(covers information from several alternate timelines)
| Constitution-class | |
|---|---|
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Type: |
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Affiliation: |
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Status: |
active (32nd century) |
| Dimensions | |
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Length: |
289m (23rd century) |
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Mass: |
190,000 metric tons |
| Specifications | |
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Decks: |
23 |
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Complement: |
400-500 |
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Speed: |
8.9 |
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Armament: |
all weapons for all refits/rebuilds are listed in tactical summary sub section below |
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Defenses: |
all defenses for all refits/rebuilds are listed in tactical summary sub section below |
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- For additional meanings of "Constitution", please see Constitution (disambiguation).
The Constitution-class was a starship class in service to Starfleet starting in the mid to late 23rd century. The design underwent several refits and rebuilds in its many centuries of service. The original configuration and refit variants of this class influenced starship design significantly, and accelerated the standardization of the fleet. It is also one of the oldest used ship classes.
History[]
Development[]
Development of the Constitution-class began in the 2230s when key Fleet personnel, including Admiral William Jefferies and Captain Robert April, came to see the necessity of an all-purpose vessel that could explore space while protecting Federation interests and expanding its reach. When a design team led by Doctor Lawrence Marvick finished plans late in that decade for just such a ship, a new class was swiftly approved by Starfleet Command.
Starfleet authorized its Fleet Yards in San Francisco to build two vessels, with Admiral Jefferies overseeing NX 1700 -- christened Constitution -- and Captain April supervising its sister ship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701). Later on, 12 were created in all.
Refits[]
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2245 - 2254 |
 |
2255 - 2266 (Contradicting Dates) |
 |
2255 - 2266 (Contradicting Dates) |
 |
2266 - 2270 |
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2271 - 2285 |
 |
2402 - 2412 |
 |
2412 - 2420 |
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2567 - 2587 |
 |
3098 - ???? |
2255[]
For more information on this specific refit click here
When Captain Pike took command of the Constitution class USS Enterprise, it was refitted for the first time since it's commissioning in 2245. This would be considered a "transitory" period of refits for all Constitution class ships as due to the escalation of the Federation/Klingon war.
Technology from classes such as the Crossfield and Walker classes would be integrated into the ships systems. Such as holographic interfaces, a moderately improved Warp Drive and advanced nacelles, and touch screen based controls.
2266[]
Shortly before the commission of Kirk as captain the constitution was "dressed down" to the iconic refit appearance that most are familiar with.
This was due to classified meetings between Spock and Starfleet command that all technology and information related to his adopted sister Michael Burnham and any technical upgrades related to the interference of Gabriel Lorca should remain classified from the general public.
Command agreed to this was well the resource costs and unreliability of many of the newer systems were not in keeping with Starfleet's standards of efficiency at the time.
The refit gave the constitution a "pre refit" basic look with nearly all war-based upgrades removed except for a few internal systems the phaser banks, shields, internal automated defenses and the ships tactical holographic training area was repurposed as an area now renamed as the "Recreation Room".
2271[]
Beyond minor modifications, the successful design saw no major changes until the 2270s, when a significant refit had been more than earned. Upgrade proposals all shared a more efficient power plant, with some versions streamlining the hull for greater warpfield geometrics, and others emphasizing enhanced weaponry or science capability.
The final design merged many of the proposals, including reintegration of many of the technologies from the early Klingon War era. Such as enhanced nacelle pylons, a small amount of reintroduced holographic communication, and a moderate level of touch screen interfaces.
2402[]
A Constitution rebuild ship
In 2402, the Constitution was taken out of mothballs given it's first refit in 134 years. By the 25th century the Constitution was not literally refit yet again however it was more rebuilt from the ground up.
The new Constitution class was made centrally due to the reason that while several other legacy ships (primarily the Enterprise) were being built as several classes sharing the same name, and while their technical abilities were greatly improved it had appeared that advancement was being sacrificed for over complexity and complication. So the new Constitution was created as a more simplified and dressed down functionality.
Also Starfleet decided to just refit the Constitution class because designing an entirely new starship would take years and the Borg threat was getting worse. As of which this was also one of the first Starfleet capital ships that was later equipped with Infinity modulator arrays for maximum protection and military power.
This refit was strikingly exactly the same physical configuration design as in the alternate reality that Ambassador Spock visited 16 years previous.
2567[]
As exploration was becoming more of a priority then crisis management. The next constitution rebuild was created based on a molecular restructuring modular system that would allow the ship components/sections of other classes such as Excelsior, Galaxy, and Intrepid classes that can add extra benefits per ship restructuring and needed repair time lowered.
The class had so many new crew and vessel care services installed into the ships infrastructure that it had some similarities to Vekxel class craft of around the same era.
3098[]
31st/32nd century class rebuild
After the fuel and ship destroying event known as the "Burn" a new set of ships needed to be created not only to act as a reliable exploration craft but have excellence in security as well.
