Galaxy Class

Name: Galaxy
Craft: United Federation of Planets Galaxy-Class Explorer
Type: Explorer
Scale: Capital
Length: 642.51 x 463.73 x 195.26 meters
Ship Mass: 4,500,000 metric tons
Starship Size: 8
Skill: Capital Ship Pilot
Autopilot: 4D
Crew: 1,012; Skeleton: 101/+10
Passengers: 200
Cargo Capacity: 333,000 metric tons
Consumables: 3 years
Warp Drive: 6 / 9.2 / 9.9 (12 Hours)
Nav Computer: yes
Maneuverability: 1D+2
Space: 9.2
Hull: 6D
Shields: 3D+2
Sensors

• Passive: 60 / 2D
• Scan: 130 / 3D
• Search: 170 / 3D+2
• Focus: 5 / 4D+2

Weapons

• 2 Type X Phaser Arrays

Fire Arc: 405 degrees dorsal, 405 degrees ventral
Location: saucer dorsal, saucer, ventral
Crew: 1
Scale: capital
Skill: capital ship gunnery
Fire Control: 2D
Space Range: 1-2/5/15
Firing Modes: Standard, Continuous, Pulse, Wide-Beam
Rate of fire: 5
Damage: 4D

• 2 Type X Phaser Arrays

Fire Arc: 405 degrees dorsal, 360 degrees ventral
Location: engineering section forward (concealed when ship not separated), engineering section ventral
Crew: 1
Scale: capital
Skill: capital ship gunnery
Fire Control: 2D
Space Range: 1-2/5/15
Firing Modes: Standard, Continuous, Pulse, Wide-Beam
Rate of fire: 2
Damage: 4D

• 8 Type X Phaser Arrays

Fire Arc: 4x 360 degrees dorsal, 4x 360 degrees ventral
Location: 4 engineering section dorsal, 2 engineering section aft ventral, 2 nacelle pylon aft ventral
Crew: 1
Scale: capital
Skill: capital ship gunnery
Fire Control: 2D
Space Range: 1-2/5/15
Firing Modes: Standard, Continuous, Pulse, Wide-Beam
Rate of fire: 1
Damage: 4D

• 3 Photon Torpedo Launchers

Fire Arc: 1 forward, 2 aft; but are self guided
Location: engineering section aft, engineering section forward, saucer section aft (concealed when ship not separated)
Crew: 1
Scale: capital
Skill: capital ship gunnery
Fire Control: 2D
Space Range: 1-18/75/203
Ammunition: 275 Type II Photon Torpedoes
Spread: 10
Damage: 4D

• 2 Class Delta Tractor Beams

Fire Arc: 1 forward, 1 aft
Location: aft ventral, forward ventral
Crew: 1
Scale: capital
Skill: capital ship gunnery
Fire Control: 2D
Space Range: 1-3/5/10
Rate of fire: 1
Strength: 4D+2

• Class Alpha Tractor Beam

Fire Arc: Shuttlebay
Location: Shuttlebays 1, 2, and 3
Crew: 1
Scale: starfighter
Skill: capital ship gunnery
Fire Control: 1D+1
Space Range: 1-3/5/10
Rate of fire: 1
Strength: 3D

Miscellaneous:

• Crew Quarters:

• Basic: 950
• Expanded: 385
• Luxury: 110
• Unusual: 55

• Decks: 42
• Escape Pods: 180

• Capacity per Pod: 6

• Year Commissioned: 2356 (Earth Reckoning)

Transporters

• Personnel: 6

• Range: 40,000 km
• Capacity: 6 persons

• Emergency: 6

• Range: 15,000 km
• Capacity: 22 persons

• Cargo: 12

• Range: 40,000 km
• Capacity: 400 kg

Complement

• Shuttle Craft: 25
• Shuttle Pods: 12
• Probes: 60
• Captain's Yacht: Yes

Description: The Galaxy-class is a type of explorer built by Starfleet from the mid 24th century to the 25th century. It is one of the largest and most powerful vessels ever constructed by Starfleet. (TNG reference: Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual)

History

The Galaxy-class began development in the year 2343 and has the dubious distinction of having the longest design, development, and construction period of any class in Starfleet history—delayed for a further year due to attempted sabotage by the Manraloth Giriaenn that was only just exposed by Lieutenant Data—with the prototype USS Galaxy finally launching in 2357 and its first two sister ships the ever-famous Federation flagship USS Enterprise-D and USS Yamato following six years later in 2363.

