| Constitution-class | |
| File:Enterprise orig.jpg | |
| Original Configuration | |
| Affiliation: | United Federation of Planets |
| Type: | Heavy Cruiser |
| Length: | 289 meters |
| Beam: | 132 meters |
| Draft: | 73 meters |
| Mass: | <1,000,000 metric tons |
| Crew: | 430 (43 officers, 387 enlisted) |
| Maximum Speed: | Warp 9 (Cochrane scale) |
| Armament: | 8 phaser emitters (4 banks of 2), fore and aft photon torpedo launchers |
| Defenses: | Deflector shields |
| File:Enterprise A.jpg | |
| Refit Configuration | |
| Affiliation: | United Federation of Planets |
| Type: | Heavy Cruiser |
| Length: | 305 meters |
| Beam: | 141 meters |
| Draft: | 71 meters |
| Mass: | <1,000,000 metric tons |
| Crew: | 500 (72 officers, 428 enlisted) |
| Armament: | 18 phaser emitters (9 banks of 2), 2 forward photon torpedo launchers |
| Defenses: | Deflector shields and defense fields |
The Constitution-class starships, which were also known as Starship class starships, were the premier front-line Starfleet vessels in the latter half of the 23rd century. They were designed for long duration missions with minimal outside support and are best known for their celebrated missions of galactic exploration and diplomacy which typically lasted up to five years.
History
The Constitution-class lineage was launched sometime prior to 2245, and served as Starfleet's front-line vessels for the rest of the century. The Constitution-class also served as a mighty deterrent to both the Klingon and Romulan Empires, several times taking part in combat actions which determined the fate of the entire Federation if not the Alpha Quadrant itself. (Star Trek Encyclopedia)
In 2267, there were around thirteen1 Constitution-class starships in the fleet. (TOS: "Tomorrow is Yesterday") These may have included the NCC-1700, the USS Constellation, the USS Defiant, the USS Enterprise, the USS Excalibur, the USS Exeter, the USS Hood, the USS Lexington, and the USS Potemkin.
The most famous Constitution-class starship was the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), launched under the command of Captain Robert April in 2245. The Enterprise gained its reputation during its historic five year mission (2265-2270) under the command of Captain James T. Kirk. (VOY: "Q2")
In 2266, on stardate 1709, the Enterprise was instrumental in preventing a war between the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire. When a Romulan Bird-of-Prey crossed the Romulan Neutral Zone and destroyed several Earth Outpost Stations, Captain Kirk barely managed to outwit the enemy commander and stop his vessel from returning to Romulus and reporting on the Federation's weakness. (TOS: "Balance of Terror")
In late-2268, Excalibur, Hood, Lexington, and Potemkin took part in the disastrous testing of the M-5 computer, which had been placed in control of the Enterprise. The Excalibur was severely damaged, with all hands lost. The Lexington also was brutally assaulted by the M-5 computer when the unit became unstable. (TOS: "The Ultimate Computer")
Later that year, Defiant responded to a distress call from an unexplored sector of space, claimed by the Tholian Assembly. Shortly upon entering the region, the Defiant crew began experiencing sensory distortion, and insanity quickly spread throughout the ship. The ship's surgeon was unable to determine what was happening, and eventually the insanity induced by the phenomenon lead the crew to kill each other.
Three weeks later, Starfleet ordered the Enterprise to mount a search mission to locate the Defiant. On stardate 5693.2, the Enterprise located her adrift, lost between universes in a space warp. As a result of a later phaser exchange between the Enterprise and several Tholian vessels, a hole was created through the spatial interphase, pushing the Defiant into the mirror universe. (TOS: "The Tholian Web")
The Defiant in a Tholian drydock facility
Unknown to history in the "prime" universe, The Defiant emerged in the 22nd century mirror universe, where the Tholians of that universe had created the interphase rift by detonating a tricobalt warhead within the gravity well of a dead star. It appeared that the Defiant would go on to play a major role in Empress Sato's rule over the Earth. However, it is unclear whether Sato's bid to become Empress actually succeeded, or what the final disposition of the Defiant in that universe was, as the mirror universe of the 23rd century exhibited no significant advances in technology nor any evidence of knowledge of the 'real' universe. (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly")
Refit history
USS Enterprise - bridge module in 2265
USS Enterprise - impulse and warp drive in 2265
Constitution-refit configuration since 2270s
From 2254, or earlier, to 2265 constitution class vessels featured a large deflector dish, a large bridge dome of semi-spherical shape, and an antenna spike protruding from the Bussard collector cap on each warp nacelle. The impulse drive had as many as eight small exhaust vents. (TOS: "The Cage", TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before") Sometime between 2265 and 2266 the vessels underwent a major overhaul: The old deflector dish was replaced by a significantly smaller model, the spikes on the Bussard collectors were removed, a smaller bridge dome of flatter curvature was installed (while the new main bridge was larger on the inside than the 2254 bridge), the aft caps on the warp nacelles were each equipped with a spherical attachment, and the impulse drive now had only two large exhausts. (TOS: "The Corbomite Maneuver")
- The changes to the impulse drive section may indicate that completely new impulse engines were installed. It is unclear whether the warp nacelles were merely modified or completely replaced.
