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[Ships of the Line] The Galaxy Class

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The peak of mid-24th century design, the Galaxy Class was one of the fleet’s most iconic capitol ships that inspired a whole new generation of Starfleet. Built for longevity, the Galaxy was conceived as a deep space exploration cruiser that was not only an adaptable megastructure of science and research, but one that was entirely self sustainable whilst giving it’s crew all the creature comforts they need for years, or even decades, without having to turn back home.

The key to the Galaxy Class’ success was in large part down to it’s modular design. It’s vast internal space, mainly within the ships primary hull, was designed with extreme flexibility in mind to the point that some ships, including the flagship Enterprise, were launched with around a third of it’s internal volume vacant for later improvements or mission specific adaption. Deck Eight was almost entirely labelled as ‘multi-purpose’ with sparse empty cabins that could be used for anything from a specific type of research to housing refugee’s during humanitarian aid.

Aside from it’s modular nature, the ship was also designed to be one of extreme comfort, often referred to as a leisure liner in it’s style. It’s casual design influence came straight form the top with the ships standard bridge module being stripped to the basics with minimalist console layouts and light tones and wooden highlights showcasing a more relaxed style. The brighter, more homely colour scheme extended all the way down tot he lower decks including Engineering with a focus on comforting and serene surroundings.

With a huge amount of space on demand, the ship also included multiple lounge and recreational spaces ensuring their voyages were not only fit to host diplomatic visitors, but offer the crew more than just their work to fill the time. As standard this included botanical gardens hidden away inside, vast holodeck’s and even a full civilian staff for childcare and schooling for all officers and crew assigned with family.

In contrast to it’s cosy internal design, under the cream walls and bright lights was an intense amount of raw power. A Galaxy class wasn’t built just to symbolically fly the flag of the Federation, it could also defend it.

At a stunning 642 meters in length with a mass of nearly five million metric tonnes, the Galaxy class was more than a glorified cruise liner. It was a beast of strength and endurance. Lined with Type EX phaser arrays and both aft and rear photon torpedoes, the ship was an underrated tank built on the back of the Ambassador Class, capable of fending off even the most dastardly of enemies at the time. It’s high capacity regenerative shield backed up the punch of it’s fighting spirit with a defensive capability that was hard to counter.

The Galaxy Class was a mixed bag. It was a diplomatic cruiser that was a haven of calming purity for it’s crew. It was a flagship capable of becoming a flying city of research or being an empty shell to throw a hard punch in a tie of crisis. It was everything it needed to be and more.

Even though it was designed to be a generational landmark that would carry the future of Starfleet, due to ever changing circumstance and giant leaps in technological advancement, the Galaxy found it’s replacement in the advanced tactical capabilities of the Sovereign or advances of the Ross. Some see it as ‘the fat one’, some see it as a legend of the fleet.

Aside from it’s modular nature, the ship was also designed to be one of extreme comfort, often referred to as a leisure liner in it’s style. It’s casual design influence came straight form the top with the ships standard bridge module being stripped to the basics with minimalist console layouts and light tones and wooden highlights showcasing a more relaxed style. The brighter, more homely colour scheme extended all the way down tot he lower decks including Engineering with a focus on comforting and serene surroundings.

With a huge amount of space on demand, the ship also included multiple lounge and recreational spaces ensuring their voyages were not only fit to host diplomatic visitors, but offer the crew more than just their work to fill the time. As standard this included botanical gardens hidden away inside, vast holodeck’s and even a full civilian staff for childcare and schooling for all officers and crew assigned with family.

In contrast to it’s cosy internal design, under the cream walls and bright lights was an intense amount of raw power. A Galaxy class wasn’t built just to symbolically fly the flag of the Federation, it could also defend it.

Whatever the vision, the Galaxy remains a strong symbol of Federation ideals. Using it’s many function rooms to bring people from all over the quadrant into one room, or flying the flag of strength on the border lands, the Galaxy class remains a strong symbol of Federation ideals. The class was chosen to fly the flag of Quadrant 2 with the USS Churchill before bring replaced by the Inquiry Class A model. A rare and protected design, the Galaxy is available by approval for new captains in high standing.

About the author

About the author

ADM JT Marczynka, DoFA

Creator of things, writer of words, caffeine addict. Director of Communications for Starfleet Command Quadrant 2.

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