Constellation-Class Starships

[BolianAuthor]

Okay... I wanted to post this, because I finally figured out what I at least, think is a good justification for the uber bulk and redundancy of the Contellation-Class Starship, and I wanted to see if anyone agrees with my rationale. To it:

IMO, the Constellation-Class does not make for a good "regular" starship... she's pretty big and has double of everything. Granted, we have seen them in Starfleet service in TNG, but in all "reality", I think the best purpose and mission for the Constellations is to function as mobile Starfleet Academies, and here is why...

One and most basic, the raw size allows for literally whole classes of Starfleet Cadets to stay on board. But two... the redundancy factor... one set of engines can serve the ship, while the second set can be used to train Starfleet Engineering Cadets hands-on, and in the field, in real-world applications. The double Bridge could be used as a on-board simulator.

I really think these ships would make great mobile training platforms... what about you?

 

[Timo]

I'd like to think that these ships were among the last to be designed with the "TOS Movie era" technology, right before Excelsior style hulls and engines took over. As such, it would make perfect sense for Starfleet to pull its last card from that stack of technology: using the hardware that has already reached its inherent limits, but applying it in duplicate for that final little boost.

Stacking the duplicate drive systems the way they are stacked in the Constellation, the designers could keep the outer dimensions of the ship comparable to those of the preceding members of that "design family". The same dock facilities could then be used for constructing and maintaining the Constellations, whereas new investments would have to be made when the significantly larger Excelsiors and their "relatives" came along.

Also fitting the "last hurrah" idea is the way the Constellations seem to be overloaded with all sorts of systems and equipment, so that it no longer neatly stays inside the hull but instead breaks out in ugly bulges and warts. A good sign that one should stop the endless inbreeding and start anew...

As a fan of Ships of the Star Fleet, I can't help but notice that the Okudaic registry of USS Constellation, NX-1974, neatly fits in the series of "through-deck cruiser" registries of that fan work and related works. Perhaps this ship was originally built with that mission type in mind - explaining the large number of apparent shuttlebay doors (three per side, plus a king-size bow square that may be a door or then a navigational deflector plate)...

To insert an extra complication, Diane Duane in her chronologically ill-defined Rihannsu series of novels chose to introduce the first Constellation class vessels in what may retroactively be interpreted as 2275-76 or so - around the time of ST:TMP. I have no direct objection to that, even if NX-1974 is still listed as doing warp tests as of 2293. In fact, that latter factoid from ST6:TUC could be worked into the Grand Unified Theory of Constellation history. Perhaps the first batch of Constellations were built with pre-TMP warp propulsion tech and for the through-deck/shuttlecarrier role, and were only later revamped to the specs we see - and NX-1974 spearheaded the upgrade and thus needed to do verification runs two decades after the class was originally fielded?

And yes, after the technology becomes outdated, these vessels would make for ideal schoolships...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[BolianAuthor]

^

Well put... I can see Starfleet doing that.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I see the Constellation-class as multimission ships, used mostly as patrol ships, deep space explorer/scouts and shuttlecarriers/armed cargo carriers. I don't think there's as much living area inside as it seems - most of the "rim" decks are huge shuttlebays, cargo holds and hangers. The interiors we've seen are quite cramped.

I've never really cared about specific launch dates for ship types, but I'd personally always put a story-based source (i.e. Diane Duane's novels) above dry technical manual stuff (Okuda's Trek magazine history, old fan publications etc).

 

[Ablative_Oberth]

To me this is a scout. Massively redundant, huge internal space for storage. This ship was meant to go WAY out there for long periods of time.

This explains why we see the Hathaway discarded like it was. It went out, came home and it was cheaper to discard the hull and replace it with a Cheyenne or (looking forward) an Intrepid. Same mission, same abilities. The ones we see still in active service came home in better condition and weren't "used and abused" and it was found cost-effective to keep them in service. Ships like the Victory.

I would assume the majority of them were stored in the Yards like Qualor, and returned to service for situations like Wolf 359, the Redemption blockade and the Dominion War.


As an side note, I am aware the Federation doesn't use "money" as several episodes pointed out. However everything has a cost in terms of time, energy, manpower, and material. Eventually it would take less of those resources to build a modern ship with the latest toys than it would be to refurbish a beat up old hull with several generation old technology.

 

[Santaman]

Or the Federation pulled a Soviet move, when the USSR build the Kirov class rocket cruisers they decided that they needed a backup design, Kirov was all stops pulled and fitted with the latest and greatest, would all that go wrong then they'd be set back a whole notch so they also build the Slava class with older and proven technology, could be that Excelsior was the big&new all stops pulled new design and Constellation the old tech&stuff we can trust design.

 

[SWHouston]

8.6/12 hr. x 2 = 8.6/24 hr.
Steady but sure, and, it's nice to have a backup !