The interior passageways, main bridge interior and briefing room were already redesigned sometime between 2254 and 2265, and new intercoms were installed. The most significant change was the installation of a new bridge module which featured a larger and modified bridge on the inside, while the outside dimensions of the module remained unchanged. (TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before") In 2266 the interior passageways were again modified, the briefing room was completely redesigned, and the new main bridge featured a redesigned enlarged main viewscreen and upgrades to the control interfaces and station arrangement, but the overall appearance of the bridge remained relatively unchanged as compared to 2265. (TOS: "The Corbomite Maneuver")
The crew quarters of the 2254 configuration had the capability of carrying a little over 200 crew members (TOS: "The Cage"). In the 2266 configuration, crew quarters could hold a crew complement of over 400. (TOS: "Charlie X").
- It may be speculated that the major refit of 2266 was the reason the presumably previous Starship Class was renamed Constitution Class while the original dedication plaques were kept, maybe out of a sense of tradition. This would make the USS Constitution the first refitted vessel. This conjecture could also explain the discrepancy between the USS Constitution's NCC-1700 registry and the registry NCC-1017 of the USS Constellation.
In the late 2260s to early 2270s, the Constitution-class starships underwent their final major refit program. The actual refitting took eighteen months of work and essentially a new vessel was built onto the bones of the old, replacing virtually every major system. Thus, the Constitution-class continued in service for a further twenty years.
Essential upgrades were made to the Constitution-class' warp systems; the old cylindrical nacelles were replaced with new angular ones, and also the warp nacelle struts were new, as they were connected to the engineering hull much closer to the neck than before. The engineering hull roughly retained its original shape – while the original hull was essentially a conical cylinder, the refit was much more rounded. The deflector dish was upgraded, doing away with the "satellite" dish architecture. As for the interior of the hull, the most obvious upgrades were the enlargement of the shuttle deck and landing bay, as well as the addition of a horizontal matter-antimatter reaction assembly and a vertical intermix chamber.
New also was the installment of the double photon torpedo launcher with its rectangular housing in the neck of the vessel. Also, the phaser configuration was changed to channel energy though the warp core. Furthermore, the saucer section was considerably extended (almost 20 meters), while the rest of the surface remained about the same. Major changes were made to the interior of the Constitution-class starships; many new systems were added and existing ones upgraded. Summarizing, only the internal structure of the saucer and very little of the engineering hull and neck may have survived the 2270s refit. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
Some refit configurations had the warp nacelles mounted sideways and included additional hatches along both sides of the saucer. (TNG: "Booby Trap")
Technical data
Physical arrangement
Front view of the primary hull
Aft view of secondary hull
In an atmosphere
The Constitution-class starships were among the first to feature the saucer-engineering hull design, which would later become recognizable for most other Starfleet vessels. The main bridge was located on top of the primary hull, while an emergency bridge was located deep within the saucer. Various science labs, numbering 14 in all (TOS: "Operation -- Annihilate!"), were located in the primary hull superstructure beneath the bridge in the class' original configuration, but the labs would be relocated in favor of an officer's lounge and dining area after the 2270s refit. (Star Trek Blueprints; Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise)
The modular design of the Constitution-class allowed for component separation in times of crisis. The primary and secondary hulls could separate where the connecting "neck" joined the saucer, allowing either section to serve as a lifeboat if the other was too badly damaged. If an emergency was confined to the warp engine nacelles, it was possible to eject them while keeping the bulk of the vessel intact. (TOS: "The Apple", "The Savage Curtain")
Though not an aerodynamic craft, in emergencies, Constitution-class vessels were able to break orbit and enter a Class M planet's upper atmosphere (and maintain attitude control while passing through it) for a limited period of time, conditional on the ship's ability to re-achieve escape velocity. (TOS: "Tomorrow is Yesterday")
Command and control systems
Main bridge of the USS Enterprise (2254)
_bridge.jpg){kind=link}
Main bridge of the USS Defiant (2268)
The Constitution-class' primary command center, the main bridge, was located on top of the vessel's primary hull, on Deck 1. From here, the commanding officer supervised the entire starship's operation.
The command chair was located in the recessed area at the center of the room, in a direct line with the main viewer. This position was equidistant from all the control consoles that operated specific areas of the ship. Consequently, the captain could be immediately updated on the condition of the vessel or its crew during missions, and orders could be given clearly with a minimum of effort.
The chair was mounted on a circular pillar, attached to a rectangular footplate that was directly anchored to the deck, giving it considerable support during an attack. It was designed to swivel on the support so that the captain could turn to any member of the bridge crew.
Piloting and navigation functions were carried out at the helm console, located in the center of the room, positioned in front of the command chair. This panel consisted of three main sections.
On the left was a compartment which opened automatically to permit operation of the targeting scanner. Next to this was the main control panel, which operated maneuvering thrusters, impulse engines, and fired the ship's weapons. Directly below this panel was a row of eight flip-switches provided to set warp flight speeds.
The central section of the conn panel was fitted with a number of sensor monitor lights, and was dominated by two main features: the alert indicator and the astrogator, which was used for long-range course plotting.
The navigator's station had a control panel for entering course and heading data and the flight path indicator, and supplied information on any deviations or course corrections in progress. It also had controls for the weapons systems.
The science station on the Constitution-class Defiant
Other stations on the bridge were provided for communications, engineering, weapons control, gravity control, damage control, environmental engineering, science and library computer, and internal security. All stations were normally manned at all times.
Mounted into the room's forward bulkhead, on the ship's centerline, was the main viewscreen. Visual sensor pickups located at various points on the Constitution-class' outer hull were capable of image magnification and allowed a varied choice of viewing angles.
