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 own imagination to fill in the gaps. In today’s episode, we’re taking a look at the Constitution Class Refit of Starfleet Starships, where Ill endeavour to create a cogent narrative to explain how this Elegant Class of Starship came to exist.
Because this IS a Beta Canon video, all information relaid 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 us begin.
With faith in Starfleet’s ability to protect its member worlds quickly dwindling, Starfleet Command was looking for a starship design that could prove to one and all that it was still a force to be reckoned with… But instead of going with one of the several drawing board designs for its a large gamble, Starfleet would put all its own faith in the revamps of an old design, The Constitution Class.
The Late 2250’s heading through to the late 2260’s had been very difficult for Starfleet Command. The United Federation of Planets had been in a golden age of sorts after the Federation/ Klingon War. Membership in the federation was growing at a steady rate, and with the Klingon Empire staying to themselves, for the most part, a new age of peace and prosperity seemed to be descending through out the Alpha and Beta Quadrants.
Using this time to their advantage, Starfleet Command had commissioned several new starship designs. And these designs, for the most part, would be a huge departure from the standardized designs that Starfleet was known for. Designs like the Crossfield Class would end up being introduced, only to be proven to be either unreliable in design, or simply be abandoned and classified for whatever unknown reason, and never seen again.
However, during the later 2250’s and early 2260’s this starship experimentation was not seen as problem by the Federation Council. On the contrary, The Federation Council was all too willing to support Starfleet during this time with their flights of fancy, in starship designs… But, then in 2266, this would all change.
On Stardate 1709.1, seemingly out of nowhere, the Romulan Star Empire would re-emerge as a power on the galactic stage, destroying several Starfleet Outposts along the Federations side of the Neutral Zone border, and although the Romulan Starship would be pursued and ultimately destroyed by the U.S.S. Enterprise, many Starfleet Historians see this re-emergence as the starting point of major changes for Starfleet and the Federation.
Over the next year, the Federation would discover many new, potentially dangerous, Space Governments near several major Federation Space Lanes. And although the Federation would attempt to achieve peaceful and diplomatic relations with all these Inter galactic powers, in most cases, they simply would not be successful.
Then in early 2267, the Klingon Empire once again, declared war on the Federation… Having used the golden age of Galactic Peace to their own advantage, the Klingon Empire had been busy upgrading their fleets and starship designs, as well as constructing several War Armadas to ensure a swift victory over their blood enemy, the United Federation of Planets.
Thankfully, the Organians, a species of omnipotent beings, stopped the war shortly after it had begun, forcing both sides to sign a treaty which would see the creation of a Neutral Zone similar to the one which separated the Federation from the Romulan Star Empire, set up between these 2 enemies.
Having been so close to what could have been another devastating War, the Federation Council called several meetings together with Starfleet, where it ran through several projections of Starfleet’s combat readiness conducted by independent comity.
The results of which were shocking to the Council… Put in a nutshell, the bulk of Starfleet’s forces were simply old. Having outdated technologies and weaponry, that wouldn’t even be touched for sale on the Orion Black Market.
Starfleet, for all it’s flights of fancy Starship Designs, had in essence, neglected the bulk of it’s own fleet, meanwhile, the citizens of the Federation, were themselves becoming disillusioned with Starfleet, with the boundaries of Federations Space increasing at a steady rate, the people of the Federation had merely assumed Starfleet had kept upgrading and improving their fleets with the passing of time.
So, when the federation New Service began showing report after report of strange happenings, and the extreme loss of life suffered by Starfleet Officers, they began to wonder if the ends of this latest deep space exploration program truly justified the means… Then came another huge blow for Starfleet, the loss of the U.S.S. Constellation and the death of its Captain, and Starfleet Hero, Commodore Matthew Decker.
On Stardate 4202.1, The U.S.S. Constellation had encountered an unknown, large object which had been named the Doomsday Machine.
Using Anti-proton Beams, this Planet Killer was traveling the galaxy, chopping planets in to rubble, inhabited or not, and then digesting the destroyed planetary chunks creating fuel for itself, thereby virtually having an inexhaustible fuel source.
Though most of the encounter had been Classified, the Federations Public was informed of the Commodores death and the destruction of the starship.
The U.S.S. Constellation was a Constitution Class starship, and this class, was the most highly coveted class in the federation, being nicknamed the Jewel of Starfleet’s Crown. And so suddenly Starfleet’s Crown seemed to be rusting. Then wave after wave of bad news began to follow the Constitution Class. With many starships being destroyed, heavily damaged or simply disappearing.
Going back to the drawing board, Starfleet would order its Core of Starship design Engineers to come up with a new design to replace the Constitution Class as its jewel and reconfirm the faith it had lost within the Federation, however, this itself would be another disaster for Starfleet.
The Federation Council, approving the design of what was known as the Atlas Class, would be horrified when every outlandish claim as to the vessels proposed capabilities, failed and failed horribly… Starfleet Command was truly in trouble.
The Federation Council would vote to remove most of the members of Starfleet’s Current Command Council. Replacing them with younger, or newly Promoted Admirals, in hopes this shakeup would end up fixing the problems within Starfleet. And the new leader of Starfleet Operations, Admiral Heihachiro Nogura. At his wits end on how to proceed to achieve the goals set out for him by the Federation Council, Nogura would spend many sleepless nights reviewing starship design and starship technological advances and theories.
One breakthrough, that Nogura was particularly interested in was the new, Vertical Warp core system. Believed to be almost double the power of the current most advanced Horizontal Warp Core System, Nogura immediately ordered the experimental core, and its related systems, along with 2 brand new, completely redesigned nacelles be constructed for immediate testing.
But, in order to construct the proper amount of components, and the correct size for the new nacelles, a starship design had to be chosen as the test subject.
Looking over what starships were currently in Spacedock for repairs, Nogura would almost absently choose the U.S.S. Excalibur to conduct the test. The Excalibur had participated in the disastrous testing of the M5 Computer System and had been badly damaged in the attack.
Hauled back to Spacedock, Starfleet had not yet decided whether to repair the Starship, or send it to a decommission fleet yard. But Admiral Nogura’s choice of the Excalibur, would breath new life in to the starship, and set Starfleet on a course that would revolutionize it’s entire fleet.
Repair of the Excalibur, Construction and installation of the new Warp Systems, would take 11 months, and early in 2269, the U.S.S. Excalibur would be secretly launched on its Shakedown Cruise.
During the 11 months of Construction on the Excalibur, Nogura would also commission a new class, known as the Miranda Class, for immediate testing.
Losing the traditional Duranium Hull that all current Starfleet Starships sported, in favour of a new, much stronger hull material known as Tritanium, the Miranda class would also feature improved Offensive and Defensive systems, Scientific Systems and Recreational and Comfort facilities, and so, taking a gamble, Nogura would also grant permission for a new modified version of the vertical warp core to be included in its design.
Both starships tested brilliantly. All of their new systems, once adjusted during their individual shakedown cruises, would perform as expected or exceed expectations by wide margins, and so now, it was up to Nogura to sell this new image for Starfleet to the Federations Public, a task that he feared, might be impossible.
After a series of unexpected events would occur, Nogura would make the decision that would see the Constitution Class refit, come to life… But what were those unexpected events? And how would the Public see this latest Starfleet Flight of fancy? Well, tune in next week to find out, same Trek Time, Same Trek Channel…
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