One of the first multi purpose vessels built for the mid 24th century refresh of Starfleet, the New Orleans was the most adaptable model within the larger Galaxy family of starship design. With a trio of mission specific sensor pods, the ship was perfect for short term research missions as a primary objective whilst being able to swap out the pods for more specific purposes or even as defensive units.
Smaller than the ‘heads of the table’ Galaxy and Nebula classes, the New Orleans was the more traditional design in the mid-scale models similar to the Cheyenne and Springfield Classes. Hosting a crew averaging 500, the ship was tightly packed with mixed crew quarters and multi-purpose research facilities to accommodate for the far-ranging tasks it would be assigned to, whether it was planetary defence or survey operations.
With modernised nacelles and core giving it a cruise speed of warp 6, the New Orleans was lighter and more nimble than a larger cruiser, but without the firepower of an escort level vessel. Primarily the class would be utilised for exploration and deep space assignments while the easily swappable mission pods would see them often recalled for defensive purposes such as the Wolf 359 massacre.
Internally the ship mirrored others in it’s design family with the upgraded aesthetic carried over from the late 23rd century and sleek minimalist workstations. Built in a limited run, the New Orleans ceased production following new directions after Wolf 359.
Barely seen on screen, the New Orleans Class is one of many ships from the Next Generation era that only made a brief appearance as Wolf 359 wreckage. Cobbled together from a model kit of the Enterprise-D, the pieces were mangled and modified to reflect a smaller saucer scale and more streamlined design. Mission pods were added – made from highlighter pens! – to distance it’s shape a little bit father away from the Enterprise’s silhouette.
Quickly assembled and modified with damage, very few pictures of the original model exist and for the longest time the best image anyone could scrounge came from a quick photo taken before battle damage was applied and reprinted in multiple editions of the Star Trek Encyclopaedia.
Many Starship fanatics would replicate and expand on the design before it was reconstructed as a digital asset for Star Trek Online (later refined in 2021) and as a physical model for Eaglemoss’ Starships range.
The New Orleans Class is available as a Tier 2 Frigate for new commanding officers within Quadrant 2. You can learn more at the Fleet Database, or find out how to take command today!
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