Hello and welcome to another episode of Truth OR Myth Beta Canon, a Star Trek web series that dives into a the history of any given topic using Beta Canon sources and my own imagination to fill in the gaps. Today’s episode is a bit different as we’re taking a look at the Narendra Class of Starfleet Starships, and there isn’t really very much Beta Canon to go on, but I’ll do my best to create a cogent narrative for you all.
Starfleet’s New Command Council had a problem from the get-go, how to solve the Ambassador Class issue. And through a complete redevelopment and redesign, a brand new variant of the class would begin to debut. But due to several outside factors, the Narendra Class would end up being swept aside and almost forgotten, until now…
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.
The newly-promoted Admiral John Harriman, former Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise B, had been thrown from the frying pan right into the fire.
The controversy surrounding the previous Starfleet Command Council and the Ambassador Class had severely strained Starfleet’s relationship with the current Federation President. Though she had hidden Starfleet’s deception, in regards to the Ambassador Class, she had put immense pressure on Harriman to solve the issues with that class, and get Starfleet Command back in order.
After 34 years of commanding the U.S.S. Enterprise B, John Harriman was ready for a quiet desk job. The Enterprise herself had been severely damaged repelling an incursion into Federation Space by the Cardassian Union. And although she had been successful in doing so, many of Harriman’s officers and friends had lost their lives in the attempt. Once towed back to Earth, it was decided that the Enterprise B would be repaired and restored back to her 2293 Version and placed in the Fleet Museum, while a new Enterprise, under the Command of Rachel Garrett, would be launched, and this Enterprise was of the Ambassador Class.
Harriman was then promoted to the rank of Admiral and assigned to sector command of the Beta Magellion Area.
Returning to Earth to pass the Enterprise Command torch to Captain Garrett, Harriman would express his shock and dismay at the loss of that starship less than 4 years after her initial launch…
Personal Log, Admiral John Harriman, Supplemental.
It’s been confirmed, the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-C has been lost with all hands defending the Klingon Outpost at Narendra 3.
I can not express the tremendous loss I feel at her destruction, at least not in a way that could really do it justice.
Now, I’ve outlived 2 of the Greatest Captains in Starfleet History. I was there when Captain Kirk was lost to Nexus Energy Ribbon, and although I wasn’t at Narendra, well it’s impacted me just as much.
I guess you could chalk it up to my Enterprises last mission, where she was almost lost to history as well. I lost a lot of good people, a lot of my friends, and travelling from family to family conveying my deepest sympathies to them for their losses, means I know exactly what the loved ones left behind from the crew of the Enterprise C are feeling.
There a deep sense of outrage growing through out the Federation, people want answers as to how and why the Flagship of the Federation was destroyed. And as a result, I’ve been recalled to Earth, though I’m not sure exactly why.
I mean what good can an old Starfleet Officer like me, one who’s spent years behind a faraway desk, do at Starfleet Command?
End Of Log.
Once back on Earth, the Federation President would call a Meeting with Harriman and explain exactly why he had been recalled, again to his utter shock and dismay.
Explaining how Starfleets previous command council had falsified reports on the Ambassador Class to make her appear to be a superior starship when in fact, she actually wasn’t, had led directly to the Enterprise-C’s destruction, and in order to save Starfleet and the Federation, she herself had become somewhat complicit in the deceit and saved face for Starfleet by having the investigation team, looking into the entire incident, proclaim that the new Technology, Isolinear technology, had actually been to blame for the flagships ultimate destruction.
She had then forced Starfleet’s Admiralty into early retirement or to accept various desk jobs out in the Federation and was set on the task of creating a new Command Council, one that Admiral Harriman was to lead. At first, Harriman wasn’t interested in the position, but, because of Starfleet’s current dilemma, or perhaps because of his belief in the chain of command and duty, he eventually agreed and accepted the Federation Presidents first order to fix the Ambassador Class.
Harriman got to work right away, and after pouring over all the reports available on the class, he quickly realized that the problem was in fact in the Isolinear Technology. In Starfleet’s desperate bid to keep the Ambassador Class deception from being revealed, it had in fact put the Isolinear Core and it’s subsequent components into operation far too quickly.
Development of certain components, which would normally take years to complete, had been thrown together months instead. And as a result, oftentimes components would fail, have to be repaired, redeveloped or replaced by the Engineers onboard various starships of the class through out the fleet, and an unintended consequence of these actions meant that no 2 Starships of the classes internal components were the same at all.