A duotronic-based control interface
The computer systems aboard the Constitution-class starship were duotronic based. (TOS: "The Ultimate Computer"; DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations")
Upgrades
Main bridge of the USS Enterprise (2269)
Only one turbolift serviced the bridge of the original configuration Constitution-class ship. In the late 2260s, some were refit with a second lift on the port forward section of the bridge. At the same time, an automatic bridge defense system was installed. (TAS: "Beyond the Farthest Star")
After the major refit in the early 2270s, the bridge aboard Constitution-class vessels would continue to utilize two turbolifts, but both would be located behind the command chair. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
- The Star Fleet Technical Manual, states that the original bridge was rotated 36° port, which would have the turbolift shaft travel down the centerline of the saucer section. The Technical Manual gives no reason for this offset. With artificial gravity limiting any sense of momentum and electronic displays instead of windows, there may have been no reason for the bridge crew to face directly forward.
- According to production designer Matt Jeffries, dramatic necessity required the turbolift to be moved from its planned centerline position (as seen on the Enterprise model). This off-set placement allowed characters to walk onto the bridge and enter scenes without being blocked by actors sitting in the command chair.
Refit configuration bridge (2270s)
The bridge of the Constitution-class starships were subject to many minor and major cosmetic changes over their many years of service. In particular, the main bridge of the USS Enterprise seems to have undergone considerable changes in appearance over the years. Most notably, its systems were fully upgraded along with the refit of the early 2270s. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
Refit configuration bridge (2286)
The bridge underwent only a few minor modifications from that point until the destruction of the ship in 2285. The bridge of the USS Enterprise-A, commissioned one year later (in 2286), had mainly cosmetic differences at launch, but, by 2287, it had been drastically upgraded to reflect the advances made in computer control technology.
Refit configuration bridge (2293)
The bridge module had again been replaced by 2293. The lighter color scheme of the original Enterprise-A bridges had made room for a darker, more militaristic look. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan; Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home; Star Trek V: The Final Frontier; Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)
- The controls in the fifth movie were designed to reflect a change towards a more TNG control style, but in the sixth movie the controls went back to a more push button design. While this has not been addressed in the canon one might theorize that the controls were replaced for any variety of reasons.
Propulsion systems
_impulse_engines.jpg){kind=link}
Aft view of an original configuration vessel
The Constitution-class of starships has been fitted with both lithium and dilithium reactor circuits in the warp drive assembly over its service lifetime. The vessel's standard cruising speed was warp 6, while its maximum cruising speed was warp 8. Warp 9 was also possible for this class of starship, although it was highly discouraged because it was an unsafe velocity.
The USS Enterprise was twice modified to achieve a speed of warp 11. The probe Nomad increased the ship's engine efficiency by 57% in 2267, allowing the ship to reach warp 11, but Kirk persuaded Nomad to reverse its "repairs." More extensive modifications made to the ship by the Kelvans in 2268 allowed it to safely maintain a cruising speed of warp 11 while traveling through the intergalactic void. The maximum warp speed recorded for this class by itself was warp 14.1, achieved by the Enterprise due to sabotage to the vessel's warp drive system. The Enterprise also maintained stability at Warp 22, while tractored to a ship going Warp 32. (TOS: "That Which Survives", "By Any Other Name", "The Changeling"; TAS: "The Counter-Clock Incident")
A close-up of the refit configuration impulse drive
Following the 2270s refit of the class, the Constitution was equipped with a linear dilithium-controlled MARA (Matter/Antimatter Reactor Assembly), and a pulse dilithium-controlled assembly was installed by 2285 aboard the USS Enterprise. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)
The Constitution-class' impulse drive system was a twin-port fusion reactor engine, capable of velocities at least 0.8c. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) A fusion explosion equivalent to at least 97.835 megatons would result if the impulse engines were overloaded. (TOS: "The Doomsday Machine")
Main Engineering
Engineering in 2266
Engineering in 2268
Main engineering was from where the ship's warp was controlled. All thrust and power systems were primarily controlled from this site, and it is also where the main dilithium crystal reactor was located. Life support was controlled separately from Deck 6. (TOS: "The Ultimate Computer", "The Corbomite Maneuver", "The Naked Time", "The Enemy Within", "The Conscience of the King", and more)
Refit configuration main engineering deck in the 2270s
During the 2270s Constitution-class refit, the interior design of the engineering section was drastically upgraded, featuring the vertical warp core and the horizontal intermix area.
Upper Engineering level on a refit Constitution
Main engineering was lodged on Decks 14 and 15. Deck 14 was the uppermost level of the engineering hull, and was the anchoring framework for the connecting dorsal and the warp nacelle pylons. On the forward end of the deck was the engineering computer monitoring room, which encircled the cortical intermix shaft and opens, to the rear, into the engineering computer bay.
