Hello and welcome to another episode of Truth OR Myth Beta Canon, a Star Trek web series that dives into the history of any given topic using Beta Canon sources and my imagination to fill in the gaps. In today’s episode we’re taking a look at the Constitution Class Refit design, as first seen in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, to better understand its place in Star Trek History.
As always, though this video DOES use a lot of Alpha Canon information it still IS a Beta Canon video, and so all information re-laid should pretty much be taken with a grain of stardust, and only considered a little bit of Star Trek Fun! And so, with all that out of the way, let’s begin.
Created with a 2-fold purpose. To incorporate the latest breakthroughs of technology into an efficient powerful design and to quiet the voices of Federation Citizens demanding change, the Constitution Class Refit would go on to become one of the most recognizable designs in Starfleet History. But what do we know about the revolutionary Class? Well today, we’ll find out…
Starfleet Command was in trouble, Public support for the organization had continued to erode during the latter part of the 2260s.
The reputation of the once jewel of Starfleet Crown, the Constitution Class, had been severely tarnished thanks to several of the classes’ starships being lost, destroyed, or otherwise incapacitated in a very short time frame.
Add to that, that several of Starfleet’s Starship experiments such as the Atlas Class had not lived up to the hype that the organization had promised, many member worlds had begun to question the very existence of the Starfleet.
So bad was the situation, that the Federation Council would launch a behind the scenes investigation and eventually force the retirement of many of the older serving Admirals, replacing the Starfleet Command Council with a slew of younger officers.
The new Admiralty’s first task was to fix the fleet and re-establish the faith that Starfleet had had since its conception, and 1 starship and crew would become the sole salvation for the fleet.
Events throughout the Federation in the mid-23rd century had enthralled the Public, from the First and Second Federation Klingon War, through to Romulan Star Empire once again joining the Galactic Stage, citizens throughout the federation couldn’t get enough of starship news.
Plus, out of all these important events in the Federation, and out of all of Starfleet’s Starships, the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James T Kirk would become a hero for the Alpha and Beta Quadrants.
Seeming to defy all the odds, the Enterprise would always emerge victorious, saving countless worlds, including Earth itself, from destruction, but then, in 2268, the USS Defiant, yet another Constitution Class, was lost in the line of duty.
This event caused several protests throughout the Federation demanding immediate action by Starfleet to ensure the protection of Starfleet’s Officers. It was quite a hot button issue of the time.
Starfleet’s Admiralty had set its designers the task of creating a new starship class, which would take advantage of many new technologies currently being incorporated for testing on a new class, the Miranda Class.
What is more very quickly, it would be decided that this new class, should resemble the Constitution Class in its basic form, hoping to re-inspire the Federation’s Public.
Nevertheless, Starfleet also began to take serious notice of the Enterprise’s missions and the starships effect on the public at the same time.
In late 2269, Starfleet’s secret plan to decommission the Constitution Class was leaked to the public, and again, there was public outcry over this decision, creating another paradox for Starfleet to deal with.
After all, they couldn’t keep an old class like the Constitution Class in service AND protect those aboard that class without some major upgrading, the new technology from the Miranda Class couldn’t simply be slipped into the existing Constitution Class design.
So, there was no way Starfleet COULD keep the Constitution Class in service… Or could they?
Retired Starfleet Admiral Robert April was giving his yearly address to Academy Graduates when his speech turned to the matter of the Constitution Class.
Having been the USS Enterprise’s first Captain back when the class was launched, April was vehemently opposed to scrapping the class as is in his words, the Constitution Class represented the best of Starfleet and the federation. Boldly going forth into cosmos, exploring the unknown and extending the hand of Federation Friendship to all it had encountered. The class deserved better treatment.
With his words broadcast throughout the Federation, adding his respected voice to those Federation Citizens who echoed his sentiments, Starfleet’s New Command Council would call in their Design team and ask the simple question, what would it take to direct refit the Constitution Class Design.
Thankfully, the Starship Design they were already working on was very similar to the Constitution Class, and so altering it as a refit design was fairly easy. But the reconstruction of an original Constitution Class was a very different story. Requiring the vessel in question to be stripped down to its space frame and completely rebuilt.
