulan Bird-of-Prey, 2260s profile

The original Romulan Bird-of-Prey

As originally conceived, the Klingon variant of the Bird-of-Prey was actually a Romulan ship; the script of Star Trek III at first called for the film's main villains to be Romulans using a Romulan Bird-of-Prey, as had been typical of Bird-of-Prey use in Star Trek: The Original Series . In other early drafts of the movie's script, the Bird-of-Prey was suggested as having been stolen, by the ship's Klingon commander, from the Romulans. Later script revisions dropped the ship's connection to the Romulans but the craft's designation as a Bird-of-Prey remained unchanged.

Klingon b-o-p, Borderland 2

The 22nd century variant of the Klingon Bird-of-Prey

As TOS : " The Enterprise Incident " had established that the Romulans and Klingons were briefly allied and exchanged technologies, Bennett used this line of reasoning in retaining the Romulan designation after having had "Klingicized" the characters in the film. He explained, " But I didn't change their ship, because I remembered a piece of trivia that stated there was a mutual assistance military pact between the Klingons and the Romulans for an exchange of a military equipment. " ( Starlog #103, February 1986 , p. 17) Many years later, a similar style of Klingon Bird-of-Prey would be seen in Star Trek: Enterprise , a series set in the 22nd century (earlier in the fictional history of the franchise's stories.)

Concerning the use of the Bird-of-Prey designation, Harve Bennett ( Star Trek III 's writer and producer) once stated, "The Bird-of-Prey was a homeless bird there, in a sense, being used by multi-cultures. But I think what we wanted to do was establish it clearly as a Klingon, because of its evil-looking nature and its name: the Bird-of-Prey." ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (Special Edition) ) The red " feather design" of the wings' underside was nevertheless designed with the original Romulan Bird-of-Prey in mind.

Exterior design [ ]

The Klingon Bird-of-Prey studio model was designed by Nilo Rodis and David Carson , visual effects art directors from Industrial Light & Magic . Leonard Nimoy was involved in selecting the design concepts of the class and Bill George built the prototype studio model for this vessel.

In coming up with the ship's exterior design for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , director Leonard Nimoy suggested to the ILM effects team that the ship should generally look swooping and frightening, like a bird on attack, and was also interested in the idea of the ship having an extended "neck", like a bird flying to attack a creature or swooping down towards water before diving to catch a fish in its beak. To demonstrate to the ILM team how he wanted the ship's wings to look, Nimoy gestured with his arms outstretched.

Many sketches of the Klingon ship were drawn. In an early version of Star Trek III 's script, a simple shuttle – rather than the Bird-of-Prey itself – carried only Kirk and McCoy to Vulcan at the end of the film. The design of the Bird-of-Prey was still to be finalized when it replaced the shuttle as the landing vehicle in this scene. One of the earliest designs that figured into this scene had an even more bulbous command section than its ultimate equivalent and a single, central aft hull, absent the two large bulks that would later help characterize the final design. The craft's wings were also in a more level landing position than they would become and were not adorned with the feather design of the later model. Aft of these was a yellow-shaded trapezoidal vent that was angled at a lower degree than the component's equivalent on the ship's eventual exterior.

Klingon Bird-of-Prey muscleman sketch

An influential sketch of a muscleman

Ultimately, aspects of different designs were mixed to create a hybrid of the various looks. One of the sketches that Nilo Rodis gave Bill George, to help George in constructing the first prototype studio model of the ship, featured the image of a muscleman. Despite being somewhat surprised by Rodis' guideline of using this sketch as an influence, George was nevertheless inspired by the appearance of the pictured man while building the original prototype model. The muscular man's down-turned arms influenced the look of the ship's wings in their attack position and his large, distinctive shoulders and trapezius muscles inspired George to add the wiry meshes on the ship's aft hull. George also thought that the sketched male looked somewhat like a football player so he added the twin bulks below the meshes, believing they resembled shoulder pads, and a thin, tiny, brown pipe around the command bulb, as the protective-looking pipe's appearance was similar to a footballer's chin guard.

It seems that the Bird-of-Prey underwent a few more modifications following these changes; one design of the ship in the Vulcan landing scene shared many characteristics with the vessel's ultimate appearance, but had a weapons turret extending from the hole that would later become its forward torpedo launcher and the ramp from the craft's underside led forward rather than aft. ( The Art of Star Trek )

Regarding the creation of the ship's external design and effectiveness of its coloration, Harve Bennett once commented, "They had a lot of fun designing that one! And I think the color selection – a kind of serpentine kind of green – went on to help us, not only there but later. We utilized it in Star Trek IV , because it is so dramatic a look."