Deck 15 housed the main engineering room. Located in the center of the room, and extending for many levels both above and below the deck, was the vertical linear intermix chamber. This complex, radically new design in intermix technology, provided operational power for the impulse drive system and furnished enough additional energy to power all other shipboard systems. Both matter and antimatter for this chamber were contained in a series of magnetic bottles, which were housed in pods at the base of the intermix shaft. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
Tactical systems
A refit Constitution vessel fires its forward phasers
Original configuration Constitution-class USS Defiant firing its stardrive section aft phasers
Originally, the Constitution-class heavy cruisers were equipped with high-powered lasers, but by the 2260s, phasers had been installed. The ship's phasers had an effective range of 300,000 kilometers, and could be adjusted to different settings. An experienced operator could use them to stun, heat, or disintegrate objects or beings in space or on a planet's surface. The main phaser banks were forward of the sensor dome, on the ventral side of the saucer. Aft-facing banks were on the stern, above the shuttlebay, on either side of the large, blinking "homing beacon/navigational array" (conjecture; this terminology was created for Franz Joseph's Star Trek Blueprints). Port and starboard banks covered the ship's flanks. (TOS: "The Cage", "Balance of Terror", "Arena"; ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II")
- Given the canon established in Star Trek: Enterprise, it must be inferred that all subsequent Federation starships were mounted with particle weapons banks (phase cannons, lasers or phasers). What's confusing in "The Cage," however, is that the crew transports a laser cannon to the surface of Talos IV to blast the mountain. Why couldn't the ship-mounted lasers fire from orbit? Navigator Jose Tyler said they're powerful enough to "blast half a continent." It may be that the crew didn't want to risk such powerful weapons when there was the chance of injuring Captain Pike.
Torpedo bay (refit configuration)
Ships of the Constitution-class were initially equipped with fore and aft photon torpedo launchers. ("Briefing: U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701", Star Trek: The Magazine, July 1999, issue 3; ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly")
- A Mike Sussman podcast said that the USS Defiant's aft torpedoes were launched from tubes located between the two impulse engines. It's too vague to confirm this from "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II," but in Franz Joseph's Star Trek Blueprints, there are (unidentified) tube-like openings between the impulse engines.
After the refits of the 2270s, "Constitution"-class ships carried six dual-emitter phaser banks, covering forward, port and starboard on either face of the saucer; as well as the aft bank above the shuttlebay. Two additional "midships" banks were on the bottom of the engineering hull. Post-refit vessels only had two forward firing torpedo launchers. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
Transporter systems
Transporter room in the 2260s
Refit configuration transporter room
Extravehicular transporter to and from the ship was accomplished by a number of transporter systems, which allowed personnel or equipment to be transported over large ranges. The transporter platform featured six pads, which were numbered clockwise, beginning with the right front. A redesigned field generator matrix was mounted into the rear wall of the chamber aboard the refit configuration Constitution-class starships.
Aboard the refitted Constitution-class vessels, the transporter operator stood within an enclosed control pod, which had a floor-to-ceiling transparent aluminum panel through which he or she could view the transport platform. This panel served to shield the operator from the effects of any cumulative radiations emitted by the new transporter machinery, a side effect of the more powerful system.
A door in the standard transporter room wall led to a staging area where landing parties prepared for transporter.
Airlocks
Airlock staging area in 2272
Refit Constitution-class starships possessed a number of airlocks permitting direct physical access to the ship. One was located at the aft of Deck 1 on top of the saucer section (this is the one Spock uses to board the ship in The Motion Picture). Two more were located in the lower saucer section, port and starboard, concealed by sliding hull plates. (One of these, [port], is shown in the "Spock walk" sequence. Since nearly every other such airlock has a matching one on the other side of the ship, it is reasonable to assume the presence of one to starboard.) These lower two are accessed through staging areas. Four spacesuit lockers line one wall; each containing one suit, providing enough to clothe a standard party of four. A small, locked arms cabinet held phasers; communicators, tricorders, translators, and outerwear were contained in a separate cabinet on another wall. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
The next set of airlocks were located on the port and starboard sides of the torpedo bays (Admiral Kirk docked at the portside one in The Wrath of Khan). The final set were located on the port and starboard sides of the secondary hull at the midline (Admiral Kirk and Scotty docked at the portside one in The Motion Picture). These airlocks opened into the ship's main cargo bay. There was also a "gangway"-style airlock on the port edge of the saucer section. An extended drydock passageway can be seen connected to this hatch prior to the Enterprise's launch in The Motion Picture. The presence of a similar "passageway" visible in the Tholian drydock holding the USS Defiant (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly") suggests that it is a feature of the PRE-refit Consitution-class as well.)
Located on the upper surface of the saucer section of the refitted Enterprise were numerous small hatches used for entrance/egress during extra-vehicular activities. (Kirk, Spock, Decker, McCoy, and the Ilia probe use one of these hatches to leave the ship when they arrive at V'Gers 'core'.) (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
Landing bay and cargo facilities
Original configuration shuttlebay
Refit configuration shuttlebay
Landing bay on a refit configuration vessel
Deck 17 was the main access level of the engineering hull. The aft landing bay provided personnel in small craft with a means of entering or exiting the vessel, as did docking port on either side of the level.
The original configuration of the Constitution-class carried a standard complement of 4 Class F shuttlecraft. (TOS: "The Omega Glory")
The refit configuration Constitution-class starship featured a new landing bay design. A wide range of Starfleet and Federation craft could utilize this state-of-the-art landing facility. Alcoves on either side of the landing bay provided storage for up to six standard Work Bees, and furnished all necessary recharging and refueling equipment. Additional space was available for the storage of non-ship shuttlecraft.
Just within the landing bay doors was a force field generator unit, which was built into the main bulkheads on either side of the entry area. This field allowed craft to enter the ship, while at the same time retaining the atmosphere and temperature within the landing bay.
Deck 18, the refit configuration shuttlecraft hanger bay, was situated at the widest point of the engineering hull. Much of the deck consisted of open space, as it was the mid-level of the cargo facility; thirty-two cargo pod modules could be stored in the alcoves lining the forward, port, and starboard sides of the bay. The shuttle hangar had sufficient room for the storage of four craft at any given time. During normal storage situations, these shuttlecraft faced aft ward.