During the initial planning board at Starfleet Operations, Admiral Carstairs would often describe the vessel's strength as a deterrent against aggression by other powers. In stark contrast, Commodore Santin was a vocal critic of the new design, fearing that fielding a ship with such destructive capabilities might serve as a provocation to the Federation's enemies. (FASA RPG module: Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual)

Initially conceived as a class of twelve ships, once the design was finalized it was decided that only six ships would be completed, with construction on the other six halted once their frameworks were finished. The six spaceframes were then broken down into smaller segments and transported by cargo carrier to remote sites throughout the Federation, held in reserve in case a later emergency necessitated their completion. (TNG reference: Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual)

The emergency came sooner than anyone could have realized, with the loss of 39 starships to the Borg at the Battle of Wolf 359 in early 2367. As a result of the battle, Starfleet immediately launched a massive shipbuilding and design program, which also saw the remaining six Galaxy-class spaceframes pulled from storage and completed in addition to many more constructed from scratch in an attempt to bolster the fleet's strength. While the expected Borg invasion did not come as imminently as was expected, during that time the Federation did find itself engaged in a war with another opponent: the Dominion. In 2370, the USS Odyssey became the first casualty of Dominion aggression when it was rammed by a Jem'Hadar fighter, destroying the ship. Galaxy-class ships went on to play a major part in the Dominion War a few years later, participating in numerous engagements.

In an effort to get more ships into service, many of the existing Galaxy-class spaceframes were outfitted with additional weapons and minimal crew accommodations to decrease their construction time, leaving the yards with nearly 65 percent of their internal volume empty. (DS9 reference: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual) The 2370s also saw the introduction of several more combat-oriented designs like the Akira and Sovereign-classes into service, effectively ending the Galaxy-class's production run. (ST reference: Starship Spotter)

Since the spaceframe was designed with a hundred-year lifespan in mind, the Galaxy-class will likely remain in service for years, if not decades, to come. In a possible future created by Q, the USS Enterprise was refitted with an additional warp nacelle and additional phaser arrays. The USS Venture was later modified to mount two additional phaser arrays on its warp nacelles. (TNG novel: All Good Things...; TNG novel: Vendetta; DS9 episode: "The Way of the Warrior"; ST reference: The Next Generation Technical Manual)

By the year 2409, the Galaxy-class saw sub-class born out of the necessity with the eruption of another Federation-Klingon War. Modeled after the refitted Enterprise from Q's created future, this modified Galaxy-class would be known as the Galaxy-X class, a precursor to the later more advanced Avenger-class.

Features

The Galaxy-class did not present any particular technological revolution, but was the culmination of several Starfleet technologies to date. One of the largest classes of ships constructed by Starfleet, it accommodated not just the crew but also their families and other civilians in spacious quarters, providing extensive recreational areas including the latest in holodeck technology. Intended primarily as a ship of exploration, its size and facilities allowed unsupported missions of up to a decade if necessary. In addition, it could effectively serve as a mobile starbase in the Federation's outlying territories, showing the flag and defending against encroachment by hostile powers.

One of the main technological breakthroughs that the class did employ was the facility for routine saucer separation. While the separation option had been available in a number of previous starship classes, it had always been necessary to utilize starbase facilities to reconnect the severed parts of the ship. The Galaxy-class was the first design that was capable of separating and reconnecting at will, allowing a large proportion of the crew to escape hostile situations. (ST reference: Starship Spotter)

Galaxy-class starships also featured a large lounge and bar area in the most forward area of the ship, where the crew can relax and get something to eat. Located on deck 10, on the USS Enterprise-D this area was named Ten-Forward, whereas on the USS Challenger this area was known as Shuttlebay Four, until it was renamed to Nelson's. (NF novel: Stone and Anvil; TOS novel: The Return; TNG novel: Indistinguishable from Magic)

Source:

• Memory Alpha: Galaxy-class
• Memory Beta: Galaxy class
• Ship Recognition Manual vol 1 (Spacedock) (pages 52-55)
• thedemonapostle