Even so, Starfleet had a plan.
The USS Enterprise was scheduled to complete her current 5-year mission and return to earth in 2270. And thanks to the Public’s views on the Starship, Starfleet Command would make the unprecedented decision of initiating a full refit for that starship.
Showcasing not only a new starship design for Starfleet, but an entirely new era of exploration for the organization, and with this brilliant PR stunt, the Constitution Class Refit would be born.
Sitting at a length of approximately 305 meters and 21 Decks tall, the Constitution Class Refit was designed to be operated by 500 officers and crew members.
Taking advantage of the newly designed Vertical Warp Core System, her standard safe cruising speed was increased from Warp Factor 6 to Warp Factor 7, and her emergency Maximum Speed would be increased from warp Factor 8 to a hypothetical Warp Factor 12.
Tactical systems were improved in this design as well. 10 Phaser Banks with 16 emitters would provide the primary protection for this class. Phaser power itself was also greatly increased after being channelled directly through the new warp drive.
Although more efficient and far more powerful, this new design did mean that ships Phaser weapons would not function if the Warp Drive was damaged or offline. This design flaw was quickly fixed, however, and backup Phaser batteries would be installed that would automatically kick in should warp power be unavailable, though these batteries would provide severely reduced Phaser strength.
The Photon Torpedo Launching System was moved from the saucer section to the connecting plane of the Neck and Secondary Hull, the ships shielding was also improved, taking full advantage of the increase in power available from the new Warp Core.
The Main Deflector would also become an enclosed unit with variable power output. At slower speeds, Deflector Power would be lowered and the dish would appear orange in colour, and at faster speeds such as warp speeds, the Deflector Power would be increased and appear blue.
Though force field technology had been available for decades, The Constitution Class itself did not have the standard Shuttlebay Force-field system installed in the original design.
Its exclusion from the class was a direct result of the technology itself being new, but more so that the Constitution Classes mission profile would take these starships further out into deep space than was normal at the time, meaning spare parts for such a finicky piece of technology would not be readily available, and filling the Classes cargo bays with spare parts for such a non-essential system had been considered an ill use of space.
But with 25 years of upgrades to the system, along with a replication of simple components now possible, the Constitution Class refit would take full advantage of Force Field Technology for its Shuttlebay.
This meant that the bay doors could be left open, with auxiliary spacecraft entering and exiting the bay, with no loss of atmosphere or environment whatsoever.
Even the Transporter System would get a complete overhaul. Increasing its range and overall effectiveness.
The interior of the starship would also get a complete overhaul, taking advantage of the newer much smaller 5th generation Duotronic Technology allowed this class to gain back far more interior space over its original design.
Refit of the USS Enterprise began in late 2270, with a lot of the redesign being made up as the starship’s construction went along.
However, when forced to launch early in 2272 during the V’ger Crisis and returning from that mission in triumph a short time later, the Constitution Class refit, would be seen as a complete success for Starfleet, with the federation public once again looking to Starfleet and the crew of the Enterprise as heroes of the fleet.
But because of the time involved in refitting the Enterprise, along with all the complications that had gone along with that project, Starfleet would decide not to refit any other Constitution Class starships, rather replacing them with newly Constructed Refit starships built from the ground up.
Starfleet would pour all its resources into constructing a whole new fleet built on the design of the Constitution Refit and Miranda Class starships. And both these classes would receive periodical refits and upgrades themselves. Utilizing the new modular design philosophy employed by Starfleet’s Designers, to keep its starships at the forefront of technology.
Nonetheless, by the late 2290s, the Class was beginning to show its age, with the Excelsior Class proving herself a superior design. Even the Enterprise B, would become a variant of the Excelsior Class, and by the turn of the Century, Starfleet Command would begin decommissioning the Class, though not altogether.
Though greatly reduced in number, the Constitution Class Refit would continue its service to Starfleet for over a century. Having its role changed to one of Cargo and Transport duties.
But after the events of Wolf 359, the remaining Constitution Class Refit starships still in service, would be put out to pasture, a distant but never forgotten memory, in Starfleet History…
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