This deck also housed the vessel's lifeboat facilities. These one-man craft, which escaped through blow-away panels in the side of the secondary hull, were provided for those persons were unable to reach the primary hull in case of an emergency. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
Crew support systems
Intensive Care Unit on a refit configuration vessel
Refit configuration examination room
Medical systems
On the original Constitution-class starships, a sickbay facility was located on Deck 6, which featured an examination room, a nursery, the Chief Medical Officer's office and a medical lab. At least one other medical lab was located elsewhere on the vessel, and was used for biopsy, among other things. Sickbay was considered the safest place to be on the ship during combat. (TOS: "The Naked Time", "Elaan of Troyius")
- The sickbay set of the pilot episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before" underwent considerable changes following the shooting of the episode for the remainder of the series.
With the class refit of the 2270s, the medical facilities of the Constitution-class starship were considerably updated. New micro-diagnostic tables were capable of fully analyzing the humanoid body at the sub-cellular level, offering the physician a total understanding of the patient's status. Another new addition was a medical stasis unit, in which patients whose conditions were considered immediately life-threatening could be placed into suspended animation until the proper cure or surgical procedure could be established. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
Crew quarters
Crew quarters in the 2260s
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Senior officers' quarters on an original Constitution
Officers' quarters on a refit configuration Constitution
Crew quarters were located throughout the saucer section – keeping with Starfleet tradition, Deck 5 housed the senior officers' quarters. On the refit configuration vessels, these staterooms were quite similar to the VIP units on Deck 4, with only a few differences.
On starships of the original configuration, the officers' quarters featured two areas, separated partly by a wall fragment. One area was allocated as sleeping area, featuring a comfortable bed, and another as work area, including a desk and computer terminal. Entrance to a bathroom was provided through the quarter's sleeping area. Both areas could be configured to personal preference. (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II"; TOS: "The Enemy Within")
- On the original series, several "different" crew quarters were seen, but always the same set was used, changed by different lighting designs and furniture configuration.
On Constitution-class vessels of the staterooms of the senior officers were composed of two areas which were separated by a retractable, transparent aluminum partition. The room's entrance opened into the living area. A library computer terminal and work desk were provided here. The room's corner circular nook, normally occupied by a dining booth, could be modified at the officer's request. The other half of the stateroom was a sleeping area, which held a single large bed that could double as sofa during off-duty relaxation. A transparent door led into the bathroom area. By the 2290s, crew space was at a premium, and the size of officers' quarters was reduced to one large room and crewmen were housed in dormitories with bunk beds. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)
Recreational facilities
A typical recreation room (2260s)
Aboard the original Constitution-class starships, there were at least six recreation rooms, which included three-dimensional chess and card game tables. There was also a holographic rec room, which was the predecessor of the holodeck. Also aboard were as arboretum, gymnasium, a bowling alley, a theater, and a chapel. (TOS: "Charlie X", "The Naked Time", "The Conscience of the King", Star Trek: The Motion Picture))
Recreation room (refit configuration, 2270s)
On the refitted Constitution-class vessels, recreational facilities were further expanded. One large room in the aft section of the starship's saucer section furnished off-duty personnel with a wide variety of recreational games and entertainment.
At the front of the room was an immense, wall-mounted viewing screen. Beneath this was an information display alcove; five small screens exhibited, upon request, a choice of pictorial histories. A raised platform in the center of the lower level floor featured a diversity of electronic entertainment. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
Officers' lounge
Officers' lounge privacy area on a Constitution-class vessel of the refit lineage
Located at the stern of Deck 2 aboard the refit configuration Constitution-class starship was the officers' lounge. Here, four huge view ports afforded a spectacular view of the ship's warp nacelles and space beyond. To the sides, small plant areas held flora from several worlds and a small pool featured freshwater tropical fish. Just forward of this section of the lounge were two privacy areas. In each privacy area, a view screen was mounted into the wall, providing a full exterior tour of the vessel. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
Ships Commissioned
Four Constitutions fly in formation
- NCC-1700
- USS Constellation (NCC-1017)
- USS Defiant (NCC-1764)
- USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
- ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701) (in the mirror universe)
- USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A)
- USS Excalibur
- USS Exeter (NCC-1672)
- USS Hood
- USS Lexington
- USS Potemkin (NCC-1657)
- Unnamed
- Unnamed Constitution-class starships
- (NCC-1770)
- The latter starship is seen on a display from The Voyage Home which was sold at It's A Wrap! sale and auction.
- Uncertain
- USS Ahwahnee (NCC-2048)
- USS Challenger (NCC-2032)
- USS Eagle (NCC-956)
- USS Emden (NCC-1856)
- USS Endeavour (NCC-1895)
- USS Farragut
- USS Intrepid
- USS Kongo (NCC-1710)
- USS Merrimac (NCC-1715)
- USS Republic (NCC-1371)
- USS Scovil (NCC-1598)
- USS Yorktown
Appendices
Appearances
The Constitution-class Enterprise appeared in every episode of TOS and TAS. TOS episodes featuring other Constitution-class vessels besides Enterprise are listed below.