Years later in 1996 , the exterior design of the Klingon Bird-of-Prey was an influence on Alex Jaeger 's design of the Akira -class .

Designing the interior [ ]

In regards to the design process of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey's interior and how he wanted the ship to differ from the Enterprise , actor and director Leonard Nimoy recalled, "The interior of the Klingon ship was to be the opposite of what the Enterprise always was; the Enterprise was always rather clean and pristine. The idea for the Klingon ship was that it should be grungy, it should be oily, it should be greasy, dirty. Very mechanical, very clunky. Big metal parts, that you had to work around and could hurt you if you bumped into them.... It should make different noises; the ship should groan and creak, in a way that the Enterprise would not. The Enterprise would be more sleek and silent, with a nice hum. The ambient noise of the Klingon ship should be... like almost the rumbling of a steam engine."

Blueprints were drawn and approved for each of the areas within the Bird-of-Prey, as seen in Star Trek IV , before production on that film began. Referring to the use of the Klingon interior by Starfleet personnel in both that movie and near the end of Star Trek III , Leonard Nimoy discussed the merits of the ship's interior and recalled, "What I enjoyed about using the Klingon ship was the fact there would be certain elements of it that we wouldn't quite understand. And there was a certain amount or level of discomfort at times, trying to figure it out. And particularly the character of this ship was clunky; it was mechanical as opposed to sleek and futuristic." Both Nimoy and William Shatner were of the opinion that the Klingon vessel was "ominous" and "smoky", and Nimoy added, "The way it was lit; the colors on the graphics are not necessarily pleasing; the angles are all sharp angles. It was well designed." ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (Special Edition) DVD ; audio commentary )

The script for " A Matter Of Honor " described the Bird-of-Prey interior as appearing "utilitarian", while lacking "the smooth free-flowing lines and coloring of the Enterprise -D."

The intricate, final practical model of the Klingon Bird-of-Prey's exterior measured 15" × 36" and incorporated built-in motors that allowed the wings to sweep up or down. The same model was used to represent the Klingon Bird-of-Prey in Star Trek: The Next Generation and some episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . The motors that allowed the wings to be adjusted became tricky, however, and the wings consequently seldom moved, from a slightly elevated position, in episodes of the spin-off series. It was not until the switch to computer-generated models that the alternating wing modes came back into use, as can be seen when the Klingon ship appears in later episodes of DS9.

Klingon Bird-of-Prey production discussion

Members of the film crew from Star Trek IV ponder over how to achieve a particular shot of the Bird-of-Prey, for that film

The ILM effects team struggled to create a certain shot of the Bird-of-Prey in which it flies under the Golden Gate Bridge , near the end of Star Trek IV . At first, the team repeatedly tried to achieve this shot practically, flying the model Bird-of-Prey – on a wire rig – through the space between a model of the bridge and a miniature version of the San Francisco Bay . They found difficulty with this method for a variety of reasons, however, particularly the timing of the shot and the appearance of it, especially with fog and smoke that they had decided to use. As a result of the complications, the effects team ultimately opted to create the shot as a composite shot, layering footage of the bridge (with the smoke elements) and the Bird-of-Prey together. The footage of the Bird-of-Prey was shot as a motion-control element, by Pat Sweeney (a visual effects director of photography at ILM). ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (Blu-ray) ; " Industrial Light & Magic: The Visual Effects of Star Trek")

Klingon Bird-of-Prey and humpback whale filming

The full-scale model of a Bird-of-Prey's command section is filmed in a tank at Paramount

Two full-scale mock-ups of sections of the Bird-of-Prey were created for Star Trek IV . The first was the underside of the ship, including a landing strut, and appeared near the start of the movie. The second was the command bulb and can be seen toward the end of the film. Both of these enlarged sections of the ship were filmed in a parking lot of Paramount Pictures , in Los Angeles . For the filming of the scene that features the ship's command section, however, the parking lot – having been a tank for underwater work, many years earlier – was converted back into a tank that was about four feet deep (except for a deep spot at its center) and was referred to as " B Tank ", wherein the enlarged Bird-of-Prey section was positioned between and parallel to a skyline backdrop and a set of underwater tracks for a full-size humpback whale prop. To simulate stormy weather in this scene, the enlarged Bird-of-Prey mock-up was pelted with wind machines and water machines, to such an extreme degree that at least some of the actors in this scene, including both William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, found performing it – while hanging onto the mock-up, as the majority of the scene required – to be painful. The Bird-of-Prey component and the surrounding set were also covered with a tent of translucent fabric, simulating overcast lighting, but this was later removed to allow natural sunlight to illuminate the set.

