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 using my own imagination to fill in the gaps, and create a cogent narrative. In today’s episode, we’re taking a look at some of the other Constitution Class Starships and their histories.
One of the most famous starships in Starfleet History, the adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 and it’s crew are well known to all. But what about the other Constitution Class Starships? What are their stories? Well today, we find out…
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.
Id like to give a HUGE shout out to The Commodore, Dan Decker for inspiring this wonderful video idea, Thanks a LOT my friend!
U.S.S. Constellation
The U.S.S Constellation NCC-1017 was one of the original batches of Constitution Class starships to be constructed by Starfleet after The U.S.S. Constitution and the U.S.S. Enterprise was launched in 2245. Like all Constitution Class Starships, after her original shakedown cruise, she would be sent on exploratory missions of 5 Year Increments.
By the early 2250s, the U.S.S. Constellation was under the command of Captain Matthew Decker, formerly of the U.S.S. Yorktown. Due to numerous heroic actions, Decker would become a well known, highly respected Captain in Starfleet. In late 2246, during her shakedown cruise, the Constellation was near to the Tarsus IV Star System when they received a discrete distress call from the colony explaining how an exotic fungus destroyed most of the colony’s food supply, leaving the colonists, in serious danger of starvation.
Due to the Classified nature of a Starships Shakedown Cruise, Governor Kodos Of Tarsus IV was unaware of the Constellations position and made the drastic decision to kill more than 4000 of the planet’s colonists in order to allow the other 4000 to survive. The Constellation was the first Federation vessel to arrive at Tarsus IV and quickly re-established order, searching for Kodos, but only finding a burned body that they believed to be that of the governor.
By the mid-2250s, Captain Matthew Decker would be promoted to the rank of Commodore, but refused a desk job, preferring to remain the Captain of The U.S.S. Constellation and was able to convince Starfleet Command that his remaining in command of the Starship was far more beneficial to the Federation. And due to his extraordinary Service Record, Starfleet Command agreed.
By 2263, the Constellation had received a major refit to its systems and discovered a mould on planet Ravanar IV with an unusually large DNA sequence, dubbed a “meta-genome”. This discovery led to the fast-tracking by Starfleet of the construction of Starbase Vanguard.
In early 2266, the Constellation helped to establish a mining outpost on the planet Beta Argola. During this mission, one of the miners suffered a psychotic episode, and nearly killed 2 of the Constellations senior officers, later that year, the Constellation along with the Enterprise responded to a distress call from Alpha Proxima II, where an unidentified plague had incapacitated the planetary government. Working together, the 2 starships imposed martial law on the planet until the alien artefact causing the plague was seized and destroyed.
In early 2267, the U.S.S. Constellation received an experimental upgrade of its defensive and tactical systems as Starfleet believed another war with the Klingon Empire was imminent. Though a brief war would occur, this war would ultimately be stopped by the Organians, before it really got started, and would lead to the Organian Peace Treaty.
Shortly thereafter, the U.S.S. Constellation would be destroyed protecting the United Federation of Planets from a Doomsday Machine Planet Killer while investigating a planetary breakup and intense subspace interference in system L-374, the Constellation would be wrecked by the planet killer. With life support failing, Commodore Decker would order the ship’s crew beamed down to planet 3 of the system. Unfortunately, that planet 2 would be destroyed by the planet killer to fuel its systems, but not before hitting the Constellation 1 last time knocking out the ship’s transporter. As a result, Commodore Decker was forced to listen to helpless pleas of his crew dying on the planet’s surface.
The U.S.S. Enterprise, under the Command of Captain James T Kirk, would respond to the garbled distress call of the Constellation, and after a last-ditch effort by Commodore Decker to destroy the planet killer using a Federation shuttlecraft, Captain James T. Kirk would build on the Commodores idea and use the Constellation itself to destroy the planet killer.
Though a sad end to a brilliant starship commander, his heroic last actions would directly lead to the destruction of the weapon saving countless worlds from being destroyed. As a result, Starfleet would honour the Commodores actions by creating the Commodore Decker Medal of Honor, to be bestowed on those starship Commanders that display an unprecedented level of command heroism when faced with impossible situations.
U.S.S. Exeter
The U.S.S. Exeter, NCC-1706, was another of the initial batch of Constitution Class Starships built by Starfleet command. Like the U.S.S. Constellation, the Exeter too would go on several 5-year exploratory missions. And as a direct result of these missions, would make the first contact with several species through out the Beta Quadrant.
In 2259, under the command of Captain Brittany Mendez, the U.S.S. Exeter made the first contact with the Chyrellkans, a people, later on, discovered to actually be of human origin. In the early 2260s, the Exeter would be assigned to uncover and stop Klingon harassment of Federation shipping lanes along the Federation-Klingon border, and would ultimately be successful in this mission.