Assembling a new design team, Harriman set then the task of creating a standardized version for the class with components that now had been tested and developed for several upcoming starships classes being created under a new project code-named Galaxy. Isolinear Technology was one of the biggest breakthroughs in the 24th Century, at least until Bio-Neural Circuity created almost 3 decades later. And the classes being designed as a part of Project Galaxy were amazing and impressive.
Vastly different from the starships designed before them, these classes would be designed from the bottom up with Isolinear Technology and Components in mind, and would also carry the same aesthetic from class to class ensuring Starfleet maintained a certain starship look through out its new fleet.
Realizing the breakthrough that these starships truly were, Harriman also instructed the New Ambassador Class reDesign team, to alter the Classes look to appear more in line with what was being developed for Project Galaxy. The result of all this would create a vastly superior and vastly redesigned Ambassador Class.
Though roughly the same size, this New Ambassador Class would truly live up to the original expectations of the Class. She would have a sleeker, more forceful look with leaner and meaner shapes carried throughout the class, in fact, so different was the look of this starship, Harriman would rename the class the Narendra Class in honour of the Sacrifice made by the Enterprise C defending the Klingon Outpost, which actually had finally lead to a peace treaty being signed between the 2 galactic superpowers.
Presenting the design to the Federation President, it received her approval almost instantly and granted Harriman permission to begin full production on the class, and he did, ordering Utopia Planitia to begin construction on an additional 12 vessels for the class, poising the Narendra Class to be Starfleet’s newest and best class of the fleet. He even began preparations to have the 2nd starship of the Class to be christened the U.S.S. Enterprise D. But of course that was not meant to be.
As what happens within most governmental bodies, a new president for the Federation would be elected in early 2355 and priorities would change. Finding out about the Original Ambassador Class deception, this president was outraged, outrage that he would take out on Harriman during their first meeting.
It would take all of Harriman’s diplomatic composure to convince the new president not to go public about the whole matter, in order to save Starfleet and the Federation’s relationship. And although successful in convincing him of that, the New President demanded construction be halted on any further Narendra Class vessels, wanting to distance himself as far away from the class as possible, and also absolutely refused to allow any of that class to be named Enterprise, turning his attention to the Galaxy Class of starships to dawn the next Flagships name, and already had an idea of who would command the New Enterprise.
The first Galaxy Class vessel, the U.S.S. Galaxy was well under construction in 2355 when the U.S.S. Stargazer, under the Command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, would be attacked by a Ferengi Vessel during what would become known as the Battle of Maxi. Because his vessel was lost during the battle, Captain Jean-Luc Picard would be court-martialled and subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing. And sentiment through out the Federation had elevated the already somewhat unorthodox and semi Captain to hero status. And so the Federation President felt he would be perfect Captain to command the Next Enterprise, and would strongly suggest to Starfleet’s Command council that they give command of the Enterprise to Picard.
The entire situation would be debated by the Command Council and eventually thanks to the support of Admiral Nora Satie, Picard would in fact be given command of the Enterprise D, though he would have wait for 8 years for her construction to be completed.
Harriman would try time and time again to revive interest in the Narendra Class, as her actual performance reports would place her close in strength to that of the upcoming Galaxy Class. But time and time again Starfleet and the Federation Council would reject resources being diverted back into the class. As a result, only 13 starships of the Narendra Class would be constructed, and with the launch of the other Project Galaxy Classes, would see the Narendra Class starship relegated to menial duties through out the Federation such as couriers, mobile scientific bases and cargo run in the core systems. By the early 2360s, most people in the Federation had forgotten the class even existed.
But in 2375, during the Dominion War, several of the Narendra Class starships would end up defending Earth from a Breen Attack. And they would perform so well, that the Federation Council would authorize a new project to look into the class and updating it with Bio_Neural Technology, and by 2380, the U.S.S. Narendra would be relaunched for a shakedown cruise that would see the class gain new life once again, performing so well, that the class would once again go into full production.
Though created from a class with a cloud over its head, the Narendra would eventually prove itself to be a great design, one that would blaze it’s name time and time again across the later years of the 24th century, and would remain in service as a backbone design for Starfleet right into the mid 25th Century when the starships began to be phased out in favour of other designs.
And this remarkable history of the Narendra Class, would not only restore faith in Starfleet Command but would also earn this class it’s place, in Starfleet History…
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