For Star Trek V , a separate, enlarged model of one of the Klingon ship's wings (including one of the craft's wing-mounted disruptor cannons) was built, so that the wing could be shown in close-up. This miniature measured 36" × 40" and was rigged so that, when the disruptor cannon fired, the weapon's firing mechanism would move. This was shown in the first scene that features the Bird-of-Prey, wherein the craft destroys the Pioneer 10 probe, and in the film's climactic moments, when the Klingon vessel annihilates the God of Sha Ka Ree .

The script of DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior " called for fleets of Klingon ships to be engaged in battle. Klingon Bird-of-Prey Christmas ornaments, released by Hallmark , were among the examples of licensed paraphernalia that the series' effects department requested from Paramount's licensing department, so that the episode's action sequences could be enhanced and spectacular explosions could be created without the destruction of valuable ship models.

The Klingon Bird-of-Prey model was listed in the 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection auction with an estimated sale price of US$8,000 to US$12,000; it sold for US$260,000 ($307,200 with premium). [4] The enlarged Bird-of-Prey wing shown in Star Trek V was also sold in the 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection auction, with an estimated sale price of US$3,000 to US$5,000; it sold for US$7,000 ($8,400 with premium). [5]

Miscellaneous [ ]

In Star Trek IV , the positioning of the Bird-of-Prey hovering between a whaling boat and two submerged humpback whales to prevent a harpoon reaching the whales, was an homage to Greenpeace activists who would position their rafts between a whaling ship and its quarry, in occasionally successful attempts to protect whales. A close-up shot of the Bird-of-Prey's nose section, as the craft uncloaks and first reveals its presence in this scene, was not originally budgeted, so Nimoy had to appeal for adequate funds so that the shot could be created. ( citation needed • edit )

A shot of the Bird-of-Prey rising over the edge of a cliff, in the climatic moments of Star Trek V , was originally suggested by Nilo Rodis. ( citation needed • edit )

One of numerous pre-visualization tests for the various visual effects of that film was for the shimmering cloaking effect, using a tiny hand-held miniature of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey, propped up by a thin black stick and set against a moving starfield background. ( citation needed • edit )

Of the five Star Trek movies in which Klingon Birds-of-Prey appear, the ship features on the theatrical posters for Star Treks III , IV , and VI , but not the posters for Star Trek V and Star Trek Generations .

According to the final draft scripts for " Aquiel ", " The Chase ", " Dramatis Personae ", and " Crossover ", the Klingon Bird-of-Prey was intended to be used, but changed to a Vor'cha -class before production. [6] [7] [8] [9] On the other hand, a Ferengi battle cruiser was featured in the writer's first draft of the script for " Rascals " (which had the working title "Maker of Dreams"), whereas three Klingon Birds-of-Prey appear in the final version of that episode. Likewise, the Klingon Bird-of-Prey which appears in Star Trek Generations was, in the first draft script of the film, instead a Klingon battle cruiser .

According to Star Trek: Star Charts (p. 64) and Stellar Cartography: The Starfleet Reference Library ("Federation Historical Highlights, 2161-2385"), there were star systems called B'rel and K'vort in the Beta Quadrant , both sites of historic battles. These might be possible origins for the class names. A map based on this map, which contained K'vort , was later seen on screen in Star Trek: Discovery . A Klingon with the name K'vort also appeared in the series, offering another potential namesake.

Technical Manual [ ]

The following information of specifications and defenses comes exclusively from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual :

  • Production Base: Qo'noS Orbital Factory Base
  • Type: Scout ( B'rel ); Cruiser ( K'Vort ). Common planform, scaled up 4.3 times for cruiser
  • Accommodation: 12 plus flight crew and troops ( B'rel ); 1,500+ flight crew and troops ( K'Vort )
  • Power Plant: One M/A warp system; two impulse systems
  • Dimensions: Length, 157.76 meters; beam, 181.54 meters; height, 98.54 meters ( B'rel ). Length, 678.36 meters; beam, 780.62 meters; height, 423.72 meters ( K'Vort )
  • Mass: 236,000 metric tonnes ( B'rel ), 1,890,000 metric tonnes ( K'Vort )
  • Performance: Warp 9.6 ( B'rel and K'Vort )
  • Armament: Two ship-mounted disruptor cannons; one torpedo launcher ( B'rel ). Four ship-mounted disruptor cannons; two torpedo launchers ( K'Vort )

Resources [ ]

  • Klingon Bird of Prey Owners' Workshop Manual
  • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual
  • Star Trek: Starship Spotter

External links [ ]

  • The Bird-of-Prey Size Paradox  at Ex Astris Scientia : an analysis of the size discrepancies of the Klingon Bird-of-Prey
  • Klingon Bird-of-Prey at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
  • 2 Tellarite

IMAGES

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COMMENTS

  1. Crew Complement of Starships

    A ships compliment (Especially in the Star Trek setting) is full of people who want to work and are passionate about what they are doing. With a species as large as the Human population, people need things to do instead of sitting around being lazy. ... (example the crew complement of CVN-65 was 3,000, but adding the 1,800 strong Air Wing added ...