Ensign Kevin Riley was assigned to the Exeter as a navigator in 2262, following his graduation from Starfleet Academy. He remained aboard the Exeter until 2265 when he was granted a transfer to the U.S.S. Enterprise. In early 2265, Captain Mendez would be promoted to Admiral and re-assigned to Sector Command of Beta Magellion Stars Systems, and Commander Ronald Tracey would be promoted as the new captain of the Exeter.
In 2267, The U.S.S. Exeter would dock at the Starbase 11 repair facility to undergo routine system upgrades and repairs. Later that year, after the disappearance of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the Exeter was assigned to patrol sectors near the Romulan Neutral Zone, after Starfleet Intelligence uncovered the construction of a large number of Romulan Starships, believing the intent of the Star Empire to be an invasion of the Federation. Starfleet Command assigned the Exeter to a task force which included the U.S.S. Farragut, U.S.S. Potemkin, U.S.S. Hood and six scout ships, to proceed to the Neutral Zone to investigate. Assisting the Enterprise once found, the task force was able to avert a war with the Romulan Star Empire, and a tenuous peace was re-established to the area.
In 2268, the Exeter visited the planet Omega IV on a survey mission. Captain Tracey led a landing party to the surface and discovered two groups of people, the Yangs and the Kohms, which were at war with each other. Captain Tracey remained on the surface to attempt to mediate a peace treaty between both sides when he was informed of a mysterious disease brought back from the surface that was killing the Exeter’s crew, Tracey survived on the surface and believed mistakenly that Omega IV was a fountain of youth and good health. His illusions were shattered, however, when the U.S.S. Enterprise responded to the Exeter’s distress call, and eventually uncovered that disease was actually a natural immunization virus on the planets surface, that merely required time to work, and that the perceived fountain of youth aspect was nothing more than the species of this planet natural ageing process.
Captain Kirk would then place Captain Tracey under arrest for violating the Prime Directive and towed the U.S.S. Exeter back to Starbase 11 where she was decontaminated, re-crewed and eventually returned to active service under the command of Captain Douglas Newman.
In 2270 the Exeter was assigned to planet Gateway on a month-long patrol mission. Captain Newman informed his crew of the importance of protecting this planet, but not the exact reason for the assignment as the knowledge of the Guardian of Forever, that the planet contained was classified. In 2271, Captain Newman resigned from Starfleet to accept the governorship of Planet Symantius 5, and command of the Exeter was given to Captain Andreoni. later that year, assisted by the U.S.S. Enterprise, the U.S.S. Majestic and the U.S.S. Yorktown, the Exeter was successful in keeping an experimental Transwarp Drive from falling into enemy hands.
In 2273 the Exeter was operating in sector 001 when she was reassigned, along with the U.S.S. Potemkin, to deal with the Albasynnia affair. Rear Admiral Kirk had believed this reassignment to be a mistake and advised Admiral Nogura against sending both starships on the grounds that it would leave Earth largely undefended.
Admiral Nogura overruled him, but Admiral Kirk was later proved to be correct when the V’ger cloud entity moved towards Earth with unknown intentions.
U.S.S. Intrepid
Throughout most of her career, the U.S.S. Intrepid NCC-1708, was attached to the Vulcan Science Academy and crewed mainly by Vulcans who had graduated from Starfleet Academy.
In 2264, under the command of Captain Spiak, the Intrepid encountered a Fabrini probe while exploring the Scorpius-Centaurus Association. During this mission, the Intrepid would make the first contact with the Shesshran. In 2265, the U.S.S. Intrepid would receive a refit to its computer core and computer systems.
And after being damaged on a scientific mission in 2267, the Intrepid would dock at Starbase 11 for repair, when the U.S.S. Enterprise arriving in the system after an encounter with a severe Ion Storm was ordered ahead of the Intrepid in repair priority.
In 2268, the U.S.S. Intrepid was lost with all hands while investigating the Gamma 7A Star System, falling victim to a gigantic space amoeba that sucked the life-force out of living beings and mechanical power sources alike, an unfortunate end to this starships unique Starfleet career.
Epilogue
Though many of the Constitution Class Starships would meet an untimely or disastrous end, no one can deny the impact this class had on both Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets.
And ingenious evolution in both design and technology, the Constitution Class would be viewed as a jewel in Starfleets Crown, eventually receiving a refit and upgrade that would see this class continue well into the next century.
And because of starships, such as the U.S.S. Constellation, the U.S.S. Exeter and the U.S.S. Intrepid, their commanders and crews the Constitution Class would become one of the most famous classes in the federations, earning these starships their place, in Starfleet History…
Thank you for watching today’s episode of Truth or Myth, what do you think of the Beta Canon history for these Constitution Class Starships? Do you think more information on these starships should be included in the Strange New Worlds Series? Well leave your comments in the section below and don’t forget to like the video and subscribe to the channel.
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