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 looking at the Freedom Class of Starfleet Starships, as first seen in Season 3 of Star Trek: The Next Generation, to better understand its place in Star Trek History.
Please note, at this point, I want to cut off anyone who wants to comment about the so-called “duo nacelle” rule. Some of you out there might know that Gene Roddenberry after he lost control of Star Trek during the early movie era, had commented that starships could not have odd numbers of nacelles.
Well to this, I say bologna on Gene. he made odd-numbered nacelle designs canon in Star Trek: The Motion Picture by using the Franz Joseph Starfleet Technical Manual on the Bridges Computer Screens and by signing off on this very design himself.
And so, if it’s good enough that Gene can break this imaginary rule, that only existed in his head, then so can everyone else, meaning there is no rule at all. And if you have a problem with this 1 nacelle canon design, then argue with him, not with me.
As always, Because this IS a Beta Canon video, 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.
Starfleet Command was overjoyed with the New Orleans Class.
With Project Galaxy in full swing and the successful launch of the New Orleans Class, the next design of the line would be a simple one, the Freedom Class, a single nacelle design intended for transport duties. But what do we know about this unusual starship class? Well today, we’ll find out…
As the first starship class produced by Project Galaxy, no one was sure what to expect from it, but the class had pulled through with flying colours.
So now, Starfleet Command eagerly awaited the next design to be produced by the project, and the second class of the line would be that of the Freedom Class.
Sitting at a length of approximately 453 meters and 31 decks tall, the Freedom Class would be designed to be operated by 370 officers and crew members.
The Freedom Class was a very basic design, utilizing a simple Saucer Section created in the new aesthetics of the era, with a neck section that attached a single nacelle to the design.
Given the Freedom Class was designed for the transport of persons and cargo along with emergency or light tactical assignments, a single nacelle seemed a reasonable design decision.
Starfleet Command had had several single nacelle designs during its lifetime. The upside to creating these types of vessels meant that fewer resources had to be used to get ships to travel the galaxy.
The downside, however, meant slower ships, with a far less focused warp field generated by only one nacelle, and should that nacelle take damage, warp travel would become an impossibility, unlike multiple nacelle designs that could function with one or more nacelles completely inoperable.
Nevertheless, given the Freedom Class was designed to operate within Federation territory, speed and any potential damage to the nacelle was seen as a non-issue as should the nacelle become inoperable, another Starfleet starship would always be nearby ready to lend the ship a hand.
As a result of the single nacelle design though, the Freedom Class would have a standard safe cruising speed of only warp factor 5 and an emergency speed of warp factor 7.6.
Tactically, the Freedom Class would be well equipped for a ship of its size. Sporting 6 type 8 Phaser Arrays, like those that would be included in the Galaxy Class design, as well as 2 Photon Torpedo launchers, 1 forward and 1 aft.
This had been a classified part of the design, as, as far as the Federation public knew, the Freedom Class was only a transport design. But the reality was far different.
Several skirmishes with the Cardassian Union had some member worlds, and Starfleet Command was concerned.
Should a full-scale war break out with the Union, Starfleet wanted to be prepared, and the Freedom Class was their ace in the hole.
Improving as well as increasing this classes thruster profile meant that the Freedom Class was far more manoeuvrable than what a regular transport class required.
Its extensive cargo facility, which included several bays directly connected to the classes torpedo launchers, were designed to be easily converted for additional torpedo storage.
So, although the Freedom Class was never intended for long-range missions, the entire design could be quickly converted to be a powerhouse tactical design should the need arise.
Of course, that need never did come forth, as although the Cardassian Union and the Federation would go to war with one another, the Federation would end up coming to see the Cardassian War as more of a joke than anything else, a series of annoying skirmishes by a species that had nothing really to back up its aggression.
As a result, very few starships of the Freedom Class would see any combat at all, content in their transport duty profile.
As previously stated, this classes cargo complex was an extensive one. Thanks to the sheer size of the Freedom Class meant that far more supplies could be packed in her hull and delivered securely to its destination.
Also, thanks to the revolutionary design of its Cargo Complex, meant that the Freedom Class could also be easily converted to house people, whether they were Starfleet Officers on their way to a distant outpost to serve the Federation, or merely civilians on their way to Risa for a quick getaway.
Besides transport vessels of this class were well sought after by many civilians wanting to travel, as Starfleet’s new approach to onboard facilities made them more of a luxury liner than anything else.
The Classes Shuttlebay would be located behind and below the Freedom Classes main bridge, something quite different than most Starfleet Vessels of the time, and would include a variety of auxiliary spacecraft, also completely redesigned for this new Era of Starfleet Aesthetics.
The USS Freedom would be launched in late 2332 for its yearlong shakedown cruise and have used what they had learned from the New Orleans class shakedown cruise, the entire event went rather smoothly.
One thing of note, however, would be the classes performance during its warp trials. As is commonplace with all-new starship testing, the engines were pushed to the limit.
Like the designers had theorized, the freedom Class did indeed have a standard cruising speed of Warp Factor 5, and an emergency speed of warp factor 7.6, but what would shock them was that the Freedom Class was able to reach and sustain Warp Factor 9, though at extreme risk to both ship and crew.
This meant, however, that as more advances were made in Isolinear Technology as well as the new warp drive systems, it could be possible that one day, sooner rather than later, the Freedom Class could be travelling at far faster speeds than anyone had ever thought possible.
But for now, Starfleet Command was completely impressed with the design and put the class into full production with an initial order of 36 Starships of the Class.
By the mid-2360s there were over 100 Freedom Class starships conducting transport and cargo runs. And it looked to the Federation Public like the Freedom Class would become one most widely used designed throughout the Federation, even overtaking the ageing Excelsior and Miranda classes.
But this was not to be the fate of the Freedom Class at all. With the Invasion of the Federation by the Borg Collective and the humiliating defeat of the Federation at the Battle of Wolf 359, the Federation Council and Starfleet would conduct a review of all starships designs currently employed by Starfleet.
In addition, many of the Project Galaxy Designs would be found to be completely inadequate for their mission profiles, but this too was not to be the fate of the Freedom Class, having passed the review process also with flying colours.
The fate of the Freedom Class would be sealed by something else, the fact that neither the Federation Council nor Starfleet Command was interested in constructing luxury style liners anymore.
Pouring all their resources into starship designs and technology to defeat the Borg at any future encounters with the collective, the Freedom Class would merely end up fading into the background, with starships of the class being decommissioned piecemeal before the turn of the Century.
This also meant that the Freedom Class had no official decommission date like most other classes, eventually just disappearing from the galactic stage altogether.
Though truly amazing in its role for the Federation, the Freedom Class would generally become a forgotten page of Starship Design textbooks. Nevertheless, the sheer ingenuity and capability of the Freedom Class have earned its rightful, hardworking, and luxurious place, in Starfleet History…
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