  2. star trek

    The Galaxy class star ship typically had a complement of just over 1000, made up of officers, enlisted crew and civilians. ... From the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual. ... Crew complement mixture is not specified, but if it is anything like the modern military, the ratio of officers to crew is approximately 1 officer to three ...

  3. USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) personnel

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  4. Enterprise (NX-01) personnel

    Enterprise NX-01, an NX-class starship, had a standard crew complement of 83. Approximately one-third of the crew was female. In 2151, Captain Archer stated that there were 81 Humans, one Vulcan, and one Denobulan on board and Commander Tucker reminded him of Porthos. (ENT: "Silent Enemy") In September 2152, 83 people were aboard Enterprise according to Commander Tucker. (ENT: "The Catwalk ...

  5. USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

    The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) was a 23rd century Federation Constitution-class starship operated by Starfleet, and the first Federation starship to bear the name Enterprise.During its career, the Enterprise served as the Federation flagship and was in service from 2245 to 2285.During the latter years of its life, the Enterprise was refitted into a Constitution II-class starship and served as a ...

  6. Ex Astris Scientia

    Part of the original Maquis crew in "Caretaker": Chakotay and Torres. The original crew complement of Voyager is 141, as stated by Lieutenant Stadi. Several of the crew die when the ship is pulled into the Delta Quadrant in the pilot episode "Caretaker", and an unknown number of Maquis join the ship on its long journey back to the Alpha Quadrant.

  7. Take a virtual tour of Star Trek 's Enterprise-D

    The official complement of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's U.S.S. Enterprise-D is a massive 1,014 people including crew and their families. While the series had a big budget for its time and ...

  8. Starships by crew complement listing? : r/startrek

    For most starships, other than the featured "hero" ships, we aren't usually told their crew complement. And it can change with time too. Pike once said he was responsible for 203 lives, but by the time Kirk was in command, the Enterprise had around 430 people aboard. For any starship-related info, my first port of call is the fantastic Ex ...

  9. Constitution class

    Star Trek: The Original Series. Season 3. Episode 17. NBC.</ref> The Enterprise also maintained stability at warp 22, while tractored to a ship going warp 32. ... Crew complement: 432 (in 2272); 300 (in 2293) Armament: 18 phaser emitters, 2 photon torpedo launchers

  10. USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)

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  11. Intrepid class

    " The crew complement, however, was now said, in dialogue, to be 141. Warp drive capabilities [] According to Star Trek: Starship Spotter and the Star Trek: Voyager Technical Manual, warp factor 6 is the actual cruising speed for the Intrepid-class.

  12. Playable starship

    Celebrate 14 years of Star Trek Online with Season Thirty-one: Both Worlds, now live on PC! Check out the new Event Grand Prize - the Tier 6 Khitomer Alliance Rex Pilot Escort, ... Crew Complement: This is the maximum number of crewmembers (non-Bridge Officers) that can serve aboard your vessel. Your Crew count affects hull and subsystem repair ...

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  14. Ex Astris Scientia

    The scale may have been quickly made up in an attempt to make the Daedalus appear much less powerful than the later ships in the Star Trek Encyclopedia I. The crew complement of 229 (which most likely includes scientists) given in TNG: "Power Play" casts doubt on the size figure.

  15. USS Defiant

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  16. Constitution-class crew complement

    Constitution-class crew complement. by Stofsk » 2009-12-24 08:50am. A recent discussion about "The Enemy Within" has me thinking about something I remember about "The Cage". In it, Jeffrey Hunter talks about how he's tired of being responsible for 203 lives. Fast forward to Kirk's time, and the Connie has a crew complement of 430 (roughly).

  17. Defiant class

    The Defiant-class battleship, officially an escort vessel, began development in 2366 as a small, highly powered, heavily armed warship intended to defend the United Federation of Planets against the Borg.The USS Defiant was the prototype of what was to be a new Federation battle fleet. However, the ship had numerous design problems that were made apparent during its shakedown cruise.

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  19. Klingon Bird-of-Prey

    A few years later, the first Bird-of-Prey to ever breach the Great Barrier was commanded by Captain Klaa in 2287.(Star Trek V: The Final Frontier) In 2293, one prototype Bird-of-Prey possessed the unique ability to fire torpedoes when its cloaking device was engaged. This vessel was commanded by General Chang and used to assassinate Chancellor Gorkon of the Klingon Empire while implicating the ...