To protect and provide long range aid to the remainder of the Federation post burn the Constitution was rebuilt once again now armed with Infinity modulator arrays and heavy molecular deconstruction based weaponry.
It also has a moderate level of basic cloak (and later phase cloak) technology after the Ni'Var alliance and technology trade accordance of the 3180s.
This rebuilds physical configuration appears vaguely similar to the Columbia class nacelle and saucer placement. Interestingly this new rebuild isn't equipped with "detached" or zero gravity nacelles as many of it's contemporaries.
The Constitution class remains one of the frontline fleet flagships of Starfleet after over 900 years of technical evolution and service.
Design layout[]
Constitution class deck layout
The largest and most elaborate vessel class Starfleet had yet fielded, with an unprecedented fourteen research labs each, ships of the Constitution class became the most extensive mobile research platforms ever deployed by the Federation, and were responsible for expanding known space by thousands of cubic parsecs.
The class utilized a greater level of modularity, which allowed for incremental changes to configuration -- so flexible that it became standard starship design practice. As other classes began to employ such modularity, Fleet design became increasingly more uniform.
Tactical summary[]
The following is a detailed listing of the armaments and defenses of all refits of this class.
The generation rebuild names of Kelvin, Vesper, and Kirk are the for the 25th, 26th and 32nd century rebuilds. All other names are for first-generation and Klingon war era refits.
| subseries | beam armaments | launcher armaments | defensive arrangement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Constitution (mk I) | FL-6 laser weapons (6 emitters in 3 banks, port, starboard, fore) | FAC-3 Accelerator cannons (2, fore) | FSG Deflector shield |
| Bonhomme Richard (Constitution mk II) | FH-3 phasers (6 emitters in 3 banks, port and starboard or aft, fore) | FP-1 torpedo launchers (2, fore or fore and aft) | FSN Deflector shield |
| Achernar (Constitution mk III) | FH-3 phasers (6 in 3 banks, port, starboard, fore) | FP-1 torpedo launchers (2, fore) | FSO Deflector shield |
| Tikopai (Constitution mk IV) | FH-3 phasers (6 emitters in 3 banks, port, starboard, fore) | FP-1 torpedo launchers (2, fore) | FSO Deflector shield |
| Enterprise (mk I) | FH-11 phasers (6 emitters in 3 banks, port, starboard, fore) | FP-4 torpedo launchers (2, fore) | FSP Deflector shield |
| Enterprise (mk II) | FH-11 phasers (6 in 3 banks, port, starboard, fore) | FP-4 torpedo launchers (2, fore) | FSP Deflector shield |
| Enterprise (mk III) | FH-11 phasers (8 emitters in 4 banks, port, starboard, fore, aft) | FP-4 torpedo launchers (3, fore, aft) | FSP Deflector shield |
| Enterprise (mk IV) | FH-11 phasers (8 emitters in 4 banks, port, starboard, fore, aft) | FP-4 torpedo launchers (4, fore, aft) | FSP Deflector shield |
| Kelvin (mk I) | Phasers (4 Arrays on saucer section, port, starboard, fore, aft), phasers (2 emitters in 12 banks) | FP-20 torpedo launchers (2 fore, 2 aft) | Heavy particle shield |
| Kelvin (mk II) | I-Mod (4 arrays on saucer section, port, starboard, fore, aft), phasers (2 emitters in 12 banks) | Quantum torpedo launchers (3 fore, 3 aft) | Multiphasic shield |
| Vesper (mk I) | I-Mod (7 arrays on saucer and stardrive sections port, starboard, fore, aft) phasers (2 emitters in 20 banks) | Quantum torpedo launchers (10 fore, aft) Transphasic torpedo launchers (5 fore, aft) | Multispacial shield, Nano-Metal Ablative hull |
| Kirk (mk I) | I-Mod (6 arrays on saucer and stardrive sections port, starboard, fore, aft), Pulse cannons (4 emitters in 24 banks) | Transphasic torpedo launchers (20 port, starboard, fore, aft), 6 Buster pod replicators | Unimatrix shield, Claytronic matter Ablative hull, Phase cloak |
Alternate timelines[]
The Constitution-class of the alternate reality
The Kelvin timeline[]
The USS Enterprise in an alternate timeline created by Nero the Enterprise was more advanced in weaponry and very similar to the prime universe Constitution class refit of 2402.
Mirror universe[]
The Terran Empire's Constitution-class was virtually identical to the Constitution-class, having been reverse-engineered from the captured USS Defiant that had been dragged into the mirror universe from the prime universe by the Tholians.
Ships commissioned[]
- For the conventional Constitution-class, see Category:Constitution class starships.
- For the mirror universe copy, see Category:Sato class starships.
External links[]
- Constitution class article at Memory Alpha, the canon Star Trek wiki.
- Constitution class article at Memory Beta, the non-canon Star Trek wiki.
- Constitution class article at Star Trek Expanded Universe.