- TOS:
- Star Trek films:
- TNG:
- "Lonely Among Us" (model)
- "The Battle" (model)
- "Hide and Q" (model)
- "Haven" (model)
- "The Big Goodbye" (model)
- "The Best of Both Worlds" (wreckage)
- "The Bonding" (model)
- "Booby Trap" (model)
- "The First Duty" (model)
- "Relics"(bridge)
- DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations"
- VOY: "In the Flesh" (wall display, original and refit)
- ENT:
Background
An early computer graphic listed the first mention of the name of the Constitution class.
While probably discussed or originated in behind-the-scenes proposals and communications, the name "Constitution class" originated in canon productions only as an unreadable graphic on a computer screen of a phaser diagram, from Scotty's technical journal, in TOS: "The Trouble with Tribbles". Authors of reference works such as the Star Fleet Technical Manual were privy to the fact that Enterprise herself was Constitution class, even though it had never been mentioned in dialog or been readable on screen. Technical Manual drawings by Franz Joseph with the class-name appeared on screen, again mostly unreadable, in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. These were the first occasions a canon production assigned the Constitution name to the class design of the Enterprise. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home assigned this class name to the refit Enterprise as well, although some production staff previously and, apparently, unofficially called that design Enterprise class. The name "Enterprise" class was also used in reference to the refitted Enterprise and the Enterprise - A in Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise. However, that particular book is not considered canonical. The class name wasn't mentioned in dialog until 1987's Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Naked Now". The name has been mentioned numerous times and been more prominently visible in later series and episodes referencing ships of the TOS and movies design.
As art director on the original series, Matt Jefferies was given the assignment to design the Enterprise itself. His only guidelines were Gene Roddenberry's firm list of what he did not want to see: not any rockets, nor jets, nor fire streams. The starship was not to look like a classic, and thus dated, science-fiction rocketship, but neither could it resemble anything that would too quickly date the design. Somewhere between the cartoons of the past and the reality of the present, Matt Jefferies had to give at a design of the future.
The sketch Gene Roddenberry and Herb Solow approved
The theory that space could be warped was first proposed by Albert Einstein in 1905, and first demonstrated, according to Star Trek canon, by Zefram Cochrane in 2063, providing that objects could travel faster than the speed of light. Warp drive is a delicately balanced, intricate web of chemistry, physics, mathematics, and mystery.
"I was concerned about the design of ship that Gene told me would have 'warp' drive," Jefferies explained. "I thought, 'What the hell is warp drive?' But I gathered that this ship had to have powerful engines – extremely powerful. To me, that meant that they had to be designed away from the body. Boy, I tried a lot of ideas. I wanted to stay away from the flying saucer shape. The ball or sphere, as you'll see in some of the sketches, was my idea, but I ended up with the saucer after all. Gene would come in to look over what I was doing and say, 'I don't like this,' or, 'This looks good.' If Gene liked it, he'd ask the Boss (Herb Solow) and if the Boss liked it, then I'd work on that idea for a while."
The model
"So I worked on it for a while, and a couple of weeks later Herb and Gene came in. They liked a bit of this and a bit of that, and I worked on those bits. And then I came up with something I really like, so I preloaded it – used lots of color and put it in a prominent place that made it kind of stand out. And that worked! It looked better than the other sketches and Gene said, 'That one looks good!' They – and Bobby Justman, too, when he came aboard later – were a dream to work with."
Designing the bridge
Concerning the design of the Enterprise's bridge, Jefferies explained: "It was pretty well established with the model that the thing was going to be in a full circle. From there it became a question of how we were going to make it, how it could come apart, where the cameraman could get into it."
Matt Jefferies' bridge floorplan
"I decided that the crewman would work like in the navy, so often would be on for four hours, off eight hours, and it had better be comfortable. The switches would all be so that the crewman doesn't have to reach for anything. Each of the viewing screens would be at right-angles to his eyes, and we drew a full size section of the bridge that way. I wanted an all-black instrument panel that would light up form behind which is pretty much what we came up with. I did all of the artwork on each one of the instruments, and got the negative, put the color on the negative and mounted 'em under black glass. I was still assembling those things on one side of the bridge when they were shooting the other side..."
A long issue with the bridge design among fans is the single offset turbolift. The location does not line up with Enterprise model, which shows a turbolift alcove directly behind the main bridge. According to Jeffries, this off-set placement was necessary to allow characters to walk onto the bridge and photographed without being blocked by actors sitting in the command chair.
Jeffries also mentioned that Spock's sensor hood is a tip of the hat to early radar used by World War II battleships. Ambient room light would wash out the weak signals of early radar imagery, so hoods were used to cover radar screens. Because modern radar imagery is brighter, viewing hoods are no longer needed.
William Shatner, director on Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, had been so impressed with Herman Zimmerman's work on The Next Generation as production designer that he hired Zimmerman to upgrade the Enterprise interiors for the film. Hence the upgraded bridge from the movie resembles the bright atmosphere portrayed in The Next Generation. For Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, however, the bridge was once more redesigned to reflect director Nicholas Meyer's more militaristic approach on Star Trek.
An Enterprise that never was
A Ralph McQuarrie Enterprise concept art, ultimately rejected in favor of Jefferies' design
The model built for the never-realized Star Trek: Phase II by Don Loos
Ralph McQuarrie, best known to the public for his stunning production designs for the Star Wars films, was hired by Ken Adam to help develop the designs for a new Star Trek movie, ultimately abandoned to make way for Star Trek: Phase II, the new television series.
Their Enterprise design, however, was abandoned, and Roddenberry asked Matt Jefferies to update the famous starship to reflect the refit that would be part of the series' back story. Jefferies' redesign changed the engine nacelles from tubes to thin, flat-sided modules, and tapered their supports. He also added the distinctive photon torpedo ports on the saucer connector.
