Contest: VOTE Which Federation Starship Class is your favourite and why?

That was a monitor IIRC

 

Yes, a FASA designed monitor. Lots of phasers.

 

The way I've been given to understand it, Orion predates Galaxy by the better part of a decade. She's about the same size as Ambassador, and was used as a testbed for systems integration in the final Galaxy design, just on a smaller scale (Same computers, just 2 instead of 3 cores, same tactical systems, just with less capacity, same warp and impulse engines [again at slightly less capacity], etc). Doing this gave them time to work out most of the bugs in sofware, etc.

In the universe where Orion exists, they would have assumed many of the systems tests that the USS Pegasus did in canon (I never liked the idea that a tiny little Oberth could test systems for a class the size of Galaxy.) The production run could continue that role as test-bed for future modifications of her big sisters' systems, as well as serving as training ships for future Galaxy crews.

 

The Sternbach one, seen here:

 

Big fan of the Typhon-class starship from the old video game "Star Trek Invasion".

 

Now there's a deep cut. A very simultaneously Starfleet-looking and not Starfleet-looking ship at the same time.



I always quite liked the idea of "fortress mode." It also helps explain why it looks like it does.

 

I've always paired it up with at least 3 Defiant-class as escorts in combat operations for RPGs.

 

I was torn between the Excelsior and the Galaxy. In the end I had to go for the Galaxy.

 

The Galaxy class will always feel like home, but the Constitution refit was always the prettiest.

I can't justify it, but it just looks perfect from every angle.