 

[sojourner]

8.6/12 hr. x 2 = 8.6/24 hr.
Steady but sure, and, it's nice to have a backup !

?

 

[Unicron]

I tend to view the Constellation as primarily being a scout/long range cruiser myself. I think at the time it was originally designed it was very capable for those missions, but after a few decades it proved less versatile than, say, the surviving Mirandas or Excelsiors. It was more mission specific than those classes.

Jackill has the Cheetah class fast cruiser, which might be considered a subclass of the Constellation family designed specifically to be more agile and capable of quick response than the Constellation design. Much like some of his other designs (such as the Fisher class tug, part of the Oberth family), it would provide Starfleet with a way to make use of extra hulls that could be commissioned at less expense.

 

[SWHouston]

Uoops, sorry,
I was referring to the 4 Nacelle Configeration..
Being able to switch to the second pair and keep your speed steady. I've always thought that having that ability, and the "backup" set of nacelles was a very good idea.

 

[Ablative_Oberth]

8.6/12 hr. x 2 = 8.6/24 hr.
Steady but sure, and, it's nice to have a backup !

Can't afford to stop and cool your nacelles... switch to the other set. That must have required some epic computer power to switch sets mid-flight.

...could be this induced some major stresses and was buggy as hell leading some earlier ships to be retired sooner due to -- oh I don't know -- stress induced technobabble blip'n-blarg on the frimfram. Also: Turbo-Encabulator. Little help here please, Timo?

 

[sojourner]

Ah, the Turbo-encabulator! A rare example of a technology being perfected almost from it's outset! It remained relatively unchanged from it's inception in the late 20th century all the way to it's use in the Constellation class. In fact, Starfleet saved resources by salvaging used units from old 20th century automobile junkyards!

 

[Timo]

FWIW, here's a bit of speculation, although lacking the eventually intended artwork:

http://yfrog.com/naconstellationd

(I hope. I haven't used Imageshack for PDF files before.)

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Ablative_Oberth]

FWIW, here's a bit of speculation, although lacking the eventually intended artwork:

http://yfrog.com/naconstellationd

(I hope. I haven't used Imageshack for PDF files before.)

Timo Saloniemi

Neat stuff Timo.

 

[ProwlAlpha]

I have always pictured the Constellation as a Constitution replacement, but the USS Constellation NX-1974's shakedown cruise showed numerous problems with the design and the vessel decommissioned in the late 2260s. Then the Transwarp Project came along and a number of the Constellation's problems were corrected. So they became a fast heavy cruiser and a flagship because of the extra bridge facilities. This is shown a bit in the Rihannsu story arc with the Constellation's being the flagship of the fleet sent into Romulan space. During the 24th Century, the Constellation was refitted into a deep space explorer/long range patrol vessel.

 

[T'Girl]

the Rihannsu story arc with the Constellation's being the flagship of the fleet

By the the mid 24th century it might have been considered by Picard to be underpowered, but when she was first built, she likely out flew and ran circle around her peers in the fleet. and going just by this photo of the Valkyrie ...

http://a.imageshack.us/img62/1553/valkyriem.jpg

... it's a just a plain mean looking ship. Easy to believe as a purpose built flagship, plenty of room for a Admiral and their complete staff of experts, separate tactical section aboard the ship for the same (and living quarters), no need to jam them in or make room. In a separate configuration it could accommodate one of Starfleet's periodic love/hate relationship with fighters.

The Galaxy Class has been referred to as a "flying starbase" the Constellation Class could have been a early attempt at the same. If you look at cut-away drawing http://a.imageshack.us/img189/1848/constcut.jpg it does appear to have lots of room, and it''s four forward photon torpedo tube mean it can kick ass as it gettin' where it's going.

Photo and drawing from www.ex-astris-scientia.org

 

[Timo]

... it's a just a plain mean looking ship.

And let's not forget its significant planetary assault capabilities, as provided by its two heavy mechas.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[sojourner]

OK, here's a good question. Why was the Constellation class kitbashed using TMP Ent parts instead of Excelsior parts? From an in-universe point of view it just doesn't make much sense.

hmmm, maybe I can throw together a quick kit bash using Excelsior parts.... be back soon!

 

[ProwlAlpha]

In my take, the Constellation was, also, the Constitution Refit pathfinder design.

 

[Dukhat]

OK, here's a good question. Why was the Constellation class kitbashed using TMP Ent parts instead of Excelsior parts? From an in-universe point of view it just doesn't make much sense.

hmmm, maybe I can throw together a quick kit bash using Excelsior parts.... be back soon!

I believe Rick Sternbach answered this question once. From what I recall, at the time ERTL/AMT hadn't made an Excelsior model kit yet, so he had to choose between a TOS Enterprise kit and a TMP Enterprise kit. Knowing that using TOS parts would make thie ship look too old, he settled for the TMP kit. The rest is history.