basic
| Universe : |
Prime Timeline |
| Affiliation : |
Federation |
| Class Name : |
Galaxy Class [1] |
| Type : |
Explorer / Heavy Cruiser |
| Unit Run : |
USS Magellan - Upgraded [2]NCC 1701-D USS Enterprise [1] - Destroyed [3]NCC 70637 USS Galaxy [4] - Active NCC 71099 [5] USS Challenger [6] - Active NCC 71807 [5] USS Yamato - Destroyed [7]NCC 71832 [5] USS Odyssey - Destroyed [8]NCC 71854 [5] USS Venture [9] - Active NCC 71867 [5] USS Trinculo [2] - Active plus 10 others built in total. 4 have been lost in all. |
| Commissioned : |
2362 - present |
| Dimensions : |
Length : 641 m [10]
Beam : 470 m [11]
Height : 145 m [12]
Decks : 42 [13] |
| Mass : |
4,960,000 [14] metric tons |
| Crew : |
1,013 [15], 15,000 person evacuation limit. [16] |
| Armament : |
12 [17] x Type X phaser arrays [18], total output 50,000 TeraWatts
2 [14] x Type 3 burst fire [19] photon torpedo tube [1] with 250 [18] rounds |
| Defence Systems : |
High capacity [18] shield system, total capacity 2,700,000 TeraJoules
Standard Duranium / Tritanium Double hull plus 9 cm High density armour.
Standard level Structural Integrity Field |
Warp Speeds
(TNG scale) : |
Normal Cruise : 6 [14]
Maximum Cruise : 9.2 [1]
Maximum Rated : 9.6 [1] for 12 [14] hours.
|
Strength Indices :
(Galaxy class = 1,000) |
Beam Firepower : 1,000
Torpedo Firepower : 1,000
Weapon Range and Accuracy : 1,000
Shield Strength : 1,000
Hull Armour : 1,000
Speed : 1,000
Combat Manoeuvrability : 1,000 |
| Overall Strength Index : |
1,000 |
| Diplomatic Capability : |
7 |
| Expected Hull Life : |
100 [14] |
| Refit Cycle : |
Minor : 1 year
Standard : 1 years
Major : 20 [14] years |
Notes
The Galaxy class was developed to replace the ageing Ambassador and Oberth class starships as Starfleets primary exploration vessel. The design was initiated in 2343 with a highly challenging specification [20] which called for a ship based on the Nebula design then being developed, but
equally capable of scientific, exploration, diplomatic, cultural, and combat roles all within a single multi-mission hull. [20] In fact, many came to regard the requirement as too challenging; the project suffered from numerous delays due to a wide range of design, manufacturing, and construction problems.
The first of the class, the USS Galaxy, was launched in 2357 and commissioned in 2362, nearly two decades after initial approval. [21] The Galaxy class which emerged from the Utopia Planitia shipyard [22] had very similar lines to the Nebula class. The Galaxy is slightly larger in volume, although its less compact design gives it considerably greater length than the smaller vessel. The major change between the two is the lack of a mission specific pod on the Galaxy class, [23] the increased volume allowing sections within the hull to be mission customized. This combined with a more advanced systems level to allow all functions to be performed by the single design.
In addition the saucer and engineering hulls are separated by an eleven deck connecting neck section. This separation between the two hulls allows the nacelles to be located outboard and above the engineering hull, [23] a position which increases the efficiency of the warp drive field slightly.
This gives the Galaxy class warp coils an efficiency of 88% at speeds of up to Warp 7 and 52% through Warp 9.1 [20] - the comparable figures for the Nebula
class are 84% and 47% respectively.
Saucer Section features | Deck | Contains... |
| 1 | Main bridge, main observation lounge, captain's ready room. [24] |
| 2 | Junior officers quarters [25] |
| 3 | Junior officers quarters [25] |
| 4 | Residential quarters. [26] main shuttle bay, cargo bays [25] |
| 5 | Science laboratories, residential quarters [25] |
| 6 | Transporter room 1, 2, [25] 3, [27] 4, science laboratories, [25]
main dorsal saucer phaser array |
| 7 | Residential quarters [25] |
| 8 | Residential quarters, [28] |
| 9 | Residential quarters, including captains quarters [29] Saucer impulse engines, [25]
secondary dorsal saucer phaser arrays |
| 10 | Ten forward, [24] Holodeck 5, [30]computer cores, escape pods [25] |
| 11 | Holodeck [28], residential quarters [31] |
| 12 | Sickbay, [32] medical laboratories, [25] gymnasium, [33] transporter room [34] Residential quarters, [35] Stellar cartography, [36] biological research, [36] astrophysics [36] |
| 13 | Residential quarters, life support system,
main ventral saucer phaser array [25] |
| 14 | Conference room, [28] residential quarters [25] |
| 15 | Maintenance centre [25] |
| 16 | Captain's yacht docking port [25] |
Stardrive Section features | Deck | Contains... | Deck | Contains... |
| 8 | Battle bridge [25] | 26 | Engineering support [25] |
| 9 | Docking latches and supporting
mechanisms [25] | 27 | Deuterium fuel pumps and fill ports [25] |
| 10 | Emergency batteries,
phaser bank systems [25] | 28 | Deuterium fuel storage [25] |
| 11 | Life support systems, [25]shuttlebay 2 and 3, [37] | 29 | Deuterium fuel storage [25] |
| 12 | Science labs [25] | 30 | Deuterium injection reactors [25] |
| 14 | Shuttle bay support, [25] personnel
transporter [1] 5 and 6 [25] | 31 | Science laboratories [25] |
| 15 | Science labs [25] | 32 | Living quarters [25] |
| 16 | Maintenance [25] | 33 | Living quarters [25] |
| 17 | Living quarters [25] | 34 | Environmental support [25] |
| 18 | Living quarters [25] | 35 | Aft photon torpedo launcher [25] |
| 19 | Living quarters [25] | 36 | Main engineering, [38]
secondary ventral stardrive section phaser arrays [25] |
| 20 | Living quarters [25] | 37 | Environmental support, waste management [25] |
| 21 | Power distribution [25] | 38 | Cargo bay 3 [38], brig [25] |
| 22 | Engineering support laboratories [25] | 39 | Cargo bay 12 [39] |
| 23 | Main impulse engines [25] | 40 | Antimatter injection reactors [25] |
| 24 | Life support [25] | 41 | Antimatter storage pods [25] |
| 25 | Dorsal docking port,
forward photon torpedo launcher [25] | 42 | Antimatter storage pods [36] |
The increased internal volume allowed for 800,000 square metres of mission adaptable facilities. [40] This allows the Galaxy class to support a wide range of ongoing research projects independently of the vessels primary mission. [24] Although not a new idea in Starfleet vessels, the Galaxy class is unique in the extent to which this is possible. These ships are capable of supporting up to 5,000 mission specialists, while the decentralized nature of the secondary power grids allows laboratories to function effectively even during combat operations.