Early ads for The Motion Picture portrayed the upgraded Enterprise initially designed for Phase II by Jefferies
"Basically," Jefferies said, "what I did to it was change the power units, and make a slight change in the struts that supported them. I gave the main hull a taper, then I went flat-sided and thin with the power units, rather than keeping the cylindrical shape. Trying to work out the logic of the refit, I knew a lot of the equipment inside would change, but I didn't see that there would be any need to change the exterior of the saucer. Certainly, though, the engines would be a primary thing to change. Part of the theory of the ship's design in the first place was that we didn't know what these powerful things were or how devastating it would be if anything went awry, so that's why we kept them away from the crew. And that meant they could be easily changed if you had to replace one."
Unlike the first redesign of the Enterprise, Jefferies' new version was built this time by Don Loos, who had built the original ship for the original series. But when Paramount Pictures abandoned its plans to create a fourth television network and subsequently transformed the second Star Trek series into the first movie, that Enterprise was packed away as movie director Robert Wise brought in a new art director – Richard Taylor – who assigned Andrew Probert to do a second redesign of the ship, essentially keeping with Jefferies' new lines, while adding the extensive detail that was necessary for a motion-picture miniature.
Creating a Motion Picture Enterprise
For Star Trek: The Motion Picture, a new Enterprise was designed by Andrew Probert, based upon Mike Minor's concepts for Star Trek: Phase II. Other artists who worked on the refit design were Joe Jennings, Douglas Trumbull, and Harold Michelson.
Probert's suggestion for the officers' lounge location
Officers' lounge concept art
As art director Richard Taylor felt that they should stay with the proportions inherited from Jefferies' upgraded Enterprise for Star Trek: Phase II, Probert lengthened the ship with merely a few feet and enlarged the saucer, eventually adding an updated superstructure to the top and bottom of it. Additionally, he came up with the new photon torpedo launcher, redesigned the whole navigational deflector dish area, updated the impulse engine, and added phaser banks around the ship.
One of Probert's key concerns as production illustrator on The Motion Picture was that the sets built somehow conformed to the structure of the starship they were supposed to exist within. Here we see Andrew Probert's development sketches for an officer's lounge in the saucer section's upper dome. Probert's concept art was, however, not used for the movie, and a much cheaper set was constructed for the scene.
Mike Minor concept
The filmed cargo bay scene
Drawing the cargo bay's matte painting
Cutaway sketch
The end result
View of the cargo bay from a lower angle
Probert's main contribution for the Enterprise interior came in the form of the vessel's cargo deck, thoughts on which had already been visualized by veteran Mike Minor, before Probert had a chance to address it. Minor worked at the Paramount lot, while Probert was at the Robert Abel special effects facility designing various pieces of space hardware.
The thinking, then at Paramount under production designer Harold Michelson, was that the cargo bay would be a space 30 feet high that had two walls with twelve holes containing cargo pods. Mike Minor's cargo deck design shows us cargo pods simply stacked or lined up on the deck, leaving a huge open and unused space above. The walkways along the sides were also rather old fashioned looking.
The image to the right shows the plate of the cargo deck scene, filmed from Kirk's perspective as he enters the new Enterprise. What Andrew Probert was required to do was to get a frame of plate film and have it printed at a pre-determined size. Part of this frame, required for the live action elements, would be cut out and pasted to a piece of illustration board. The remaining blank board, intended to be the matte, would then be painted around that piece, blending the two together.
Following a discussion with Douglas Trumbull examining the logic of the early cargo deck concepts, this elevation sketch of the Enterprise was drawn by Andrew Probert upon Trumbull's question how the pods would get in and out of the cargo deck. What Probert proposed was that the landing bay and cargo deck be connected, allowing the easy passage of cargo trains.
The idea was that shuttles would normally take off from and land in the landing bay. They then could be lowered to the Hanger Bay level, or lowered another level to shuttle maintenance. A multi-paneled two-story door, between the elevators and cargo bay, has been opened to the sides allowing the transfer of cargo.
Apocrypha
- Although not stated explicitly, Vulcan and other alien design elements such as from the Vahklas (ENT: "Fusion") apparently went into the original construction of Constitution-class ships. (citation needed • edit) The 2260s marked the last mention of UESPA, suggesting that the various defense and exploration agencies of Federation member worlds were finally combined around this period.
- Saucer separation for the Constitution-class, suggested by the ship's design but never seen on film, has made non-canonical appearances. In the DC Comics Star Trek: Debt of Honor, Kirk used "explosive bolts" to sever the connection between the saucer module and the engineering section of the USS Farragut. The same trick was used again in the DC Comics Star Trek: The Mirror Universe Saga, where Kirk and his crew escaped the self-destruction of the ISS Enterprise's engineering section in a last-minute separation. Another Constitution-class ship, the USS Confederate, was shown operating without its saucer section in Marvel Comics Star Trek Unlimited Issue 4; after the crew abandoned the engineering hull via saucer separation due to a failure in an experimental propulsion system upgrade. In the early drafts of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the Enterprise was to separate the saucer. The 2006 Star Trek: Ships of the Line calendar includes a picture of a separated Constitution-class ship, engaging Klingons – or possibly a Klingon ship flown by the Romulans – in battle.
