Nova class starship
From Free net encyclopedia
In the Star Trek fictional universe, the Nova class is a new type of starship design used by Starfleet. It was designed to replace the Oberth Class. Ships of this class are small scientific vessels with minimal defenses. The Nova class design follows a conventional approach to traditional Federation starship design with an angular trowel-shaped saucer section, an engineering hull and two cigar-shaped warp nacelles are attached to the hull by pylons running aft. The main bridge is embedded into the saucer to provide for better protection from enemy fire by blocking against attacks from the side. At the bow of the saucer is the auxiliary navigational deflector, lifeboats, sensor platforms, phaser strips and two torpedo launchers. The ship's ventral phaser arrays, a waverider shuttle, additional sensors and more lifeboats occupy the ventral saucer. The engineering hull houses the main deflector dish, shield emitters, two shuttlebays and a warp core. The Nova class is one of the first starships built with an Emergency Medical Hologram system; the shield charging cycle takes 45 seconds.
In real life, the Nova class was designed by Star Trek: Voyager illustrator Rick Sternbach. It was based on an early design of the USS Defiant from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
The Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual listed the Nova class as a possible replacement for the Galaxy class starship, and had also conjectured that such a vessel would be named Enterprise-E.
The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual shows that a starship very similar in appearance to the Nova-class and lists it as a "Defiant Pathfinder", the original design for the Defiant-class, before the hull was reworked into the current Defiant configuration.
Known Nova class starships
- USS Equinox (NCC-72381)
- The starship Equinox was built at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, Mars and commissioned on stardate 47007.1. The Equinox was commanded by Captain Rudy Ransom when it was transported to the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker in 2371. While returning to the Alpha Quadrant, the ship suffered heavy damage and casualties. In 2375, the surviving crew encountered nucleogenic antimatter life-forms from a different spatial realm, whom the Equinox crew used for fuel to return to Earth. After meeting the USS Voyager, the Equinox was destroyed by a warp core breach caused by the lifeforms. Only five crew members survived.
- USS Nova (NCC-73515)
- Named for the nova, the starship Nova is the pathfinder of its class. However, her registry is higher than the Equinox and the Rhode Island based on a display briefly seen in Star Trek: Nemesis.
- USS Rhode Island (NCC-72701)
- Named for the state of Rhode Island, the starship Rhode Island was commanded by Captain Harry Kim in an alternate universe in 2404.
| | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starfleet: Starfleet starships | ||||||
| Ambassador | Constellation | Constitution | Danube | Defiant | Excelsior | Galaxy | Hope/Olympic | Intrepid | Miranda | Nebula | New Orleans | Nova | NX† | Oberth | Prometheus | Saber | Sovereign | Steamrunner | Wells | Other Starfleet ships | ||||||
| Other | ||||||
| Klingon Empire: Klingon starships | Borg Collective: Borg starships | Romulan Star Empire: Romulan starships | Jem'Hadar: Jem'Hadar starships | Cardassian Union: Cardassian starships | Ferengi Alliance: D'Kora | Suliban Cabal: Suliban cell ship | Andorian Imperial Guard: Kumari | Xindi: Xindi starships | Kazon Sects: Kazon ship classes | ||||||
|
† – Pre-Federation | ||||||
External links
- "Nova class" at Memory Alpha
- Pictures of Starfleet ship classes at Ex Astris Scientia - The Nova class is currently the third section down
- "Nova class" at the Neutral Zone Starship Database
- "Nova class" at "The Guardian of Forever"