The combat capability of the Galaxy class was also significantly greater than that of the Nebulas. [41] The burst fire torpedo tubes are each capable of launching groups of photons torpedoes [19],
up to ten at a time [42] every six seconds,
while t [43] As with many recent Federation designs, the use of long phaser arrays rather than banks gives the main phasers of the Galaxy class a great capability for sustained firing and rapid recharge/cool down time. The Galaxy class is the first on which all segments of every phaser array are supplied by a separate power system; although this increases the complexity of the system tremendously, it gives the phaser arrays a tremendous survivability in the face of combat damage.
In service the Galaxy class at first proved exemplary, beyond any of Starfleet's expectations [44] but by 2371 no less than three of the initial six ships had been lost - the Yamato, [7] Odyssey, [8] and finally Enterprise-D [3].
Yamato 's loss was particularly horrific, as she was destroyed with her entire complement of crew and families aboard. [7] This alarming record led to many changes being introduced during refits of the remaining three vessels, and also to the construction of six new Galaxy class ships from space frames held in reserve against future need. The unfortunate history of the Galaxy class vessels combined with the recent escalation's in tensions within the alpha quadrant has led to all six vessels being subsequently completed, and all are now on active service against the Dominion.
Major changes to the Galaxy class have included a new warp core, [45] a redesigned shield system intended to perform far better against phased polaron beam weapons, [46] various changes to the ships computer systems, plus many minor changes to the ships systems. Production of these vessels continues today;
five Galaxy class ships took part in the recent operation to retake Deep Space Nine from the Dominion [47] and the class has gained a fearsome reputation during the war, operating with one of the highest kill-to-loss ratios of any Starfleet classes.
Though new Galaxy class ships are being produced without any science or diplomatic facilities included in order to reduce the vessel mass and so enhance combat performance during the Dominion war. [40] These ships will be "filled out" after the war, considerably enhancing Starfleets exploration capacity. At this point further production is expected to be terminated in favour of the new Sovereign class.
Colour key
References
Comments
Thanks to the TNG tech manual (not to mention seven years of TNG!) we probably know more about the Galaxy class than any other ship. As a result, there's a lot of canon and backstage info on the specs page here, and very little in the way of speculation.
The list of 'backstage' deck references comes from a table printed in the Star Trek Encyclopedia. The canonical deck references are gleaned from various episodes, either from direct references that characters have made - such as somebody specifying a deck when walking into a turbolift, then walking out at the other end and going into sickbay - or from the deck numbers which are printed on the ship's door labels. I have only used the latter source where the number is clearly visible in the episode.
The TNG Tech manual suggested that only six Galaxy class ships had been built. A further six spaceframes had been constructed but then mothballed, so that extra ships could be built in short order should the need arise. We have seen a total of eight ships on screen; one, the USS Challenger, was in an alternate timeline future and may not exist in the present day Trek universe. Since this still leaves seven observed ships, then it would indicate that Starfleet did indeed take at least some of these extra spaceframes to completion. Assuming that all had been completed, then the present day Starfleet would have either eight or nine Galaxy class ships.
However, in the DS9 Favor the Bold / Sacrifice of Angels episodes, Sisko's force had no less than five Galaxy class starships in it. This force was composed of "elements" of two other fleets cobbled together for the mission to retake Deep Space Nine. If one element of one fleet can have two or three Galaxy class vessels, it seems hard to believe that a mere nine existed in all. It is for this reason that I have chosen to over-rule the TNG TM in this respect, and assume a far larger number of ships in service. Really there is no contradiction here - you could assume that the "six completed / six in reserve" thing described in the TM was merely the first batch of ships to be ordered, and that Starfleet ordered further batches as the Galaxy proved itself in service.
Going by the Favor the Bold force, then, a full fleet should expect to have a good half dozen or more Galaxy class ships. Since the highest fleet number we have heard of was the tenth, then the total number in service could be as high as sixty to ninety. However, not all fleets are so large - the seventh fleet had only 112 ships, for instance. For this reason I have chosen to go with about forty Galaxy class ships overall.