- The Constitution-class is also present in the alternate Star Fleet Universe, where it served as the backbone of Starfleet from its inception in the Y120s to the advent of the General War and the related deployment of the Chicago-class New Heavy Cruiser. In the Star Fleet Universe, the Constitution design is descended from the Republic-class cruiser, the first in that universe's Federation fleet to possess the saucer and nacelle configuration. (Some of the older ships were refitted into Constitution-class ships over time, while others became part of the Federation National Guard, protecting the major member worlds.) In time, the advent of more advanced technology resurrected the ship design through the Vincennes-class vessels, a parallel evolution to that seen in the change from the TOS-era Enterprise to the TMP ship design. Notably, a number of the ships referred to in the original series (such as the Hood and the Excalibur) or listed in the Technical Manual (such as the Kongo) are expanded upon in the Star Fleet Universe – but due to the licensing restrictions under which ADB operate, the Enterprise herself is not detailed, though her registry is included.
Consitution-class registry
Although not considered canon, several sources have produced a long list of Constitution-class starships. The main source was Franz Joseph's Star Fleet Technical Manual, which listed over 100 Constitution-class ships divided into sub-classes: Constitution, Bonhomme Richard, Achernar and Tikopai. Ships of the class were later expanded by other publications such as Ships of the Star Fleet which included the Endeavour, Enterprise, and Enterprise (II) sub-classes.
- Constitution-class ships:
- USS Constitution (NCC-1700)
- USS Constellation (NCC-1017)
- USS Republic (NCC-1371)
- USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
- USS Farragut (NCC-1702)
- USS Lexington (NCC-1703)
- USS Yorktown (NCC-1704)
- USS Excalibur (NCC-1705)
- USS Exeter (NCC-1706)
- USS Hood (NCC-1707)
- USS Intrepid (NCC-1708)
- USS Valiant (NCC-1709)
- USS Kongo (NCC-1710)
- USS Potemkin (NCC-1711)
- USS Bonhomme Richard (NCC-1712)
- USS Monitor (NCC-1713)
- USS Hornet (NCC-1714)
- USS Merrimac (NCC-1715)
- USS Endeavour (NCC-1716)
- USS Defiant (NCC-1717)2
- USS Excelsior (NCC-1718)
- USS Eagle (NCC-1719)
- USS Lafayette (NCC-1720)
- USS Wasp (NCC-1721)
- USS El Dorado (NCC-1722)
- USS Ari (NCC-1723)
- USS Saratoga (NCC-1724)
- USS Tori (NCC-1725)
- USS Krieger (NCC-1726)
- USS Essex (NCC-1727)
- USS Truxton (NCC-1728)
- USS Confiance (NCC-1729)
- USS Bunker Hill (NCC-1730)
- USS La Vengeance (NCC-1731)
- USS Achernar (NCC-1732)
- USS Sol (NCC-1733)
- USS Jupiter (NCC-1734)
- USS Rigel Kentaurus (NCC-1735)
- USS Quindar (NCC-1736)
- USS Proxima (NCC-1737)
- USS Androcus (NCC-1738)
- USS Astrad (NCC-1739)
- USS Mondoloy (NCC-1740)
- USS Alfr (NCC-1741)
- USS Thelonii (NCC-1742)
- USS Xanthii (NCC-1743)
- USS Sirius (NCC-1744)
Footnotes
1 Most fans think there are only twelve Constitution-class ships as of "Tomorrow is Yesterday", but the line this is drawn from ("there are only twelve like it in the fleet") may exclude the Enterprise from the count, meaning there could be thirteen Constitution-class ships as of that date. It also may or may not exclude ships that were no longer in the fleet due to destruction or other reasons.
2 The Star Fleet Technical Manual lists the Defiant as NCC-1717, although it was labeled on screen as NCC-1764.
- Registry numbers: Although the Star Trek Encyclopedia and other references provide complete registry numbers for many Constitution-class ships, these numbers are at best conjecture. Many of the Encyclopedia's numbers, especially, were derived from the faulty assumption that the list seen on the wall at Starbase 11 in "Court Martial" were all Constitutions. Many fans now doubt that claim. (citation needed • edit)
- Uncertain ships: These ships have been listed in various references as Constitutions, but were never seen on screen as such, and are therefore of uncertain class.
- "Starship" class: If you read the dedication plaque on the bridge of the original Enterprise, it was actually listed as "Starship Class". The term "Constitution-class" came later, probably from "The Trouble with Tribbles", where the display that Scotty is reading shows a phaser bank diagram for a "Constitution-class" starship (according to an article by Greg Jein in a 1975 fanzine, that artwork also appeared in earlier episodes). Though it was "understood" to have been Constitution-class by both production staff and fans alike, the first time it was actually referred to as such was by Captain Jean-Luc Picard in TNG: "The Naked Now" and "Relics".
- USS Yorktown: Gene Roddenberry suggested that the USS Enterprise-A was first designated as USS Yorktown, and later recommissioned as USS Enterprise-A, probably because Yorktown was one of the names for the ship being considered when TOS was going into production.
- Landing feet: The Constitution class starship was equipped with landing feet (those two, darker triangle shapes on the underside of the saucer section). However, since they were never used on screen, many believe that they were nonexistent. (citation needed • edit)
See also
- Template:ShipClass
External Links
- Designing the Enterprise at Forgotten Trek - about Matt Jefferies' design of the Enterprise for The Original Series.
- Redesigning the Enterprise at Forgotten Trek - about the design of the refit Enterprise for The Motion Picture.
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